Pre-K & Preschool theme ideas for learning about transportation
Find more Transportation Activities for Pre-K
Books
Click here for a complete list of Books about Transportation!
Train Activities
Name Trains
{Literacy}
Children glue squares with the letters of their name onto a strip of construction paper to make a name “train”. We add a paper engine and draw on the wheels.
Scissor Skills
{Fine Motor Skills}
Children pretend the scissors are a train, cutting along the railroad tracks (straight, curved & jagged lines). They stop when they come to the animal sticker.
Train Patterns
{Math}
Children work in pairs, each choosing one color of the Unifix cubes to work with. The children make an AB pattern: one child adding one color and the other adding the next color, taking turns adding to the train.
Airplane Activities
Jet Pilot
{Large Motor}
Children fly around the room when their first initial is called.
Craft Stick Airplanes
{Art}
Children use craft sticks and colored masking tape to create airplanes.
Airplane Counting
{Math}
Each month, we kept track of how many airplanes flew over our playground while we were outside. Whenever the children saw airplanes outside, we would keep a count in our heads (usually no more than 3 flew over). Then when we went inside, we would add that many airplanes to our chart. The children were often spotted at the chart counting how many we had seen so far.
Parachutes
{Science}
Make parachutes with a 14-inch (approx.) square from a plastic trash bag, tape a 16-inch (approx.) string to each corner with masking tape, and tie all four pieces of string to a 3/4-inch metal washer. This is not easy for children to do. You could make this with each child, or send home the materials and directions for a home activity. Either way children will need individual help. I also made a larger parachute using a whole trash bag tied on four sides to a stuffed animal. The kids had fun dropping this from the classroom loft. (Children are exploring properties of air.)
Car and Truck Activities
Red Light, Green Light
{Large Motor}
When green light is on, children roll a car around on the floor. When they see the red light, the cars should stop.
Tire Tracks
{Art}
Children dip the tires of toy cars in paint and roll it across their paper to make tire tracks. Oriental Trading also has some car stamps that can be used for this activity. (Item number IN-56/2906)
Play Dough Tire Tracks
{Fine Motor Skills}
Children flatten out play dough and roll toy cars and trucks on it to make tire tracks.
Letter Roads
{Literacy}
We use large foam letters (ours came from Lakeshore). Children drive over the shapes of the letters with mini toy cars.
Ramps & Cars
{Math}
The children bring a small car or truck to school for this experiment. We test the cars to see how well they roll on a ramp covered with various materials. We used aluminum foil, sandpaper, bubble wrap, and corrugated paper. Also, change the height of the ramp and test it again.
Traffic Light Cookies
{Cooking}
Children mix red, green and yellow food coloring with white icing, and spread the icing onto the three vanilla wafers to make a traffic light.
Truck Bingo Stamping Game
{Math or Literacy}
Read about and print the Truck Bingo Game here.
More Activities
Story Retelling
{Literacy}
This is an activity that goes with any theme. Choose a book that goes with the theme, and have the children retell the story.
Read the blog post here for details: story retelling
Transportation Graph
{Math}
I used the transportation clipart pictures (available in the Printables section) to place in the top of the pocket chart graph. Children choose their favorite mode of transportation and placed their name card under it on the graph.
Wheels Grid Game
{Math}
Read about about print here: Grid Games
Wheels on the Bus Song Book
This song book for Wheels on the Bus can be printed or projected as a slideshow. Go to the Song Books page to download.
Science Center
{Science}
Ramps with toy cars
Parachute man
Gears
Wood or foam airplane gliders
Travel Prop Box
{Dramatic Play}
Suitcase, Travel books, Tickets, Money, Maps, Clothes, Grooming items, Pajamas
Rhymes
Songs
Classical Music:
Find more Transportation Activities for Pre-K
Links
Resources
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