Preschool Lesson Plan: Hamsters

Leo's New Pet by Mick Gowar

Reading Center for Preschool Lesson Plan: Hamsters

Fill your preschool reading center not only with books about hamsters, but also with books about guinea pigs and gerbils.

Snacks for Preschool Lesson Plan: Hamsters

Here is a list of some favorite hamster snacks. Serve any of these to your preschool students during your hamster theme.

-seedless grapes
-seedless apples
-strawberries
-pitted cherries
-raisins

Concepts for Preschool Lesson Plan: Hamsters

Letter: Hh for hamster
Number: 7 for the 7 letters in the word hamster
Shape: circle
Color: brown

Fine Motor Activity for Preschool Lesson Plan: Hamsters

Play dough: Let your preschool students mold play dough into hamsters. Encourage them to also form hamster cages, hamster wheels, hamster food and such.

Gross Motor Activity for Preschool Lesson Plan: Hamsters

Hamster hokey pokey: Play hokey pokey, but as hamsters. You and your preschool students can do this either standing or on your hands and knees. Change the words to the song as appropriate. For example, instead of "Put your right hand in," sing, "Put your right front paw in." Instead of "Put your bottom (or backside) in," sing, "Put your tail in."

Art Center Activities for Preschool Lesson Plan: Hamsters

Have your preschool students cut a small oval shape from a piece of brown construction paper. Give them a googly eye to glue at the narrow end of the brown oval. Now set out brown paint on paper plates. Give each of your preschool students a toothbrush. Let them paint the oval "hamsters" with the toothbrushes dipped in brown paint. When the paint has dried, let them draw on an ear and a mouth with a black marker.

Songs/Finger Plays for Preschool Lesson Plan: Hamsters

(sing to the tune of Ten Little Indians)

One little, two little,
Three little hamsters.
Four little, five little,
Six little hamsters.
Seven little, eight little,
Nine little hamsters.
Ten little hamsters on a wheel!

Pre-math Center Activity for Preschool Lesson Plan: Hamsters

Set out the letters h-a-m-s-t-e-r that you have previously cut from felt or laminated construction paper. Put out an example of the word hamster for your students to use as a guide. Have them set out the letters, properly spelling the word hamster. Instruct your preschool students to count the number of letters in the word hamster. Now have your preschool students count out 7 hamster shapes to set beneath the 7 lettered word.

Pre-writing Center Activities for Preschool Lesson Plan: Hamsters

For younger students, provide sheets of paper with the letters H and h lightly printed on them. Have the children trace the letters. Do the same with the number 7.

For older students, provide an example of the letters H and h and the number 7. Have the students practice writing the letters and number freehand.

Write the word hamster on your preschool classroom's white erase board. Let your students copy the word hamster on the white board with brown dry erase markers.