The beach is a favorite play place for children and with good reason – sand, waves, sun and animals all at their disposal, what could be better for preschoolers? Here is a full unit study of educational ideas centered around a beach theme.
The beach is a favorite play place for children and with good reason – sand, waves, sun and animals all at their disposal, what could be better for preschoolers? Here is a full unit study of educational ideas centered around a beach theme.
Beach Math Idea for Preschoolers
See a sample math lesson that is easily adapted to seashells, cut-out crabs, sand-castle flags or other beach-themed items. Another great way to introduce the mathematical concept of shapes is to let kids mold sand into different shapes using sand and cookie cutters.
If your preschooler doesn’t have access to a large sand box, try putting some play sand into a deep cake pan or brownie pan so the mess is contained. Pre-K is a great time to let them experiment with cutting shapes into the sand, drawing their numbers with fingers or sticks and even using shells to outline a number in the sand. If you don’t have playsand, corn meal is an inexpensive alternative.
Pre-K Beach Themed Music Idea
This song can be sung to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”:
The waves at the beach go up and down, up and down, up and down
The waves at the beach go up and down, all day long.
The crabs at the beach crawl back and forth, back and forth, back and forth
The crabs at the beach crawl back and forth, all day long.
The birds at the beach go flap, flap, flap; flap, flap, flap; flap, flap, flap
The birds at the beach go flap, flap, flap, all day long.
The clams at the beach go open and close, open and close, open and close
The clams at the beach go open and close, all day long
Let the children add motions to each verse to help them remember and to make the rhyme an action song.
Beach Science Idea for Preschoolers
Let your pre-k kids experiment with water and the properties of floating and sinking. Have a large selection of items that are OK for the preschoolers to get wet and help them divide the objects into two groups – those they think will float, and those they think will sink. Then fill a large rubbermaid container with water and let each child try the various objects.
Pre-K Beach Related Art Lesson
Remember making sand murals as a child? Let your preschooler layer glue and colored sand to create a unique and beautifully textured sand picture.
Beach Food Idea for Preschoolers
Of course everyone takes a picnic lunch to the beach! Why not go on your own adventure and eat your lunch outside. Blankets, coolers and sandwich bags are a must – preschoolers love a change from the routine and even something as simple as moving lunch time out of doors will make an otherwise normal meal very exciting.
Pre-K Beach Related Language Skills
While the terms “nouns” and “verbs” may be too technical for preschoolers to learn, the concept of these types of words is not. Have your preschoolers talk about “action words” that you see or do at the beach. Flying, crashing, running, lounging, swimming, and digging are all examples of “beach themed” action words.
Beach Themed Activities for Preschoolers
A trip to the beach is an obvious choice for an outing or activity, however that is not always possible because of weather or location. If a beach is not available try creating your own place to build sandcastles, picnic for lunch or go swimming.
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