The Benefit of Theme Based Learning

Just because she's cute.  She enjoyed eating
cupcakes for Littlest's birthday.

I think it's obvious that I am a fan of Mother Goose Time.  A big reason is because of the theme-based monthly units.  It's great for me because as I plan library and "field" trips or extension activities, I can do it all at once and be done for the month rather than planning something new for each week/day.  I also think it makes it easier for the children to absorb new information when it is placed in a context that has become familiar, rather than adding a new theme daily or weekly on top of the academic skills they are trying to learn.  This is especially helpful when working with children who may have language or academic delays.  Teaching the background theme information at the beginning and then using it to house the new skills you are introducing is easier for them than having to constantly learn all new background information and skills on a daily/weekly basis, which can lead to frustration and fatigue.

Additionally, the themes are universal enough that children will encounter them in everyday life, giving them background knowledge they can apply and expand on their own.  This month's theme, ABC House, is a particularly good example since everyone lives somewhere and most children have experience with the various rooms and activities that are done in them.  Miss M saw a book about space in a store recently, remembered our theme from March and talked about how she saw stars and planets on the cover.  Then she started singing "Red, Red Dust" and doing her favorite dance from the DVD.

Themes are also a fun way to practice a variety of skills at one time.  For example, when we made the paper bag houses on Monday, Miss M was able to practice identifying colors when she selected which paper to use, naming shapes (the doors and windows), practicing prepositions (bottom and top), fine motor (coloring and cutting) and language skills as we talked about the house we lived in and all the rooms we use.  We could also relate it back to information previously presented in lessons about houses/places we live.

I highly recommend using themes to teach children, especially young ones whose language skills are developing at a rapid rate.  I like the month-long format employed by Mother Goose Time but would recommend a minimum of two weeks so they have time to learn the background information.  Pinterest has a lot of fabulous ideas that you can put together yourself, or you can save yourself the time and effort and give MGT a try. ;)