Preschool October Themes - As Fall Continues October 10
October just might be the most fun month there is as far as fall preschool themes go. It’s early enough in the year that there are still plenty of outdoor activities that can be done with preschoolers. It’s also early enough in the year that you’re not suffering the stress of the upcoming winter holidays so you can relax some and really enjoy creative lessons with your kid(s). But it’s a busy month with a lot of fun kid-oriented activities (mostly centering on Halloween) so there are plenty of different things that you can incorporate into the day to keep things fun and interesting.
Halloween is the big October theme that you’ll probably spend a lot of lessons focusing on. There are many fun things that you can do with this theme. Art projects galore spring from Halloween. Witches’ hats and pirate swords can be made from construction paper. Counting and coloring activities can be done with pumpkins and goblins. Halloween songs are almost countless in number. But there are also plenty of lesser-known things that you can teach kids using this theme. For example, even though your kids are going to be eating lots of candy during this time, you can teach them about the importance of nutrition. This is where moderation comes in and kids can learn that it’s okay to indulge sometimes but not to go overboard. Similarly, haunted houses and scary Halloween themes can be used to teach kids about good fear vs. bad fear. Think outside of the costume box when you’re coming up with Halloween theme activities this October.
| Another great October theme that’s related to Halloween is the celebration of other cultures. Certain other cultures celebrate Halloween in different ways from how we do in America. For example, Day of the Dead (or Dia de los Muertos) is celebrated in Latin American cultures. Teaching kids about the different ways of celebrating the same holiday is great for giving them the basics of diversity and cultural awareness. Another great October theme for teaching that same lesson is Columbus Day. Halloween may be the big October holiday but this other October holiday is a good one for lessons that relate to history geography and those issues of diversity and cultural sensitivity. You can easily use these holidays to teach kids about the Latin American culture as well as the Native American culture. |
October may be a great month for holiday themes but that’s not all that’s going on in October. In most places, the weather is changing dramatically with leaves turning colors and falling off of the trees. This makes October a terrific month for lessons about the weather, nature and seasons. This is good for science lessons and can be incorporated into art activities as well. If it’s warm enough to get outside with the kids, you can have them do observations about the changing weather. Fall animal themes are also great in October. For example, squirrels may still be seen out and about which is great for lessons about how animals store food and how some hibernate in the winter. This even lends itself well to lessons about how our own bodies change in the winter.
As you can see, October is a fun month that allows for many different preschool themes. Like all other months, these themes are great for art, reading, writing and singing activities. However, they are also great for teaching social studies and science lessons. See what October lessons you can find out there and then expand on them with your own creativity to make October a fun and educational month for the kids.
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Kelby Oct 10
Wonderful tips! I also think the fall harvest is a great thing to emphasize this time of year… it’s a great way to shift the focus off of candy and onto nutrition. And foods like apples and pumpkins are so healthy!
TheNanny612 Oct 10
Thanks for the comment, Kelby. I couldn’t agree with you more. Yes, fall harvest is wonderful. Most of October my kids are so focused on Halloween getting here that they miss the rest of the natural beauty going on in front of them. But, I remind them with some jumping in leaves, taking hikes and going to a pumpkin patch.
Thanks again for stopping by and come back anytime, Kelby.