Family

Family preschool lesson plans, including arts and crafts, games, math, science, group time activities, and songs.

Arts and Crafts

Family Tree

Have the children make a family tree with branches and glue. For the purpose of this try to get branches with y’s and let the children pick the branch to write the names of their family members.

Magazine Collage

Have the children cut out pictures of families in parents’ magazines. Have the children glue the pictures onto a piece of paper. Ask them to name the people in the picture and label them.

Family Puppets

Have the children cut out pictures of family members in parents magazines. Have the children glue them to a piece of heavy paper. When the glue is dry, cut out the pictures from the heavy paper and attach the pictures to a Popsicle stick or straw with tape to make a puppet.

Family Puppets 2

Ask the parents to bring in pictures they no longer want. Cut out the people in the pictures and attach the pictures to a Popsicle stick or a straw with tape to make a puppet.

Paper Bag Family Puppets

Supply each child with a brown paper bag, yarn and other items to make a puppet. The flap at the bottom of the bag is the mouth. Ask the children to give the puppet a name.

Fingerprint Family

Materials: Nontoxic ink pad, Paper, Black pen or crayon
Show your child how to make fingerprints on a piece of paper. Have your child draw eyes, nose mouth and hair to create a face. Ask the children to name the people in the picture.

Balloon Family

Materials: Balloon, Marker, Yarn
Blow up a balloon, have your child tape pieces of yarn onto the balloon for hair, and let them draw on a face.

Family Placemat

Have the children cut out pictures of families in parents’ magazines. Have the children glue the pictures onto a piece of paper. Laminate the paper and use for a placemat.

Paper Plate Faces 1

Have the children draw facial features onto a paper plate to make a face. Supply the children with yarn or Easter grass for hair.

Paper Plate Faces 2

Have the children cut out facial features from a magazine and have them glue them onto a paper plate for a funny face.

Paper Plate Faces 3

Supply the children with different multicultural colors of paper. Have them tear the paper and glue them onto a paper plate to cover the paper plate. After the glue dries have the children draw on facial features with a marker or crayon, or they hay glue on facial features from a magazine.

Smiley Face Necklaces

Cut out circle shapes from many different colors of paper. Have the children draw a face on a circle. Punch two holes near the top of the circle. Supply the children with noodles, yarn and their smiley face to make a necklace.

Bingo Dabber Family

Supply the children with non-toxic bingo dabbers. Ask the child to dab a piece of paper with the dabber a couple of times. When dry, have the child add a face to the dots. Ask the child to tell you the names of the people in the family in their picture. Label the people for them.

Potato Prints

Cut a large potato in half from the top to bottom, so it’s a really long oval. Supply the children with the potato half, different colored paints, and paper. Have the children dip the potatoes in the paint and press them firmly onto the paper. If the potatoes are not cut evenly the shape will not appear clearly. After the paint has dried, have the children add facial features to the ovals with black markers.

Broom Art

Supply the children with a broom, a large piece of butcher paper and some paint. Tape the paper on the floor and add the paint. Have the children use the broom to paint the paper. You may want to have the children take off shoes and socks, and roll up long pants… this is REALLY MESSY!!!

Bubble Art

Add a little food coloring to bubble mix. Go outside and blow some bubbles. Have your child catch the bubbles on a piece of paper to create bubble art!!

Bubble Art II

Supply the children with a bowl with bubble mix in it and a straw with a hole near the top to prevent children from sucking the soap up. Have the children blow into the straw while it is in the bowl creating bubbles. Then, have the child place a drop of food coloring on the top of the bubbles and quickly press a piece of paper on the top of the bubbles to create bubble prints.

Math, Science, and Games

Animal Families

Talk about animal families.. what do we call a baby chicken, baby dog and so on.

Big and Small Animals

Create large and small animal shapes have the children sort or tell you which is bigger.

Lacing Cards

Cut colored poster board into a baby or face shape and punch holes around the edges. Them let your child lace yarn or a shoestring into the cards.

Bean Bag Toss

Have your child toss bean bags into a box with pictures of people on it. You can use masking tape to mark where the child should stand.

Laundry Basket Toss

Supply the children with folded socks, (In a ball), and have them throw the socks into a laundry basket. You can use masking tape to mark where the child should stand.

Picture Matching

Find family stickers. Place 2 identical stickers on the left and right sides of an index card. Cut the index in half, cut in a jig-jag form. Use a highlighter to highlight the edges. Do this with many different stickers. Have the child match the stickers, and line up the two halves of the index card.

