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Houses and Homes Theme for Preschool
A Home Theme for Preschool with preschool lesson plans to help your preschoolers learn about different living environments such as houses and apartments and the different rooms in each.
You'll find more themes to help you with your planning on my preschool themes page.
This is a great theme to help the children learn more about each other and where their friends live. It is a theme you can run on its own or as a supplement to the Family Theme or the All About Me Theme.
Do you have a student who recently moved or is about to move? Click here for my article Moving to a New Home It may help you to help the family through this transition!
Let the Theme planning begin!
You can either scroll down through this page to see all of the preschool activities for your theme or click the link below to go to specific preschool activity types you are looking for.
Themed Art Activities
Paper Bag House
Materials needed: brown lunch bags, glue sticks, glue, miscellaneous arts and craft materials (yarn, sequins, felt, construction paper), scissors, markers and crayons; newspaper.
The children decorate the bags as they want drawing or making doors and windows.
When done, crumple newspaper and stuff bags. Staple closed.
EXTENSION: Give each child a large piece of construction paper and crayons. Instruct them to draw a road, sidewalks, trees, etc. and place their house on their street!
Create and Paint a House
Materials needed: small and jumbo craft sticks (plain wood, not colored), glue, sturdy tag board, paint and brushes.
The children create a house on the tag board with the sticks and glue in place.
They then can paint it.
VARIATION: Use a hot glue gun to make a 3D house and then paint.
VARIATION: Purchase pre-made houses to paint.
Clay Building
Provide modeling clay and small hammers and screws with different ends. The children can build a house, make imprints with the tools, etc.
Themed Block Center Ideas
Doll House: add a doll house, people, cars, black paper and chalk (for road) and cars
Lincoln Logs: Show the children how to build with these!
Themed 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!
3 Little Pigs
Bring some blocks, hay and sticks to circle. Place them in three piles.
Point out the piles and discuss what each is.
Invite 4 children to act out the story as you read it.
Be prepared to read it several times so each child has a turn to be an actor!
What's Missing?
You all know I LOVE this game! Here are 2 ways to play for this theme
Traditional: provide home items. This could be anything: towel, toothpaste, mixing bowl, pillow, etc.
Show them to the children. Cover them with a blanket and remove one.
Ask them to tell you what is missing.
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!
Three Little Pigs Houses
Provide children with the following for snack:
Straw = Shredded wheat cereal
Sticks = Pretzel sticks
Bricks = Cheese cubes
Cheese and Cracker House
Give each child a few crackers and slices of cheese to make a house to eat.
The cheese can be torn by them to make doors, windows or chimneys!
Themed Ideas to Transform Your Dramatic Play Area
Box House
Provide (ask parents or department stores to donate) large boxes (such as refrigerator boxes) and medium ones.
The children can use each box as a room in their house!
Themed Ideas for your Easel--
More Than Just Painting (Although that is always THE favorite in our classroom!)
My House
Encourage children to paint their house, families, pets, etc.
Themed Large Group Games to Help Build Muscles While Having Fun Together!
Driving Home Obstacle Course
Encourage the children to follow an obstacle course:
Sit in the chair and "drive" to your street.
Walk on the "curb" (balance beam)
Climb the "steps" (toy ladder and slide)
Climb under a chair (going in the door) and hop on foam squares to go from room to room.
Click the link to the left to see the variety and prices Amazon has for indoor slides.
The Homes I See
Take a walk. Bring a clipboard. Write down each child's name on the paper. Write down what they notice about houses while on your walk. Compare notes by making a chart or list when you come back inside.
What's New?
Is there a construction site nearby? Perhaps take a walk to check out the progress! Take pictures as well!
Themed 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! )
Daisy Comes Home by Jan Brett
The House That Mack Built by Susanna Hill
Houses and Homes (Around the World Series) by Ann Morris
How a House Is Built by Gail Gibbons
If You Lived Here: Houses of the World by Giles LaRoche
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran
Who is Coming to Our House? by Joseph SlateThemed Activities to Help Your Preschoolers Develop Math Skills and the Small Muscles in Their Hands!
House Matching
In advance, create houses using craft sticks on paper. Trace the sticks with marker.
Laminate the papers.
Provide craft sticks for the children to place in the traced areas.
VARIATION: Make some that are traced AND colored. The children then need to match the colored sticks to the colors on the cards.
Stick Matching
Just provide a large assortment of craft sticks, small and large, colored and plain, for the children to sort by size, color etc.
Room Sorting
Take pictures of different items from different rooms (or use pictures from the internet or magazines and catalogs).
Provide several bins with pictures of rooms on them.
The children sort the items into the appropriate "rooms).
Paint Stir Sticks
Ask for paint stir sticks at the paint store (they will usually donate).
Paint the sticks a variety of colors in advance. Be sure to have many of each color.
Provide paint cans (or bins). Label each can or bin with a color.
The children sort the sticks and place them in the appropriate can or bin.
Themed Music and Movement Activities and Ideas to Get Your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin'!
Some People Live In....... (Sung to: The Old Grey Mare)
Some people live in, apartments
Live in apartments
Live in apartments
Some people live in, apartments
That's where some people live!
There are many more verses you can find - over at Perpetual Preschool
Themed Activities for Your Sand Table!!
Bath Time
Add bubbles, baby dolls, wash cloths, soap and towels!
Themed Science Activities--for your Preschool Scientists in Training!
Building Materials Exploration
Place building materials (wood, sandpaper, bricks, screws, shingles, etc.) in the science area with magnifying glasses.
Lock boards
Purchase a lock board (or make one) with different types of locks.
Or, just provide different locks in a bin for the children to use and explore.
Suggestions: door nob lock; dead bold; key lock, etc.
Sprout House
I LOVE this idea! I found it on Pinterest from Patties Classroom Blog
Add cotton balls to the baggie. Drop water on them using pipettes or using a spray water bottle. Then sprinkle seeds in the bag.
Place a house shape (decorated by the children of course) on top of the baggie.
Hang in a sunny window and watch seeds grow over time!
Grass seed grows quickest!
Writing Activity Ideas for Your Preschool Theme!
I Can Help... Home Flyer or Coupon
Have the children draw pictures of things they can help at home with.
Label the pages "I can help __________________"
Have the children print their own names somewhere on the page the best they can.
Print what they say they can help with at the end of the sentence OR
Provide word cards with the words they say so they can try and print the words themselves!
Suggestions: feed dog, clean, vacuum, laundry, etc.
Miscellaneous Activities for Your Preschool Home Theme!
- Visit Home Depot for a Children's Class (or send info about them home to parents.
- Visit Home Depot/Lowe's/Hardware store to look at tools, perhaps a demo, purchase some pvc piping, etc. (Call in advance)
Go to the Main Themes Page for more Theme Ideas!
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About This Site:
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.
I am commited to providing you, the preschool teacher, with everything you need to develop preschool lesson plans and preschool activities for your classroom all in one place!
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