All About Me!
The goal behind an All About Me Preschool Activities Theme is to help children learn about each other and each others' families!
The theme helps children to realize that every person is unique and special.
They also learn that every child's thoughts and ideas are important and no one person is more or less important than another!
All About Me Activities
Paper Plate Face
Materials: paper plates, crayons
Give each child a blank paper plate or a piece of paper with a large circle drawn on it and have them draw their face. Keep this in the portfolio to compare with end of the year sample.
Mini-Me
Materials: multicultural cardboard people cutouts, crayons or markers, yarn, fabric scraps, glue
Give each child a multicultural cardboard cutout and have them decorate it as themselves. Crayons and markers are fine, if you have more help you can use yarn and fabric. Use these little people to take the daily attendance all through the year If you have a Cricut you can also make these using the Paper Dolls cartridge.
All About Me Graph
Materials: large sheet of butcher paper, markers
This theme lends itself well to many graphing activities. You could graph any of the following with your class: hair color, eye color, boys vs. girls, number of letters in names.
My Name is… Class Book
Materials: white construction paper, boy and girl stencils, paint or crayons, black sharpie marker.
Have each child trace stencil a boy or girl on their paper. You can use paint or crayons for the stencil depending on your preference. At the bottom of each paper use your black marker to write the words “My name is _________”. If your students are able they can write their name on the line, or if they aren’t able you may do it for them saying each letter out loud as you do so, this way they will begin to become familiar with the letters in their names. A great twist on this idea is to bind all of the pictures together and make into a class book. You could also glue a photo of each student to the head of the picture.
Birthday Cupcake
Here Are My Hands
Materials: multicultural paint, white construction paper, black sharpie marker.
Use multicultural paint (or mix varying shades of white and brown) and have each child make handprints on a sheet of construction paper. Caption each page “Here are ____’s hands”. Bind pages into a class book. Another twist on this idea would be to add the following sentence to the bottom of each page “_____ (child’s name) can _____ with his/her hands.”
Back To School!
It's that time of year again--Back To School! Remember that less is more in the beginning of the year. Too many choices overstimulate the children. The goal of the first few weeks is to help them to become comfortable with their classroom, their teachers and their peers.
Themed Art Activities
Chalk and Water
Materials Needed: Colored sidewalk chalk, construction paper (looks great on black paper, but let each child choose their own color) and shallow trays of water.
Chalk looks great on paper when they have dipped the chalk into water first. This is a great way to find out what their favorite color is (by the color of paper they choose) and to assess their motor and drawing skills.
We Are A Sharp Bunch!
Materials Needed: In advance, cut out large pencil shaped white papers; provide sponges and yellow paint.
The children sponge paint their papers. When dry, encourage them to paint the erase side pink. Hang when dry as a bulletin board or wall display.
An Apple To Take Home
Materials Needed: Pre-cut apple shapes; pieces of red, yellow and green paper, glue
Have the children use their small hand muscles to tear the red, yellow and/or green paper into little pieces and glue onto their apple shape.
Add this poem:
This apple that you see here,
Was made just for you in my preschool year.
You'll never see another like it in the great, big land,
Because to make this apple, I used my own little hands.
Back To School Theme Block Center Ideas
Unit Blocks
For a Back to School Preschool Activities Theme, I like to begin the year with the wooden unit blocks and usually have them out for about a month in the block area. You can add to it by adding cars one week, little plastic people the next, etc. These blocks are great for assessing their knowledge about shapes, counting, etc.
Back To School Theme Circle Time Ideas
Circle Time is such a great time for children to learn the social skills of being together as a large group AND to learn more about your Back to School Preschool Activities theme!
Tour the Classroom
Take the children on a tour of the classroom. Walk to each area of your room and talk about what we can do here.
Example: Here is the easel. We can paint and use what is in this tray. We wear a paint smock to stop the paint from getting on us.
This is the Block Center. Here we build with blocks, etc.
Encourage the children to name what they see in each area and make suggestions about what they can do with those materials.
Classroom Rules
Make up a few classroom rules with the children. Choose only 3 so that they can remember them. Always state rules in the positive (what they can do rather than what they can't do)
Basic rules are:
We use kind words. (No yelling)
Our hands stay on our own body. (No hitting)
Our feet walk inside and run outside.
Find the Item
Name an item in the classroom and have one child find it and bring it to circle. Let each child have a turn.
This will help them to become familiar with what is in the classroom.
Give clues as to where the item is for the child:
Suzy, would you please bring a paintbrush to circle? The paintbrushes are in the art center. The art center is over there.
Why Do We Come To School?
Ask the children why they come to school. Write their answers down on a chart paper. Accept all answers.
Discuss what they will do and learn at school.
Name Tags
We have paper shapes with each child's name printed on one. Take a picture of each child during their first day. Print out their pictures and then tape them to their name tags and laminate the tags. We use these for circle time all year.
Name Tag Flannel Rhyme
Make a name tag for each child for your flannel board (you can use Velcro or a dryer sheet for the back to make it stick. If you don't have a flannel board, simply place the name tags in the middle of your circle area).
Down around the corner in the preschool that's the best.
There were (number of children) little name tags on the teacher's desk.
Along came (name a child) one day. He/she took his/her name tag away. (Have that child come and get their name tag and sit back down).
Continue until all the name tags are gone.
Songs
Songs are a great way to introduce the children. Scroll down to the Music and Movement section of this page for many songs you can teach the children as school begins.
School Safety Poem
STOP, Look and Listen
Before you cross the street.
Use your eyes. Use your ears.
And then use your feet
Back To School Theme Cooking Ideas!
Cooking with children helps develop their math skills and helps them to learn how to follow directions. It also allows for some great conversation!
Ask many questions while cooking with your children to encourage conversation! Be sure to ask specific themed questions while making these fun snacks!
Fruit Smoothies
Have the children help to wash fruit and drop it into a blender. Add some vanilla yogurt and yum!
Back To School Dramatic Play Ideas
Housekeeping
Include an oven, table, refrigerator, etc. A home center is something familiar to the children and allows them to interact with each other by recreating what their family does in a kitchen at home.
Back To School Theme Ideas for Your Easel!
Just Painting
Although paint, brushes and white paper may seem boring to you, remember that this may be the children's first time in school so painting while standing up and on such large paper will be novel to them!
Keep your Back To School Preschool Activities themed Easel projects focused on basics--paint and brushes--in the beginning!
Back To School Theme Large Group Games
To help the children build their muscles while they have fun together!
Whose Shoes?
Have the children take off one shoe and put it in a pile.
Have the children take turns going to the pile and choosing one.....they can NOT choose their own!
They need to find whose shoe they have and find out that child's name while returning the shoe!
Back To School Math & Manipulatives Ideas
To help your preschoolers develop their math skills and those small muscles in their hands!
School Day Sequencing
Materials: Laminated pictures of activities at school
Encourage the children to put the pictures in the order that activities happen at school. We usually have:
Arrival (picture of a bus and cars)
Circle Time
Activity Time
Snack Time
Outdoor Time
Departure Time (children with their families).
Counting and Sorting
Provide sorters for the children to use such as the basic teddy bear sorters or little people.
Encourage the children to sort them by color and then by size. Encourage them to count them. ("How many large blue teddy bears are there? How many red teddy bears?").
This is a great way to assess their counting and one-to-one correspondence skills.
I Like To...
sung to the tune of London Bridges
I like to paint and build with blocks,
Build with blocks, build with blocks.
I like to paint and build with blocks
At my school.
I like to sing and model clay....
I like to ride the trikes and swings...
Make up other verses to go with the activities you have in your classroom!
The Importance of Rules
Rules can be helpful,
rules can be good.
they help us behave
The way we should.
If we can follow the rules,
And keep from doing wrong,
Our class will be a happier place
When we all get along.
Important Rules
sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Here are rules for you and me,
See how important they can be.
Always be honest, kind and fair.
Always be good and willing to share.
These are rules that we should know,
And follow these rules wherever we go.
First Day Of School to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot
Good morning __________, how are you?
This the very first day of school.
I'm so glad to meet you,
others will be too,
Just come in the classroom,
There's lots of things to do!
Brand New Year tune: London Bridge
It's time to start a brand new year,
Brand new year, brand new year.
It's time to start a brand new year,
Welcome new friends!
We'll learn lots of brand new things,
Brand new things, brand new things.
We'll learn lots of brand new things.
Let's Get Started!
Hello tune: Frere Jacques
Hello _________. Hello ________.
How are you? How are you?
We're so glad to have you,
We're so glad to have you.
Here at school, here at school.
Who Is Here Today? tune: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Let's see who is here today.
Who has come to join our play?
