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Thematic Units for the Preschool Classroom

September 12, 2013 by notjustcute Filed Under: Learning through Play and Experience, Unit Themes 15 Comments

Thematic Unit Ideas!

Thematic units are my favorite way to teach young kids.  They organize learning by creating connections, which is how our little ones learn best.  Whether you’re homeschooling, co-oping, or in the classroom every day, I thought I’d give you a jump start in creating your lesson plans by putting together quality play-based activities that fit within a thematic structure and cover a wide array of developmental objectives.

Below, I’ve linked the units I’ve already compiled and will add new ones to the list as they become available.  (So pin this and come back from time to time!)  And if there’s a unit you’d like to see, leave a comment.  I’m always excited to hear new ideas!

But first, there are a few things that might help you plan—

Before the Unit:

Know Where You’re Going– Use a Developmental Checklist as Your Guide

Mapping Out Your Preschool Study Themes

Backwards Planning: How to Start with the End in Mind

Planning a New School Year? 12 Tips to Give You a Head Start

 

Thematic Units (Alphabetized):

Arts

Construction & More to Build On

Dinosaurs

Dr. Seuss  &  More Dr. Seuss

Fall& More Fall & Who loves fall?  This gal!

Food

Friendship

Insects, Bugs, & Other Creepy Crawlies

Outer Space & the Night Sky

Pets

Pumpkins

Seeds & Plants

Senses

Transportation

Valentines

Water

Welcome to School

Winter & More Winter

What theme would you love to see here next?

 

Psst — Find more comprehensive thematic units from my friend, Allie, at No Time for Flashcards here.

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Comments

  1. 2

    Jeanne Larson says

    September 12, 2013 at 3:58 pm

    hi–I have been following you for quite awhile, and was glad to see the developmental checklist–but when I open the pdf, I am just getting a blank screen–am I doing something wrong? thanks– Jeanne Larson

    Reply
    • 3

      notjustcute says

      September 12, 2013 at 5:10 pm

      Hmm. It came up for me. Let me see if I can figure it out.

      From the Thematic Units post, I clicked on the “…Use a Developmental Checklist as Your Guide” link. From that post, I clicked on the link “Broad Developmental Assessment”. That takes you to what looks like a post with only that title once again as a link. Clicking on that should open the PDF, which you can print directly from there.

      I know I’ve found sometimes restarting my computer helps in opening files. Let me know how this goes for you and I’ll see what I can do on my end.

      Reply
  2. 4

    Andrea says

    September 12, 2013 at 10:08 pm

    I LOVE this! Thank you so much! I am just now finalizing our schedules and what we are doing this fall and was thinking about tracking down some of these posts as a refresher- and here it all is!! Yeah!

    Reply
  3. 5

    Megan says

    September 19, 2013 at 1:34 pm

    Thank you so much for the wonderful theme ideas! I just started preschool at home with my 3 year old and I needed some inspiration as well as the reminders that I need to begin with the end in mind and know what my objectives are. Your site is going to be a tremendous resource for me! I do have one question, how long do you generally use each theme? I’ve seen people jump themes day to day and others stay on one theme for a month. Thanks again!

    Reply
    • 6

      notjustcute says

      February 21, 2014 at 11:08 am

      The duration of your theme really depends on your program, how many sessions you have in a week/month, and the interest of your kids. I worked in one preschool where the theme was for one week but each week flowed together. I’ve taught in another where the theme covered the entire month. I’m not sure there’s one right answer! You have to kind of feel it out and cater to your group’s needs as you go!

      Reply
  4. 7

    Kara says

    November 30, 2014 at 1:34 pm

    I’d love to know what you plan around Holidays. I want it to be a fun and educational opportunity.

    Reply
    • 8

      notjustcute says

      December 5, 2014 at 6:05 pm

      I wrote this piece a few years back that might help: https://notjustcute.com/2011/10/18/do-holidays-have-a-place-in-the-classroom/

      Essentially, if you’re in a setting that doesn’t allow the direct celebration of holidays, I find an aspect of the holiday and simply study that. At Halloween, we might study pumpkins or spiders. Thanksgiving — food. Christmas — winter or giving service or traveling. Valentine’s Day — I love to incorporate communication (especially mail) and friendship. There’s always something that is a cornerstone of what we enjoy celebrating, but that can be studied as an independent topic.

      Reply
  5. 9

    manimala says

    May 9, 2015 at 7:35 am

    need some pre kg themes

    Reply
  6. 10

    Jeannine says

    July 28, 2015 at 4:35 pm

    Hi! Thanks for this list. I will be using some of these in my preschool with my child and two others this year!! One other idea I had for a unit was: “Our Country: The United States of America”

    Reply
  7. 11

    Nisha says

    November 6, 2015 at 9:09 pm

    My K2 children are really interested in exploring more about balloons. Would love to hear about any ideas on the theme of balloons! 🙂

    Reply
  8. 12

    Pamela Burks says

    March 30, 2016 at 1:09 pm

    Thank you for the Thematic unit suggestions. I am a director for a large Head Start Program. Currently, we are setting our units of study for the next program.
    comment: “Our Country: The United States of America”. Our program began using this unit of study a couple of years, ago. It has become the teaching staffs favorite.

    Reply
  9. 13

    Natalia Doriani says

    May 6, 2017 at 4:26 am

    If you are still updating and adding themes, I’d love to see one for continents/animals of continents (safari/African, north American, Asian, maybe sea animals, antarctic, etc.)

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Let's Build! Activities for a Preschool Tools and Construction Theme | Not Just CuteNot Just Cute says:
    September 12, 2013 at 1:40 pm

    […] *Find more thematic lessons here! […]

    Reply
  2. Thematic Unit: The Night Sky, Astronauts, and Outer Space | Not Just CuteNot Just Cute says:
    October 15, 2013 at 2:10 am

    […] Whether you’re looking for activities as a full-time teacher, a group of co-opting preschool parents, or a parent with curious kids and an afternoon to fill, you’re in the right place!  Find more Thematic Units here! […]

    Reply
  3. Preschool Thematic Unit: Pets | Not Just CuteNot Just Cute says:
    January 24, 2014 at 1:05 am

    […] Whether you’re looking for activities as a full-time teacher, a group of co-opting preschool parents, or a parent with curious kids and an afternoon to fill, you’re in the right place! Find more Thematic Units here! […]

    Reply

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In early education, there is too much distance between what we know and what we do. I bridge the gaps that exist between academia, decision-makers, educators, and parents so that together, we can improve the quality of early education while also respecting and protecting the childhood experience.

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