Kindergarten – Curriculum

Unit 1 – God’s Loves Creates the Universe

Theme – Children are helped to realize that all of creation is a gift from God, who created all things out of a deep, abiding love for us.

Chapter 1 – God Creates the Skies

· To help the children learn that the sun, moon, stars, clouds, day, and night are gifts of God’s love.

· To help the children express their wonder and awe at the gifts of God’s creation.

· To help the children become more aware of God’s gifts of daytime and nighttime.

· To help the children express their appreciation for God’s gifts of the sun, moon, stars, and clouds.

· To help the children celebrate God’s gifts of the sun, moon, stars, and clouds.

Chapter 2 – God Creates the World

· To help the children realize that God created the world because God loves beauty and life.

· To help the children become more aware that the beauty and wonder God created exists everywhere.

· To help the children deepen their appreciation of the beauty of God’s world.

· To help the children praise God for the gifts of creation.

· To help the children celebrate their appreciation of God’s natural gifts

Chapter 3 – God Creates the Animals

· To help the children realize that God creates animals and loves them.

· To help the children better appreciate that animals can be our friends.

· To help the children learn a Bible story about God’s love for animals.

· To help the children deepen their appreciation for all God’s animals.

· To help the children celebrate God’s gift of animals.

Chapter 4 – God Creates People

· To help the children appreciate that God creates and loves all people.

· To help the children understand that God created people who love them.

· To help the children become aware that because God and people love them, they can love, too.

· To help the children express their thanks for all the gifts of God’s creation.

· To help the children celebrate God’s gifts of creation.

Unit 2 – God’s Love Makes Me Who I Am

Theme – To help the children realize that their bodies, talents, feelings, and senses are gifts from a loving God.

Chapter 5 – God Creates Me

· To help the children realize that God’s love makes them special.

· To help the children deepen their awareness of the special talents God has given them.

· To help the children learn that they can praise God with their talents.

· To help the children praise God for themselves and their talents.

· To help the children praise God by celebrating their talents.

Chapter 6 – God Gives Me Feelings

· To help the children identify their many feelings.

· To help the children understand that God knows how we feel.

· To help the children learn how Hannah shared her feelings with God and others.

· To help the children deepen their awareness of the many feelings that God gave them.

· To help the children praise God by celebrating their feelings.

Chapter 7 – God Creates My Senses

· To help the children discover that their five senses are gifts from God.

· To help the children deepen their appreciation of the five senses.

· To help the children thank God for each of their senses.

· To help the children become more aware of their senses.

· To help the children praise God by celebrating their senses.

Unit 3 – God’s Love Gives Me People to Love

Theme – Children will realize that God gives them many people to love – families, friends, teachers, neighbors, and community members.

Chapter 8 – God Gives Me a Family

· To help the children appreciate the families God has given them.

· To help the children appreciate that families take care of them and give them God’s love.

· To help the children realize that they can thank their families for loving them.

· To help the children become aware of how they can help their families.

· To help the children celebrate the love they share in their families.

Chapter 9 –God gives Me Friends

· To help the children appreciate the friends God has given them.

· To help the children realize that God wants us to be good friends.

· To help the children understand that friends help and thank each other.

· To help the children make friends and cooperate with each other.

· To help the children celebrate the love they share with friends.

Chapter 10 – God Gives Me Teachers

· To help the children appreciate all the teachers God has given them.

· To help the children appreciate that their family members teach them new things at home.

· To help the children realize that they can teach, too.

· To help the children express their thanks to the teachers they have had.

· To help the children celebrate the love they share with teachers.

Chapter 11 – God Gives Me Neighbors

· To help the children appreciate the neighbors and community members God has given them.

· To help the children realize that neighbors show God’s love.

· To help the children understand who their neighbors and community members are.

· To help the children learn how neighbors and community helpers show God’s love.

· To help the children discover how to be good neighbors and show God’s love.

Unit 4 – God’s Love Gives Me Jesus

Theme – To help the children realize that God gives them Jesus, who teaches them to love God, themselves, and others.

Chapter 12 – Jesus Comes to Us

· To help the children appreciate the signs of God’s love for them.

· To help the children discover that Jesus is the greatest sign of God’s love.

· To help the children recognize that all Jesus did was a sign a God’s love.

· To help the children begin to understand that they can be signs of love like Jesus.

· To help the children celebrate that they are signs of God’s love.

Chapter 13 – We Are God’s Children

· To help the children discover that Jesus loves children.

· To help the children discover that people everywhere are God’s children and that they are alike and different.

· To help the children understand that they are all children of God and that God’s children have fun together.

· To help the children better appreciate that they are God’s children.

· To help they children celebrate they are all children of God.

Chapter 14 – Jesus Gathers Friends

· To help the children understand that Jesus is a friend who welcomes new friends.

