Children learn best when they are interested in what they are learning! That is why nearly every preschool around the country organizes their activities by ”themes.” A thematic unit is the culmination of all of the areas of early childhood development specifically geared towards one topic (like bugs, transportation, farm, etc).
Is your little man obsessed with firetrucks? Does your dainty little girl love hunting for bugs? Have fun using the following activities…and do it in your own time. Whether it takes you a few days, 2 weeks, or even a month, your child will LOVE the activities you plan for him/her…especially if you are engaged as well!
Apples
Apple Garland- The Fruit of the Spirit (Spiritual & Moral Development, Fine Motor Development)
Apple Graphing (Cognitive Development)
Apple Patterning (Cognitive and Fine Motor Development)
Apple Seed “A” (Language Development)
Apple Sensory Matching (Cognitive Development)
Apple Song
Apple Star Stamping (Fine Motor Development)
Apple Theme Sensory Tub (Cognitive Development, Sensory)
Apple Toss (Gross Motor Development)
Family Handprint Apple Tree (Fine Motor Development, Social/Emotional Development)
Red Hot Apple Sauce (Self-Help/Adaptive Development)
“Ten Apples Up on Top” Literature Activity (Language Development)
Bugs
Butterfly Quesadillas (Snack)
Caterpillar Counting (Cognitive Development)
Cup-Painting Caterpillar (Fine Motor Development)
Fuzzy Caterpillar Song
Life Cycle of a Butterfly using Edible Playdough (Recipe)
Tie-Dye Butterfly Craft (Craft, Fine Motor Development)
The Little Squeegy Bug Book & Activity (Language Development)
Christmas
12 Days of Christmas Giving (Spiritual & Moral Development)
Advent Boxes (Spiritual and Moral Development)
A Few of Our Favorite Christmas Books (Language Development)
Christmas Box Counting and Number Matching (Cognitive Development)
Christmas Present Patterning (Cognitive Development)
Christmas Sticker Letter Tracing (Language Development & Fine Motor Development)
Countdown to Santa (Fine Motor Development)
Handprint Christmas Wreath (Fine Motor Development)
Homemade Snowglobe
MAKE IT: Homemade “Snowballs”
Puffy Snowflakes (Sensory, Fine Motor)
Santa Says (Gross Motor Development, Language Development)
Silver Bells Memory Game (Language Development, Cognitive Development)
Throw a “Snowball” (Gross Motor Development)
Days of Creation
Day 1: Light
Day 2: Sky
Day 3: Flowers, Plants & Trees
Day 4: Sun, Moon & Stars
Day 5: Birds & Fish
Day 6: Animals & Man
Day 7: Rest
Dinosaurs
Balloon Terrarium
Dinosaur D (Language Development)
“D” for Dinosaur Cookies (Self-Help/Adaptive Development)
Dinosaur Fossils (Fine Motor Development)
Dinosaurompus (Gross Motor Development, Language Development)
Little, Big Dinosaur Song
Measuring with Dinosaur Feet (Cognitive Development)
Ordering Biggest to Smallest (Cognitive Development)
Pedicure Stegosaurus (Fine Motor)
Sensory Tub with Shredded Paper
Sorting a Snack with Dinosaur Teeth (Fine Motor, Cognitive Development)
Farm
Animal Mix Up Legos (Cognitive Development)
C is for Cow (Language Development)
Chicken Beak Counting & Guessing Game (Fine Motor, Cognitive Development)
Matching Animals to Pictures for Toddlers (Cognitive Development)
People, Places, Things Farm Sort (Cognitive Development)
Shape Chick (Fine Motor, Cognitive Development)
Visit to the Dairy Farm
Leaves & Pumpkins
Autumn Leaves Song
Autumn Tree (Fine Motor Development)
Balance Beam with “Fiery” Leaves (Gross Motor Development)
Candy Corn Sensory Tub
Grilled Cheese Pumpkin (Self-Help/Adaptive Development)
Jack-O-Lantern Shape Sorter (Fine Motor Development)
Leaf Bracelet (Color Recognition)
L is for Leaf (Language Development)
Personalized Leaf Rubbing (Fine Motor Development)
Story Sequencing (Language Development)
Tangled Pumpkin (Fine Motor Development)
“Spooly” Pumpkin (Fine Motor Development)
Oceans & Beaches
A Net Full of Fish! (Spiritual and Moral Development)
Beach Scene (Fine Motor Development)
Edible Sand (Snack)
Jello Ocean (Self-Help/Adaptive Development)
Handprint & Footprint Lobster (Fine Motor Development)
Octopus O (Language Development)
Reading Comprehension Beach Balls (Language Development)
SandDough (Fine Motor Development)
Sand Numbers (Cognitive Development)
Sponge Relay (Gross Motor Development, Cognitive Development)
Penguins
Footprint Penguin (Craft, Fine Motor Development)
Ice Fishing (Gross Motor Development)
Indoor “Ice” Skating (Gross Motor Development)
Lick-and-Stick Penguin Activity
Penguin Puppets
Penguin Song
Will It Slide? (Cognitive Development, Science Experiment)
Thanksgiving
Chalkboard Turkey Place Card (Adult-made craft)
Feather Letters (Language Development, Letter Recognition)
Festive Apple Turkey (Fine Motor Development)
Indian Attire (Dramatic Play, Fine Motor Development)
The Mayflower (Fine Motor Development)
Turkey Toss of Thankfulness (Gross Motor Development)
Transportation
Alphabet Train Game (Language Development)
Banana Airplane Snack (Self-Help/Adaptive Development)
Car Painting (Fine Motor Skills)
License Plate Rubbings (Fine Motor & Language Development)
Pattern Train (Cognitive Development)
Submarine Art (Fine Motor Skills)
Hot Air Balloon (Fine Motor Skills)
Race Car Snack (Self-Help/Adaptive Development)
Stoplight Beanbag Toss (Gross Motor Development)
Transportation Graphing (Cognitive Development)
Transportation Bible Story (Spiritual and Moral Development)
Valentines Day
Cherry Tarts (Recipe)
“Heart Breaker” Number Game (Cognitive Development, One-to-One Correspondence)
Heart Wreath (Craft)
Lickety Stickety Valentines (Fine Motor Development)
Stained Glass Valentine Cookies
Weather
Making It Rain
Make Your Own Tornado
The “Why do I need sunscreen?” Experiment
Weather Song
