A weekly lesson plan for toddlers with a theme.

Theme: Animals

Monday:
- Circle time: Introduce the theme of animals by showing pictures of different animals and making their sounds.
- Art activity: Have the toddlers create animal masks using paper plates, markers, and craft supplies.
- Outdoor play: Set up a mini petting zoo with stuffed animals for the toddlers to interact with.

Tuesday:
- Story time: Read a book about animals such as "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" by Eric Carle.
- Sensory play: Fill a bin with animal figurines and rice for the toddlers to explore and play with.
- Music and movement: Play animal-themed songs like "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and have the toddlers dance and move like different animals.

Wednesday:
- Fine motor skills: Provide animal-themed puzzles for the toddlers to work on.
- Science experiment: Create a simple sensory bin with water and plastic animals for the toddlers to explore and learn about water animals.
- Snack time: Serve animal crackers or fruit cut into animal shapes for a fun and themed snack.

Thursday:
- Gross motor skills: Set up an obstacle course with animal-themed activities like hopping like a bunny or crawling like a bear.
- Art activity: Have the toddlers create animal footprint art by dipping their hands or feet in paint and making prints on paper.
- Dramatic play: Set up a pretend play area with animal costumes and props for the toddlers to act out being different animals.

Friday:
- Field trip: Take a trip to a local zoo or petting farm to see real animals up close.
- Outdoor play: Have a scavenger hunt for animal toys hidden around the playground.
- Closing circle: Review the week's activities and have the toddlers share their favorite animal they learned about.

Weekly Lesson Plan for Toddlers

Theme: Animal Kingdom

Objectives:

- Enhance vocabulary related to animals
- Develop fine motor skills
- Foster creativity and imagination
- Encourage curiosity and exploration

Day 1: Animal Safari

- Morning:
- Animal Safari Craft: Create paper plate animals
- Animal Movement Game: Pretend to be different animals and move around the room
- Afternoon:
- Book Time: Read "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle
- Animal Sounds Guessing Game: Play animal sounds and have toddlers guess which animal it is

Day 2: Pets at Home

- Morning:
- Pet Show and Tell: Bring in stuffed animals or toy pets and have toddlers share about them
- Matching Game: Draw animal cards and have toddlers match them
- Afternoon:
- Pet Care Activity: Feed and water a stuffed animal pet
- Sensory Bin: Fill a sensory bin with animal-themed objects (e.g., figurines, fur, leaves)

Day 3: Zoo Adventure

- Morning:
- Zoo Animal Bingo: Play bingo with different zoo animals
- Zoo Keeper Pretend Play: Set up a station where toddlers can pretend to be zookeepers
- Afternoon:
- Animal Art Project: Paint animal faces on paper plates
- Field Trip to the Zoo (Optional): If possible, take a field trip to the local zoo to observe real animals

Day 4: Animal Babies

- Morning:
- Baby Animal Craft: Make animal puppets from paper bags
- Animal Family Sorting Activity: Sort animal figurines into families (e.g., mammals, birds)
- Afternoon:
- Book Time: Read "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown
- Animal Nursery Rhyme: Sing "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

Day 5: Wildlife Around Us

- Morning:
- Nature Walk: Explore the backyard or a nearby park to observe wildlife
- Animal Track Matching: Draw animal tracks on cards and have toddlers match them
- Afternoon:
- Animal Puzzle Time: Provide animal-themed puzzles (e.g., jigsaw puzzles, knob puzzles)
- Story Time: Tell a story about animals in the wild