With the arrival of spring come lots of possibilities when it comes to preschool themes. March can provide lots of inspiration to teach the young minds in your care. These ideas can be fun to do in a preschool or day care setting, or just at home one on one with your preschooler. Eager young minds and hands will be excited to tackle these projects, hear these books, and of course eat up the treats! Here are some March themes for preschool-
- Easter-Preschool kids love celebrating Easter. All of these activities make a great theme for daily fun, leading up to Easter, or they can be used for an Easter party.
Books to Read
The Best Thing about Easter
By Christine H. Tangvald
The Night before Easter
By Natasha Wing
Big Egg
You will need:
Balloon
Newspaper
Glue
Water
Bowl
Safety Pin
Paints of your choice
Start by covering the area with newspaper. In the bowl you will need to mix glue and some water to make a thin sticky liquid. (If you have liquid starch this works well too.) Tear more newspaper into strips and set a side. Blow up the balloon so that it is egg shaped. Once the egg is securely tied have the child dip single slips of newspaper into the glue/water mixture and then place all around their egg. Once they have done this they have to wait till the egg balloon has dried. After it has dried they can paint the egg to look like an Easter egg. When the Easter egg paint has dried, have an adult take the safety pin and pop the balloon inside. Each child will now have a very big egg!
Handprint Bunny
You will need:
Brown Paint
Light Color Paper
Cotton Balls
Paint Brush
Start by painting the child’s hand with brown paint, and then have the child hold their fingers together with their thumb sticking up. Press the child’s palm onto the paper, once you lift the child’s hand you will see a bunny shape laying in the grass. Have the child add a cotton ball to the end of the palm and the bunny sill start to come to life!
*Optional-You can add a googly eye to the bunny along with some Easter grass glued around the bunny handprint.
Chick Feed-Preschooler will love the humor of thinking they are eating “chick feed”.
You will need:
M&M’s (pastel color)
Pretzel Sticks
Marshmallows (can use the colored ones)
Honey Nut Cheerio’s
Raisins
To make this you simply mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. You can serve this out of a big bowl in cups or divided it all up into zip lock bags (You can get Easter ones at local stores) and give to children in their Easter Baskets.
- Musical Instrument theme-Children this age will love the idea of making and playing their own instruments. This is a great way to introduce children to music and you may be surprised at just how deeply their interest runs.
Books to Read
Philadelphia Chickens
By Sandra Boynton
Carnival of the Animals: By Saint-Saens (Classical Music for Kids)
By Saint-Saens
Homemade Harmonica/Flute
You will need:
Toilet Paper Roll
Wax Paper
Rubber Band
Pencil
Crayons or Markers
Start by having the child color the paper roll as they wish. Then have an adult help poke 3 or 4 holes in the roll with a pencil. Cut a 4 inch square of wax paper and help the child secure the wax paper over the end of the paper roll with a rubber band. They can now hum away in their new harmonica flute.
Bottle Shakers
You will need:
Soda Bottle (16 to 24 oz)
Rice, Dried Beans or Un-popped Popcorn
Super Glue
Tape
Start by having the child fill the bottle about ¼ or ½ full with the dried items. Then have an adult help super glue the lid closed and tape over to be double sure it will not come off. You can also add ribbon to make the inside of the bottle look pretty.