Cycle 1 Week 3 Tutor Ideas for Classical Homeschooling
Looking for fresh Cycle 1, Week 3 tutor ideas for Classical homeschooling? This post offers a variety of engaging ways to to introduce the memory work. If you’re a few weeks behind me, see my posts with tutor ideas for prior weeks:
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Are you new to the Classical model and want to know more about it? Keep reading below about how it’s organized, the different cycles, our community time, and MORE!
If you already know about the Classical homeschooling model and you are ready to jump to the actual tutor ideas, click here.
A Classical model of homeschooling
We are part of a Christ-centered homeschool program that follows the Classical model. The younger children, ages 4-12, focus on a memorization-based curriculum which acts as the groundwork of learning that is built upon in later years.
Children and their parents learn key facts across the core subject areas including history, science, English, mathematics, geography, and Latin. Tutors use fun activities, games, songs, and lots of energy to introduce the new material. The parents can then expand on that material at home throughout the week.
Cycle rotation
The material is divided into three cycles, which each last one year. The cycles continue to rotate every three years, so most children who start when they are kindergarten age, complete each cycle at least twice. This allows them to develop a deeper comprehension and grasp of the material through repetition.
Cycle 1 material
This year, in Cycle 1, we are learning about ancient world history, biology, earth science, Latin noun endings, and English prepositions and verbs.
The following ideas are what I’m planning to do with the group of kids I am tutoring this year (ages 4-6). You may use these ideas if you are also tutoring in a Classical homeschooling community, or if you’re a parent who is looking for memory work ideas to use at home.
Also, you don’t have to be part of any particular Classical homeschooling group to use these ideas! These are ideas to help children learn key concepts in the core subject areas. If you are a homeschooling parent, or just a parent who wants to supplement what your kids are currently learning in school, these ideas will be helpful for you.
Community group time
Our homeschooling community has been meeting on Tuesdays. Our leader starts off the morning with everyone together in a big group setting. She typically begins that time with a devotional reading and prayer, and then continues with some announcements, celebrating birthdays, the pledge of allegiance, and anything else she wants to cover with everyone.
After this time, we split off into our different groups based on age. The tutors lead their groups into different classrooms and begin the New Grammar part of the day. This is when the tutor introduces the memory work for each core subject. Check out my post and video about how to make your own tutor board!

Cycle 1 Week 3 Tutor and Memory Work Ideas
New Grammar
English
I like to start with English each week. I have purchased a lined notebook for each child in my class to use and I lay these out on the table before our class time begins. When the kids walk into the room, they find their notebook which shows them where to sit.

I love using these notebooks because I think it’s great for the kids to get some writing practice. During the summer, I decorate the front of each notebook with each child’s name and a fun biology design related to Cycle 1 (see below for picture). You can download a template of this biology themed notebook cover here and customize for your kids.
In these notebooks, I write each week’s English memory work on a blank page as large and neatly as I can. I use a light colored marker, so that the kids can trace my writing and easily see their own writing with their pencil.
I lay the notebooks out on the table before our class time begins. After English, I collect them and bring them back the following week. At the end of the school year, they will have all 24 weeks filled out and they can take their notebooks home with them.


Cycle 1 Week 3 Prepositions
In Cycle 1 Week 3, we learn the next six prepositions. I prep the notebooks with some of the prepositions already written and a few blank horizontal lines where I will have the children write the other prepositions. See picture above. Depending on the ages of the kids in your class, you could adjust this to meet their level:
- Write five of the prepositions and have the kids write the last one.
- Write some of the prepositions normally and then write one or a few very lightly or with dots so the kids can trace.
- Have the kids write all six prepositions on their own.
- Write the prepositions but with missing letters and have the kids fill the correct letters in.
As the children are writing, I start singing part of the Preposition song that we have learned so far. See my video below:
I love making little jingles to the memory work we are learning. Children memorize much quicker if it is to a song, and it’s more fun too! It’s also a great way to review the material throughout the week at home. It is so easy to play the week’s songs while you’re at home or in the car. I also like playing previous week’s songs at the end of our new grammar class time to help review previous material.
I encourage the children to sing the tune with me several times as they finish up writing in their notebooks. After we sing the song several times, I hand out a sticker for each child to stick to the front of their notebook. I often try to find stickers that relate to some of the material we are learning about that week.
Once the kids are finished writing, I have them stand up and show them the hand motions to this week’s prepositions:
- Along: point with pointer fingers down and swing back and forth
- Amid: bring arms up from sides to middle
- Among: make two small circles with pointer finger
- Around: make a bigger circle with pointer finger
- At: make two fists and bring together
- Atop: hand on top of head






