My Body Theme for Preschool

My Body Theme for Preschool!  A theme to help your preschoolers learn about their bodies.  

This  page includes preschool lesson plans, activities and Interest Learning Center ideas for your Preschool Classroom!

You'll find more themes to help you with your planning on my preschool themes page.

Let the Theme Planning Begin!

My Body Theme Art

Foot and Toe Painting

Why not?  I know, it's messy, but other than that, WHY NOT??

Materials needed:  newspaper, fingerpaint, fingerpaint paper or large pieces of paper; shallow trays for paint, bin with warm soapy water and towels.

Place newspaper all over the floor in the area you will do this.  Perhaps ask for a parent volunteer to help this day!

Put large sheets of paper and have the children, 2 or 3 at a time, dip their feet in fingerpaint and make a group footprint picture!

Body Tracing

Help each child trace their body!  They lay down on a large piece of paper.  You trace their outline and print their name on the paper.

The child then decorates it.  This has been a week long project for us!

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My Body Theme Block Center Ideas

Uncovering Bones

In advance, boil cooked chicken bones to remove the meat.  Place bones in bleach for 1 hour.

Place these bones in the block area with dump trucks, cranes, etc.  for an Archaelogical Site!

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My Body Theme Circle Time

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!

Fancy Foot Work

Did you know there are 52 bones in our feet?  Wow!  That let's us move our feet in different ways!

Count to 52 with the children!  Now, encourage the children to each show a way that they can move their feet while sitting down!

Then, encourage the children to stand up and show ways to use their feet (stomp, tip-toe, walk on heels, etc.)

Flannel Body

Provide flannel body part pieces:  head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, neck, chest, waist and legs, feet, arms, hand, hair

Talk with the children about what their bodies have.

As each child mentions a part, give them the flannel piece to put on the flannel board.

Finger Plays and Songs

Here Are My Ears

Here are my ears.

Here is my nose.

Here are my fingers.

Here are my toes.

Here are my eyes,

Both open wide.

Here is my mouth

With white teeth inside.

Here is my tongue

That helps me speak.

Here is my chin,

And here are my cheeks.

Here are my hands

That help me play.

Here are my feet for walking today.

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My Body Theme Cooking Center Ideas

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!

Healthy Face

Materials:  apples, carrots, bananas

Have children help you cut carrots and bananas.  You will need to cut the apples into slices

Use the apples for a smile, the carrot as a nose and banana slices as eyes on paper plates.

Add what you'd like:  raisins for pupils, mini-marshmallows for teeth, etc.

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My Body Theme Ideas to Transform Your Dramatic Play Area

Doctor's Office

Set up a doctor's office!  A table and chair for the receptionist, clip boards, doctor kits, bandages, x-rays (or have the children make them!  See the writing table x-ray activity!).

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My Body Theme Ideas for Your Easel--

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

Q-Tip "Bone" Painting

In advance, cut out body shapes out of black paper.

Provide q-tips and white paint.

Encourage the children to paint bones on the bodies.

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My Body Theme Large Motor Games and Activities

that help build their muscles while they have fun together!

Go, Lungs, Go!

Tape two lines on the floor with tape.

Provide cotton balls or pom-poms and have the children blow them from one line to another.

Explain that we have lungs in our bodies that hold air for us to breathe.

Bean Bag Body Balance

Provide one bean bag for each child.

Name a body part and tell them to walk around with the bean bag on that part (elbow, head, foot, belly, back!).

This--RIGHT HERE-- is my ALL time FAVORITE bean bag CD!  Track # 4, "How Many Ways" is a great track for this activity!

