Free Arctic Animals Preschool Lesson Plans
Looking for fun and educational arctic animals preschool lesson plans to enhance your winter themes? These winter activities for preschoolers are the perfect way to introduce little learners to the wonders of arctic wildlife.
From hands-on crafts to interactive lessons, these activities help preschoolers explore the natural world while building key skills in math, literacy, and science.
Now that winter’s here, I’m planning a series of learning activities to teach my preschoolers about arctic animals.
These arctic animals preschool lesson plans are perfect for creating a hands-on learning experience during the colder months. These lesson plans allow teachers to bring the arctic right into the classroom! Be sure to check out all our winter preschool theme ideas.
Preschoolers will love learning about polar bears, seals, and arctic foxes while practicing key skills like counting, sorting, and letter recognition. You’ll find fun science experiments and themed literacy activities, math games and sensory bins right inside these lesson plans.
You’ll also love these 20+ arctic animal printables.
What Are Arctic Animals?
Arctic animals are those that live in the Arctic region, which is the northernmost part of the world. It consists of the Arctic ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Alaska, and a few Nordic countries. If you want to include penguins, then you can do a polar animals theme or polar habitat.
The animals that live in this chilly environment are known as arctic animals, and they are specially adapted to life in this unique region of the world. Here is a great science website that offers information about arctic animals for kids.
These are not your average animals; they all have special characteristics that make them well-equipped to living in an environment where there is ice, snow, and frozen ground nearly year-round.
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Arctic Preschool Centers$8.00
Hands-on Arctic Animals Activities for Preschoolers
It doesn’t get easier to teach about animals in winter than with these arctic animals preschool lesson plans.
Since these lesson plans are a part of my Learn At Home Lesson Plans Collection, they include a series of arctic animals activities in specific content areas. These lesson plans and activities will include the following:
- arctic animals literacy activities
- arctic animals math activities
- science activities for arctic theme
- arctic themed sensory bins and art activities
- social-emotional activities using arctic animals
- and even safe online music and videos
Get the Convenience Bundle
Although there are over 50 sets of free Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans to date, I have gathered them together in a convenience bundle to save you time!
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Product on sale* Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans BundleOriginal price was: $60.00.$22.00Current price is: $22.00.
Literacy Activities for an Arctic Animals Theme
Arctic Animal Letter Order Puzzles – These arctic animal letter puzzles are so engaging and help to practice logic, alphabetical order, and letter identification. Simply print, cut, and enjoy! Invite your preschooler to put the puzzle together based on the next letter in the alphabet. Encourage them to say the letters on each puzzle piece out loud and to try and include the letter sound.
Arctic Animals Alphabet Playdough – Start with light-colored play dough, such as white, light blue, or gray, and gather some floral pebbles or small rocks. Flatten the play dough into a pancake and draw a letter in it. Next, use the pebbles or rocks to “trace” the letter shape. This activity helps strengthen fine motor skills, preparing little hands for proper pencil grip. You can even create all the letters in your preschooler’s name for extra practice!
Here are six more arctic themed literacy activities!
Children’s Books About Arctic Animals
Every preschool theme needs some well-written picture books to support it. This is a book list of my favorite picture books about arctic animals. Just click on the book cover to see more. They are all great for preschool, pre k, and kindergarten.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that at no cost to you, I may earn a small sum if you click through and make a purchase.
- Berkes, Marianne (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 08/21/2021 (Publication Date) – Dawn Publications (Publisher)
- McDonald, Jill (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 26 Pages – 10/08/2019 (Publication Date) – Doubleday Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
- Laura Crawford (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 03/01/2013 (Publication Date) – Arbordale Publishing (Publisher)
- Bergen, Lara (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 24 Pages – 09/09/2008 (Publication Date) – Little Simon (Publisher)
- Coetzee, Ms Alrike (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 26 Pages – 12/20/2023 (Publication Date) – Independently published (Publisher)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Malkovich, Alek (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Math and Science Activities for an Arctic Animals Theme
Polar Bear Path Counting – Cut a piece of white paper lengthwise into four even strips. Draw irregular circles down the length of each strip to make them look like snowballs, then tape the strips together end-to-end. Use a small token to be a polar bear. Roll a die and move the polar bear along the path. Continue until the bear reaches the end.
Arctic Animal Race to the Top – Roll the die and graph the arctic animals as you race your way to the top! If you don’t have a printer you can draw simple images.
Blubber Science – Use this activity to demonstrate how blubber helps animals stay warm. Start by preparing a bowl of ice water. Have your preschooler wear a latex glove or wrap their finger in plastic wrap, then coat it with a solid fat like butter, shortening, or lard. Encourage them to dip their fat-covered finger or hand into the icy water and ask, “Can you still feel the cold? Why or why not?” This hands-on experiment shows how blubber insulates animals in cold environments.
How about six more arctic themed math activities?
Playful Learning Activities for an Arctic Animals Theme
Igloo Animals – Create a fort or “igloo” out of pillows, blankets, and/or sheets. Dub that space the igloo and encourage your preschooler to crawl into their igloo as different animals. Invite them to make the animal sounds! Make the fun last even longer by reading your favorite books inside the igloo.