Check out this handout for stick figure drawings of each of the hand motions for the ENTIRE Preposition song.
Timeline
I like to follow English with Timeline. Each week, I use theses Timeline Cards: Set 1 (Ancient World), Set 2 (Medieval World), Set 3 (New World), and Set 4 (Modern World) I highly recommend investing in them (you should get all four sets) whether you are a tutor or a parent. I consistently use them as a tutor and also at home with my kids.

Since I have the 4-6 year old children, I like to tape the paper letter that the timeline event starts with at the top of the card. I have found these letters at my local Dollar Tree. Some of the children in my class can’t read yet, so this helps them identify the event I’m referring to.

Cycle 1 Week 3 Timeline
Before our class time begins, I hide the cards around the room. I try to pick spots that aren’t too difficult to find, but also not too easy. I also tape up a number in each corner of the room. You can laminate the numbers 1-4 or just write them on sticky notes too keep it simple. Then when it’s time to start timeline, I tell the children to look around the room and see if they can find one or two timeline cards (depending on how many children are in my group).
I sing this week’s part of the timeline song as the children are searching for the cards. See my tutor video for the tune of this week’s timeline song.
Then I have everyone lay the timeline cards they found FACE UP on the table. The kids to find a corner of the room to go stand in. I encourage them to spread out so there is at least one person in each corner.
I say this week’s first timeline event, “Hinduism in India,” and I ask, “what letter does “Hinduism” start with?”
A child answers, “It starts with the letter “H.”
Then I roll a die and tell everyone what number I roll. If I roll a number 1-4, then I pick one child who is standing in that corresponding corner to come find “Hinduism in India” and hang it up on the first spot on the wall.
If I roll a 5 or a 6, I just roll again until I get a number 1-4. I repeat this so that all the kids get to participate and all the timeline cards are hung up on the wall in the correct order.


Then I have the students stand against the wall, each picking a timeline card to stand in front of, and I go over the timeline hand motions with the children. Then we sing the song together, trying to do the hand motions at the same time. See my video below which includes the hand motions for this week in the timeline section:
Geography
Now for geography! The children are now sitting at the table which follows the timeline part well where the kids were standing. I like to try to alternate active parts with sitting to mix things up and keep the kids engaged.


I prepare these trivium table maps ahead of time. You could always print a map too and laminate it. This is the laminator I have and use all the time. I outline the features we are discussing this week in dry erase marker, each in a different color.
The Mediterranean Sea is our starting point. I outline as much as possible where this week’s locations are on the bigger part of the map. Then the kids are able to see where these places are located in relation to the other places we have talked about the last two weeks. I also outline this week’s places on the zoomed in part in the lower left hand corner of the trivium table map.

