Preschool Alphabet Games: Polar Bear Paw Walk

Our Playful Preschool Series  is back for the new year!  There are some great themes lined up for January including healthy habits, snowmen, nursery rhymes and today’s theme polar animals.

We have been sharing lots of fun and playful alphabet games and activities during this series and we have another polar themed one today.

Preschool Alphabet Game

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Why We Chose This Activity

The weather has been chilly here.  In fact, the high for today is predicted to be 12 degrees!

My boys have lots of energy.  Finding outlets for them to burn some of that energy is key.

We also continue to work on the preschool skills of letter identification and corresponding sounds.

This activity involved a lot of movement, a lot of learning and a lot of fun!

Preparing Polar Bear Paw Walk

Materials Needed:  4 white socks for each player, 20 envelopes or pieces of  white cardstock paper,  3 colored pieces of cardstock paper, scissors, markers, and music

This game works well with 1-3 children.  If you have an extra large space, then the game would be perfect for a bigger group.

1.  On each envelope or piece of cardstock paper write a letter of the alphabet.  If your child needs to work on identifying particular letters, be sure to include those in the mix.  We used envelopes.  They are inexpensive and the perfect size without having to do any cutting.

 

2. Cut out 6 fish from the colored paper.  You will be able to get two fish from each sheet.

3. Set up your music station.

You can using any lively music for this game, but it’s a bit more fun to have a polar or snow themed playlist.  Here is a little playlist we put together.  Clicking on a title will take you to Amazon where you can listen to a small clip.

The Penguin and the Polar Bear by Bishop and Smith

A Polar Bear Called Pete by Songs for Toddlers

Polar Bear Hug by Castro and Snyder

Frosty the Snowman by the Jackson Five

Do You Want to Build a Snowman by Katie Lopez

Walk, Walk, Walk by Raffi isn’t polar themed but it is a great song for a Polar Paw Walk

4.  Clear a space in the room.  A large room works best.  We happen to have white carpet in our living room.  It’s not an ideal color to have when you have small children, but it gives a perfect snowy effect to this game!  Place your letter cards and fish in a large circle.  You want to randomly place the fish around the circle.

5.  Have each child place their paw socks on each foot and hand.

Playing the Alphabet Game

Each player picks a letter or fish to stand on to begin the activity.

The adult leader starts the music and the kids begin to move clockwise around the circle.  For each round you can decide if the kids should walk, hop or crawl.

Periodically, the leader stops the music and everyone freezes.  Each player identifies the letter underneath them.  You could also have them identify the sound the letter represents.  If someone is standing on a fish, they get to pick it up and keep it in their paw.

Play continues until a player catches two fish!

A fun and active alphabet game that will keep the kids warm and busy.

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Keep reading.  Visit the links below for more great community helpers activities from the #playfulpreschool team!

Polar Animal Literacy Activities:

Walrus Dive for Letters from Capri + 3
Move and Learn Alphabet Activity: Penguin Plunge from Mom Inspired Life

Polar Animal Science and Sensory Activities:

How do Animals Stay Warm by Rainy Day Mum
Penguin Sorting Sensory Bin by Powerful Mothering
Arctic World by Learning 2 Walk

Polar Animal Movement Activities
Polar Animals Gross Motor Games by Still Playing School

Polar Animal Math Games and Activities:

Polar Bear Math Game by The Educators’ Spin On It
Counting to 5 with Penguins by Life Over C’s
Polar Animals Mega Blocks Puzzle by Tiny Tots Adventures
Polar Bear Activities and Books for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog