Preschool Themes for September

September begins a new school year, for most kids and preschoolers will be especially eager to begin learning. There are lots of things that both teachers and parents can do to encourage this. You can create virtually any theme that you think will interest the preschoolers in your life, but there are some that work especially well in September. Whether you are looking for a theme for an entire classroom of preschoolers, or just want some fun projects for your child, here are some preschool themes for September-

• Classical Music Month-September is classical music month and there is no better time to introduce young children to classical music. While many adults may scoff that young children will not appreciate it, you just may be surprised when you find some preschoolers turning into classical music aficionados. Make sure that you have several recordings that you can play while activities or quiet time is happening.

 

Books to Read: (and listen to)

Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf: With a Fully-Orchestrated and Narrated     CD

Adapted by Janet Schulman; illustrated by Peter Malone

The Story of the Orchestra

By Robert Levine

Play, Mozart, Play!

By Peter Sis

 

Field Trip-If you live near an urban center, many orchestras offer free concerts       that are especially geared toward young children. A phone call to the box office    will let you know if there is an orchestra in your area that does this.

 

Twinkle, twinkle little star-The children will be enthralled to learn that this             nursery rhyme was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. After listening to a   recording of the song, this star activity will give hands on experience.

You will need:

Yellow craft foam

Glitter pens

Glitter stickers

A craft stick for each star

Scissors

Glue

Depending on the age of the children, you can have them cut out a star shape of    have them precut. Each child should have a large yellow craft foam star to decorate. Offer them a variety of glitter pens and glitter stickers they can use to  make their star twinkle. As a finishing touch, have them glue a craft stick behind   the star. Then you can sing the song again, with all of the children waving their twinkling stars.

• Grandparents Day/September 12-Grandparents can play a significant role in young children’s lives. If this theme is being used, for a classroom of preschoolers, it may be helpful to recruit volunteer “grandparents”, for those children who do not have grandparents close by.

 

Books to Read:

Tangerines and Tea, My Grandparents and Me: An Alphabet Book

By Ona Gritz

Funny, You Don’t Look Like a Grandmother

By Lois Wyse

 

Grandparent Gift Bags-These fun filled bags will be easy for the preschoolers to    make and cherished by the grandparents.

You will need:

Lunch sack for each child’s grandparents

An assortment of craft decorating tools such as: crayons, markers, stickers, glitter pens etc.

Have each child decorate the outside of the Grandparents gift bag. When they are             finished they can make a card to put inside. Have a few pieces of candy or some        other treat to include in the bags as well.

 

Handprint Card-Grandparents will cherish the painted handprint of their preschool            age grandchild.

You will need:

Cardstock for each child

An assortment of paint

Paper plate

Wipes for cleanup

Simply have each child place their entire hand in the paint color of their choice.      They will then press the painted hand firmly down on the cardstock. Make sure        that you sign and date each handprint, for a keepsake. This can be included in the     Grandparent’s Gift Bag.

 

Grandparent Picture Frames-This darling frames can be used to frame a picture of the grandparent and their preschooler.

You will need:

Craft sticks

Glue

Assorted paint colors

Cardstock

Begin by having the child glue together several layers of craft sticks for the frame. You can measure out how big you want the frame to be, if you will be taking digital pictures of the child with their grandparent. Once they have glued together enough sticks, have them paint the sticks. As a finishing touch, take a picture of the grandparent and child to place inside the frame, backed by the cardstock.