Themes are the best way to engage young children in learning, no matter what their strengths or abilities. A good theme reflects a child's experience in the world.

Our Terrific Topics for PreK and K allow children to explore abstract ideas like sorting or letter sounds, through real-world experiences (gardening, construction, etc.) A well-thought out theme creates a great cycle of learning.

1. Children's curiosity to learn is piqued by a theme that is familiar but previously unexplored
2. New concepts and skills are introduced to curious minds in the context of a familiar theme
3. Children see the real-world relevence of the new concept and want to try to apply it themselves
4. Children feel the satisfaction of a gaining new understanding of their world. They feel like experts of the theme and come away with increased ownership of a new concept or skill.

Our theme units for toddlers work by the same principles, but because a toddler's world experience is more limited, toddler themes work best when they revolve around something concrete, something they can see and touch.

An article in the teacher resource section of pbs.org states:

"Thematic units provide one of the best vehicles for integrating content areas in a way that makes sense to children and helps them make connections to transfer knowledge they learn and apply it in a meaningful way. Thematic units also address the diverse learning styles of the students we serve."

The article goes on to explain the many benefits of teaching with themes and does a great job of outlining the reasoning behind our thematic units. It is also very well documented. To read the entire article, click here.