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    Home » Theme Based Learning Activities

    Published: Aug 4, 2018 · Modified: Dec 16, 2019 by Fynn · All activities should be supervised by an adult. This post may contain affiliate links.

    15+ Amazing Back to School Theme Activities for Preschoolers

    Inside: Ready for a new season of school? Check out these amazing Back to school theme activities for children!

    This year, I made a huge decision to homeschool my children.

    You know how the first day of school is such a unique and amazing experience for the children. I want to make it as amazing as it can be for my children as they begin their home school journey.

    Of course, I got to make an amazing Back to (Home) School Shelf for my children!

    Back to School Theme Learning Shelf

    Back to school theme shelf

    Note: All the activities have been categorized into the six main learning areas (language, numeracy, motor skills, discovery of the world, arts & creative expression, social & emotional development) that I am focusing on for my children.

    BACK TO SCHOOL THEME ACTIVITIES FOR Preschoolers

    • Dot Sticker Ice Cream Name from Happy Tot Shelf - First day of school is always a great time to do a name recognition activity.
    Ice Cream Dot Sticker Name
    Dot Sticker Ice Cream Name
    • Preschool All About Me Caterpillar from Happy Tot Shelf - A fun get-to-know-you activity! Free printable available on the blog post.
    All About Me Caterpillars
    • Letter Matching with Playdough in a Lunchbox from Happy Tot Shelf -  Letter beads from here.
    Play dough letter matching activity for kids
    • Markers color matching in a tissue box from Happy Tot Shelf (numeracy, motor skills)
    Easy color matching activity for toddlers
    • Bottle Caps Paint Palette from Happy Tot Shelf - Make this color matching learning toy with bottle caps. Invite your child to drop the pompoms into the bottle caps according to the colors. (numeracy, motor skills)
    Color matching activity for kids
    Color matching activity for kids
    • Back to School Memory Match Game by From Play Dough to Plato
    • All About Me Printables from Natural Beach Living
    • Simple Name Crayon Craft from Preschool Inspirations
    • School Bus Name Activity from Totschooling
    • Paper Clip Flower and Leaves Counting from Happy Tot Shelf (numeracy)
    paper clip flower counting
    • Apple and caterpillar letter matching activities from Happy Tot Shelf (language)
    Apple letter matching activity for toddlers

    Bonus: This printable can be found on my subscriber-only Printable page. As a bonus for joining my mailing list, you get access to ALL my printables. Get them here>>

    • Apple counting 1 to 5 puzzle from Happy Tot Shelf - Cut the paper apples into half. Write the numbers 1 to 5 on one side and draw corresponding number of dots on the other half. (numeracy)
    Apple Counting Puzzle for toddlers
    • Apple addition to 10 puzzle from Happy Tot Shelf - Cut the paper apples into half. Write the number pairs that add up to 10 on each side of the matching puzzle. (numeracy)
    • Sewing through the apple following the number sequence from Happy Tot Shelf - (numeracy, motor skills)
    apple sewing board
    • Peg on the Missing Number from Planning Playtime - I got these clothespins with numbers from Target but this set from Amazon is very similar. (numeracy)
    Number sequence activity for preschoolers
    Number sequence activity for preschoolers

    Back to School CRAFTS, EXPERIMENTS & SENSORY PLAY

    • Name Resist Art from Happy Tot Shelf - Use Washi tape to form the letters of the name on a piece of canvas board/painting paper. Invite your child to paint over the board or paper. When the paint is dry, remove the tapes to reveal his or her name.
    • All About Me 3D Apple Book from Hello, Wonderful - Interview your child and write down some fun facts about him/her in the book. Also, ask your child to draw a picture of him/herself. I plan to make one All About Me book every year! (discovery of the world)
    • Back to School Photo Paper Plate Craft by Happy Tot Shelf for Hello, Wonderful
    Back to school photo paper plate craft

    More Back to School Resources for you!

    • 40+ Back to School Books post from Days with Grey
    • Favorite Books for Back to School by Happily Ever Elephant

    How are you celebrating the first day of school with your children?

    Pin this idea to your Back to School Pinterest Board!

    15+ Back to School Theme Activities for Preschoolers

    Join my mailing list and get my best learning ideas to nurture a love of learning in your inbox. Join now!

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      Everything you need to know about setting up a preschool theme learning shelf
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      South East Asia Discovery Pack

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    About Fynn

    Fynn is a Math and Science teacher from Singapore, author of The Happy Learning Book for Siblings and founder of Happy Tot Shelf. She helps parents enjoy home learning with their children through her highly popular kids' activity membership, The Happy Learners' Club. Fynn has been featured in various newspapers, websites and on radio shows as an expert in early childhood learning and creative hands-on learning ideas.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. busybusylearning says

      August 11, 2018 at 4:47 pm

      What a lovely idea to make sure their first day back feels special 🌈😊🌈

      Reply
      • happytotshelf says

        August 11, 2018 at 8:43 pm

        Thank you! It's our first day of homeschool, it's extra special for us!

        Reply
    2. Ritz says

      September 21, 2018 at 8:02 pm

      Trying to find your daily schdule. Thanks

      Reply
      • happytotshelf says

        October 03, 2018 at 10:51 pm

        Hello you can find our daily schedule here!
        https://happytotshelf.com/our-daily-schedule/

        Reply

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    Hi there, I'm Fynn, an educator, author and mom of 3. I believe nurturing a love of learning begins at home. I'm here to help parents nurture a love of learning and build a strong bond with their children through fun learning together.

    More about me →

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