Free Penguins Preschool Lesson Plans
Waddle you do with all these penguin ideas? Get ready for a preschool penguin theme, of course! We’ve packed this post with loads of ideas in our free penguins preschool lesson plans, which includes book ideas, art and sensory exploration, and math and science fun. You’ll find the whole bundle of ideas at the end of this post in a free download of preschool lesson plans.
Free Penguin Activities for Preschoolers Including Free Preschool Lesson Plans
Penguins are a beloved preschool theme all by themselves! I often include them during a winter theme or sometime during the winter months. They’re also fun to do at Christmastime, especially if you work in a setting where you don’t do a traditional Christmas theme.
FAQ About a Penguins Preschool Theme
You may have a few questions about teaching this preschool theme! Check out these frequently asked questions for how to teach your preschoolers about penguins.
Teaching a penguin theme is lots of fun! Did you know that penguins live on every continent in the Southern Hemisphere? There are 18 different penguin species and two of those are sun-loving warm water penguins. Preschoolers love to learn interesting facts about all the different kinds of penguins including what they eat, how they swim, and even how old they get!
For a penguin themed circle time for preschoolers, it is a great idea to include books about penguins. Singing fun penguin counting songs is also a great way to incorporate music and math into your circle time.
Another themed activity for a penguin circle time is to invite the children to move like penguins! This is a great way for them to work on gross motor skills.
Many opt to ‘dive’ into a penguin theme during the colder winter months. Other great theme add-ons include artic animals or winter/snow/snowflakes. Or you could go a different route and learn about animals all over the world and different habitats and special features of each animal!
-
Product on sale* Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans BundleOriginal price was: $60.00.$22.00Current price is: $22.00. -
Important Info about these Penguin Lesson Plans
These lesson plans for preschoolers are just one theme in a set of over 40 that will become a part of my free Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans.
The Learn at Home Preschool Activity Plans are a set of free activity plans you can use to teach your preschooler at home.
Each set of lesson plans is centered around a weekly theme and includes a minimum of 16 activities that can be done throughout the week. They are designed to be done at home with parents, but many preschool teachers are using these lesson plans, too!
Just glance over the lessons each day, gather the very few materials needed, and you’re ready to go!
All the preschool learning activities are quick and easy to set up, requiring very little (if any at all) prep and only require the most basic of household materials. This makes them especially easy for parents to implement…and this makes preschool teachers happy, too!
These activities also work wonderfully in the classroom, and if you’re a preschool teacher who is remotely teaching you can send these lesson plans to your student’s parents.
Engaging Preschool Activities for a Penguins Theme
Whether you are using this theme during winter time or just studying arctic animals, these preschool penguin activities are sure to be a blast. These flightless birds are fascinating to study and have so many unique features and characteristics. We hope these 15+ penguin activities and crafts help you to plan your penguin unit!
Literacy Activities for a Penguins Preschool Theme
Penguin Alphabet Find and Cover – Print and laminate (if preferred) and cut out the beginning sound snowballs. Invite your preschooler to choose a letter mat and then lay out an assortment of beginning sound snowballs, including the three corresponding pictures for that letter sound. Using a dry erase marker, invite your preschooler to find and circle the matching letters on the mat and find the three snowballs with that beginning sound.
I See Penguins Emergent Reader – Print and assemble the penguin emergent reader. Read each page together. Ask your preschooler after each page, “What did you learn about penguins on this page?” After reading, ask questions and discuss new concepts like predator/prey, show a video of when penguins use tobogganing to get around, and invite your child to draw and label a penguin on the back of the book. Read your penguin book regularly!
Don’t Forget Picture Books!
We’ve gathered some of the best and most engaging penguin picture books to include with your preschool lesson plans. Click on each book cover below to check out our most-loved picture books for a penguin theme.
Math and Science Activities for a Penguin Theme in Preschool
Winter Penguin Graphing – This fun math graphing activity is print and play! Using gems or counters, roll the included dice and race to the top of the graph! Great for developing simple graphing and counting skills.
