These fun and exciting August preschool themes are the perfect way to get hands-on with your littles.
August is a great month to soak up the sun and hold onto those long summer days. For even more theme ideas, check out our list of ultimate preschool themes!
No matter what August looks like for you- whether you will head back to a traditional school schedule soon, homeschool your little ones, continue year-round schooling, or teach virtually…these August themes are perfect for helping preschoolers make connections across the content areas and love learning!
If you are looking for traditional back-to-school themes like the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors or something more unique like camping or watermelon, we have something for every teacher (and learner)!
August Preschool Themes
For a handy list of these and other great themes, I’ve made a free printable preschool theme list to help with all your planning! Grab it below!
All About Me Theme
Oh, how preschoolers love to talk about themselves! It’s an ideal theme for the back-to-school season, since All About Me allows students to talk about themselves, their interests, and learn what they share in common with others. Make it easy with done-for-you all about me lesson plans! We also have a whole list of all about me activities!
This is an easy time to incorporate name recognition activities, such as tactile name writing practice or this simple craft. All about me books are perfect for circle time. This catchy book, I Like Myself, is a great read for encouraging differences and self-love.
Grab the free All About Me poster below to guide your preschoolers as they share how truly unique they are!
We’ve also got all about me lesson plans for either preschoolers or toddlers in our preschool store or toddler store! And don’t miss the monthly self-portrait journal, available from Preschool Teacher 101.
Alphabet Theme
Learning the alphabet has never been more fun! Preschoolers will want you to read Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom over and over, sing alphabet songs and do activities like practicing writing their names or searching for their letters in this super fun name letter board activity. Preschoolers love games too, so check out these ABC games that teach! Don’t forget about the alphabet posters too!
Preschool Teacher 101 has created this adorable Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom lesson plan to help with your ABC planning.
Anna Dewdney Book Study Theme
The Llama Llama books sure are popular among little readers! You’ve most likely run across these kid favorites. These books are a great way to start the school year off right or just brush up on the many social/emotional skills that are highlighted in these books. Llama, Llama, Red Pajama and Llama, Llama Misses Mama are both great choices to help little ones navigate unchartered territory. But let’s be honest, every book Anna Dewdney wrote is a gem that you just can’t go wrong with.
Animals Theme
Lions, bears, tigers, oh my! Preschoolers love learning about new and interesting animals along with animal movements, their habitats, and of course some of the stellar animal books that kids just can’t get enough of! Check out our animal book list for great read-aloud ideas and don’t forget the adorable animal songs for great toe-tapping fun! Find out some of your preschooler’s favorite animals and go from there. The possibilities are endless!
Make sure to check out the lovable book Wild Animal Babies written by the creator of Preschool Inspirations! This hot off the press animal book is a must-have for any animal lover! Travel with these wild animals and their babies as we learn the letters of the alphabet, along with interesting facts and charming illustrations. From bobcat to kinkajou, narwhal to umbrellabird, this book will have your little one learning their ABCs… and animal facts, too! Did you know jackrabbits use their jumbo-sized ears to cool off in the hot desert? Or that rhinoceros calves roll in the mud to protect their skin? The adorable artwork will have you oohing and ahhing over all 26 animal babies and their mommas.
We’ve got a set of animal yoga cards that you can grab for FREE! Yoga is great for mindfulness and gross motor skills, and these cards are a wonderful tie-in to an animal theme!
We’ve also got animal lesson plans geared to both preschoolers and toddlers in our preschool store and toddler store!
Art Theme
Preschoolers love art! Whether it is painting a picture or coloring with markers, little kids (and adults too!) love the freedom to express themselves. Introduce wonderful artists, amazing illustrators like Eric Carle or Mo Willems, or use an art theme as a fantastic way to explore color and texture. All these process art activities, including the Mixed-Up Chameleon and rainbow marble art, are a super way to get kids excited about art and use their creative thinking!
Back to School Theme
Teachers and preschoolers alike can’t wait for the first day! Whether you are heading to school or preschool-ing from home, this theme is a perfect opportunity to go over class rules, routines, the schedule, and to see what the classroom offers. It’s also a great time to show off your centers and introduce an age-appropriate visual calendar! And of course, you have to read all those adorable back to school stories!
Grab all the ideas you need in this back to school lesson plan from Planning Playtime.
Baking Theme
There is nothing better than a warm cookie fresh out of the oven. Why not celebrate National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day on August 4th by getting in the kitchen and stirring up some yummy cookie dough? Preschoolers LOVE to help in the kitchen and it’s a great opportunity to experiment with new recipes and engage little hands! Read Mr. Cookie Baker and learn all the steps to making delicious cookies! Snuggle up with Stir, Crack, Whisk, Bake, and enjoy this interactive baking story.
Enjoy all the great baking activities over at Planning Playtime.
