Preschool Goals & Objectives

Textbooks Used: 

1. God Loves Us [GLU; references marked Roman Numeral-lesson # or  GLU-page #]
2. Reaching for Jesus [RF]; references marked RF – lesson #]

Curriculum Outline:

CREATION:  To understand that God made everything – universe, plants, animals, people. [II-1]

1. Retell the story of creation. (Use children’s versions of the Bible when teaching.)
2. Collect examples of the things God made (water, flowers, earth) or construct items that illustrate that God created the world “…and all that is in it.”
3. List three ways to care for/protect the wonderful world that God gave us.

LOVE:  To understand that God loves us.

1. God gave us the creation.
2. God gave us our family to take care of us.
3. God gave us our Church, our Church family, and Holy Communion. [IV-2]
4. We show God’s love by caring for others: family, Church family, neighbors, etc.

JESUS IS THE GREATEST GIFT: To recognize to important moments in the life of Christ.

1. Retell the Nativity/Christmas story. [GLU-p.116]
2. Retell the Presentation to the Temple. [Story IV-1]
3. Retell the Theophany/Baptism story. [GLU-p.126]
4. Retell the Pascha story. [GLU-p.136]
5. Jesus loves us. [Insert lessons as they fit in the Liturgical Calendar.]
   1. Blesses children. [RF-18 & last page of student’s book]
   2. Feeding the 5000 [IV-5, RF-24]
   3. Gives us Holy Communion [Holy Thursday]
   4. Heals people [RF-21, 22, 23]

THANKSGIVING:  To know that we should give thanks to God for all things.

1. Define prayer as talking to God.
2. Jesus gave the Disciples and us the Lord’s prayer.

3. List when we pray (before meals, in the morning and at bedtime; use

           Orthodox prayers). [RF-29]

4. Give reasons for praying (what and why; family, friends, health, gifts and talents).
5. Make thank you cards to God for His gifts.

6. To understand that we should share God’s gifts with others. (Tie in with a simple explanation

            of Matthew 25) [VI-1]

7. Share God’s gifts by doing things for the needy and ill. (Ex. Bring food, mittens, etc. for the

            Needy; coins for the Orthodox Christian Mission canister.)

8. Thanksgiving is a national holiday created by President Lincoln as a National Day of Thanks to God. [GLU-    p.140]

WORSHIP & DOCTRINE:  To understand that going to Church is a joyful experience of prayer and singing requires proper conduct.

1. Making the sign of the cross correctly. [I-4]
2. Show how to receive Communion correctly. [IV-4, RF-4]
3. Show how to receive Antidoron correctly. [IV-4]
4. Explain why, how and when we light candles. [I-4, IV-4]
5. Venerate an icon correctly. [I-4]
6. Sing simple hymns
   1. “Holy God”
   2. “By the prayers of the Theotokos”/”Tes Previes”
   3. “Blessed of the Name of the Lord”
7. Recite the prayer “Holy God…”
8. Begin learning the Lord’s Prayer.
9. Identify the icons of Jesus, the Theotokos and the parish’s patron.
10. The priest blesses our home with Holy Water. [Holy Water bottle, GLU-p.127]
11. The priest is the leader of our Parish.  The Bishop oversees many parishes.
12. Identify the Parish’s name – Patron Saint or Feast Day.
13. Recite “Christ is Risen!” and respond “Truly or Indeed He is Risen!”

SCRIPTURE LESSONS FOR PRESCHOOLERS:  Begin Scriptural familiarization in order to learn that God loves us and to understand that the Bible is the Word of God. (Use children’s version of the Bible).

1. Retell specific Bible stories. (When possible, do the lesson as it occurs on the Liturgical Calendar.)
   1. Creation
   2. Adam and Eve [V-5]
   3. Jesus’ 40 day blessing
   4. Noah’s Ark [IV-3]
   5. Good Samaritan [IV-4]
   6. Feeding the 5000 [IV-5, RF-24]
   7. Nativity [GLU-116]
   8. Theophany/Jesus’ baptism [GLU-126]
   9. Palm Sunday [GLU-132, RF-25]
   10. Pascha/Easter [GLU-136, RF-26]
   11. Jesus blesses the children [RF-18]
   12. Jesus heals the blind man [RF-21]
   13. Jesus heals the leper [RF-22]
   14. Jesus heals the paralyzed man [RF-23]
2. Where possible, color/match the Bible story with a line icon of the event. (Ex. Christ blessing the children, the Presentation of Our Lord)

VOCABULARY:

Altar Bread/Prosphoro               Censer                                      Icon                              Priest

Angel                                          Chalice                                     Incense                         Spoon

Antidoron                                  Christian                                   Jesus                            Theotokos

Baptism/Baptized                       Church                                     Name Day                     Titles: Father, Bishop

Bible & Gospel Book                   Communion                               Panagia                         Prebytera

Blessing or Hand Cross              Guardian Angel                         Pascha/Easter

Candle                                        Godparents                               Prayer