Songs and More
Beach Day
A Great Day!
Storytime
(sung to the tune of “Clementine”)
Use beach props to transitio
n students from one activity
to another! Prompt a child
when it’s her turn to transitio
by tossing her a beach
n
ball, lightly tapping her
with a pool
noodle, or placing a sand
pail on her head! You’re
sure to
hear lots of giggles!
Sea, Sand, Me!
by Patricia Hubbell
Recite this adorable chant five times, inserting the appropriate number
and verb where indicated.
Show [five] fingers; move hand in swimming motion.
[Five] little fish [are] swimming happily
Out in the waves of the deep blue sea.
One little fish went to see what it could see. “Swim” hand away.
Now [four] little fish [are] swimming happily. Hold up [four] fingers.
Circle Time
on the
beach towels
Spread several
music and
summertime
floor. Play lively
around the
ones to dance
encourage little to be at a beach party.
nding
prete
ls
child to sit
towe
c, signaling each several
Stop the musi
for
towel. Repeat
on the nearest
rounds.
a shell
watching, place
With students
(or opaque
three sand pails
under one of
closely watch
youngsters to
little
cups). Direct
pails. Then invite
the
h
switc
is under.
as you
h pail the shell
ones to tell whic
table a variety
Place near the
Water Table:
items, such
sink and float
s, toy
of beach-related
hells, sunglasse
as assorted seas , and sand toys. A child
rocks
ones
fish, flip-flops,
to see which
items
the
with
experiments
float!
ones
h
whic
sink and
and
Provide ocean critter sand toys (or tracers), paper, crayons, sand,
glue. A child traces critters onto a sheet of paper and colors the tracings.
the glue.
Then she spreads glue around the tracings and sprinkles sand on
mats or
Set out vinyl place
Play Dough:
along with
paper (ocean)
ated cookie
laminated blue
h and ocean-rel
colorful play doug uses the items to create
gster
cutters. A youn
e.
an ocean scen
play
I like to
nd!
in the sa
Name
Demonstrate swimming motions such as
the doggie paddle, breaststroke, sidestroke,
and backstroke. Have students practice the
motions and then lead them in a game of
Lifeguard Says.
Create a reading area
with beach towels,
handheld fans, sunglas
ses, and a cooler
stocked with beach-related
books.
Lifeguard says
doggie paddle!
Have children hold the edge of a parachute
(or bedsheet). Place one or more beach balls
on the parachute and have youngsters make
“waves” to toss the ball into the air.
Fun
in the
Sun
Fun
in the
Sun
FROSTING
Math:
Cut a tow
beach tow
el or a
els. Then
set an equ piece of fabric into
umbrellas
rectangles
al num
nea
to make min
Then he stic r a sand table. A chil ber of mini beach
i
tow
ks an umbre
d arrange
s the beach els and drink
lla in the san
towels in
d near eac
the sand.
h towel.
More Fun
Jolly Jellyfish
Fine-motor skills
Using a beach ball, engage
students in a
game of mock beach volleyba
ll.
Oceans
On occasion throughout
your beach day
celebration, call out, “Hot
sand!” signaling little
ones to hop around as
if they were walking
on hot sand. Then say,
“Cool sand!” and have
students resume their
activities.
Oceans
Social stu
Name
During naptime, play a
recording of soothing
ocean sounds.
dies:
youngsters
identify with With this idea,
advance,
a real-life
hide a clas
s supply of situation! In
items, suc
beach-the
h as
med
flops, swimsu empty sunscreen
bottles
its, sunglas
Show you
ses, and bea , flipngsters a
ch towels.
larg
them that
you are pac e beach bag. Then
tell
king for a
and need
trip to the
their help
beach
to find all
to take. Pro
the things
mpt each
you nee
child to find
need for a
bea
one item you d
explain how ch trip. Invite him
to name the
it would be
and place
item,
it in the bea useful on a beach
trip,
ch bag.
Listen an
d Do
SUN
S A FE
3
©The Mailbox®
Literacy:
GRAHAM
CRACKERS
Snacktime
Movement
Place blue bulletin board paper on the
floor so it resembles the ocean. Pretend to
be a lifeguard. Encourage youngsters to
“swim” and “splash” in the ocean. Then call
out, “Shark! Shark! Get out of the water!”
prompting little ones to quickly exit the water.
Repeat the activity several times.