Family Memory

Find family stickers. Place 2 identical stickers on the left and right sides of an index card. Cut the index in half, cut the index card in half. You can use these cards to play memory.

Family Bowling

Obtain 10 half gallon milk cartons, or 2 liter bottles. Fill the bottles about 1/8 full with water and seal the lid. Then, decorate the bottles like people, adding yarn for hair, and use permanent markers for the eyes nose and mouth. Set the bottles up like they were bowling pins and have the children roll a ball to try to knock them over. If they don’t knock over easily, remove some of the water.

Family Chores

Even toddlers are old enough to take on some of the chores around the family home. Help the children learn about chores with these activities.

Set The Table

Let the children set the table. Have them set out the place mats, cup, plates, napkins, and silverware.

Wash the Dishes

Provide the children with clean plastic dishes in the sand and water table and help them wash them with warm soapy water and sponges.

Fold the Clothes

You can show preschool children how to fold hand towels. Supply them with the hand towels in the dramatic play area.

Clean Up

Explain that cleaning up is a chore as well. Your program should already include this element in your class every day.

Rub-A-Dub Classroom

Spray a little soapy water on the walls, tables or shelves and supply the children with paper towels to clean with.

Sweep the Floor

Older children can sweep the floor, clean the lunch tables, and clean up after art projects.

Give the Baby a Bath

Place warm soapy water and waterproof dolls in the sand and water table. Remind the children to be very careful with their “babies”. You can also provide clean empty baby shampoo containers and baby towels.

Dramatic Play

You can add these items to your home living area. Make sure all bottles and boxes are empty and cleaned thoroughly.
plastic baby bottles, (preschool and up) detergent bottles, dish soap bottles, hand soap bottles, cereal boxes, food boxes, aprons, hot pads, child safe utensils, (potato masher) oven mittens, hand towels, washcloths, shampoo bottles, baby soap bottles, cleaning spray bottles, dresses, clip-on ties, scarves, shoes, bibs, baby spoons

Group Time Activities

Smiley Face Shapes

Cut out circle shapes from large white construction paper. Have the children add facial features to the circles, and after they dry write each child’s name on them. Laminate them so you can use them for the activities below.

Smiley Jump

Set out the smiley shapes on the floor. Have the children hop from one smiley shapes to another.

Smiley Musical Chairs

Set out the smiley shapes on the floor in a circle. Have the children walk around the circle of smiley faces. When the music stops have the children race to their smiley shapes. Every child should have a smiley face shape to stand on.

Smiley Circle Time

Set out the smiley shapes on the floor in a circle. Have each child sit on his/her own smiley face for circle time.

I Love My Family Because…

Have the children finish the sentence “I Love My Family Because…” Write down the children’s answers and post them on a bulletin board.

Grandparents Day

Have a grandparent’s day party, or invite a different grandparent each day to read a special story. Be sure that stories are well-rehearsed and interesting to the children. Talk about members in a family, father, mother, sister, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and more.

Mommy Says

Played like “Simon Says.” Replace “mommy” with other family members.

Mother May I?

The old game, “Mother, May I.” Replace “mother” with other family members.

Sand and Water Table

Have the children bathe the dolls in the water table with soap and water.

Family Duck, Duck, GOOSE!

Substitute other names in this game to suit your needs. Try Duck/Duckling, Cat/Kitten, Mommy/Baby, Daddy/Baby etc.

Family Size Graph

Ask the children “How many people are in your family?” Graph the results.

Song and Dance

Have a couple of children put on a show for the other children. They can tell jokes, sing, and dance.

Activity Ideas

Have parents bring in pictures of themselves. Ask the children to find the picture of their Mother, Father and other family members.

Family Portraits

Ask parents to bring in pictures of their families, or take pictures of the families at the center. You can place these on the walls at the children’s eye level by covering them with contact paper. The children will really enjoy seeing their pictures and pictures of others on the walls.

Songs

Love Song

Love my Mommy,
Yes I do,
Love my Mommy,
Yes I do,
Love my Mommy,
Yes I do,
Love my Mommy,
And I love you!
Replace mommy with other family members.

Special Song

Sung to “Where is Thumbkin?”
Daddy is special,
Daddy is special,
Yes he is,
Yes he is,
Daddy is special,
Daddy is special,
Yes he is,
Yes he is.
Replace Daddy with other family members.