In November one of the things, we spend some time learning about our families, our own and other people’s. Learning about families in preschool lets children connect with who they are, feel pride in themselves and their families, while also setting down a foundation for understanding others. Preschoolers are pretty focused on their view of the world, so we try to teach them other experiences gently with the knowledge that this self-centered view is not malicious, merely developmental. These family activities for preschoolers are perfect for your classroom, but they are a great way to explore a family theme at home too!
For even more family theme ideas for preschool, check out our Families Mini-Unit –> you can click here or on the image below to check it out in our teacher store.
Family Activities For Preschoolers
My family origami house – older students can help fold this paper house, but you can have them prepped for younger preschoolers. I love this project and think it’s a great way to talk about families with your students.
Family Puppets – these are simple and help children learn how to spell their names as well!
House numbers ( FREE printable) – This math activity asks children to count the homes on the card and then clip the correct digit.
7 Family Themed Fingerplay Songs for Preschool
Happy group of finger smileys isolated on white background
Family bowling is so much fun and would make an excellent activity for a family game night. It’s also a great way to work on physical literacy and would be a fun send home activity too.
All the people we love sensory bin. This is such a fun way to teach students about each other’s family, practice family names like mama, daddy, papa, granny, and of course, do it all with some sensory play.
This inclusive family questionnaire is great for mother’s or father’s day but can be used any time to talk about anyone your students think is special.
Shape House – this shape lesson and art project is a beautiful way to talk about homes and families.
Storytelling with Family Pictures.
Preschoolers don’t always know how to get started when telling a story – lots of adults don’t either. One of my favorite ways to get students involved in storytelling is to use family pictures as story prompts. You can ask your student’s families to send in some photos and make a box for your literacy center. Have a little one on one or small group time with your students and build that relationship and literacy skills at the same time. The goal here isn’t really a cohesive story (although that is encouraged); the goal is for your students to start sharing stories about their families and learning about other people’s families too.
Learning About Families at Circle Time
This circle time lesson is a wonderful introduction to the fact that families are all different. The activity that follows the book helps to reinforce this with a little math rolled in for good measure.
I just did this lesson in my classroom last week <– click here for the Instagram photo. It was such a hit, as always. Children love seeing all kinds of families!
Preschool Book Lists about Families
Books are such a valuable teaching tool when we teach children about families. Families that reflect the one they are a part of and families that are very different from their own.
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