Click the link to view the full version: WASCZ丨Teaching Preschool Children the Theme of “All About Me”
Preschool is an exciting time for young children as they embark on their educational journey and explore the world around them. One wonderful theme to introduce to preschoolers is “All About Me”, which allows them to learn more about their identities and background, and their families, and express their individuality.
This theme incorporates various activities that promote self-expression, creativity, family bonding, and social skills development. In this article, we will explore some engaging activities used in teaching the theme of “All About Me” to preschool children in Lionfish class.
01. Create self-portraits
Art activities are a fantastic way to encourage self-expression and allow children to showcase their creativity. To introduce the concept of self-portraits, we engaged our children in making their own unique collages. We provided them with a range of materials such as coloured paper, photos of face features from magazines, and crayons and encouraged them to glue the materials onto a blank paper and decorate them to create their self-portraits. This activity encouraged the children to explore their physical features and personal style through art and start to think about how other people may view them physically.
02. Learn about family members
Families play a vital role in shaping a child’s identity. Learning about family members helps preschoolers understand their place in the world and builds connections between home and school. Lionfish class had a lesson where the children shared thoughts and facts about their family members. We asked each child to bring a photograph or make a craft showing their family members. Following that, we designed a display called “Lionfish class family tree” in which family photos were displayed.
We encouraged children to talk about their family members, emphasising the importance of love, care, and support within families. The activity not only fostered a sense of belonging but also developed language skills as children described their loved ones.
03. Nature walks
Connecting with nature is an essential aspect of a child’s holistic development, and so we took a nature walk and encouraged children to observe and collect fallen leaves, twigs, flowers, and other natural materials they found interesting. Once back in the classroom, we provided the children with art supplies such as paper, glue, and markers, and guided them in creating family members’ portraits using these natural materials.
Engaging children in activities that promote creativity and encourage exploration of nature’s textures, colours, and patterns can have numerous benefits for their development. Not only does it stimulate their imagination and artistic skills, but it also fosters a deeper connection with the natural world around them.
04. Understand emotions
Understanding emotions is crucial for young children as it helps them manage their feelings and develop empathy towards others. We engaged our students in activities that taught them to recognise and express their emotions. We used picture cards displaying various facial expressions representing different emotions and encouraged children to identify and discuss the emotions depicted on each card. Additionally, we incorporated role-playing games where children acted out different emotions and read books that emphasised emotional awareness. Encouraging children to act out various scenarios helps them understand different emotions and practise empathy.
During this activity, young learners took turns playing different roles, which allowed them to see things from others’ perspectives and start to build a tool list to employ when they feel particular challenging emotions themselves.
05. Recognise names & initial letters
Introducing literacy skills to preschoolers lays the foundation for their future academic success. A fun activity to help children recognise their names and initial letters is through personalised name tags or labels. We provided each child with a laminated name tag featuring their name and an enlarged initial letter and encouraged them to trace and decorate their name tags using colorful markers, stickers, and glitter. Throughout the days, we practised recognising names and initial letters through group discussions, games, and songs.
Engaging in activities that promote name recognition can indeed have positive effects on preschool children’s confidence and self-identity. When children see their names displayed or hear them being used in various contexts, it reinforces their sense of personal identity and belonging.
06. Practising self-presentation
Public speaking and self-presentation are essential skills that empower children to confidently share information about themselves. The children in our class took an opportunity to introduce themselves with the phrase “My name is…” in front of their peers. We helped children to share some facts about their likes, dislikes, hobbies, or favourite things. By engaging in this activity, children were developing speaking skills, self-confidence, and a sense of belonging within their peer group.
The theme of “All About Me” serves as an excellent platform for preschoolers to explore their individuality, learn about their families, express emotions, develop literacy skills, and present themselves confidently. By incorporating activities such as creating self-portraits, learning about family members, nature walks, understanding emotions, recognising names and initial letters, and practising self-presentation, the school provides a holistic learning experience that fosters self-awareness, creativity, and social development among young children.
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