The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool

The Creative Curriculum^® for Preschool translates new research and theory from the field of early childhood education into a practical, easy-to-understand approach to working with children and their families. It is a comprehensive curriculum with a clear organizational structure and a particular focus on interest areas.

The organizational structure of The Creative Curriculum for Preschool includes five components:

• How Children Develop and Learn
• The Learning Environment
• What Children Learn
• The Teacher's Role
• The Family's Role

These components rest on a solid foundation of research.
 
The book is organized into three sections:

The Foundation outlines the theory and research that underlie and explain the curriculum.

Part 1: Components of the Curriculum (chapters 1-5) presents the five components of The Creative Curriculum for Preschool and gives you all the information you need to set up your program.

Part 2: Interest Areas (chapters 6-16) applies the five components of the Curriculum to 11 areas:

• Blocks
• Dramatic play
• Toys and games
• Art
• Library
• Discovery
• Sand and water
• Music and movement
• Cooking
• Computers
• Outdoors

The Curriculum is augmented by a series of supporting resources, including:

• Literacy: The Creative Curriculum^® Approach
• Mathematics: The Creative Curriculum^® Approach
• The Creative Curriculum^® Study Startersvol. 1) (vol. 2) (
• The Creative Curriculum^® for Preschool in Action DVD

Why The Creative Curriculum for Preschool is Different From Other Curricula

The Creative Curriculum for Preschool provides teachers with a clear and concrete way to apply child development and learning theories to their everyday work with preschool children. Its underlying philosophy draws from widely accepted research and theories of child development and learning. While other developmentally appropriate curriculum models rest on these same theories, The Creative Curriculum for Preschool applies them to an environmental framework that focuses planning around indoor and outdoor interest areas, and clearly defined logical goals and objectives. Because of its practical approach, teachers find it easy to understand and to implement.

Teachers using The Creative Curriculum for Preschool are able to meet the needs of children with a broad range of abilities--a strong selling point with special educators. Children with different learning styles and needs are able to function together in a well-organized environment. The Creative Curriculum^® Developmental Continuum helps teachers focus on the sequence of the development of skills and learning to help all children grow and develop.

With an understanding of content and how children learn it, teachers can expand the opportunities they offer children to acquire knowledge and understand concepts. They can make a direct link between the preschool curriculum and what children will learn in elementary school. When the content of the curriculum is taught with children's development in mind, children are more likely to be successful learners who feel excited about and challenged by what they are learning.