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My Body Theme Ideas for Your Library

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! )

Dem Bones (Avenues) by Bob Barner

The Eye Book (Bright & Early Board Books(TM)) by Dr. Seuss

The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites by Dr. Seuss

The Tooth Book (Bright & Early Board Books(TM)) by Dr. Seuss

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb (Bright & Early Board Books) by Al Perkins

Head, Body, Legs: A Story from Liberia by Won-Ldy Paye

My Hands (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science) by Aliki

My Feet (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1) by Aliki

Parts (Picture Puffins) by Ted Arnold

More Parts (Picture Puffins) by Ted Arnold

Even More Parts by Ted Arnold

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My Body Theme Activities to Help Your Preschoolers Develop Their Math Skills and the Small Muscles in Their Hands!

My Foot

Have children trace their foot on paper.

Then have them use unix cubes or links to measure how long their feet are!

"My foot is 8 cubes long".

Encourage them to measure their arms, hands, legs, head!

Skeleton Floor Puzzle

Make your own puzzles by painting on black paper with white paint or white chalk.  Laminate when dry and cut into puzzle pieces.  

Or, check out my favorite floor puzzle here for this and other themes like Nutrition, Exercise, Doctor's etc.  

Sort, Classify and Make a Class MY BODY Book!

This is a week long project!

Day 1 & 2

Provide magazines, scissors, brown lunch bags with the name and picture of the body part. (eyes, hands, feet, legs, heads, stomach, etc.)

The children find body parts in magazines, cut out and place in correct bag.

Day 3 & 4

Provide large papers of the same size for each body part.

The children glue the magazine body parts previously cut out to the corresponding paper.

Day 5

Staple together for a class book to look at!

Measuring

Try using many items to measure with.

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My Body Theme Music and Movement Activities and Ideas to get your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin'!

Hokey Pokey!

Of course!  Add other body parts to this song!  We typically sing to put our feet, hands, heads.

Add ear, nose, tongue, bottom, elbow, chin!

This Is The Way  sung to the tune of The Mulberry Bush

Act it out as you sing!

This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands.

This is the way we wash our hands so early in the morning.

This is the way we wash our face, wash our face, wash our face.

This is the way we wash our face so early in the morning.

Add additional verses such as:

This is the way we wash our elbows....

This is the way we wash our stomachs....

If You're Happy and You Know It!

Add verses to this song to use your bodies this week!

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.  

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.

If you're happy and you know it then your face will surely show it.

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.

If you're happy and you know it stomp your feet...

If you're happy and you know it, tap your toes...

If you're happy and you know it, wiggle your nose...

If you're happy and you know it, wiggle your ears... (really!  Try it!  Use your hands if you have to!)

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My Body Theme Activities for Your Sand and Water Table!

Whose Shoe?

Provide a water spray bottle at your sand table and a few shoes.

The children spray the sand and make shoe prints by placing their hands inside the shoes!

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My Body Theme Science Activities--for your Preschool Scientists in Training!

Skeleton Model

Have one of these available for your children to check out.  Also, if possible, ask your doctor for some x-rays to hang up.

Our Stomachs Do What?

When we eat, the food goes into our bellies, gets all mashed up and then our bodies can take the nutrients it needs.

You will need:  Ziploc baggies, foods that mash well (cooked pasta, goldfish crackers, juice, canned green beans, etc.) in bowls with spoons (or pipettes for liquids); paper and markers.

Print, or have the children print, the word "before" on one paper and the word "after" on the other.  They should print their names as best they can on the papers as well.

Have the children place one scoop or pipette full of each item into their baggie.  Seal the baggie.

Have the children draw what their food looks like on the before page.

Now, have the children mash and squish the baggie!  This is the fun part!

When done, have them describe what their food looks like now that it is "chewed" and mashed and in their stomachs.

Have them draw a picture on their "after" page.

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Writing Activity Ideas for Your My Body Theme!

Naming the Parts

In advance, print the names of body parts onto cards along with pictures.  Laminate the cards.

Give the children dry-erase markers to trace the letters on the cards.

Also provide blank, unlined paper for the children to practice writing the letters and drawing their own pictures if they want to.

Tell the children to notice the muscles and bones that move in their hands when they print!

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Other Pages You Might Like!

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Go to the Main Themes Page for more fun themes for your classroom!

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