We’re adding more fun ideas for theme teaching around a beach or sea animals theme. You can use these fun gross motor games anywhere.

Preschool Gross Motor Games with a Beach Theme:

Sand Bucket Bean Bag Toss

On the playground, in the yard, in the classroom or even in the living room, you can set up sand buckets and play a beanbag toss game. (If you’re at home and don’t have bean bags you can use a rolled up pair of socks.) Each day move the tossing line back to increase the challenge.

Simon Says at the Beach

Simon Says at the Beach is simply a game of Simon Says with beach theme movements like these.

Walk like a crab.
Snap like a lobster.
Swim like fish.
Roll your arms like a big wave.
Tip toe like you’re walking on hot sand.
Dig in the sand.

You can combine many fine motor activities with this “B” is for Beach Mural.

Beach Theme Art Activity:

Allow kids to paint or color a large beach scene on freezer paper.

Let kids practice phonics and cutting skills while searching magazines for beach pictures that begin with the letter B such as bathing suits, balls, buckets, baskets, blankets and so on.

Let preschoolers add the photos to the beach mural using glue sticks. Continue Reading …

Using beach theme lesson plans is a fun way to reinforce the letter and sound of “B” with preschoolers.  Whether in a preschool or home setting there are many creative and inexpensive ways to encourage learning and exploratory play with through a beach theme.

Centers such as kitchen and housekeeping areas, blocks, dress up, writing, play dough and others are proven to promote social, language and fine motor development through play.  However, after a while when preschoolers have mastered a center’s opportunities, kids get bored.  By adding new items to each center with each lesson plan theme change, teachers and parents can keep the centers fresh and keep the learning going.

Here are some easy ideas for making learning “a day at the beach” for preschoolers.

Beach Theme Center Time Ideas:

1.  Add seashells to your play dough table and point out the fossil-like patterns they can make.

2.  Also add seashells to your sand box to encourage new playtime activities and conversations.

3.  Add beach post cards to your writing center where preschoolers can practice signing their names.  No beach post cards on hand?  Let them create their own with beach stickers and index cards.

4.  Add beach towels, a picnic basket and paper and plastic products to the kitchen and housekeeping area so that little cooks and can create beach picnics.

5.  Add sun hats, sunglasses, beach cover ups and leis to the dress up center for beach theme fun.

Books and Circle Time Phonics Activities for Beach Theme Lesson Plans: Continue Reading …