Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Preschool Theme

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is an all time favorite book in schools and preschool is no exception!  

Find preschool lesson plans and activities for this theme for your preschool classroom!

Let the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme planning begin!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme Art

Chicka Chicka Tree

Materials Needed: brown and green paper, scissors, letter stickers or small foam letters, glue

Just let the children cut the different shades of brown paper into pieces and glue onto larger paper to make a tree trunk.

Let them do the same with different shades of green for the leaves of the tree.

Help the children find the letters for their name and glue them on the tree (provide a name card with each of the students' name printed so they can try and find the letters themselves!).

VARIATION:  Pre-cut the paper into the shape you are working on with your preschoolers.  They can make their tree out of circle shaped brown and circle shaped green.

You might also want to let your children who are able cut them into shapes.

Group Chicka Tree

In advance, cut out a HUGE coconut tree! 

Provide stamps or paint and brushes and encourage the children to stamp or paint letters on the tree

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme Block Center Ideas

Letter Parking Spaces

Provide squares of paper, chalk and 26 or more if you have them--toy cars.

Tape a letter on top of each car.

The children print the letter on a square of paper with chalk.

They park the cars on the correct letters.

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme Circle Time Ideas

Circle Time is such a great time for children to learn the social skills of being together as a large group AND to learn more about your theme!

Flannel Story

Make (or purchase) a tree, letters and coconuts.

Give each child a letter to hold while you read the story.

They come up and place it on the tree as you as the letters!

3D Flannel Board/Box

I saw the above picture on Pinterest and LOVED it!  This would be a great addition to your library area as well as a 3D way to read the story at Circle Time!

This was created by Miss Starr de Graffenried!  Here is the information from her on how it was made (and thank you, Starr, for sharing with us!!!!)

"It’s just felt, glued and wrapped around a cardboard tube stuffed down in a tissue box (which also is covered in glued-on felt). I think I might have stitched around the bottom to hold it all together. The letters have tiny stick-on Velcro pieces to attach to the tree. The leaves are craft foam, stuck down into the cardboard tube and glued in"

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Snack Recipe Ideas to Cook Up for Your Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme!

Cooking with children helps develop their math skills and helps them to learn how to follow directions. It also allows for some great conversation!

Ask many questions while cooking with your children to encourage conversation! Be sure to ask specific themed questions while making these fun snacks!

Tree Snack

Needed to make trees:

Large pretzel rods for the trunk

Sliced granny smith apples for the leaves

Alphabet cookies for the letters.

Grapes (cut in half) for the coconuts

Cheese or Bread (or BOTH) Letters

Needed:  slices of cheese and/or bread; alphabet cookie cutters

The children cut their cheese or bread with a letter cookie cutter!

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme Ideas to Transform Your Dramatic Play Area

Letter Store

Provide a table for children to make and decorate paper letters.

They can then "sell" their letters in the Letter Store.

Provide a cash register, shopping carts, bags, etc.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree  Thanks, Patty, for this idea!

I asked Lowe's for a carpet tube to make a tree.  We used it for a rainforest, palm tree for Hawaii and now are using it as our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree.  I purchased a lime gree umbrella at Five Below.   The handle of the umbrella fit perfectly into the tube.  Then I cut and taped tissue paper fonds onto the umbrella.   It is perfect for the kids to sit under and also comes apart easily to store.

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme Ideas for your Easel--

More Than Just Painting (Although that is always THE favorite in our classroom!)

Letters for Our Tree

In advance, make a large tree trunk out of paper and place on your wall (or have the children help you make one!)

Trace the first letter of each child's name onto easel paper.

Allow them to paint or use do-a-dots to decorate.

When dry, they place the letter on the tree.

Be sure to have them print their first name on the letter as best they can. Practice is great!

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme Large Group Games 

that help build their muscles while they have fun together

Letter Toss

Provide large letters (foam ones from puzzles work great) and boxes or bins.

Place all the letters on the floor in front of the children playing.

