If your kindergarten students are anything like mine, they are immensely curious and constantly wondering about the world around them. They love learning about everything they see in daily life, as well as things they’ve only seen in books or on TV. One way us teachers can satisfy their cravings for knowledge is by incorporating themes they enjoy into their curriculum. Using an interdisciplinary approach is a well-rounded way to help them deeply understand the topics they are learning about, while keeping it exciting for their young minds.
By using a common theme to design activities across disciplines, “thematic teaching provides a vessel for all the core subjects to be taught in an engaging and effective way” (Stay at Home Educator, 2021). Let’s explore two themes to better understand how we can implement them across many different subjects.
One example of a broad theme with endless possibilities is Weather. This theme is relevant to daily life and has a multitude of areas that can be covered – you can keep your students interested in it for weeks! Beginning from basic weather, to how weather occurs, this theme can be made suitable for all ages depending on the complexity. Some essential lesson topics that are appropriate for kindergarten students include:
How’s the Weather: The Sun, Snow, Rain, Clouds, Thunderstorms
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
Extreme Weather: Tornadoes, Typhoons, Blizzards, Floods, Tsunamis, Earthquakes
How Weather Works: The Water Cycle, The Atmosphere, Predicting Weather, The Moon and Tides
Within the theme of Weather, the topic can be narrowed down to specific ideas that can be taught through a variety of core subjects, not just science. Let’s look at The Water Cycle as an example.
Language: For a language lesson, you can teach vocabulary regarding the stages of the water cycle and what happens during each stage. Then, select a book about the water cycle such as Little Raindrop by Igloo Books. Have the children focus on the onomatopoeic words in the story for an extra vocabulary boost!
Science: Do a fun experiment as a class by creating a rain cloud in a jar. https://www.twinkl.com.tw/resource/t-a-7-rain-cloud-in-a-jar-science-experiment
Math: Learn about how to measure the capacity of water and complete a worksheet together.
Art: Do a craft that displays the stages of the water cycle on a paper plate.
Example lesson plan:
Another example of a great theme with a wide array of topics is Travel. Young students are continuously inquisitive about different countries outside of their own, and even domestic travel can be a good topic to learn about their home country. Within this theme, students can learn to be more empathetic and compassionate to others through their greater understanding of the world and other cultures. It can enrich kindergarten students to grow up into well-informed members of our global society. Some essential lesson topics that are fitting for kindergarten students include:
Around the World: Choose a country and focus on food, famous art, landmarks and tourist attractions, climate, holidays and celebrations, etc.
How Do I Get There: Modes of Transportation, Packing for a Trip, Giving Directions, Road Safety, Maps and Mapping
Daily Life: Life in the City, Life in the Countryside, Life in the Mountains, Life at the Beach
Within this broad theme of Travel, let’s explore one way we could cover multiple smaller topics over different core subjects with the topic Landmarks.
Geography: Talk about different landmarks are popular to travel to and which countries we can find them in. Locate them on a world map.
Drama: Create a role play scenario where children have a golden ticket to travel anywhere they want. Have them act out the process of getting there and describe where they would go.
Reading: Read the book London ABC by Ben Hawkes together and ask comprehension questions, then have a discussion about the differences and similarities between London and your home city.
Art: Ask the children to create a picture of a famous landmark or recreate a famous work of art using the medium of their choice.
Example lesson plan:
REFERENCES
Preschool Plan It. (n.d.). 140+ Preschool Themes with over 4,000 Activities! Retrieved January 12, 2022, from https://www.preschool-plan-it.com/preschool-themes.html
Stay at Home Educator. (2021, August 13). Fun Preschool Education Themes - Stay at Home Educator. Retrieved January 12, 2022, from https://stayathomeeducator.com/preschool-themes/
Comments