Free Nature Preschool Lesson Plans
Looking to add some fresh ideas to your preschool curriculum this spring? Nature preschool lesson plans offer a unique way to engage young learners and foster a love for the outdoors. These activities transform the natural world into a vibrant learning environment, or alternatively, they can bring the wonders of the outdoors directly inside.
We like to add these nature activities to our spring preschool themes. This blog post explores a variety of nature preschool lesson plans that prioritize hands-on activities. Get ready to equip yourself with engaging lesson plans that will have your preschoolers exploring, discovering, and appreciating the wonders of nature!
Free Preschool Lesson Plans for a Nature Theme
Do you ever dream of a classroom that feels boundless and alive? Imagine a place where children become explorers, sifting through fallen leaves and comparing textures, or budding scientists, meticulously observing the movement of insects in a patch of wildflowers.
This isn’t a fantasy – it’s the exciting reality of nature preschool lesson plans!
These meticulously crafted plans tap into a child’s natural curiosity and transform the wonders of the natural world into engaging learning opportunities. Forget the confines of a traditional classroom – nature preschool lesson plans turn the outdoors into a vibrant, ever-changing learning environment.
This blog series is here to ignite your passion for incorporating nature into your preschool curriculum. From creating masterpieces with natural materials to investigating animal tracks, these adaptable plans offer something for every young explorer.
So, get ready to unleash the potential of your preschoolers and the natural world around them!
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These 16+ preschool activities are a week-long set of preschool lesson plans and are part of my Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans Collection.
This collection of done-for-you, print-and-teach lesson plans for preschoolers consists of over fifty weekly lesson plan sets for preschoolers.
Hands-on Nature Activities for Preschoolers
Since these lesson plans are a part of my Learn At Home Collection, they include a series of nature preschool activities in specific content areas. These lesson plans and activities will include the following:
- nature literacy activities
- nature math activities
- science activities that focus on the outdoors
- crafts and collages about leaves, dirt, and sticks
- social-emotional activities
- 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 a Nature Theme
Letter Formation with Rocks, Twigs, Leaves – Head out on an adventure to search for rocks, twigs, leaves, etc. Invite the preschoolers to use our alphabet letter formation cards to help them replicate and build letters using the rocks, twigs, and leaves. For this activity, find some flexible items like vines or grass for the curvy letters. Invite the preschoolers to notice the difference between letters with curves and letters that use lines.
ABC Scavenger Hunt – Head out on an alphabet scavenger hunt! Search the neighborhood, park, backyard, or playground for things that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Here are some clues to get you started. A-ant, B-bark on a tree, C-caterpillar, D-dirt, and so on. Bring an alphabet chart and a clipboard and pencil and see how many letters you can find matches for on your nature walk.
Nature Picture Books for Preschoolers
Every preschool theme needs some well-written picture books to support it. This is a book list of my favorite picture books about modeling kindness. Just click on the book cover to see more. They are all great for preschool, pre k, and kindergarten.
- Hardcover Book
- Farrell, Alison (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- IglooBooks (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 24 Pages – 05/23/2023 (Publication Date) – Igloo Books (Publisher)
- Hardcover Book
- Joey Benun (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Hardcover Book
- Davies, Nicola (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Hardcover Book
- Teckentrup, Britta (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Snedeker, Joseph (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Math and Science Activities for a Nature Theme
Counting Your Nature Collection – Invite your preschooler to find fun things on the walk (acorns, flowers, pine cones, leaves, rocks, etc. ) Sort the items into like groups and write how many of each item was collected. Write with chalk or limestone rock the number for each sorted group.
Nature Patterns – Find patterns in nature! Use nature materials to create fun patterns, think rocks, flowers, clovers, moss, leaves, etc.
Nature Investigation Table – Set up a science table with magnifying glasses, test tubes, water, notebooks, and crayons. Invite them to take samples and record their findings.
Playful Learning Activities for a Nature Theme
Apple Bird Feeder – Using peanut butter, bird seed, twine, and apple slices, make some yummy treats for the birds in your neighborhood!
