Community Helpers Theme for Preschool

Community Helpers Art

Community Vehicles

Turn boxes into vehicles. I have used boxes that photocopier paper comes in.

Cut out the top and bottom flaps. Now, you can stand in the box and pull it up to your waist! To make it easier, cut out oval shaped openings into each of the long sides for the children to hold onto the boxes with while they are standing in them.

Decorate the boxes with the children by painting them different colors. Glue paper plates or cut out circles for head lights.

As you introduce other themes, you can add a construction paper sign to the sides (i.e. Mail Carrier or Ambulance).

Paper Bag Community

Materials Needed: Small, white lunch bags, LOTS of newspaper or recycling paper, markers, construction paper and stapler.

Talk about your community with the children at circle time. Follow up by asking each child to choose a building to create.

They use markers to draw what their building will need (windows, doors, etc.) and help them print the name of the building on it (print their name on the bottom so they can take their building home when the theme is over).

They stuff the bags with newspaper and you staple the bags closed.

Use these in the block area or on a table for them to recreate events in your town.

Community Helpers Theme Block Center Ideas

Add people, trucks, cars and emergency vehicles to the block area to encourage making your city or town!

Community Helpers 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!

What Are Community Helpers?

Materials Needed: Pictures of different helpers such as a grocer, police officer, teacher, etc.

Show pictures and ask children to name the person and the job they do. Encourage the children to name the jobs of their parents, neighbors, etc. and talk about how the jobs help others.

Song with Puppets

In advance, cut out pictures (from magazines) of helpers and tape or glue them to craft sticks. Sing the song below using each helper when appropriate. You could then use this song in the future when you use a specific helper theme for a week (dentist week, etc.)

Snack Recipe Ideas to Cook Up for Your 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!

Bakery Brownies

Ingredients and Items needed: 1 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons cocoa, 3/4 cup flour, 1 stick butter (melted), 2 eggs (beaten), 1 teaspoon vanilla, 9" X 9" pan.

Have the children help you grease and flour the pan.

The children help sift the sugar, cocoa and flour into a bowl.

They help add the melted butter, eggs and vanilla.

They help to stir it up (mix well!)

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes on 350 degrees F.

Cut into squares.

Community Helpers Theme Ideas to Transform Your Dramatic Play Area

Props and Items

Call the offices of the community helpers that you plan on focusing on and ask for props! Ask for hats, coloring books, toy tools, books, etc.

Display hats, tools and books on a table or in the dramatic play area for them to check out.

Some items we've received in the past are:

Carpet squares from a Carpeting store.

Coloring books and crayons from the Police Dept and Fire Dept.

Coloring books from funeral homes (very helpful when a child is dealing with the death of a family member).

Postal bag and shirt.

Map of our city from the Chamber of Commerce.

Bakers' hats.

Community Helpers Theme Ideas for your Easel--More Than Just Painting (Although that is always THE favorite in our classroom!)

Artist At Work!

Provide tempera or watercolor paint and cups of water for the children to be the community artist OR to paint what they'd like to be when they grow up!

Community Helpers Theme Large Group Games that help build their muscles while they have fun together

Runaway Bus!

Line up chairs in two rows to resemble your bus.

Each child sits in a seat.

You all sing the verse from Wheels on the Bus..."The people on the bus go up and down......."

When the teacher says "Runaway Bus!" The children get up from their seats and walk around the chairs.

When the teacher says "Emergency Brake!", the children sit back down in a different seat.

VARIATION: You can tape a specific shape to each seat. Have the children sit on any seat to begin with.

When they "exit the bus" because you have said Runaway Bus, they come to you to get a shape (you will give each child a shape).

When you say Emergency Brake, they need to find the chair with the same shape on it.

Have them switch shapes for the next round!

Community Helpers Theme Ideas for Your Library and Literacy Activities for your Preschool Classroom

Book Suggestions for the Library

(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! )

Community Helper Theme Activities to help your Preschoolers develop those small muscles in their hands!

Parking Garage

Materials: 10 pint (or half-pint) milk cartons. Optional: Spray paint them different colors.

Cut off the tops.

To make the garage, staple or paper clip the cartons in a row with the open ends facing up. (I'd suggest stapling them as the paper clips will come off after a lot of use!).

Now lay the garage on its side.

Use a permanent marker to draw one large dot on the top of the first milk carton, two large dots on the top of the second, and so on, ending with ten dots on the last carton.

Use ten small cars and number them (with the marker) 1 through 10.

The children take turns driving the cars into the correct parking places.

Community Helpers Theme Music and Movement Activities and Ideas to get your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin'!

People in Your Neighborhood

Okay, I know....old, but a classic! Play this Sesame Street song during your theme!

Community Helpers Theme Activities for the Senses!

For a general Community Helpers theme, add activities each day for the children to explore different helpers.

Police officers use clues to solve crimes.  Add sand and spray bottles to your sensory table.  The children can spray the sand and then press items (their hands, fingers, shoes or classroom toys) in the wet sand and remove to see the prints these items leave.

Community Helpers Theme Science Activities--for your Preschool Scientists in Training!

Provide a different collection of items for the children each day to check out items used by different helpers in the community.

Baker:  Provide bowls, whisks, egg beaters, tongs, play food for children to check out different items.

Health (Doctor, Nurse, Hospital):  Provide a doctor kit and some bandages, band aids, tongue depressors, and other items for the children to check out.

Fire Fighters:  Provide different sizes and types of fire trucks and ambulances for the children to check out this week.

Writing Activity Ideas for Your Community Helpers Theme!

Community Helpers Alphabet Book

Make this book in advance.

Print one letter of the alphabet and a corresponding word on white piece of construction paper along with a picture of each item.

Assemble in a loose leaf notebook and display at the Writing center with dry erase markers and tissues.

The children can then "read" the book and practice printing their letters.

Here are suggestions for the words/pictures for each letter:

Aa apron (carpenter or bakers apron)

Bb books

Cc car

Dd dentist

Ee equipment (i.e. equipment for a fire fighter)

Ff firefighter

Gg garbage truck

Hh hospital

Ii instrument (doctor or dentist instrument)

Jj janitor

Kk keys

Ll library

Mm mail carrier

Nn nurse

Oo office

Pp police officer

Qq quarter (for a grocery store, cash register, etc.)

Rr red (fire truck)

Ss school

Tt teacher (pictures of you and your teachers!)

Uu uniform (many different uniforms)

Vv vehicle

Ww whistle

Xx x-ray

Yy yellow (school bus)

Zz zip code (draw an envelope with a stamp and circle the zip code)

Miscellaneous Activities for Your Community Helpers Theme!

Classroom Visits

When contacting these offices, find out if they would be willing to visit the classroom! They can bring items from their trade and hand out flyers or cards to send home with the kids about their business.

Classroom Visitors

Call to see if your Mayor can make a visit and read a story to the children...great photo op for you and them!