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Teddy Bears Theme for Preschool
Teddy Bears are so cute, and cuddly, and a great theme for preschool! There are so many games and activities you can do!
This teddy bears preschool theme page is filled with preschool activities and ideas for all areas of your classroom to help you draw your children into learning!
You'll find more themes to help you with your planning on my preschool themes page.
Let the Theme planning begin!
You can either scroll down through this page to see all of the preschool activities for this theme.
You can also choose the specific preschool activity type you are looking for below to go directly to that section of this preschool themed page!
Teddy Bears Theme Art
Fuzzy Bears
Materials Needed: faux fur, scissors, glue, paint brushes, paper, googly eyes, paper
Children use the brushes to “paint” a shape of a bear (or just circles if they can!). They then brush more glue within those shapes. They use scissors to cut pieces of faux fur to press onto their bear (some of our older children actually cut the fur OFF the backing and sprinkled it all over the glue!).
Bear Collage
Materials Needed: wildlife magazines, toy magazines, scissors, glue, paper
The children find pictures of different types of bears in the magazines and cut them out.
They glue them onto the paper to make a bear collage.
Discuss the types of bears they find (grizzly, polar, teddy, etc.).
Theme Block Center Ideas
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!
Goldilocks and The Three Bears
Read your favorite version of this story. Assign children to be Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear and Goldilocks. Reread the story having the children act it out. Read it several times to give each child a turn to act and encourage the other children to be the audience and applaud.
EXTENSION: Have masks for each part available for the children.
VARIATION: Have felt board pieces available for the children. Include the bowls, chairs and beds and have each child place their piece on the board as you read the story.
Bears Are Walking!
Sung to The Ants are Marching One by One
The bears are walking through the woods
Hoorah! Today!
The bears are walking through the woods
To eat. and play.
They catch some fish. They eat them, too.
They munch on berries, quite a few!
Then they run around and climb
Up a tree!
There goes one!
There goes two!
Teddy Bear Compare
In advance, send a note home for teddy bear day! (Be sure to have extra for those who either do not have a one or forget theirs).
Have the children bring their bear to circle.
Have some discussions about them!
Examples:
Give each child a minute to tell their friends something about their bear (great chance to teach the others about patience and waiting their turn!)
Set up three bins (laundry baskets or simply pieces of paper) and ask kids to sort their bears. "If you think your bear is large, place it here". etc.
Place all the brown bears here. Blue bears here. (Some children may have multi-colored bears. Let them decide which color pile they want to put it in).
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
This is a traditional song to sing while the children pretend to be bears or to do WITH their bears!
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground
Continue with verses and make some up, too!
...wiggle your shoes...that will do.
...climb the stairs, say your prayers
...turn off the light...say good-night!
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!
Berry Fun!
Bears eat berries and so do we! Provide different types of berries (check for allergies first!) in different bowls.
Have the children scoop a couple of spoonfuls of each into a bowl.
As they eat, do some math and science with them! Such as:
What colors are they? Are they large, small, medium? Which are larger, smaller?
How many of each type do you have? How many all together? Do you have more red or blue?
Theme Ideas to Transform Your Dramatic Play Area
In the Cave
Transform your dramatic play area into a cave by adding a box or a table (covered with a blanket). Provide some items to go on a bear hunt such as binoculars, a picnic basket, etc.
Theme Ideas for Your Easel--More Than Just Painting!
(Although that is always THE favorite in our classroom!)
Painting With Fur
Cover some sponge paint brushes with faux fur to paint with today!
Theme Large Group Games
that help build their muscles while they have fun together
Where Bear?
Have a bear game to help your children learn spatial awareness and directionality!
Hold your bear UP to the sky.
Hold your bear DOWN near the ground.
Place your bear UNDER something in the room.
Place your bear ON something in the room.
Place your bear NEXT TO something in the room.
(You can choose the place in the room or let the children find a space!)
Going On a Bear Hunt?? OF COURSE YOU ARE!
There are so many versions of this song! I love Dr. Jean's version on CD but you could also use your favorite version of the book!
Set up the areas you will need (river, tree, bridge). Walk with the children and name the areas for them.
Now go to the beginning, where you will start and end...the "house".
Read the story or play the CD and have the children act it out!
Theme Ideas for Your Library
Book Suggestions for the Library
The following books might be found in your local library or you can click on each title to see what Amazon has available.
(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! )
Bear Loves Opposites (Bear in the Big Blue House (Board Books Simon & Shuster)) by Kiki Thorpe
Blueberries for Sal (Viking Kestrel picture books) by Robert McCloskey
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Goldilocks and the Three Bears choose many versions!)
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
The Teddy Bears' Picnic (there are several such as by Jerry Garcia and one by Jimmy Kennedy)
The Teddy Bear by David McPhail
Teddy Bear Tears by Jim Aylesworth
The Teddy Bears' Picnic by Michael Hague
Up Bear, Down Bear by Trudy Harris
When the Teddy Bears Came by Martin Waddell
Who Wants an Old Teddy Bear? by Ginnie HofmannTheme Activities to Help Your Preschoolers Develop Their Math Skills--
and develop the small muscles in their hands!
Lacing
In advance, cover some shapes with faux fur. Hole punch.
Have the children lace these shapes for a great sensory/texture change in lacing!
Buttons!
The reading of the book Corduroy just screams button sorting! Provide a variety of colors, types and sizes of buttons and let the children explore them and sort in the different ways they can think of.
Of course, add some suggestions of how to sort them.
Theme Music and Movement Activities and Ideas
to get your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin'!
Let's Rap!
sung to Mary Had A Little Lamb
Let's all clap our hands to the beat; hands to the beat; hands to the beat.
Let's all clap our hands to the beat. To the beat of the Teddy Bear Rap!
Use other movements such as stomping your feet, marching in place, waving your paws, etc.
You can do this with bears or without!
Bear Freeze
Play different tempos of music and encourage the children to make their bears dance or move in a way that matches the beat.
When the music stops, they and their bears need to freeze until the music plays again.
Teddy Bears Theme Activities for the Senses!
Fish in the River
Add water, toy fish and bears!
Teddy Bears Theme Science Activities
Berries, Yum!
Provide many types of berries for the children to investigate using their senses (yes, even eating!)
Also provide journals for them to draw what they learn and compare.
Do a formal taste test with the children!
Writing Activities for Your Theme!
Thank you Angie M. for this awesome activity idea!
In my preschool class we write a group letter to the 3 Bears. In the letter we introduce ourselves and ask them different questions about their lives. I let the children decide the questions to ask. Then the next day I have the director come in with a letter that just came in the mail for our classroom. This letter is a response from The Bears. They answer our question and tell us they have set up a little game for us. It is a scavenger hunt around the school with The Bears favorite snack in the end (porridge and honey or honey comb cereal) The children love this 2 day activity
Miscellaneous Activities for Your Preschool Teddy Bears Theme!
Teddy Bear Picnic
Have your snack or lunch outside (or inside!) on a blanket!
Parade
Take your bears on a parade through your school! Use instruments as well while visiting other classrooms!
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Hey there! Welcome to Preschool Plan It! I’m Cheryl, a preschool teacher of over 20 years.
I KNOW, I know, you spend hours of time developing your preschool themes, activities and preschool lesson plans each week. You are commited to planning preschool themes and activities that are engaging hands-on, interactive, fun AND meet the goal of supporting each child’s level of growth and development.
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