Bear Theme
Kids absolutely adore all things bears…teddy bears, the book Brown Bear, What Do You See? and of course, all the themed bear activities that go along with a bear theme. One of our favorite activities is going on a bear hunt! Don’t miss our list of amazing bear facts for kids. Bears are found everywhere, so you can incorporate them in everything from geography to colors to counting. Don’t forget a teddy bear picnic!
Our clever friends at Preschool Teacher 101 have a super fun bear hunt-themed lesson plan that’s sure to be a hit!
Bee Theme
On August 15 we celebrate National Honey Bee Awareness Day. Bees are one of the hardest working animals on the planet! They help take care of some of our most important plants and flowers and ensure that our fruits and vegetables get pollinated. Read why bees are so important to our ecosystem with this book, The Thing About Bees: A Love Letter. This torn paper flower craft is also an easy tie-in as you talk about these busy helpers.
For tons of other bug and insect learning activities, fly over to check out the lesson plans in our preschool store and toddler store!
Bubbles Theme
Bubbles are a fun activity for any age! Big or small, there is so much to do with bubbles! Make bubble paint art, put them in your sensory table… the ideas are endless! Read Bubble Trouble and imagine what happens when the baby gets caught inside a bubble! Sprinkle in some STEM with a kitchen sink bubble explosion.
Check out Preschool Teacher 101 for an entire bubbles lesson plan.
Camping Theme
August is a great month to do some camping, pretend, or in real life! The first day of August is National Campfire Day so get those marshmallows ready! You can even make your own pretend campfire using orange and red tissue paper with a few paper towel tubes… time to get cozy and read some camping books as you sit by the pretend fire. Build a tent with some blankets inside or spend the whole day outside. Don’t forget to make s’ mores…National S’ mores Day is on August 10th! Check out these great camping books as you read in your tent, Llama Llama Loves Camping or Pete the Cat Goes Camping.
Or get lots more ideas with these camping lesson plans from Preschool Teacher 101.
Colors Theme
Practicing with colors is a great way to begin a new year! Identify colors, learn about primary and secondary, and use this color sensory bottle to find out what happens when they mix. Use color songs to make learning fun! Get your preschoolers stoked about science when you set up a color-changing volcano, too!
See our color lesson plans in our store for even more ideas!
Emotions and Feelings Theme
As teachers and parents, some of the most important skills we teach are how to best manage our own emotional needs and recognize how others feel. This preschool theme is great for developing that social/emotional awareness and can be a great start to the beginning of the school year. Set up these calming glitter jars and other sensory tools to help young students learn to find comfort and express their needs. The Color Monster gets big feelings and confusing thoughts too, and it might just be the perfect book to read for this theme!
There are lots of ideas in this emotions themed lesson plan unit from Preschool Teacher 101.
Family Theme
Talking about our family is such an inviting topic for young children. This theme ties in perfectly into All About Me, as well! The Family Book is the perfect read-aloud to complement a family theme as it is full of colorful art and a lesson in how families are different and wonderful.
Grab an entire family lesson plan theme from the amazing Preschool Teacher 101!
Farm Theme
One of the most beloved preschool themes! Farms are great for sensory activities and learning about animals through farm books and farm songs. You can even use the animals as a gateway to math with our farm animal ten-frames and these farm counting mats!
Moo-ve over to our preschool store or toddler store for an entire farm themed lesson plan.
Fine Motor Theme
Preschoolers need strong hand muscles to help them learn to write, zip and button their clothes, draw and paint, and of course, use utensils to eat! Building these skills in the classroom can be so fun and interesting! We have tons of fine motor activities gathered for you. One idea that always keeps my classes engaged is to utilize your sensory table for some open-ended fine motor practice. We also love using all sorts of fingerplays!
Friendship Theme
This is an ideal theme for the month of August as we head back into the traditional school year this month or next. It also serves as a great refresher theme to help your preschoolers learn friendship skills, how to navigate problems with friends, and building those important life skills! Celebrate the joy of friendship on August 2nd for National Friendship Day! Sending friendship letters is a great tie-in to this theme, as well as a wonderful way to practice writing and name recognition. We love using friendship books during this time!
Snag an entire friendship theme lesson plan from Preschool Teacher 101 to get even more great ideas.
Kindness Theme
Being kind is not always easy, especially when you are in preschool! Using a kindness theme helps to integrate kindness in multiple ways. Using songs, like hello songs, teaches young children the importance of kindness, gratitude, and appreciation. The earlier they learn, the easier it will be for them to spread kindness throughout their life. Reading kindness books is a great way to enjoy adorable new characters while learning critical life skills. We also love to teach kindness with the Kindness Elves.