· To help the children deepen their awareness of Jesus’ friendship.

· To help the children understand that as friends of Jesus they gather on Sunday to give thanks to God.

· To help the children better appreciate that they are friends of Jesus who gather to thank God.

· To help the Children celebrate their friendship with Jesus.

Chapter 15 – Jesus Tells Stories

· To help the children discover that the Bible is God’s special storybook.

· To help the children understand that Jesus told stories to reveal God’s love.

· To help the children recognize that they listen to stories of God’s love at Mass.

· To help the children appreciate that the stories of Jesus reveal God’s love.

· To help the children celebrate the love of God revealed in the stories of Jesus.

Chapter 16 – Jesus Gives Thanks

· To help the children begin to understand that prayer flows from the thankfulness for God’s love.

· To help the children discover that Jesus teaches them to thank God for love.

· To help the children realize that the Mass is a prayer of thanks for God’s love.

· To help the children deepen their understanding that in prayer they thank God for love.

· To help the children discover that Jesus teaches us to thank God for love in Jesus’ name.

Chapter 17 – Jesus Celebrates

· To help the children recognize that Christians are a celebrating people.

· To help the children discover that Jesus celebrated God’s love and invites us to do the same.

· To help the children understand that Jesus is with us when we gather at Mass to celebrate God’s love.

· To help the children deepen their awareness of God’s love and Jesus’ presence.

· To help the children celebrate God’s love and Jesus’ presence.

Chapter 18 – Jesus Lives God’s Love

· To help the children recognize that when they help and care, they live God’s love.

· To help the children discover that they show their love for Jesus by living God’s love for others.

· To help the children recognize that the Mass helps Christians celebrate and live God’s love as Jesus did.

· To help the children better appreciate that people like themselves live God’s love just as Jesus did.

· To help the children celebrate their ability to love and care as Jesus did.

Unit 5 – God’s Love Teaches Me to Love

Theme – To help the children celebrate God’s love for them and their own love for Jesus and others.

Chapter 19 – God Loves Us

· To help the children deepen their appreciation of God’s everlasting love for them.

· To help the Children understand that they became children of God at Baptism.

· To help the children understand that God loves and cares for everyone.

· To help the children learn to take care of God’s natural gifts.

· To help the children celebrate God’s gift of nature.

Chapter 20 – We Love Jesus

· To help the children realize that Jesus is God’s Son and tell stories about Jesus.

· To help the children plan a Bible dramatization about how Jesus showed God’s love.

· To help the children plan for the play about the wedding feast at Cana.

· To help the children practice for the play.

· To help the children celebrate Jesus’ and God’s love with their friends and families.

Chapter 21 – We Love Others

· To help the children discover that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, loved others.

· To help the children begin to learn the Hail Mary.

· To help the children celebrate Mary and learn a Mary crowning song.

· To help the children pray the Hail Mary.

· To help the children celebrate Mary by participating in a Mary crowning.

Other activities

** We Celebrate All Saints Day

· To help the children deepen their appreciation of those people who live God’s love.

** We Celebrate Thanksgiving

· To help the children realize that Thanksgiving is a time to remember God and to give thanks.

** We Celebrate Advent

· To help the children understand that Advent is a time to wait for the celebration of Christmas.

· To help the children appreciate that Advent is a time to wait for the coming of Jesus.

· To help the children realize that Advent is a time for preparing as well as for waiting.

· To help the children celebrate the waiting and preparation of Advent.

** We Celebrate Christmas

· To help the children understand that Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus.

· To help the children deepen their appreciation for the feast of Christmas.

· To help the children understand that Christmas is a time for gift-giving.

· To help the children celebrate the gift and gift-giving of Christmas.

** We Celebrate Valentine’s Day

· To help the children understand that Valentine’s Day is a time to share love with others.

** We Celebrate Lent

· To help the children understand that change and growth take time.

· To help the children understand that Jesus invites them to grow in love during Lent.

· To help the children accept Jesus’ Lenten invitation to grow in love.

· To help the children celebrate their Lenten resolve to grow in love.

** We Celebrate Easter

· To help the children appreciate signs of new life

· To help the children begin to learn the Easter story.

· To help the children express their joy at the new life of Easter.

· To help the children celebrate the new life of Easter.

** We Celebrate Mary

· To help the children discover that Mary is Jesus’ mother and learn about the Holy Family.

· To help the children deepen their appreciation of the Holy Family.

** We Celebrate Life Changes

· To help the children discover that life changes.

· To help the children understand that as life changes, they can respond with loving care.

** We Celebrate New Beginnings

· To help the children consider new beginnings in their lives – the coming of summer and the starting of first grade.

· To help the children understand that when life changes, new things begin.