Everyone sit close at hand,
Say your name, then you can stand.
Le'ts see who is here today.
Who has come to join our play?
Hello Song tune: Three Blind Mice
Hello ________. Hello _______.
How are you? How are you?
We're glad you're here to laugh and play.
We hope you'll have some fun today.
You're welcome, welcome everyday.
To our preschool!
Have You Met A Friend Of Mine? tune: The Muffin Man
Have you met a friend of mine,
A friend of mine, a friend of mine?
Have you met a friend of mine?
His/her name is __________.
What Is Your Name? tune: Frere Jacques
What is your name? what is your name?
Tell us please. Tell us please.
We would like to meet you.
We would like to meet you.
What's your name? What's your name?
Off To School We Go tune: A-hunting We Will Go
Off to school we go. It's off to school we go.
We'll take our lunch and ride the bus (or take our snack and ride in our car)
With everyone we know (or to see everyone we know)
Off to school we go. It's off to school we go.
We'll learn our ABC's and more with everyone we know.
We Like To Come To School tune:the farmer in the Dell
We like to come to school.
We like to come to school.
Our school is such a happy place.
We like to come to school.
Happy Faces tune: Jingle Bells
Smiling faces, happy faces,
giggling all around.
Oh what fun we'll have this way
In a happy class today.
He-he-he, he-he-he,
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
In a happy class today!
Back To School Theme Sand & Water Table
Water and Sand Table
Just introduce these areas with water or sand and basic tools you use here to introduce them to this center this week! No need to get fancy.......just let them explore!
Back To School Theme Science Ideas
For your Preschool Scientists in Training!
Introducing Magnifying Glasses!
Materials Needed: Provide several magnifying glasses and some smaller toys in your science table. The children can practice using them and take them around the room to check out toys! If you don't have magnifying glasses, provide some binoculars!
Color Scientists
Materials: Small cups of colored water and eye droppers. Let the children create new colors by dropping colors into a clear cup. This is best done in small groups because most children will be using eye droppers for the first time!
Back To School Writing Center Ideas
Writing Tools Introduction
Provide many writing tools and a wide variety of paper.
Include colored pencils, markers (thin and fat), crayons and different sizes and colors of paper.
Add a collection of stickers!
This is a great time of year to introduce them to creating their own stories and "dictating" them to you, as well as practicing printing their names---even if all they can make now is the first letter or a scribble--it is all pre-writing.....encourage it!
Back To School Theme Miscellaneous Ideas
Separation Anxiety Activities
The first few weeks of preschool can create separation anxiety (for both the children and the parents!) Here are a couple of things parents can do to help with that.
Send a Letter to Parents
Explain about separation anxiety and how they can help their child settle!
I Love You Hearts
Cut shape hearts (different colors)and give to each parent to write something for their child. Keep the written heart messages in the children's cubbies. If the child misses his parent he can go to his cubby and find his parents message.
EXTENSION: Take a picture of each child and their parent(s) and tape it to the heart in their cubby.
Babies
Preschoolers are not babies anymore...and they will often be sure to remind you of that! Preschoolers tend to use the word as though it is a "yucky" word. "THAT'S for BABIES...I a big girl".
We remind them that we were ALL infants once; Celebrate the things they can now do that they could not when they were younger and that as big girls and boys, they can help teach younger ones to learn new things!
Fruits & Vegetables-Healthy Eating!
Taste testing, comparing foods by sight and feel, and math games are just a few activities to do for a Fruits & Vegetables Preschool Theme!
Families!
What happens at home is EVERYTHING to a preschooler. Preschool family activities can and should be talked about in preschool and this family preschool theme activities page will help!
Fall!
Fall Preschool Activities--Fall, Autumn--either word brings cool days and relief to summer heat for most people!
Manners Are Important
Manners are a learned practice and this page will help you do both: Help your children learn and practice these skills in your classroom!
Pets
A Pets Theme is fun! Also, pets are fun at home and at school, but they also come with a lot of responsibility! Take your preschoolers love and fascination of pets as an opportunity to teach!
This theme will help you to teach them what is involved in choosing and caring for a pet!
Weather
We talk about weather all the time with our children, especially when it rains, or snows or is very windy or very sunny outside!
Tornados
April typically begins the Tornado season in much of the U.S. This Tornadoes Theme page will help your preschoolers to understand more about tornadoes and tornado safety through preschool activities and lesson plans.
