These September preschool themes are sure to rock and keep your littles captivated! We hope these themes help take any stress out of your planning and keep little hands busy and learning.
For even more theme ideas, check out our list of ultimate preschool themes!
Whether you are heading back to school, have already been in session, school from home, or anything in between, September is full of exciting themes perfect for introducing the wonder of fall, amazing literature, and super cool science experiments and activities.
If you are heading back to school in September, consider themes that emphasize foundational skills and community building such as:
- Alphabet Theme
- Colors Theme
- Numbers Theme
- Nursery Rhymes Theme
- All About Me Theme
- Family Theme
- Emotions and Feelings Theme
- Friends Theme
- Rhyming Theme
Looking for fun September seasonal themes? We’ve got you covered!
- Fall Theme
- Leaves Theme
- Trees Theme
- Pumpkins Theme
- Apples Theme
- Weather Theme
September Preschool Themes that Rock!
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:
- All About Me Lesson Plans
- All About Me Activities
- All About Me Books
- All About Me Songs
- Name Writing Practice
- Simple Name Craft
Grab the free All About Me poster below to guide your preschoolers as they share how truly unique they are!
Check out the All About Me Theme for either toddlers or preschoolers in our preschool store or toddler store for lots more ideas!
Alphabet Theme
Preschool is all about becoming more familiar with the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. This theme is a perfect back-to-school spotlight using alphabet books and hands-on activities. Here are some great ideas that are a must-have for your alphabet theme:
- Alphabet Songs
- Alphabet Books
- Alphabet Posters
- Alphabet Games
- ASL alphabet posters
- Fall fine motor alphabet practice
- Alphabet Sensory Bottle
Preschool Teacher 101 has thought of everything so grab this amazing Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom lesson plan!
Animals Theme
An animal theme is one of the most beloved preschool themes of all time! Celebrate National Wildlife Day on September 4th or learn more about this gentle giant on September 22 on National Elephant Appreciation Day. While learning about favorite animals is always a great place to start, why not incorporate new and unusual animals? Check out our animal facts:
Don’t forget to check out our animal book list and perfect animal songs for preschoolers!
Our favorite animal resource is Wild Animal Babies: An Alphabet Book, written by our very own Preschool Inspirations creator! This adorable book is a perfectly age-appropriate and unique introduction to animals from all over the world. There’s an animal for each letter of the alphabet.
We’ve designed a toddler and a preschool lesson plan for even more animal fun! Head to our preschool store or toddler store and check them out!
Lastly, 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!
Apple Theme
This fun fall theme is perfect for taste testing, apple picking, and of course reading apple books! Learn more about Johhny Appleseed on September 26th as we celebrate National Johnny Appleseed Day. Here are some great ways to implement more apple activities and ideas into your lesson plans:
Read all about Apple Farmer Annie and her day picking, sorting, and baking up yummy apple treats!
Our friends at Preschool Teacher 101 have an entire apple theme lesson plan in their store.
Art Theme
Whether coloring, painting, or using various materials to create, preschoolers LOVE art! It’s such a magical way to show creativity and express yourself. This is a great theme any time of the year but why not celebrate it on September 14th in honor of National Coloring Day? Learn about artists or explore color through a color mixing sensory bottle. Read Mix It Up and watch colors transform and mix in this clever early childhood read. Process art is a great way to be creative while developing a true masterpiece, such as this rainbow marble painting process art or cd process art! Tie in classic children’s books with The Mixed-Up Chameleon process art and in this hot air balloon art craft.
Back to School Theme
As we head back to school, we know the importance of learning rules, classroom jobs, routines, and daily schedule. It’s also a great time to show off your centers and introduce an age-appropriate visual calendar! Infuse circle time and read-alouds as we celebrate International Literacy Day on September 8th and National Read a Book Day on September 6th. Catch a laugh with this funny tale, The Pigeon HAS to Go to School, and get your preschoolers excited about their new school day! Find even more back to school books in our full list, and don’t miss the back to school countdown craft.
