Thinking about teaching an Arctic theme in your preschool? Then add these arctic animal fine motor activities for preschoolers to your lesson plans. Your preschooler will love rescuing their arctic animals from the iceberg using science tools and supplies you already have at home!
Arctic Animal Activities
A little bit fine motor work. A sprinkle of states of matter science. An exciting arctic animals theme. That equals a lot of fun for little hands!
This arctic animal fine motor rescue activity is such a hit because it takes simple materials (water and ice) and turns it into big fun. With a little planning and prep the night before, your preschoolers will get to experience arctic fun in a big way!
We enjoyed this activity so much that I created a matching arctic animals set to learn more about each arctic animal and learn their names! Whether polar bear or arctic wolf, these matching cards can be used in sensory bins, sorting, and even hid around the room!
Plus, if you are looking for more fun in your arctic animal theme, take a look at these arctic animal literacy and math centers designed for preschoolers!
We also have a quick and easy arctic animals activity pack full of counting and alphabet fun!
Fine Motor Arctic Animal Activities
One of the best things about this activity is that it’s suitable for preschoolers of all ages. This means that even your two-year-old toddler can participate as well as even your kindergartner.
And if I’m completely honest, my older kids would probably love it, too!
Materials
- Small freezer safe bowls (I used creme brûlée ramekins)
- Larger shallow bowl (or baking dish)
- Arctic animal toys
- Pipettes or eye droppers
- Food coloring (optional)
Arctic Animal Toys
Whether you are looking for simple plastic arctic animal toys to use in sensory bins and pretend play, or puzzles and magnetic tiles, we have selected some of our favorite arctic toys for a preschool arctic theme!
How to Do This Frozen Animal Rescue Activity
This activity does take a little prep work. Nothing hard, you just have to remember to put things together in advance because, you know, ice.
The Night Before
- Place an arctic animal in each ramekin. Add enough water to each ramekin to fill to mostly all the way to the top.
- You can add a few drops of food coloring for fun if you’d like. I did. But just enough to make a nice light blue.
- Tip! Use boiling water so then when the water freezes it will freeze clear without any tiny air bubbles. That I did not do.
- Put the ramekins in the freezer overnight or until frozen solid.
A Few Minutes Before
- Once frozen, set the arctic animals out on the counter to a few minutes to thaw just enough to be able to pull the block of ice out of the ramekin and place in a larger, shallow bowl.
- Fill the ramekin with really warm water. (Not hot, as you don’t want your little one to get burned).
- Place everything on a tray with a pipette and invite your preschooler to help rescue the arctic animals from the iceberg!
Your toddler will love rescuing their arctic animal from the iceberg!
The Arctic Animals Rescue Activity
The purpose of arctic animals fine motor activities for preschoolers like this one is not only to teach preschoolers about arctic animals but also to work on fine motor skills. This activity naturally includes developmentally appropriate science for preschoolers.
My little boys used the pipettes to drip warm water onto their arctic animal in efforts to free it from the iceberg. Prior to actually doing this activity, we read a few books about what it’s like to live in the Arctic.
Using the pipettes gave the boys plenty of fine motor work. Using the pipettes helps develop the pincer grasp needed for a mature pencil grip.
My toddler, on the other hand, doesn’t have the coordination to use the pipette correctly, so he used it more as a tool to chip away bits of ice.
The Rescue
Soon, the boys began to notice that their iceberg was melting. This led to the discovery of interesting nooks and crannies in the ice. Plus it freed up more and more of the arctic animal!
My toddler gave up on the notion of freeing his arctic animal with the warm water and pipette, so he opted to pick up the iceberg and put it in his mouth. This was ok as it gave my toddler more oral sensory input that he needed from the activity.
One of my sons noticed how his walrus looked from the bottom of his iceberg, and there was a bit of laughter as he thought he found its belly button.
Soon, the arctic animals were freed from the ice! This activity then moved away from the fine motor and science fun and into chilly water sensory play.
In fact, do this activity at the water table and your preschoolers can enjoy the ice sensory play until every last drop is melted. And even then, the leftover water can become the ocean.
To continue the arctic animal learning, grab our arctic animals literacy and math centers! Or snag our arctic animals activity pack full of abc’s and 123s!