Snack:
To make
this edible
beach, hav
e
tinted fros each child spread blue
ting on a gra
Direct her
ham cracke to
r.
crumbs on sprinkle graham cra
cker
the lower
half of the
area. Finally
iced
,
crackers (be press a few bear-sh
ape
achgoers)
into the fros d
ting.
Have each child crush
a
graham cracker in a reseala
ble
plastic bag and then put
the
crumbs in a clear plastic
cup.
Encourage him to spoon
bluetinted vanilla pudding
atop the
crumbs and then partially
insert
a few teddy grahams into
the
pudding. Those teddies
are
going for a swim!
Set out shallow containers of paint
and a mini beach ball for each paint
color. Invite little ones to dip each
beach ball in paint and stamp it on
a sheet of paper.
pails, shovels,
ide plastic sand
ges
Blocks: Prov
student enga
small flags. A
seashells, and
the props and
h play, using
in pretend beac
faux sand
and embellish
build
to
s
block
castles.
pass a
and then
in a circle, a recording of
group sit
play
the
Have the
To begin,
l around
youngster. s to pass the bal l name
a
to
l
bal
one
ch bal
mpt little
small bea
ld with the tion
e the chi
sic and pro
rma
beach mu the music and hav any desired info
ld
chi
h
p
eac
r until
ivity or say
circle. Sto
this manne
beach act
ntinue in
a favorite
beach. Co
about the
a turn.
has had
Have little ones walk sideway
s like a crab as they line
or move to a center.
up
Have students pretend
to swim as they transitio
n to the
next activity.
Art
Center Time
It ’ s B e a c h
Ti m e !
Curious George Goes
to
the Beach
by Margret and H. A. Rey
For added fun: Use a spray bottle to lightly spritz water
on youngsters while singing the third line of the song!
Five Little Fish
Transitions
Beach Day
by Karen Roosa
We are on the sandy beach,
And we are having so much fun.
Laughing, splashing, waves are crashing,
What a great day in the sun!
©The Mailbox®
4
2
©The Mailbox
©The Mailb
ox ®
50
the beach.
y are at
tend the
ch and a
ters to pre
, sandy bea
beach
Tell youngs m to be the hot nd on the sandy
r roo
s sta
area in you f. Have little one wn.
one
e
nat
sur
g sho
cool
Desig
ing the son
area to be
nt
form
ere
per
)
in
diff
ss Buns”
lead them
of “Hot Cro
and then
the tune
down.
(sung to
Hop up and
Song:
oes to the
Run on tipt
Collecting Shells
surf.
.”
Say “Ahhhh
Color the shells with matching letter
®
©The Mailbox
7
Note to the teacher: Use with the
p beachy. Give
rs develo
Youngste
and
in the S
g
in
y
la
P
Cut.
e to one.
match on
Glue to
Letter recognition
Trace.
Fun at the Be
ach
Trace
pairs.
sunscreen
50
third activity on page 6.
Beach
ce
TT
ponden
ne corres
One-to-o
the
theme
of page
ld point to
ld a copy
e each chi e students to
each chi
e and hav
rag
on the pag g picture. Encou
Continue
din
the item.
e
correspon they know about
Then hav
at
the page.
wh
on
s
re
sha
item
remaining page.
with the
ld color his
each chi
MR
Draw.
KK
Wonde
Draw
©The Mailbox®
Note to the teache
r: Have each child
color a copy of the
the page to make
page. Then have
tentacles on the
jellyfish.
her tear colorful
strips of
6
ox®
©The Mailb
SL
DD
r Wh
at
would
yo
Beach
u do a
t the b
®
box
BB
and glue them to
PF
8
Note to
the
Then spe teacher: Provide
oral direction
cify what
©The Mailb
you wou
s, such
ox ®
ld like the
child to draw as “Color the strip
ed beach
in the emp
towel”
ty box by
saying, for or “Circle the item
s that cou
example,
ld be use
“Draw a
d to build
creature
a sand cast
you might
see at the
le.”
beach.”
13
®
11
Summer
Beach
construction paper
JJ
©The Mailbox
Fun!
each?
Tell
©The Mail
5
Name
Beach
Name
y: with this activit
Literdac
something
vocabulary
7. Name
Name
Beach
oral dire
ctions
®
sunscreen
d.
, hot san
sand; hot
Hot, hot
toes.
on your
It is so hot d.
san
l surf.
coo
Hot, hot
l,
l surf; coo e and cool.
Cool, coo
nic
r toes are
Now you
l surf.
Cool, coo
Following
by
©The Mailbox®
12
©The Mai
lbox ®
9
10