During class I hand out a prepared map to each child. I also give them a tiny hand to use to point to the different places on their map. These are fun because they fit on one finger. Since the places we are learning are very small on the map this week, it’s fun for the kids to use one of their tiny fingers on their tiny hand to point to them.
Cycle 1 Week 3 Geography: Hebrew Empire
This week we are learning about the Hebrew Empire. I tell everyone to put their tiny hand in the Mediterranean Sea to start.
Next, I tell them to find Phoenicia which is outlined in purple on our maps. Then they will find Israel which is right below Phoenicia. In Israel, there is a sea called the Sea of Galilee. I will point out to them that the Jordan River flows from this sea into the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the saltiest sea on Earth! You can actually float in it! Then I will have them put their tiny hands on Judah which is orange on our maps.
Then I teach the kids the tune I have made that will help them remember these places. This song is to the tune of A Wise Man Built His House Upon a Rock. See my video below:
Depending on time, I give each child a few different colored dry erase markers and let them color in all the places we talked about. Or if you need to move on to the next subject because of time, you definitely don’t have to do this.
I encourage the children to sing the tune with me several times as they finish up coloring their maps.
Geography Game
Also here is a fun dice game we play at home to practice learning where these locations are throughout the week!
Math
This week in math we are skip counting the 5’s and the 6’s. We start with the 5’s and I have the kids high five the person sitting next to them with their right hand as we chant the 5’s. Then I tell the kids to high five the person on their other side with their left hand as we chant. Keep practicing by telling the kids to do the following:
- Find another partner and give high fives.
- Now low fives.
- Soft fives and then hard fives (not so hard that it hurts though).
For the 6’s, we sing these to a tune normally. See my tutor video for the tune we sing these to. Then I hand out movement cards (get these for FREE below) to each child and we all do the fun action while singing the song together. We repeat this for the 6’s with different movement cards.
History
After a lot of hopping and jumping in math, I have the kids come sit back down at the table and we begin history. I teach the children some hand motions as we sing the history song about Greek and Roman gods together. See my tutor video for the tune we use. I don’t like doing hand motions for more than one subject area each week. They already have the timeline hand motions and too many hand motions gets confusing.
Here are the hand motions:
- Zeus (Jupiter): Act like you’re putting a crown on your head
- Hera (Juno): Bow
- Ares (Mars): Punch the air
- Aphrodite (Venus): Make a heart shape with both pointer fingers
- Hermes (Mercury): Make little wings
- Athena (Minerva): Point to our brain
- Poseidon (Neptune): Hold nose and pretend you’re under water
Then we all sing the history song and try to do the hand motions together a few times.
Latin
In Latin this week we are learning the 1st Declension Noun Endings. See my tutor video for the tune we sing these to. We sing with our cute animal cootie catchers. We sing a few more times and I encourage the children to make their cootie catchers sing in these ways:
- Fast
- Slowly
- Quietly
- Loudly
- Whisper
I make these ahead of time and give each kid in our group one to use. I do collect them at the end of our class time so that we can use them again in future weeks.

Science
This week in science we learn about some parts of an animal cell. We sing the song to the tune of When the Saints Go Marching In. See video of tune below.
Then I hand out a silly voice card (get these for FREE below) to each child and we sing the song in different silly voices. The kids love doing this! It’s a fun way to make them laugh and keep them engaged, especially when they are getting tired.
Free Silly Voice and Movement Cards
Review
For review time this week, I let my kids continue to color their science color by number animal cell. While they are doing this, I play last week’s memory work songs. I like to keep things chill for review time since the kids in my group are so young and pretty exhausted by the end.
Printable and Editable Cycle 1 Week 3 Tutor Plans
Here is a printable EDITABLE template of these Cycle 1 Week 3 Tutor Plans. Here is a blank template too! Also here is the Upside-down fish drawing for Fine Arts if you want just that!
I hope this helps give you some ideas and songs to use whether you are a tutor or a parent.
How have the first few weeks of tutoring been so far? Comment below and share some of the best moments and any questions you might have.
Cycle 1 Week 3 Memory Work Activities
Also check out the FREE activities and games that you can use at home to help your kids practice the memory work this week.
Blessings to you on this homeschooling journey!
I didn’t see a link to the color by number animal cell. Is that something you’re willing to share? I love your thorough post. Nice work! I can tell you have Lot of fun tutoring this age group.
Hi! The color by animal cell is part of my Week 3 Activity set. You can get it by joining my email list and I’ll send it to you for free along with the other free activities I’m making for each week! Let me know if you have any other questions. 🙂
https://devotedtolittles.com/cycle-1-week-3-tutor-ideas-classical-homeschooling/#Cycle-1-Week-3-Memory-Work-Activities