Arctic Animal Puppets – Using paper lunch bags, grab assorted craft materials from around the house and make arctic animal puppets. Use googly eyes, pipe cleaners, stickers, feathers, you name it! Once the puppets are dry…put on a puppet show!
Move Like an Arctic Animal – How do different arctic animals move about? Invite your preschooler to pretend to be different arctic animals. Bear crawl, slide like a seal, poke like a narwhal, etc.
Social-Emotional Activities for an Arctic Animals Theme
Icy Calm Down Jar – When emotions run high, it’s important to find ways to calm the body and mind. This arctic-themed soothing jar is a great tool for helping regulate big feelings. Start with an empty plastic bottle, fill it with baby or mineral oil, and add silver or white glitter. Secure the lid with hot glue to prevent spills.
Encourage your preschooler to shake the bottle and watch the glitter slowly settle at the bottom. For added fun, include small arctic animal figurines if you have them!
Polar Opposites – Go to YouTube and listen to the story Polar Opposites by Erik Brooks and learn about where polar bears live. What happens when you have two animals that live on opposite poles? You have polar opposites!
These two animals (Alex the polar bear and Zina the penguin) learn that they like and do things in a very opposite way. But they soon learn that there is always room to meet in the middle and get along! This story is a great starting point to teach young children how to get along and be friends even if they are around someone who does things differently or has different interests.
Don’t Forget Arctic Themed Toys
Having the right toys and manipulatives can really enhance your preschool theme. You can use these toys in arctic sensory bins, or other lessons about arctic animals. Add them to your dramatic play center and students can pretend to be veterinarians taking care of arctic foxes and snowy owls, for example.
- Polar Animals Themed Teaching Toys Kit: Our polar animals felt story board for toddlers with 41…
- Great Game and Teaching: It would be a fun artistic expression preschool activity for toddlers. Kids…
- Attractive Polar Story: Our polar creatures felt kits include polar bear, penguins, whale, dolphin,…
- FROZEN MAGNETIC TILES ARCTIC ANIMAL: The frozen magnetic tiles contain basic shapes, bright colors,…
- BUILDING FROZEN CASTLE: Frozen toys capture your favorite Frozen movies, and kids can use magnet…
- PREMIUM QUALITY & COMPATIABLE: The magnetic blocks with high-quality ABS plastic and strong magnets,…
- ARCTIC ANIMALS PUZZLE FOR TODDLERS – 7 piece puzzle set of children’s favorite animals -…
- EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS – Promotes creativity, tactile and fine motor development, and problem…
- QUALITY FAMILY TIME – Elevate parent-child bonding with our engaging puzzle, fostering collaborative…
- Discover the Wonders of the Arctic: Immerse your child in the world of Arctic sea life with our…
- Vivid and Realistic Designs: These kids magnetic blocks for toddlers age 3-5 feature Arctic animals…
- Interactive Play Anywhere: These colorful magnets tiles ages 4-8 have a strong magnetic hold…
- All Kinds of Learning Fun: Kids learn counting, colors, matching, imagination, fine motor skills,…
- Five Fun Polar Animals: Each of the friendly polar animals doubles as a finger puppet that’s ready…
- Grows With Your Kids: These polar animals and their toddler activities grow with your kids from…
- WHAT YOU GET – 16PCS Arctic Animals Toys Set,including Arctic Rabbit figure,Arctic Fox figure,Arctic…
- SAFETY MATERIALS – Extreme care taken with product quality and safety.Animals toys set made of…
- HAND-CRAFTED PAINTING – Since every detail is painted by hand, more authentic color and realistic…
Just Plain Fun Activities for an Arctic Animals Theme
Arctic Animal Rescue – Place a toy arctic animal in a freezer-safe bowl. Fill the bowl to the top with water and add a drop of blue food coloring. Freeze the bowl(s) overnight and invite your preschooler to rescue the animal the next day! Use any tools you have handy to melt the ice, like an eyedropper and warm water.
Snowball Transfer Game – Grab some mini marshmallows and transfer the “snowballs” to another bin for icy play! Or use full-sized marshmallows and tongs for extra hand strengthening work.
Arctic Playdough Tracks – Grab some arctic animal toys (or animals that live in other habitats) and some playdough. Invite your preschooler to make animal tracks through the snow, ice, water, or land playdough.
Try some of these arctic themed playdough recipes:
Get Online Activities for an Arctic Animal Theme
Online Story – Go to YouTube and listen to the book Way Up in the Arctic by Jennifer Ward. This non-fiction book is full of arctic animal facts and counting opportunities. Invite your preschooler to pick an arctic animal to draw. Encourage your preschooler to draw the animal in its arctic habitat and to listen for the first sound in the animal’s name. Assist your preschooler in labeling the animal with that letter sound.
Baby Beluga – Enjoy the classic and timeless song of this icy arctic whale. Enjoy the rhyming and sweet verses!
10 Arctic Animals – Get up close and personal with 10 arctic animals!
Grab Your Free Arctic Preschool Lesson Plans
Think your preschoolers might enjoy these chilly and frosted arctic themed activities? Grab your free lesson plans by clicking the image below.
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.