Penguin Number Dominoes – Make a penguin domino train with this fun math activity. Grab a domino and then find the matching number and lay it down. Continue until all the dominoes have been played!
Penguin Science – Learn how penguins stay dry and warm even in icy water! Using paper, white crayons, and a spray bottle with blue food coloring, enjoy this arctic fun science experiment.
Playful Preschool Learning Activities for a Penguins Theme
Cup Towers – Grab some plastic cups and encourage your preschooler to build the tallest tower possible. Play with different variations, for example, use a timer and see how many cups can you use in a min?
Practice Cutting in the Kitchen – Using a child-safe knife, invite your preschooler to help you prep a fruit salad or vegetable tray. This activity builds hand strength and preschooler’s absolutely adore being able to help out in the kitchen! Don’t forget to try your hand making some penguin snacks!
Tape Shapes – Grab painter’s tape and make floor tape shapes. Invite your preschooler to rip the tape into long strips and lay the tape down on the floor to create shapes. How many pieces of tape did you need to make a square?
-
Winter Preschool Centers$9.00
Social-Emotional Activities for a Penguins Preschool Theme
Penguin Deep Breathing Exercise – Self-regulating when you are upset or frustrated can be challenging for preschoolers. This simple printable helps guide young children to take deep breaths by focusing on an image and tracing through the lines as they inhale and exhale. These exercises can be used after an emotional moment and practiced together. Repeated practice can help preschoolers remember to reach into their emotional toolbox during big feelings and help them self-soothe. Check out the polar bear deep breathing printable too!
Learning to Be Brave – Go to YouTube and listen to the story, Be Brave Little Penguin by Giles Andrea. This story is all about little Pip-Pip and his journey to overcome his fear of the water. Preschoolers will relate to this story as they often have fears and could use some encouragement. Pip-Pip learns to face his fear and it swimming soon becomes one of his favorite activities! Ask your preschooler, “What kinds of things have you been afraid of that turned out to be fun? What helped you to be brave?
Just Plain Fun Penguins Activities for Preschoolers
Penguin Dad & Chick Craft – Print and cut out the penguin shape of dad and baby. Color and glue the baby chick onto dad’s feet. Learn more about how the dad helps take care of the adorable penguin babies here.
Ice Skating Penguins – Set up a penguin ice rink! Freeze small penguin figures in an ice cube tray with water. Pop out once frozen and ice skate along a tray of frozen water. Such fun! This activity is a a fun penguin sensory experience and a great opportunity to teach about penguins.
Handprint Penguin Craft – This craft uses just black, yellow, and red paper, white paint, and googly eyes. Create the penguin template and invite your preschooler to stamp their hand in white paint and press to the penguin. Ta-da! Add cotton balls for more fine motor practice!
Get Online Activities for a Penguins Theme
Online Story – Go to YouTube and listen to the non-fiction book, If You Were a Penguin by Wendell and Florence Minor. After reading, discuss some of the new words from the story, such as, toboggan, sing a duet, tuxedo, and penguin types –Chinstrap and Gentoo. Ask, “If you were a penguin, what would you do?” Encourage your preschooler to look back through the video and find their favorite part of penguin life.
Penguin Dance Video – Join Jack Hartmann and dance along to the penguin beat!
I’m a Penguin! – Learn lots of fun facts about penguins with this catchy song.
Make Your Penguin Theme Even Better!
Sometimes (not always), what turns a great preschool theme into an exceptional one is having some extra special materials specific to that theme. These are some of the penguins toys and activity kits I like to use with my preschoolers.
Get Your Free Penguins Lesson Plans Here
Want to include these penguin activities in your lesson plans? Ready to grab your free printable lesson plans with all these penguins theme activities for preschoolers?!
No problem. I’ve made a printable for you. Just fill out the form below and it will be sent to your inbox.
Related
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.
