If your kids love cars, planes, or even trains now is the perfect time to learn all about them! Transportation theme preschool activities can be a fun way to learn about different modes of transportation and how they are used! This theme also presents many opportunities for science exploration and cross-curricular learning.
Here in this planning guide there are some fabulous resources for planning your preschool transportation theme. Most of these activities are designed for kids ages 3 through 5, but many can be modified for younger and older kids as well.
WHY IT’S FUN
While your little ones might not be old enough to drive a car or operate a boat, it’s still fun to pretend to be a train conductor or taxi driver. Transportation theme activities can be done any time of the year, and are a great set of learning activities to do in between some of your seasonal themes. Transportation activities will give your kids a fun way to learn about transportation, so they can learn about everything from the sounds they make to how they move!
WHEN TO TEACH A TRANSPORTATION THEME
There is no set time period to learn about transportation. It’s a great theme to add in when kids are showing an interest, and it can fit in easily between seasonal themes any time of year.
TEACHING TIPS & MAJOR CONCEPTS KIDS WILL LEARN
If you’re planning transportation theme preschool activities there are many possibilities for incorporating meaningful early learning skills.
These are just some of the concepts kids can learn about during a transportation theme:
- Sensory learning
- Cause and effect
- Force and motion
- How transportation works in the real world
- Different modes of transportation
You can also use toy vehicles or LEGO vehicle manipulatives for many learning activities to teach math and literacy concepts.
ITEMS TO COLLECT AND REQUEST IN ADVANCE
If you get parents, friends, and family involved, you can enrich the experience kids have during your preschool transportation theme.
Collect or ask people to help you collect:
- Toy cars, boats, trains, etc.
- LEGO bricks (to build your own vehicles)
You might even invite special guests (or go visit if you can) to come and share about fields and hobbies related to transportation.
You could include:
- Auto mechanic
- Train station worker
- Bus driver
- Boating enthusiast
- Pilot
PRINTABLE TRANSPORTATION THEME LESSON PLANS
Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. We have a variety of lesson plan sets that work well as winter themes. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.
Use cars, trucks, trains, and planes for a week full of hands-on math, reading, & science learning activities for a preschool transportation theme. Watch this short video to see just a few examples of the types of activities and printables included in this set:
GET YOUR LESSON PLANS
Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers.
INDIVIDUAL TRANSPORTATION ACTIVITY IDEAS ON FANTASTIC FUN AND LEARNING
Make your own Race Track ABC Game and practice letter recognition and sounds while your kids pretend play!
Cut down on waste and make this fun Recycled Art for Kids: Boats in the Sea.
Add some interesting books about transportation to your lesson plan with these Airplane Books & Activities for Little Airplane Lovers.
Combine your child’s love for transportation and the alphabet with these Transportation ABC Books.
Add some sensory play to your transportation theme with this Transportation Theme Sensory Bin.
Learn about different modes of transportation with this Transportation Preschool Circle Time Song.
Add a few of these cool Vehicle Sensory Bins for a fun sensory activity in your transportation theme.
Have your kids play with construction equipment in a fun sensory way with this Construction Site Play Dough Invitation.
Your kids will love this fun messy play Construction Site Slime Sensory Play as a cool sensory activity to do during your transportation theme.
All you need is a few basic household supplies to make this Create a Boat Preschool Science Investigation.
Learn all about things that go with these fun Things That Go activities.
MORE ACTIVITIES FROM CREATIVE EDUCATORS
If your kids have a lot of transportation toys, you can use them to make these fun Transportation Sort games!
Create a fun sensory bin experience for your kids to go with your transportation theme using this Transportation Sensory Bin and Activities.
Use old license plates to make a fun art activity for your transportation theme with this License Plate Rubbings activity.
If you are looking for a fun play dough activity to go with your transportation theme, give this transportation play dough tray a try.
Work with paper shapes to make this fun Kids Craft Train Activity.
INFORMATIONAL YOUTUBE VIDEOS
Teach kids transportation vocabulary using this fun Means Of Transport Song For Children
Teach your kids about different kinds of vehicles with this Learn Vehicles for Kids
Learn all about buses and other transportation with this Bus Videos for Children
YOUTUBE SONGS
Learn about transportation with this fun Transportation Song
Sing along and learn about traveling with this fun We All Go Traveling By song.
Learn about different modes of transportation with this Driving In My Car song.
Learn all about different transportation options with this Transportation Song.
FAVORITE TRANSPORTATION BOOKS
OTHER PROPS AND TEACHING TOOLS
Reinforce learning with these hands-on materials for your transportation theme.
POSSIBLE FIELD TRIPS OR ADVENTURES
- Visit an air traffic control tower or local airport.
- Visit a train station.
- Talk to a roadway engineer.
- Ride on a bus.
- Visit a race track.
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