Boats Preschool Lesson Plan

This preschool lesson plan is all about boats.  It includes boat songs, a boat puzzle, a boat story, a boat snack, a boat craft, and more!


1. Freeplay

2. Circle/Whole Group: Find a full-page size picture of a boat in a magazine and cut it into an 8-piece puzzle. Help the kiddos assemble the puzzle. Ask them what parts of a boat they see. Point out the anchor, steering wheel, and engine/sail/oars. Ask who has been on a boat before.

3. Song: Row, Row, Row Your Boat, A Sailor Went To Sea

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream

Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Life is but a dream.

A Sailor Went to Sea

A sailor went to sea, sea, sea

To see what he could see, see, see

But all that he could see, see, see

Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea!

4. Story: The 100-pound Problem by Jennifer Dussling and Rebecca McKilip Thornburg.

5. Craft: Tupperware Boats. Use cleaned tupperware containers (like what butter or cold-cut meat comes in) to make boats. Each child tapes straws to opposite sides of the "boat" and then tapes a "sail" between the two straws. Make your sails from paper or cloth. If you use cloth, you may need to glue it. If you choose, you can paint on tupperware with acrylic paint (or you can paint the tupperware with acrylic white paint in advance and then let the kiddos use normal paint on top of the white). Fill a large container with water and let the kiddos take turns racing their boats or having them travel across the "river" with different cargo.

6. Learning Activity. Boat Match Memory. In advance, print two sets of six different kinds of boats on one page (a page will hold 12 pictures, laid out in three columns and four rows). You could use cruise ships, ferries, tug-boats, submarines, sailboats, and canoes. Cut the cards apart. Tell the kiddos that there are many different kinds of boats and see if they know or have ridden on any of the boats you have pictured. Play memory.

7. Snack: Banana Boats. Let the kiddos put a graham cracker "sail" into a banana "boat" and enjoy!

8. Learning Activity. Boat Float Sorting. Fill up a container with water and collect an item or two that float and an item or two that do not float. Prepare two labels: "Float" and "Sink." Boats float--demonstrate in water! Other things float too--demonstrate in water. Some things do not float; they sink. Demonstrate items that sink. Place labels on two separate tables (or in two separate containers) and help the children correctly sort the items you chose. Ask them what other items they think will float or sink. Let them find items, experiment, and sort them.

9. Freeplay outside. Begin with an imaginative adventure on a boat to a volcano island to collect magic flowers. After collecting the flowers, the volcano explodes and you need to ride the boat back home. Then freeplay.

10. Circle to review and summarize day.

Supplies for the day:

boat puzzle

The 100-pound Problem by Jennifer Dussling and Rebecca McKilip Thornburg

a tupperware container for each child

straws

tape

acrylic paint

paper or cloth flags

container for boat races

boat memory cards

bananas and graham crackers

"float" and "sink" signs

items that float and sink

tub to test items to see if they float or sink

Cars Preschool Lesson Plan

Here is a preschool lesson plan about cars.  It includes an original car song, games, math sorting skills, a car craft, and other activities centered around cars.


1. Freeplay

2. Circle/Whole Group: Go outside and look at a car. Let the kiddos climb in, turn on lights, and ask questions. If possible, get a police officer to visit and show the kiddos his car.

3. Song: Traffic Lights (Tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb)

Can you see the traffic lights, traffic lights, traffic lights,

Can you see the traffic lights and how the colors hop?

When the light is turning red, turning red, turning red,

When the light is turning red we know it's time to stop!

Yellow is a very short light, very short light, very short light,

Yellow is a very short light and means it's time to slow.

Green lights are the very best, very best, very best,

Green lights are the very best because it's time to go!

4. Story: Cool Cars by Tony Mitton. What are your favorite cars? Have you ever been in a police car?

5. Craft: Tire Tracks. Let the kiddos dip different toy cars in a tray with paint, and then "drive" the car on their page. Talk about tire prints. Let them see different prints from different cars. Point out size and shape differences and similarities.

6. Learning Activity. Red Light, Green Light. Use a red circle and a green circle cut from construction paper. If desired, glue the circles onto puppet sticks. Review how red means go and green means stop. Face the kiddos, hold the circles behind your back, and have the kiddos line up in a row at least 10 feet away from you. When you hold the green circle out, say "green," and let them come towards you. When you switch to red, say "red" and have them stop. Continue until they reach you. Repeat, but say "verde" and "rojo" for the colors. Let the children take turns being the stop light. If you like, you can change how they walk: they must elephant walk or hop or crawl.

7. Snack: Car tires. Serve muffins...or car tires!

8. Learning Activity. License Plate Sorting. Every car has a license plate on it. License plates have numbers, letters, a state, and sometimes pictures. Make 10-12 little license plates...these can all be printed on one sheet of paper. Let the kiddos find similarities and differences, then assign them to sort all the license plates with a "2" into one pile or all the plates with two letter "T"'s into another pile.

9. Freeplay outside. Begin by "driving" around the yard and "picking up" the kiddos and taking them to the circus. Imagine all the animals you see! When you're done, drive them all back home. Freeplay.

10. Circle to review and summarize day.

Supplies for the day:

your car

police car (optional)

Cool Cars by Tony Mitton

various toy cars that can be rolled in paint

paint on a tray

paper for kiddos

red and green circles cut from construction paper

muffins

little license plates for sorting