Animal Science Activities for Preschoolers
Teaching toddlers and preschoolers about science skills with polar animals is loads of fun. This fine motor activity is a great way to learn about states of matter and comparing water in its solid or liquid form through hands-on play!
Perhaps your preschooler is wondering how arctic animals manage to stay warm in the icy environment? Grab some shortening and some ice cubes and dive into this experiment about the amazing science of blubber!
Infusing some messy science play is one way to get your preschoolers or toddlers engaged in a flash! This slime arctic avalanche is a perfect for diving in, engaging in tactile exploration, and pretend play.
Rescue Activities
There are so many exciting rescue activities for little hands to engage in! These fine motor activities help develop hand strength, pincer grasp, and hand-eye coordination. I have selected some of my favorite animal rescue activities to go with any animal learning theme!
Animal Tape Rescue
Using tape and plastic animals, tape the animals down to a hard surface like the table or a tray. Invite your toddlers or preschoolers to work to pull up the tape and free the animals. It may seem simple, but it’s a big hit for young children and works on those fine motor skills!
Rescue the Pups
This fast and easy fine motor activity is great for developing hand-eye coordination and using strategy. Invite children to try and grab a dog from the water using tongs or tweezers. The trick is they have to work around the painter’s tape that is criss-crossed all over the bin! This activity can be adapted to use in various ways and is such an easy way to infuse animals and fine motor fun!
Rescue the Sea Creatures Fine Motor Activity
Using pipe cleaners or yarn, this fine motor activity invites your preschoolers to rescue the sea creatures by freeing them through the use of fingers or scissors (depending on the age of your little one). This fine motor activity works to develop perseverance and the pincer grasp or the tripod grasp.
Arctic Animal Books for Preschool
Learning about these magical animals requires great visuals into both their habitat and their unique adaptations to such a harsh lifestyle. We’ve picked picture books that include amazing illustrations and photos to show arctic animals and their stunning habitat.
Fine Motor Activities
Fine motor work in preschool is really important. Making it fun and engaging is a big piece of the puzzle!
Fine motor skills involve the use of small muscles in our hands, wrists, fingers, feet and toes. Fine motor skills involve the movements of small muscles that require your child’s brain to coordinate between the action and what they are seeing. Fine motor skills can impact things like holding a fork to eat or using a pencil to write.
For young children, fine motor skill development is extremely important. It is a skill that requires practice, practice, practice, and is essential to developing hand-eye coordination.
I have created two amazing fine motor practice sets for preschoolers! My fine motor task boxes are easy to take on the go and loads of fun! Plus, preschoolers love using various objects for the fine motor letter formation cards.
Arctic Animal Lesson Plan For Toddlers
If you are looking for more fun arctic animal lesson plans, we have a FREE download for you! Available with over 16 hands-on and academic based activities. With math, science, social-emotional, and literacy ideas, these lesson plans make theme based learning come to life! Grab our arctic animal lesson plans today!
Arctic Animal Fine Motor Rescue
This arctic animal fine motor rescue activity is a great way to infuse science and hands-on play. Invite your toddler or preschooler to melt the ice and save the arctic animals!
Materials
- 1. Small freezer safe bowls (I used creme brûlée ramekins)
- 2. Larger shallow bowl (or baking dish)
- 3. Arctic animal toys
- 4. Pipettes or eye droppers
- 5. Food coloring (optional)
Instructions
1. The night before, place an arctic animal in each ramekin. Add enough water to each ramekin to fill to mostly all the way to the top.
2. You can add a few drops of food coloring for fun if you'd like. I did. Just enough to make a nice light blue.
3. Put the ramekins in the freezer overnight or until frozen solid.
When Ready For the Activity:
- Once frozen, set the arctic animals out on the counter to a few minutes to thaw just enough to be able to pull the block of ice out of the ramekin and place in a larger, shallow bowl.
- Fill the ramekin with really warm water. (Not hot, as you don't want your little one to get burned).
- Place everything on a tray with a pipette and invite your preschooler to help rescue the arctic animals from the iceberg!
Notes
*This activity does take a little prep work. Nothing hard, you just have to remember to put things together in advance because, you know, ice.
* If you really want to go all out, use boiling water to cover the animals so when the water freezes it will freeze clear without any tiny air bubbles.
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Lesson Plans for Preschoolers
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
