Preschool Curriculum for Ages 3–5
A Gentle Preschool Curriculum for Curious Little Learners
The Acorn-Putters Preschool Curriculum is a gentle, play-based learning program for teachers, families, and small classrooms. Built around woodland stories, songs, simple routines, emotional growth, early literacy, movement, and hands-on discovery, it helps grown-ups create joyful preschool days without spending hours planning. Bring the world of Acorn-Putters into your home, classroom, or daycare with play-based preschool lessons, simple routines, woodland stories, early literacy, movement, kindness, and social-emotional learning.
Start with the complete Age 3 curriculum for free when you join the Acorn-Putters email list.
Then continue the journey with Age 4 and Age 5 programs designed to grow with your child. We also offer a number of other worksheets, printable pages, and smaller learning tools to download.
Preschool Learning, the Acorn-Putters Way
The Acorn-Putters Preschool Curriculum is designed for parents, teachers, homeschool families, and small classrooms who want joyful, age-appropriate learning without complicated prep.
Each curriculum uses gentle daily routines, hands-on activities, early literacy, movement, creativity, social-emotional learning, and nature-inspired themes. Children learn through stories, songs, play, art, conversation, and discovery.
Whether you are planning a homeschool preschool year, building a daycare routine, or looking for classroom-ready weekly themes, the Acorn-Putters curriculum gives you a simple path to follow.
Choose Your Preschool Curriculum
Age 3 Curriculum
Start Here: Free
A gentle first preschool curriculum built around routines, feelings, friendship, nature, early language, movement, music, and hands-on discovery.
Designed for young preschoolers who are learning how to join group activities, follow simple routines, express emotions, explore early concepts, and build confidence through play.
Includes:
- Weekly preschool themes
- 5-day lesson plans
- Circle time ideas
- Art and sensory activities
- Movement and gross motor play
- Early literacy and letter exposure
- Social-emotional learning
- Family-friendly activity ideas
- Printable activity packs and visual cards
Free with email signup.
Age 4 Curriculum
Next Step
A playful, more developed curriculum for children who are ready for deeper conversations, stronger routines, early problem-solving, pre-writing skills, counting, friendship practice, and imaginative projects.
The Age 4 curriculum builds on the gentle foundation of Age 3 while adding more structure, more independence, and richer weekly themes.
Includes:
- 48 weekly preschool themes
- Daily lesson structure
- Early literacy and phonological awareness
- Math readiness activities
- Science and nature exploration
- Social-emotional problem solving
- Art, music, and movement
- Classroom and homeschool routines
Perfect for older preschoolers and mixed-age preschool groups.
Age 5 Curriculum
Kindergarten Readiness
A kindergarten-readiness curriculum for children who are ready for more confidence, independence, early academic skills, longer projects, and deeper social-emotional learning.
The Age 5 curriculum keeps the Acorn-Putters approach gentle and playful while helping children practice the skills they need for the next stage of learning.
Includes:
- Kindergarten-readiness themes
- Early reading and writing foundations
- Number sense and math games
- Problem-solving activities
- Longer art and STEM projects
- Friendship and classroom skills
- Confidence-building routines
- Family extension activities
A gentle bridge between preschool and kindergarten.
Start with the Free Age 3 Preschool Curriculum
Not sure where to begin? The Age 3 curriculum is the best starting point. It introduces young children to preschool routines through simple daily activities, gentle themes, movement, music, art, early language, and emotional growth.
When you subscribe (for free), you’ll get access to the free Age 3 curriculum and printable resources you can use at home, in a classroom, or in a small group setting.
What You’ll Get:
- A full Age 3 preschool curriculum plan
- Weekly themes and daily activity ideas
- Circle time prompts
- Low-prep activities
- Printable cards and activity sheets
- Family-friendly learning ideas
- Updates when new Acorn-Putters curriculum resources are released
Get the Free Age 3 Curriculum
Enter your email below and we’ll send you the free Age 3 preschool curriculum.
Email Subscription
Enter your name and email, and we’ll send you a link to download the free Age 3 Preschool Curriculum and other free learning resources.
What Makes the Acorn-Putters Curriculum Different?
Gentle and Low-Pressure
Young children do not need worksheets all day. The curriculum uses songs, stories, play, art, movement, conversation, and simple hands-on activities.
The Acorn-Putters World
Hazel, Scamp, Mrs. Meadow, Snugly Thicket, and the woodland community help make learning feel warm, familiar, and story-driven.
Built Around Emotional Growth
Children practice kindness, confidence, patience, disappointment, friendship, helping, calming down, and trying again.
Nature-Inspired Themes
Forest friends, seasons, weather, gardens, animals, community helpers, music, friendship, and discovery give children a rich world to explore.
Easy for Grown-Ups to Use
The activities are designed to be realistic for busy parents, teachers, and caregivers. Most lessons use simple materials and clear routines.
Flexible for Home or Classroom
Use it for homeschool preschool, daycare, small groups, classroom centers, or family learning time.
Watch, Learn, and Play Along
The Acorn-Putters curriculum is designed to grow alongside the Acorn-Putters videos. Children can meet the characters, explore the stories, and then continue the learning with simple activities, printables, songs, and discussion prompts.
Use an episode as a gentle introduction to a theme, then follow up with hands-on preschool activities from the curriculum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Age 3 curriculum really free?
Yes. The Age 3 curriculum is free when you subscribe to the Acorn-Putters email list. By subscribing, you’ll also receive occasional preschool resources, activity ideas, and curriculum updates.
Do I need special materials?
No. Most activities are designed to use simple household or classroom materials like paper, crayons, blocks, toys, nature items, music, and basic craft supplies.
The curriculum itself is a PDF document, so you’ll need a PDF reader on your device such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free. Most devices are already capable of reading PDF documents.
Can I use this curriculum for homeschool preschool?
Yes. The curriculum works well for homeschool preschool because it gives you a simple weekly and daily structure without requiring a formal classroom setup.
Can teachers use this in a classroom?
Yes. Teachers can use the weekly themes, circle time ideas, activity prompts, art projects, outdoor activities, printables, and social-emotional learning activities in a preschool or daycare setting.
What is the difference between Age 3, Age 4, and Age 5?
Age 3 focuses on gentle routines, play, emotions, language, movement, and simple discovery. Age 4 adds more independence, early academic readiness, problem-solving, and richer activities. Age 5 focuses more on kindergarten readiness, with more age-appropriate phonics and math skills while staying playful and developmentally appropriate.
Are the Age 4 and Age 5 curriculums free?
The Age 3 curriculum is free. The Age 4 and Age 5 curriculums are premium programs, with some free samples and smaller downloads available.
Do I have to follow the curriculum exactly?
Not at all, you can keep things flexible if you like. You can follow it week by week, choose the activities that fit your child or class, or use individual downloads as needed.
Ready to Begin? Start with Age 3 for Free
Join the Acorn-Putters email list and get the free Age 3 preschool curriculum. You’ll also receive updates about new preschool downloads, Age 4 and Age 5 curriculum releases, and gentle learning ideas for home or classroom.