The reach down, pick up a letter and name it.

They then toss it into a bin.

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme Ideas for Your Library and Literacy Activities for your Preschool Classroom

Letter Can

Needed:  Metal coffee can and lid, magnetic letters

Cover any sharp edges of the can with tape.

Cover the outside of the can with brown paper to look like the trunk of a tree!

Place the magnetic letters inside the can.

Place this can in the library area with a copy of the book of course!

3-D Flannel Board

See the suggestion above in the Circle Time area for a picture of this! It would be a great addition to your library!

Read Under the Tree

Alexandra F. says she will add an inflatable coconut tree pool for the children to read in!  I love it!  Thanks for sharing Alexandra!

I found one of these inflatable coconut trees at Amazon.

It would be GREAT for the library area!

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Book and other Suggestions for the Library

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme Activities to help your Preschoolers develop those small muscles in their hands and develop their math skills!

Color Matching

In advance, print or draw Chicka Tree shapes.  Color the leaves different colors.  Make 2 of each color.  Laminate.

The children can use these to match the colors.  

They can also be used as a memory type game by flipping them all face down.  The child flips over two.  If they match, they put them aside.  If they don't, they flip them back over and flip two more over.

"Glass" Letters!

Needed:  metal cookie sheet(s), clear flat stones, white poster board, hot glue, tacky glue, magnets

Trace the stones on the poster board.  Cut out circle shapes from the poster board.  You will need one for each letter for each set you want to make!

Print a letter on each circle.

Hot glue the letter circles onto the bottom of the clear stones (so you can see the letter through the stones).

When dry, use tacky glue to glue circle magnets onto the back of the poster board.

Draw and attached a Chicka Tree to a cookie sheet.

The children retell the story using the letters!

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(I LOVE Amazon, and some of the links below will take you to the Amazon website.  If you do choose to purchase yours through Amazon, they do send me a few cents--which supports my coffee habit! )

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme Music and Movement Activities and Ideas to get your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin'!

Chicka Chicka Clap Bump!

Once the children are familiar with this story, try a movement version of telling it!

The children stand up and next to a partner or two.

Every time you say Chicka Chicka, you will pause and they will clap twice.  Eventually, encourage them to clap WHILE you say it.

Every time you say Boom Boom, they will bump hips with a partner!

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme Activities for the Senses!

Get Tropical!

Provide sand at your table.  Add plastic trees, shoves and plastic or foam letters (hide them in the sand).

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme Science Activities--for your Preschool Scientists in Training!

Discovery Bottle Idea

This one takes more prep time on your part but they are so adorable and the kids love them!

You will find a picture of this on my Pinterest Page (see the link for Pinterest at the bottom of this page).

Materials needed:  clear, plastic water bottles, skewer sticks (wooden), foam monkeys, foam or plastic letters, colored foil or more sturdy colorful material cut into leave shapes.

Hot glue the stick into the cap.  Hot glue the monkey onto the stick. Hot glue the leaves to the top of the stick.  

Add letters into bottle.  Hot glue caps in place!

These can also be purchased for $1.00 (USD) per shaker bottle by a woman, Sally Gilbert.  I've never purchased them but heard they are great!

Coconuts

********* Do NOT do this activity if you have any tree nut allergies in your classroom*******

Place coconuts in your science center for your children to explore.

Include magnifying glasses, tape measures, balance scales and journals for your children to use as well.

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Writing Activity Ideas for Your Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme!

Letter Tree Trunks

You will need:  paper towel tubes, alphabet stickers, a marker

Collect paper towel tubes.  You will need at least one for each child.

In advance, print the alphabet randomly on the tube.

Print some in upper case and some in lower case. 

I would make specific tubes upper case and others all lower case.  

Mixing them up may be too frustrating for many preschoolers and they will not complete this activity.  26 letters is a lot!

Give each child a sheet of letter stickers that have only one sticker of each letter.

They then stick the sticker onto the matching letter on the tube!

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