Cycle 1 Week 4 Tutor Ideas for Classical Homeschooling
Need inspiration for Cycle 1, Week 4 tutor ideas for Classical homeschooling? This post provides fun ideas about how 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 4 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 4 Prepositions
In Cycle 1 Week 4, we learn the next five 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 five 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 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:
- Before: hand in front, palm facing body
- Behind: hand behind you, palm out
- Below: place one hand below the other
- Beneath: squat with below motion
- Beside: stay in squat, hands to one side





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 these 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 4 Timeline
I tape a timeline card to each child’s back. As I’m taping, I tell the children to close their eyes because they can’t see what card is on their back. The children can see what cards are on others’ backs, but not their own.
Once the cards are all taped to the children’s backs, I start singing this week’s part of the timeline song. I sing it myself instead of playing the music so I can control the speed of the song.
After I sing our first timeline event which is “Early Native Americans,” I ask the children, “what letter does “early” start with?
A child answers, “It starts with the letter “E.”
I tell the children, “now find which person has the card with an “E” on their back.” Once the children figure out who has this card on his or her back, I tell that child to go stand against the wall in front of the first spot. I have seven pieces of painters tape up on the wall, so that child stands in front of the first piece of painters tape.
There are two events this week that start with the letter “I”, so when we get to those events, I challenge the kids to figure out which card with an “I” is the correct card for each event.
I repeat this until we have found all the timeline cards and all the children are standing in their correct spots against the wall (hopefully not actually sticking to the tape.)


Then I have the kids take the timeline card off their back and tape it on the wall in the correct spot. Once all the timeline cards are taped to the wall, we go over the timeline motions. 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.
During class I hand out a prepared map to each child. I also give them a little animal ballon eraser to use to point to the different places on their map. Whenever I see fun erasers like these at the dollar section of Target or the Dollar Tree, I get some! Fun little erasers are perfect for pointing to different places on these maps.
Cycle 1 Week 4 Geography: Hittite Empire
This week we are learning about the Hittite Empire. I tell them to first find Hattusa which is the dot highlighted in blue marker and point to it with their eraser. Next, I tell them to move their eraser to Asia Minor which is outlined in pink on our maps. I ask them, “what two seas is Asia Minor between?” (the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea). I also explain to them that Asia Minor is where modern day Turkey is. Then they will move their eraser to the island, Cyprus which is outlined in green. Last, I have them put their eraser on the Arabian Desert which is outlined in orange. I ask the kids, “what two seas is the Arabian Desert between?” (the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.)
I have found that it works best to review geography WHILE we are doing geography. The kids have their maps in front of them and it’s really easy to talk about places we have learned about previous weeks.
Then I teach the kids the tune I have made that will help them remember these places. This song is to the tune of Apples and Bananas. 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.
Math
This week in math we are skip counting the 7’s and the 8’s. I give each child a print out of the 7’s to start with. These beautiful skip counting cards are from @kimberlyvieley and her Etsy shop HomeandHopeCo.

I also give each child a little finger puppet and tell them to first kiss each number as we skip count the 7’s together to the tune Frère Jacques. See my tutor video for this tune.
Sing the 7’s again and tell the kids to make their puppets:
- High five the 7’s
- Tiptoe on the 7’s
- Jump on the 7’s
For the 8’s, we will sing the song normally to the tune Oh! Susanna. See my tutor video for this tune. 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.
History
We are learning about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World this week. I tape pictures of each of the seven wonders around the room. The kids walk around the room with me and we look at each of the seven wonders and talk about what they are for a minute. I tell the kids to try to pay attention and look carefully at each picture so they will remember what each seven wonder looks like.

Then we play Simon Says. I remind them that if I say “Simon Says” do something, then they should do it. If I don’t say “Simon Says,” then they shouldn’t do what I tell them.
For example, I say: “Simon says find the Statue of Zeus at Olympia.” Then I help the kids find that card on the wall and we all go stand by that card. Once everyone is standing by the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, I say “Simon says hop on one foot.” “Simon says stop.” “Pat your head.” “Uh oh I didn’t say Simon says…whoever patted their head has to run around the room.”
Then I repeat with another one of the seven wonders for the kids to find and go stand by. I play Simon Says with a few commands at each of the seven wonder cards.
Here are the Seven Wonders cards I made that you can download and print off to use.
Latin
In Latin this week we are reviewing the 1st Declension Noun Endings. See my tutor video for the tune we sing these to.
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
Science
This week in science we learn about some parts of a plant cell. I give the kids some play dough and encourage them to try to make their own plant cells. I give them each a few different colors so that they can make the different parts of the cell each a different color.
This will help the kids wind down since this is the last part of new grammar this week. As they work with their play dough, we sing the song to the tune of This Old Man. See video of tune below.
Review
For review time this week, I tell the children to each go to a different corner of the room. I label each corner of the room with a number 1-4. I roll my big die and if it lands on a 1-4, I choose a child from the corresponding corner and ask them a review question. I let the other kids from that corner help if the child doesn’t know. Or you could let all the kids from the corner work together to answer from the beginning.
If I roll a 5, then any child gets to ask me (the tutor) a question! If I roll a 6, I get to choose any child to answer.
Printable and Editable Cycle 1 Week 4 Tutor Plans
Here is a printable EDITABLE template of these Cycle 1 Week 4 Tutor Plans. Here is a blank template too!
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 4 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!