Night Time Preschool Lesson Plan

Nov 7, 2010
Christine Moore

Night Theme for Preschool - Christine Moore

As the winter approaches, and days become shorter, night is a good theme for a preschool lesson plan.

A night time preschool lesson plan can include a number of categories from children's bedtime hour to hibernation of animals. The following article will discuss some of these night time subjects as well as including preschool arts and crafts suggestions, preschool songs and activities for a night time theme which can be used in any early childhood setting.

Begin a Night Time Preschool Lesson Plan at Group Circle

Start a night preschool lesson plan at group circle by asking the children about the topic and allow them to be each other's educators. Some questions to ask the children are:

"What do we mean when we say it's night time?
"How do we know it's night time?
"Why do we have to sleep?"
"How do you feel in the dark?"
"Are there some people/animals that stay up while we are sleeping?"
"What is your bedtime routine?"

Preschool Ideas for a Night Sky Theme

The night sky provides a number of ideas for a night theme. It can also be extended into a space lesson plan. The arts and crafts can include decorating stars and moons, making a rocket ship out of paper towel tube, and creating a star/moon mobile to name a few. The preschool song that fits in best with this theme is "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Another fun song is "Going To the Moon" –

Zoom. zoom, zoom

We are going to the moon

Zoom, zoom, zoom

We will be there very soon

If you want to take a trip

Climb aboard my rocket ship

Zoom, zoom, zoom

We are going to the moon

5,4,3,2,1 BLAST OFF!

Preschool Ideas for a Bedtime Theme

Going to bed is something we all do, and for young children it can be a scary time. Structure is very important to preschoolers when they are getting ready for bed, and asking them what their bedtime routine is allows the children to see the similarities in all of us. In this portion of the night time preschool lesson plan, the young children can make arts and crafts surrounding their bed, such as making a class quilt, paper dolls with pajamas that can be decorated and filling in a big star with such things as glitter, paint, crayons and so on with this poem in the middle:

Starlight, star bright

First star I see tonight

I wish I may, I wish I might

Have the wish, I wished tonight.

Plan a PJ day at school, where everyone has to wear pyjamas and bring in their favourite stuffed animal. Teachers can make children pancakes or toast with jam on this special dress up day. One song that works well for this day is to sing the "Teddy Bear Song" –

Teddy bear teddy bear, turn around

Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground

Teddy bear, teddy bear, go upstairs

Teddy bear, teddy bear say your prayers

Make sure to have the library filled with favourite bedtime stories, such as Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.

Preschool Ideas for Hibernation Theme

Learning about animals that hibernate can be included into a night time preschool lesson plan. Of course, bears are the most well known animals that hibernate, but many other animals also hibernate through the cold winter months. A wonderful arts and craft idea for hibernation is to allow children to make a cave for the bear to sleep.

There are many variations to making this cave; one idea is to use an empty recycled margarine/yogurt container placed upside down onto a cardboard. The children can then decorate the container with material such as paper or small rocks. Making a bear's den can also be done with brown paper glued onto a larger construction paper. Don't forget to make the bear sleeping and to cut out a hole for his door.

More Ideas for Night Time Lesson Plan

There are still more themes that can be included into a night time preschool lesson plan, such as nocturnal animals, night time workers, and day and night together.

Night time is a topic that has many categories which makes a great choice for a preschool lesson plan.