We all know Solomon’s axiom: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6, NIV). This is the guiding scripture for Christian preschools who are committed to raising children up in the Lord. But how do they do it? Informally, this training can begin in infancy. By age three, however, children are up for more structured education. Yet Christian parents and teachers must take care with the content they present impressionable children. What materials and means best convey Gospel truths to children aged three through six? Described here are six such resources that communicate the authentic realities of the world and its Creator.
1. My Father’s World
My Father’s World puts out a curriculum that combines the classical educational model with a biblical perspective and international scope. Three-year-olds can immerse in the Voyage of Discovery unit in which they gain facility with the alphabet and positive whole numbers, as well as motor and cognitive capacities. Once completed, this unit gives way to God’s Creation from A to Z, a survey of the plants and animals that populate the earth.
2. Bob Jones University Press
BJU Press offers a course of study called Pathways for Preschool. Matching letters with their phonetical sounds and language through rhymes and themes are an excellent introduction to students. They also absorb facts about numbers, shapes, and colors. First-grade materials focus on the Bible, writing, reading, phonics, science, Spanish, and spelling.
3. Veritas Press
Veritas Press publishes the first-grade course in grammar and writing that employs the award-winning Shurley English curriculum. Sentence structure and the rules of grammar must be absorbed early to enhance effective verbal and written communication in later years. It comes in a YouTeach format, adaptable to home school or classroom.
4. Abeka
Abeka has produced Christian and homeschool educational materials for the last 65 years. Among its offerings is a unique transitional Bible course of learning aimed at children moving from preschool to kindergarten. The K4 Bible Curriculum teaches Bible stories through flashcards — a digestible format for tender, young minds. Content includes:
- topical discussion
- memory verses
- songs
- doctrinal exercises
Prayer time is also essential to the success of this method.
5. Modern Curriculum Press
With STEM knowledge of such concern to parents, teachers, administrators, and policymakers, a good start in mathematics is never a luxury. Given the varying standards imposed by individual states, Modern Curriculum Press has tailored its math curriculum to various state guidelines. “Go Math!” is the result, and it begins in kindergarten.
6. Apologia Educational Ministries
Apologia Educational Ministries has extensive science offerings, including a study of human anatomy and physiology that starts at the kindergarten level. Exploring Creation helps little ones to see how fearfully and wonderfully made they are among all God’s creatures.
