Transportation Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten
Today I’m sharing a huge list of transportation activities for preschool and kindergarten. This list will be handy if you are planning a whole transportation unit OR simply looking for a few ideas.
This list of transportation activities for preschool and kindergarten includes books, poetry, props, music, craft ideas, and more!
So let’s get started!
How do you explain transportation to a preschooler?
First of all, let’s talk about how to explain transportation to you kids. Simply put, transportation is the way we get places (how we move from one place to another.) Have your kids name some things that take them places (Cars, trucks, boats, airplanes, etc.)
Next, challenge your students to come up with people or things that can be transported (people, groceries, products, animals, etc) Lastly, point out that there are modes of transportation that are for land, sky, and water. Discuss what some of those things might be. Here are some questions about transportation you can use to get your kids talking:
- What do we drive in to get to a grocery store?
- Which one of these is NOT something we use to travel? Bus, bike, frying pan, boat?
- What else could a car carry besides people?
- What could carry more people, a car or an airplane?
- How could we get to another state or country?
- Names some vehicles that transport people or things you might see on the road.
- What types of transportation might we see in the sky?
Objectives for a preschool transportation unit
If you are doing a transportation unit, here are a few suggestions for learning goals you could consider trying to attain:
- Identify various modes of transportation
- Differentiate modes based on land, sky, and sea
- Build preschool and kindergarten skills through transportation-themed music, crafts, activities, math, language, and imaginative play.
Picture Books for Prek-Kindergarten Transportation unit
(This list contains Amazon Affiliate Links.)
Now for a list of picture books about transportation. Reading is a fantastic way to show the different ways that people get around and the various modes of transportation!
Picture Books about Transportation:
- The Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
- Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry
- The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
- Toy Boat by Randall de Seve
- Amazing Airplanes by Tony Mitton
- Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
- The Pigeon Loves Things That Go by Mo Willems
- The Bus for Us by Suzanne Bloom
- Boat Book by Gail Gibbons
- Steam, Smoke, and Steel: Back in Time With Trains by Patrick O’Brian
- Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess
Transportation poem for Transportation unit
Another good transportation activity for preschool and kindergarten is learning a poem together. Kids latch onto songs and poetry. Here is a poem that teaches about transportation and is included in the free transportation lesson plan builder pack. (located in the free resource library, see below.)
Toy and prop ideas for preschool transportation unit
(This list contains Amazon Affiliate Links.)
Since play is a huge part of learning for this age, here are some transportation toy and prop ideas that you can give your kids:
Transportation toy and prop ideas for preschool:
- Race Cars
- Numbered Race Cars
- Vehicles wood puzzle
- Ramp racer
- Trucks coloring book
- Numbered boats
- Helicopter toy
- Wooden traffic signs
- Wooden Airplane
- Construction vehicles
- Road tape
- Transportation stickers
- Toy rocket
- Water beads
- Road map floor map
Music AND videos for Transportation Unit
Songs and media also help to teach preschoolers about transportation! Here are just a few to songs and videos to get you started:
Transportation songs for preschoolers:
- The wheels on the bus
- Ten little airplanes
- Row, row, row your boat
- Here Comes the Firetruck
- Water Transportation Vehicles (video)
Transportation crafts for preschoolers
Now for a few transportation crafts that you can do with your preschoolers and kindergarteners! From traffic lights and road maps to license plates and airplanes, there are tons of transportation crafts you can do with your little ones!
Transportation crafts for preschoolers and kindergarteners:
- license plate rubbing
- Transportation cutting collage
- Draw a road map.
- Size and Color Match Traffic Light Craft
- Craft stick airplane
- Transportation coloring book
Games and activities for transportation unit
- Build vehicles with legos
- Sensory play with water beads and water vehicles
- Freeze vehicles into ice then break them free
- Red light, green light
Math activities for transportation unit
- Sort vehicles by land, air, and sea.
- Transportation cutting collage
- Train patterns – Make a train pattern using blocks or other objects.
- Number hunt using numbered cars- Hide the numbered cars around the house and have your kids search for the correct number.
- Transportation pattern block designs
Language and writing activities for transportation unit
- Build a name rocket
- Count syllables of vehicle names.
- Transportation-themed prewriting
- Retell a story from the picture booklist.
- Transportation beginning sound clip cards
Imaginary play ideas for transportation unit
- Auto repair shop
- Road building with masking tape on the floor.
- Airplane flight deck
- Train cars using boxes
- Boats in water-beads (transportation sensory play)
Printable Transportation Unit Builder for Teachers
For my fellow homeschool moms and teacher friends, I’ve complied all these ideas into a printable resource. This unit builder includes everything in this post and also leaves room for you to add material lists and notes. (The transportation poem in also included in this resource.)
Whether you are creating a transportation lesson plan for preschool or kindergarten or just thinking of adding some activities into your homeschool preschool unit later this year, this is a great printable preschool resource to reference with a lot of ideas to choose from!
Download Transportation Unit Plan Pack
This printable is part of the Inspire the Mom free resource library. If you are already a member, hop on over to the free resource page. If not, fill out the quick form below and join for access to this freebie as well as other great content.