Bubble Play – Preschoolers absolutely adore bubbles! Head to a park or a wide open field and have some major bubble fun! Invite your preschoolers to count how many bubbles they pop!
Play Doggy, Doggy, Where’s Your Bone? – The child who is the Doggy turns around while someone steals his “bone” (like a stick). When the Doggy turns around, all the children attempt to look guilty while Doggy guesses who stole the bone. Encourage the kids to guess until they pick the right person. Repeat with a new child.
Social-Emotional Activities for a Nature Theme
Plan a Picnic Together – Children love planning for outdoor adventures and picnics. Allowing your preschooler to help you plan and gather lunch and snacks for a picnic is a great way to build their confidence and help them learn why planning and being proactive is important. Encourage them to find foods to bring, perhaps use a butter knife to cut grapes, or peel an orange and celebrate their efforts to the overall picnic adventure.
Mindful Nature Brain Breaks – These eight different mindful brain breaks help preschoolers connect, engage, and develop a sense of calm. Children who are taught mindful skills often use them during big or tough emotions so it’s great for them to have a set of brain breaks that can offer them support during challenging moments. These nature brain breaks include -be the hawk, butterfly breathing, floating on a cloud, and more. After practicing each brain break ask your preschooler which one they like to use and why. Encourage them to use it during moments of change or discomfort.
Nature Preschool Toys
Having the right toys and manipulatives can really enhance your preschool theme. You can use these kindness resources in circle time or to in small groups.
- Counting Animals Toys For Kids:This Preschool Learning Animals Toy includes 36…
- Help To Improve Fine Motor Skills:There are multiple ways to play the counting animal toys.Children…
- Great Montessori Educational Math Toys:This counting animals math games can help children master…
- Explore Colors and Counting: The magnetic toddler game features 55 magnetic beads in 10 distinct…
- Magnetic Counting and Matching: Using the magnetic pen to move the beads from the track to the ice…
- Montessori-Inspired Learning: The magnetic maze board is a fun way for children to learn while…
- Learning Toys for Toddlers: Develop toddler color recognition and sorting skills with this fun…
- Explore New Foods: As they play fun games of pretend with these toddler sorting toys, kids can also…
- Preschool-Ready Skills: With the help of color-coordinated play food and easy-to-visualize bushel…
- Alphabet Learning and Matching Set: The Coogam animal alphabet matching set comes with 26 letters on…
- Fun and Easy Snap Design: All you need to do is take the animal apart and find its half to match!…
- Durable and Safe Educational Toy: The quality alphabet toy set is an ideal manipulation game for…
Just Plain Fun Activities for a Nature Theme
Fine Motor Nature Art – In this activity, invite your preschooler to pick flowers, leaves, grass, weeds, twigs, etc. on a nature walk, then arrange the plants on a cardboard canvas to make a pretty nature art display.
Silly Leaf Art – Create lively leaf art by using googly eyes, glue, natural materials, and a little imagination!
Leaf Prints – Make gorgeous rainbow versions using real leaves! Grab some paint in the colors of the rainbow and paint each leaf with rainbow colors. Flip the leaf over and press the paint down and check out the beautiful rainbow leaf imprints you are left with!
Get Online Activities for a Nature Theme
Online Story – Go to YouTube and listen to the book, We Walk Through the Forest by Lisa Ferland. After listening, invite your preschooler to name all the animals that she saw on her walk through the forest. Which animals have you seen in real life? Which animals would you prefer not to see on your walk through the forest?
Nature Yoga Brain Break – Invite your busy preschooler to take some time to be mindful and relax into different yoga poses.
We Care for the Earth Song – Teach your preschooler different ways to help take care of the Earth.
Grab Your Free Nature Preschool Lesson Plans
Think your preschoolers might enjoy these nature themed activities? Grab your free lesson plans by clicking the image below.
Nature Inspired Preschool Lesson Plans
Looking for more lesson plans that are all about the love of the outdoors and honor Mother Nature? Try some of these.
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.