early childhood education
Preschool Activities and Themes Gayle's
Preschool Rainbow - Activity Central
"Where Early Childhood Teachers Find Ideas"
prek education  balloons Preschool education activities and early childhood education lesson plans that give preschool children choices. Ideas for pre-k and kindergarten teachers that enrich classroom curriculum are arranged by theme. Plus easy at home fun learning games. There's even a search function and an opportunity to submit your own ideas. To receive announcements about updates in an occasional newsletter, enter your email address below and click the 'Join' button. 
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pre-school curriculum activitiesActivity Central
"A rainbow of preschool education activity plans"

Take a look at the 2 web pages of the Fall Activity Theme which has a harvest of preschool curriculum activities and songs for the Autumn season. The Outdoor Play Theme includes summer activities that promote the gross motor and observation skills of young children. There's even a few activity plans that will help youngsters create volcanoes.


Inside the Rainbow Resource Room:

Thanksgiving Activity ThemeThere are lots of early childhood art and craft activities in the Thanksgiving Theme along with centerpiece ideas and a recipe for delicious Pumpkin Cones. Read the Tommy Turkey Story, create a Thanksgiving Quilt or help preschool youngsters make a Thanksgiving Greeting Card with the holiday activities in this Thanksgiving Theme. There is also a Food & Nutrition Theme filled with healthy and yummy treats that preschool and kindergarten children will enjoy cooking and eating.Don't forget to take a look at the 4 black & white printable coloring pages available for the Thanksgiving Activity Theme.

  1. Turkey
  2. Pilgrim Turkey
  3. Pilgrim Man Puppet
  4. Pilgrim Woman Puppet

Food and Nutrition Activity ThemeIn the Food and Nutrition Activity Theme preschool & kindergarten children are introduced to tasty and healthy recipes that they can help cook for snack. Try making Healthy Orange Juice, Apple Pancakes, Apple Bread or cook some Yummy Shapes. Enjoy these recipes with youngsters for Thanksgiving Themes and try some of the Christmas Treats too! Don't forget to take a look at the 4 black & white printable coloring pages available for the Food & Nutrition Activity Theme.

1. Bowl of Cereal
2. Container of Milk
3. Cracked Egg
4. Apple with a worm

In Mask Making Activities you'll find early childhood learning activities for making a variety of masks for use all throughout the year. There are masks for expressing feelings and emotions, animal masks for circus themes, a mask for helping preschool children learn how to blow their noses, a mask made from nylon stockings, and a Turkey Mask for Thanksgiving too!

Christmas & Kwanza ThemeIn the Christmas and Kwanzaa Theme you'll find art & craft activities together with ideas for decorations that are sure to encourage young children to use their fine motor skills. Youngsters learn the letters of the alphabet with the Alphabet Christmas Tree and teachers promote the skill of estimation with Colored Pasta Counting. If you're looking for early childhood themes for Colors, Shapes or Recipes for Art Activities, you'll also find them along with the theme Popcorn Fun for Everyone in the Rainbow Resource Room. There are 2 black & white printable coloring pages available for the Christmas and Kwanzaa Theme.

  1. Christmas Tree
  2. Kwanzaa Kinara

Fire Safety Activity ThemeIn the Fire Safety Theme there are preschool learning activities about smoke detectors and Stop, Drop & Roll. You'll find songs, chants, fingerplays, dramatic play ideas, a poem and a cooking activity plus 2 black & white Printable Coloring Pages in this Preschool Fire Safety Activity Theme.

  1. Firefighter and Dalmatian Puppy
  2. Firefighter and Hose

Plant Growth for all SeasonsPlanting an indoor classroom garden all year-round provides preschool children with lots of science experiences.  You'll find activities and ideas for fall, winter, spring and summer in the Plant Growth Theme.Try Sprouting Seedlings in a ziploc bag or planting an Egg Shell Garden. Sing a few of the songs or create your own classroom Greenhouse Garden and develop a plant growth bulletin board while preschool youngsters become familiar with natural science. There are 4 Printable Coloring / Pattern Pages that help with this Plant Growth Theme.

  • Seed Growth and Flower
  • Bean Plant
  • Plant Growth
  • Flower Cross-section

You'll find all these Preschool Activity Themes and 60 more in the Rainbow Resource Room.


How to Choose a Picture Book  In this article written exclusively for the Preschool Rainbow, award winning author Ellen Jackson offers advice that early childhood teachers can give to parents about choosing good picture books for preschool children.

pre-k book Preschool Books Listed by Themes
A pre-k curriculum resource of suggested picture books for early childhood teachers and parents of young children.  With more than 20 lists of kindergarten and pre-k books for story time and the library areas of early childhood classrooms.

The Preschool Rhyme Theme Collection is a curriculum resource with tons of finger plays, action poems, songs and nursery rhymes grouped according to early childhood education themes. Rhymes that enhance early learning about insects and bugs, animals, family, transportation, counting, community helpers and so much more!

Animal Activities  promotes pre-k and kindergarten learning with literacy, science and dramatic play ideas. Activities for Zoo Themes are here.

Activities for Toddlers has 4 seasons of learning ideas and activity plans for very young preschoolers. 

Preschool Activities for a Dinosaur Theme
Lots of early childhood classroom activities for teaching preschool children about these fascinating creatures. 

Alphabet Theme
Preschool children have fun learning the letters of the alphabet when early childhood teachers use these activity plans and games in their classrooms. 

 Counting and Number Theme
Active learning ideas that engage both small and large groups of young children in the development of counting skills. 

The Preschool Links page has informative resource sites for preschool and kindergarten teachers, plus places of interest for both parents and young children.

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Preschool learning activities, themes and ideas that enrich year round early childhood curriculum. 
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Alphabet Theme

Animal Activities

Back to School
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Black History
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Brain Growth

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Number Theme

Dinosaur Theme

Easter Theme

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