Free Pre-K 3 lesson plan · Unit 8: Water, sand and moving things
Pre-K 3, week 29: water play and AB patterns
This week your learner will play with water, make AB patterns and test what sinks and floats. Each activity takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Print the pages, or do them with things you already have at home.
Week 29 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
- Fill a tub with a little water for supervised play.
- Gather a few toys and kitchen things that are safe in water and too big to fit in the mouth.
- Print pages 2 to 5, or skip printing and use the no-supplies swaps.
Household supplies only: Paper, crayons, a tub with a little water, a towel, safe toys and kitchen things. No supplies? Every activity has a no-supplies swap.
The week at a glance
| Day | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Talk and listen | Water words page, Pour and talk card |
| Tuesday | Math | Sun, moon, sun, moon page, Spoon cup pattern card |
| Wednesday | Explore | Sink or float? page, Sink or float card |
| Thursday | Make and move | Water paths page, Sponge squeeze 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
Water words
Say: "What lives in the water? What floats?" Your learner points to each picture and says the word with you.
Sun, moon, sun, moon
Say: "Sun, moon, sun, moon. What comes next?" Your learner says the pattern with you and colors the suns yellow.
Sink or float?
Say: "Will it sink or float? Let's guess." Your learner points to each thing and guesses sink or float before you test.
Water paths
Say: "Help the boat sail. Start at the green dot." Your learner traces each path from left to right.
Activity cards
Pour and talk
- Pour water from cup to cup.
- Talk about full and empty.
- Your learner pours.
Easier: Use a big cup.
Next step: Pour to the line you show.
Say this: "Full. Now empty."
No supplies: Pour dry rice or sand with a scoop, adult watching.
Language: vocabulary
Spoon cup pattern
- Make a pattern: spoon, cup, spoon, cup.
- Say it together.
- Your learner adds the next one.
Easier: Copy your pattern.
Next step: Your learner makes a new pattern.
Say this: "Spoon, cup, spoon, cup. What's next?"
No supplies: Clap, stomp, clap, stomp.
Math: patterns
Sink or float
- Pick a thing.
- Your learner guesses sink or float.
- Drop it in and see.
Easier: Test 2 things.
Next step: Sort the things into sink and float piles.
Say this: "It floats. It stays on top."
No supplies: Look at pictures and guess.
Science: sink or float
Sponge squeeze
- Soak the sponge.
- Your learner squeezes it into the empty bowl.
- See how much water moved.
Easier: Use a small sponge.
Next step: Use one hand only.
Say this: "Squeeze. Drip, drip, drip."
No supplies: Squeeze a rolled sock.
Physical: fine motor
Song of the week: Splash, splash
Splash, splash, in the tub,
Rub-a-dub, a boat, a sub.
Float or sink, let's wait and see,
Splash, splash, fun for me.
Actions: Pretend to splash with your hands. Try next: Sing it at bath time.
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.
- Pours water with help
- Copies an AB pattern
- Guesses sink or float
- Squeezes a sponge
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 within arm's reach the whole time, even with a small tub and a little water. Empty the tub as soon as you finish. Never leave your learner alone near water, even for a moment.
Start with AB patterns using real things: spoon, cup, spoon, cup. Say it like a chant, then let your learner add the next one. Claps and stomps make patterns too.
Use only objects too big to fit in the mouth, such as large spoons, socks, blocks and big toys, and skip beans, pasta and small pieces. Stay close during every activity with real objects.
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
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