This article provides some ideas for how to set up a pig theme day in an early childhood setting, including preschool songs and crafts.
Children love theme days as do adults. When we have a theme day in an early childhood setting, it is important that the day still involves program planning which meets the needs of the whole child. Focusing on one topic can be both educational and fun. A pig day would fall well into preschool lesson plans for spring, farm, nursery rhymes or learning about colors. Following are some ideas on how to set up a preschool or daycare environment surrounding pigs.
Inform Families About the Pig Theme Day
Setting up the day in a newsletter or other form of communication is one of the first steps in creating the theme day. Title the day “Piggie Day!” and invite the children to bring in a pig from home, whatever the form, whether it is a book, a stuffed animal and plastic toy and so forth, for this allocated day. In addition, suggest that everyone wear pink clothes for “Piggie Day”.
Setting the Preschool Room for a Pig Theme Day
When children enter their preschool space decorated and filled with pigs and pink items, the day has already started out on a special note. Here are some suggestions on how to set up your room around pigs:
- Fill up a sensory table with pigs and other farm animals, with straw or oats
- Find plastic pigs and/or shapes to put with pink play dough (a good way of getting pink is to use a berry kool-aid package with the making of playdough)
- A free art area filled with pink collage items, pink paper, pink crayons
- Fill your library area up with books all around pigs
- Place pig photos and pictures up all around the room
- Put pink streamers up on the walls and entrance way
Circle Time
Circle time is a great place to start talking about any topic. Ask the children what they know about pigs. Record the children’s answer on a piece of paper to post later on for the parents to view. Pigs have been a popular animal with children’s songs and nursery rhymes for years. Perhaps, thinking about all the stories and songs with pigs in it might be a fun way to gather information.
Children’s Stories about Pigs
Finish the group time with some books about pigs. Aside from reading some fact books about this farm animal, some other classic stories for preschoolers might be a choice from the Olivia series and the book , If You Give a Pig a Pancake. Of course, a pig theme day could not pass with out a rendition of the Three Little Pigs. Finding felt pieces for a flannel board, or making them, is a nice addition for relaying the story. Handmade puppets is another suggestion. Lastly, preschool children can be encouraged to simply act out the story themselves.
Preschool Songs
Three Pink Pigs
Suggested tune: “Three Blind Mice”
Three pink pigs, three pink pigs.
Rolling in the mud, rolling in the mud.
They saw a farmer at the gate door.
They ran so fast across the mud floor.
Food was served and they wanted some more,
Those three muddy pigs.
Some other ideas for singing songs during a pig theme day is to oink through a well known song like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. Young children love a bit of silliness during a structured space. Try singing the “Hokey Pokey” but substituted the lyrics with ones appropriate to the animal, such as put your curly tail in and put your curly tail out.
Pig Crafts
Making a pig face is an easy process for young children beginning the craft with a circle shape. One idea is to use a paperplate while another is to use old CDs. The circle shape can be colored pink with paint or paper. The teacher can prepare two ear shapes and the nose for each child. One suggestion for the nose is a singular egg carton. The children can finish their pig by creating eyes and a nose.
Theme days are fun for all ages. Preschool children will enjoy a day filled with one of our all time classic farm animals.