Children are fascinated by all creatures, big and small. Whether you are doing a unit about woodland creatures or preparing for a trip to the zoo, kids will be super excited to learn about all of the animals they may encounter, and bears are no exception!
Who doesn't love these kings of the jungle who are known for scavenging for honey and sleeping all winter? Teach your preschoolers all about these fascinating creatures through these fun, engaging activities!
Bear Songs for Preschool
1. I Met a Bear
What better way to introduce a bear unit than to get kids up and moving with this fun song about meeting a bear! You can introduce the topic of bears and also discuss where bears live--in the woods!
Learn more: Rock 'N Learn
2. The Grizzly Bear Song
This song about a grizzly bear sleeping in a cave is a great way to teach children about bears hibernating through the winter. Through this song, they will learn the words and movements of a cute song to cement the idea of bears sleeping in caves and the dangers of waking them.
Learn more: Music Milkshake
3. Ten in the Bed
Teach kids how to count down from ten by counting bears in this classic children's song! With each bear roll, the fun animations in this video will have kids laughing and singing along while they are learning their numbers.
Learn more: Super Simple Songs - Kids Songs
4. Brown Bear Song
One of the children's favorite books is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Instead of reading one of the most delightful picture books for the millionth time, play this video and soon students will have the words memorized! After, children can practice the literacy skill of retelling this classic story.
Learn more: Bri Reads
5. Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Who doesn't love sleeping with cuddly teddy bears? Use this song to help preschoolers wind down and get ready for nap or bedtime! And don't forget to give them their favorite teddy bear to cuddle!
Learn more: Super Simple Songs - Kids Songs
Bear Stories for Preschool
6. A Visitor for Bear by Bonnie Becker
If you are looking for bear books to get all of your preschoolers engaged, look no further than A Visitor for Bear. In this cute story, the grumpy old bear has a sign that says "no visitors allowed," but the little mouse is undeterred. Read this to teach children about the power of friendship!
7. Bear Came Along
This Caldecott Honor book with its wonderful illustrations is the perfect addition to a library of books about bears. Through adventure and meeting multiple woodland creatures, preschoolers will learn the value of everyone's individual talents and how they serve to help the group as a whole.
8. Teddy Town--Bear Rhymes by Hendrik Maarten
An important early literacy skill is rhyming, and what better way to teach this skill than through a bear-themed book! What is even better in this book is that it teaches children the value of accepting and loving others for who they are.
9. Breathe Like a Bear by Kira Willey
Are you looking for a book to help kids calm down and re-center themselves? This bear book about slowing down and breathing in a mindful way will have all preschoolers "breathing like bears" and quieting their little minds. This is a perfect book to read before naptime.
10. Where, Oh Where, Is Baby Bear? by Ashley Wolff
This will quickly become your preschoolers' favorite bear story as they follow baby bears through the forest. Children will be engaged because they love to play peek-a-boo and hide and seek, and they will be learning about a bear's habitat at the same time!
Bear-Themed Literacy Activities for Preschool
11. Brown Bear Mask
After learning about brown bears, make this fun brown bear mask! Preschoolers can wear their masks as they tell others fun facts about brown bears or as they retell portions of the story Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? After all, who doesn't love creating and wearing fun masks?
Learn more: JDaniel 4's Mom
12. Brown Bear Story Stones
Another activity after reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is this fun story-stones activity. With the free printable, preschoolers can participate in bear-themed cutting practice and then glue their cutouts onto rocks! These are perfect for practicing the literacy skill of recall!
Learn more: Preschool Inspirations
13. 3 Part Cards
Another great activity that comes with a free printable is this fun 3 part card activity! Preschoolers will have fun cutting out the different cards and gluing them into the correct spaces while they learn all sorts of fun facts about bears! You can even hang these cool pieces of art on the wall after they are finished creating to serve as visual reminders!
Learn more: The Wise Own Factory
14. Polar Bear Sight Words
Teach preschoolers the first forty words off the Dolch sight word list with these fun polar bears. Your young ones will be reading masters in no time! Laminate these cute cards to use for many years.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
15. ABC Match Puzzle
This free Halloween-themed letter matching game will have all students engaged as they practice letter learning by matching lowercase letters with their uppercase partners. This is yet another great activity to laminate for future use!
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
Bear-Themed Math Activities for Preschool
16. Sorting Bears
This activity is two-fold: it is both a counting and color matching activity at the same time. Kids will have so much fun in this color-matching game that they won't even realize they're learning important skills! There are many ways to use these bear counters!
Learn more: Childcare Land
17. Color By Number
This is great to add to your collection of preschool math printables. Once children can recognize numbers by sight, have them color this fun picture of a teddy bear to solidify their number knowledge!
Learn more: Coloring Rocks
18. Numbers 1-5
Preschoolers can practice multiple skills with this printable--number recognition, counting, and motor skills! Have them match each number to the correct collection of bears, and then have them color the bears!
Learn more: ABC Teach
19. Marshmallow Math
Another great activity to add to your collection of bear activities is this fun marshmallow math activity. Teach children the skill of estimating by having them guess how many marshmallows it will take to cover the polar bear. After they can eat the marshmallows, so of course, they will love this activity!
Learn more: Kindergarten Works
20. Gummy Bear Math
This is another activity that reinforces multiple skills at once. Preschoolers will be practicing identifying colors, counting, and coloring (fine motor skills) all at once in this fun activity that leaves them with gummy bears to eat when they are finished!
Learn more: Elaine Chaya
30 Perfect Polar Bear Preschool Activities