Mindfulness Theme
Learning how to be calmer, manage energy levels, and find relaxation is so helpful for preschoolers who are always managing big emotions. With August 15 being Relaxation Day, it’s the perfect time to start learning ways to slow down and breathe deeply! This is the perfect theme for introducing yoga, and the easiest way is with our FREE animal yoga pack.
You can also check out yoga books and kid yoga videos. Incorporate brain breaks to help relax or rejuvenate. Mindfuless can even be used outdoors!
If you’ve already got the FREE animal yoga pack and still want more, you can grab these yoga cards in our store!
Music Theme
Turn on music in any preschool classroom and you will have all eyes on you! Music is one of the best ways to teach children. In fact, it’s been proven that music actually makes children smarter! Learn about new instruments, dance, dance, dance, or learn about different musicians and composers. Using music throughout the day is ideal; to say hello or goodbye, during circle time, to transition from one activity to another, and to introduce or reinforce new concepts. Check out our handy ultimate guide of preschool songs list!
For a printable list of great kids’ songs to always have on hand, fill out the form below.
To make music easily accessible during circle time, grab these song cards and song sticks from our store! There are 35 song posters that can be used as song cards, along with matching song sticks to make choosing songs even more fun.
Numbers Theme
1,2,3 counting is fun for me! Get children counting and learning the foundational number sense skills with a preschool number theme. There are so many ways to make this fun, like with themed ten-frame mats. This can also be a great time to teach children their phone number. Incorporate some fun counting books like How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten? or the classic book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This can also be a great time to teach children their phone number. Don’t forget the counting songs to help make those numbers stick!
Snag our themed counting cards to have the perfect resource on hand for every season! Use these math counting cards to teach children counting, number recognition, one to one correspondence, and quantity. It works like magic with helping children to learn foundational math concepts in a fun, inviting, and hands-on way! You can find them in our store.
Nursery Rhymes Theme
Research shows that little ones who learn Nursery Rhymes have an easier time grasping phonics, rhyming, and early reading skills. Nursery Rhymes are a classic and fun way to encourage reading, rhyming, plus some of the rhymes are downright silly! Your preschoolers will love this nursery rhyme sorting activity! Grab some engaging Nursery Rhyme books…like this pop-up book full of all the classic rhymes and fun illustrations.
Pets Theme
Arf! Arf! During the month of August, we celebrate man’s best friend…dogs, of course! August 26th is National Dog Day and it’s the perfect time to celebrate wet kisses and doggy snuggles with your preschoolers. Kids love to talk about their own pets so why not learn more about unusual pets too? Read the kid favorite, The Pigeon Wants A Puppy, to get your theme off to a hilarious start!
Take a walk over to Preschool Teacher 101 for a great lesson plan all about pets!
Picnic Theme
Did you know that August is National Picnic Month? Picnics are so much fun and a great way to get outside and change up the day! Bring your stuffed animals along and set up the food, because this picnic is going to be great! Watch out for the ants though…and just maybe singing The Ants Go Marching will keep them at bay!
Rhyming Theme
Roses are red, violets are blue, rhyming is fun and so are you! A whole theme dedicated to rhyming is sure to be a hit. Some of our favorite ways to teach important rhyming skills include rhyming stories, rhyming songs, nursery rhymes, and rhyming fingerplays.
Shapes Theme
Round or square, shapes are everywhere! Preschoolers love not only learning shapes but also looking for shapes in the world around them. Shapes are the perfect start for teaching math or incorporating literature and science. This preschool theme is a great time to pull out those pattern blocks or Korxx blocks and get to shape matching!
Transportation Theme
Things that go are always a big hit with little kids. Read some great books to learn all the different modes of transportation including, This Is How We Do It, and Little Kids First Big Book of Things That Go. This theme is perfect for incorporating sensory play by making a bin with all the different modes of transportation. Throw in some fun transportation games too!
Fly over to our preschool store or toddler store for transportation lesson plans.
Watermelon
Yummy, juicy watermelon is a summertime favorite! August 3rd is National Watermelon Day so why not grab a watermelon, cut it open, and get to learning! Use the seeds for awesome counting activities, read The Watermelon Seed, or plant some seeds and watch it grow!
Grab a whole watermelon lesson plan from our friends at Preschool Teacher 101.
We hope these August preschool themes ease your planning and give you some great learning ideas! For even more themes and ideas, visit The Ultimate List of Preschool Themes, or see our library below!
Themes by the Month
- September Preschool Themes
- October Preschool Themes
- November Preschool Themes
- December Preschool Themes
- January Preschool Themes
- February Preschool Themes
- March Preschool Themes
- April Preschool Themes
- May Preschool Themes
- June Preschool Themes
- July Preschool Themes
Themes by Season
- Rhyming Cards - June 24, 2022
- Best Books for One Year Olds - May 19, 2022
- Butterfly Counting Mats - April 12, 2022
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