Free Pre-K 3 lesson plan · Unit 6: Plants and food
Pre-K 3, week 21: seeds, growing and circles
This week your learner will name garden words, find circles and plant a seed to watch it grow. Each activity takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Print the pages, or do them with things you already have at home.
Week 21 of 36 · See the Pre-K 3 year map · Not sure of the level? Take the 3-question Pre-K 3 or Pre-K 4 picker
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5-minute parent prep
- Get a cup, a paper towel and 2 or 3 dry beans (you hold the beans).
- Find 3 round things: a plate, a lid, a ball.
- Print pages 2 to 5, or skip printing and use the no-supplies swaps.
Household supplies only: Paper, crayons, a clear cup, a paper towel, 2 or 3 dry beans, round things. No supplies? Every activity has a no-supplies swap.
The week at a glance
| Day | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Talk and listen | Garden words page, Bean in a cup card |
| Tuesday | Math | Find the circles page, Circle hunt card |
| Wednesday | Explore | How it grows page, Grow like a seed card |
| Thursday | Make and move | Path to the sun page, Torn paper flower card |
| Friday | Story and review | Song of the week, Parent notes page |
| Every day | Read, sing, play | Read a picture book together, sing the song of the week, play outside and check in on feelings with the free feelings cards. |
Printable pages
Garden words
Say: "This is a seed. It grows into a plant." Your learner points to each picture and says the word with you.
Find the circles
Say: "A circle is round, like a ball. Color the circles." Your learner colors the circles and points to the round things.
How it grows
Say: "First a seed, then a sprout, then a plant, then a flower." Your learner points to each step as you say it.
Path to the sun
Say: "Help the plant grow to the sun. Start at the green dot." Your learner traces each path from left to right.
Activity cards
Bean in a cup
- Fold the wet paper towel into the cup.
- You slide the beans between the towel and the cup.
- Put it by a window and look each day.
Easier: Your learner pours a little water.
Next step: Draw the bean each day.
Say this: "Let's check our bean. Do you see a root?"
No supplies: Look at a plant at home every day.
Science: seeds and growing
Circle hunt
- Show a ball and say "circle".
- Walk and find round things: plates, lids, clocks.
- Trace each one with a finger.
Easier: Find 2 circles.
Next step: Find big and small circles.
Say this: "Round and round. A circle."
No supplies: Draw circles in the air.
Math: shapes
Grow like a seed
- Curl up small like a seed.
- Slowly grow up tall like a plant.
- Open your arms like a flower.
Easier: Do it together.
Next step: Add rain and sun.
Say this: "Grow, grow, grow. Now you are a flower."
No supplies: Do it with arms only.
Physical: gross motor
Torn paper flower
- Draw a circle in the middle of the sheet.
- Your learner tears paper pieces for petals.
- Glue them around the circle.
Easier: You start each tear.
Next step: Tear long and short petals.
Say this: "Tear, tear, a petal."
No supplies: Arrange torn pieces on a table, no glue.
Physical: fine motor
Song of the week: Little seed
Little seed, little seed, sleeping in the ground,
Rain falls down and sun comes round.
Little seed, little seed, growing up so tall,
Now a flower, the best of all.
Actions: Grow from small to tall. Try next: Sing it each time you check the bean.
Parent notes for Friday
Not a test. Notice what your learner does this week, and practice the rest later. Nothing here is sent to UpOnly Learning.
- Names seed, plant and flower
- Finds 2 circles
- Shows how a plant grows with their body
- Tears paper pieces
Want the bigger picture? See developmental milestones by age and the child development guide for ages 3 to 5.
Safety for this week
- Use objects too big to fit in your learner's mouth, and stay close during any counting or sorting with real objects.
- Water play only with an adult within arm's reach the whole time, even in a small tub.
- An adult handles anything hot or sharp, knives, and rocks or heavy objects.
- Dry beans and seeds only with an adult watching closely, and not with a learner who still puts things in their mouth.
- No scissors needed: tear paper instead. If you do use scissors, use child safety scissors with an adult right there.
- Choose crayons, markers and paint labeled for young learners (look for the AP seal).
Questions parents ask
Yes, with an adult in charge of the beans. Dry beans are a choking risk, so you hold them and put them in the cup, and keep the extras away. Skip this card if your learner still puts things in their mouth.
Start with one shape at a time, like the circle. Find it in real things, trace it with a finger and draw it big. Circle, square and triangle are plenty for Pre-K 3.
Some can snip with child safety scissors, always with an adult right there. Pre-K 3 never needs scissors: tearing paper builds the same hand strength. Cutting on lines is a Pre-K 4 skill.
About 5 to 10 minutes each, with 10 to 15 minutes of table time a day in two or three short blocks. Stop while your learner is still having fun. Play, a read-aloud, the song and time outside fill the rest of the day.
Related pages
Recommended for your student
Pre-K 3 Full Year
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The whole Pre-K 3 year in one print-ready book: 36 weeks of parent plans, printable pages, activity cards and songs for ages 3 to 4, with a clickable table of contents, page numbers and parent answer notes. 309 pages.
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UpOnly Learning Pre-K is general education, not medical advice. If you have concerns about your learner's development, talk with your pediatrician. In an emergency, call 911.
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