Preschool Transportation Theme:
A Zooming Good Time!

Get ready to get moving with this preschool transportation theme! Children love to learn about how to get from here to there and this unit will be sure to satisfy their curiosity.

Preschool Transportation Theme Activities

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My preschool classroom was set up into centers (dramatic play, science, construction, etc.) so these activities are divided by where they would be placed.

It is not necessary to set up your preschool activities in centers, however. Just do these activities wherever you have the space!

Dramatic Play Center: “Take a Ride with Me” - Have a variety of props (especially hats) that children can use to dress up as the ones driving the vehicles. You might want to include these hats: captain’s, a taxi cab driver’s, pilot’s, conductor’s, helmet, etc. You could also have a pretend steering wheel, train whistle, gear stick, and headphones.

Science Center: “Parachutes” – Cut out squares from plastic garbage bags. Have the children tape a small string to each corner. Tie all four pieces of string to something with some weight to it (like a washer). Experiment with what happens to the parachutes being dropped from different heights.

Math Center: “Parking Garage” – On a large sheet of paper draw a grid with numbered squares. Collect small (like Matchbox-type) cars with numbers on them (or you could write a number on them with a marker). Have the students “drive” the cars to their matching “parking spot” with the same number.

Music/Listening Center: “Vehicle Sounds” – Have a tape or CD of various transportation sounds (either bought or made by you) with headphones ready. The children listen to the tape and have to match the sound with the vehicle that made that sound. I have a worksheet split into 8 boxes. As the students listen to the tape, they take and glue a picture (pre-cut) of that vehicle and put it into the box. For example, on my tape I say, “Number 1: Choo! Choo! What vehicle makes that sound?” Then the children put the picture of the train in box #1.

Sensory Table: “Car Wash” - Have the water table (or tubs) filled with soapy water. Children can wash matchbox cars with the water, toothbrushes, and sponges.
“Boats” – You could also have available different materials for children to experiment making boats. Examples include: tin foil, clay, Styrofoam, and paper. Which one holds the most counters?

Field Trip: There are many field trips you could incorporate into this unit. Here are a few suggestions:
To the local fire station
To a local airport
To a local car dealership, service provider, or car wash
To a local train depot

Preschool Transportation Theme Books

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These are some read-aloud books that will fit in perfectly with your preschool transportation theme unit:

3,2,1 Go! – Sarah Shuette
Alphabeep – Debora Pearson
Red Light, Green Light – Anastasia Suen
Cars, Trains, and Motorcycles – Chris Oxlade
The Little Engine That Could - Wally Piper
On the Go! A Transportation Book – Teresa Imperato
We All Go Traveling By – Sheena Roberts
Amazing Airplanes – Tony Mitton
Big Book of Transportation – Caroline Bingham
Anne Rockwell’s Transportation series (Planes, Trains, Boats, Fire Engines, Trucks)
Transportation in Many Cultures – Martha Rustad

Preschool Transportation Theme Arts & Crafts

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Children love to take home arts and crafts that remind them of all they learned during the transportation theme unit.

Some of the crafts below will require you to assemble the pieces ahead of time. Use your knowledge of what your students can do on their own to guide you.

Following are some fun suggestions!

Car Tracks:
1. Have a few shallow containers of paint and some matchbox cars available to choose from.
2. Students dip the wheels of the cars in the paint and “drive” them around on paper to make tracks.

Egg Carton Train:
1. Cut cardboard or styrofoam egg cartons in half so children have a row of six.
2. Turn the cartons upside down and paint them for decoration.
3. Use buttons, stickers, or other round objects to glue on for wheels.
4. Use a toilet paper holder for a smoke stack.

Craft Stick Airplanes:
1. Allow children to color craft sticks to decorate.
2. Tape or glue the sticks together in a T shape to make airplanes.

Preschool Transportation Theme Songs

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What could be more fun than to learn songs to go along with your preschool transportation theme? Here are some favorites:

The Wheels on the Bus
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Down By The Station

I’m a Little Airplane (sung to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”)
I'm a little airplane
Up in the sky
Here are my wings
Now watch me fly!

When the pilot tells me
I'll come down
Gently gliding
To the ground!

Preschool Transportation Theme Snacks

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Traffic Light Cookies:
Have 3 containers of frosting colored with food-coloring – red, yellow, and green. Let the children frost vanilla wafers with each color to make a traffic light.

Sailboat:
Put a half of an orange slice (semi-circle shape) on a plate. Place a pretzel stick vertically from the orange. Place 2 triangle cheese slices from the pretzel and you have a sailboat!

Marshmellow Train:
Use pretzel sticks to stick marshmellows together to make a train. You can use frosting or peanut butter to stick on Cheerios for wheels. 

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