Grab all the ideas you’ll ever need in this back to school lesson plan from Preschool Teacher 101.
Chocolate Theme
Yum! A chocolate theme sounds like a fun and tasty theme for everyone! Tie it into an ice cream theme to celebrate the end of summer on September 12th for National Chocolate Milkshake Day. Or make these easy and healthy fudgsicles! Learn how chocolate is made, melt it or bake with it…the options are endless and will have your preschoolers begging for another sweet activity.
Jump over to Preschool Teacher 101 for a tasty chocolate lesson plan.
Colors Theme
There is nothing dull about learning your colors! Help your little ones Identify and match colors, learn about primary and secondary, and discover color magic when we mix colors! This color sensory bottle is mesmerizing as we watch colors mix to form new colors! This is a perfect time to mix up a color-changing volcano, too! Giggle along with the crayons in, The Day the Crayons Quit, and learn about how the world is a better place when we have color and joy! And don’t miss our list of the best color songs for kids.
Get colorful with our color lesson plans available in our store.
Community Helper Theme
September is the perfect month to incorporate a community helpers theme. National Neighbor Day is September 28th, making it the perfect month to learn about how people in our community ensure our safety and well-being. Learn about doctors, firefighters, garbage collectors, police officers, community managers, and more. Grab Pete the Cat, Firefighter Pete, and learn along with Pete as he takes a field trip to the fire station! I love this resource for ideas for community helper centers and activities, and here’s a great list of community helper lesson plans. Use clean-up songs to teach how kids can be helpers, too! Help your little ones be big helpers in the classroom with this helpful job chart!
We also have a fantastic community helper lesson plan, for both toddlers and preschoolers, in the preschool store or toddler store.
Cooking Theme
Little hands sure love to cook and create, so why not make it a whole fun theme? September 25th is National Cooking Day so rustle up something in the kitchen! Experiment with homemade ice cream, a snack for tea time, or some yummy and healthy fudgsicles.
If you are doing a bread baking study, this is a great time for that! A story that goes perfectly is “The Little Red Hen.” Here are some fantastic red hen activities over at Fun-A-Day.
Want more ideas for a cooking theme? We love all of the great hands-on activities over at Planning Playtime.
Emotions and Feelings Theme
Learning about our feelings is a big job that takes time, energy, repetition, and personal reflection. This preschool theme is great for social/emotional development and can be done at any time of the year but is essential to the beginning of the year as children learn to navigate new environments and situations. Don’t miss the chance to use calming glitter jars and other sensory tools while using this theme! This is a great time to sing some silly songs to talk about those kinds of feelings, too. Read The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of Feelings and learn how to open up and recognize all the emotions we experience.
There are lots of ideas in this emotions-themed lesson plan unit from the amazing Preschool Teacher 101.
One of our favorite ways to teach preschoolers to control those big emotions is by using yoga! There are lots of awesome yoga books, yoga videos, and other yoga resources out there for kids. For printable yoga cards and posters you can always have on hand, check out our store!
Fall Theme
Pumpkin spice and everything nice… that’s how I feel about this new season! This theme is ideal for the season change on September 22nd. We have tons of fall ideas for you, including a whole separate list of fall preschool themes! Don’t miss fall books and fall songs for your circle time. Fall science activities, pumpkin art, and apple crafts can be found in abundance! Capture the beauty of fall in a sensory bottle, and incorporate the season into your math practice with fall ten frame counting mats.
Get an entire fall lesson plan in our preschool store or toddler store.
Family Theme
Family is the greatest gift and such a relatable theme for young children. September is the perfect month to celebrate our loved ones! Honor your grandparents on September 13th for National Grandparents Day and the whole family on the 26th on National Family Day. This theme is ideal for building classroom community and learn more about each other and our unique family dynamics. Highlight the beauty in our families with The Family Book, the perfect circle time read.
Our friends at Preschool Teacher 101 put together an entire family lesson plan theme so head over and check it out!
Farm Theme
Preschoolers are absolutely enamored with all things farm! The animals, the oversized machinery, and of course the animal sounds! 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!
Make sure to grab our free farm animal finger puppets!
Grab an entire farm themed lesson plan for toddlers or preschoolers in our preschool store or toddler store.
Five Senses Theme
This engaging and interactive theme is great for a back to school theme and for igniting the inner scientist. The five senses are so critical to our daily lives and a great introduction to our bodies. Learn about taste, touch, smell, hearing, and feeling with fun experiments and great books! Grab My Five Senses (Let’s Read and Find Out Science) for a great introduction to using our senses in fun and unusual ways.
We have an entire five senses lesson plan in our preschool store and toddler store!
Friendship Theme
Friendship is such a precious gift and it begins with learning how to be kind, caring, and thoughtful. This is a great beginning of the year theme to help young children build solid foundations of friendship and learn the importance of our actions and behavior. Encourage pre-writing and fine motor skills by sending friendship letters. Enjoy the story of The Rainbow Fish and learn how sharing with others equals inner happiness and pride. Looking for more friendship books? Check out our friendship book list!
Snag an entire friendship theme lesson plan from Preschool Teacher 101 to get even more great ideas.
Ice Cream Theme
What better way to say goodbye to summer than to celebrate National Ice Cream Day on September 22nd! Have you tried this 3-ingredient ice cream scented bubble recipe? We especially love this ice cream writing tray! Incorporate ice cream into your math center with ice cream ten frame counting mats. Don’t forget to read Mo Willem’s classic story, Should I Share My Ice Cream?
Eat up some more delicious ideas in these ice cream activities or in this ice cream themed lesson plan from Preschool Teacher 101.
Kindness Theme
Spreading kindness starts at a young age. The earlier they learn to interact with others with kindness, the better equipped they will be with how to deal with tough situations and share kind words, even when it’s difficult. One of our favorite ways to teach and model kindness is through the use of kindness books. Using music, like Hello, Friend by Dr. Jean and other hello songs, good morning and welcome songs, and goodbye songs are great ways to promote kindness and acceptance toward other students. Don’t forget the Kindness Elves, a unique and special way to help students spread love and kindness in their daily lives.
Leaves Theme
Learning about leaves as the season begins to change is such fun! Watching the leaves change and soon fall to the ground seems like a magical event that preschoolers are sure to love! Head outside and grab those leaves and put them to good use in these fall science experiments!
Preschool Teacher 101 has a lesson plan on leaves and even an entire fall theme bundle.
Mindfulness Theme
Learning how to be calmer, manage energy levels, and find relaxation is so helpful for preschoolers who are always managing big emotions. 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
Music is proven to appeal to children on all levels, not to mention it’s a fact that music actually makes children smarter! Incorporating music and song, especially at the beginning of the school year is a great way to ensure children fall in love with school and learning. Dance to new songs, learn about different musicians and composers, and grab some instruments and get to rocking! Music can be used anytime during the day: to say hello or goodbye, during circle time, to transition from one activity to another, and to introduce or reinforce new concepts. There are lots of songs that teach a variety of concepts! Check out this handy ultimate guide to preschool songs list!
Have the perfect song always at your fingertips with this free printable song list! Enter your e-mail below to receive the download.
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
Building number sense is an age-appropriate skill children dive into while in preschool. Learning to count, developing one-to-one correspondence, matching, more/less, subitizing, and conservation of number are all critical skills in the stairsteps of math. There are so many ways to make this fun, like with a number recognition activity, teaching children their phone number, and of course, number writing practice.
Fill out the form below to receive a FREE copy of our dinosaur 10-frame mats, perfect for practicing all sorts of early math skills! We have tons of other themed ten-frame mats available in our store, including fall counting mats.
Additionally, you’ll love these themed counting cards for your numbers theme! They’re the perfect resource on hand for every season. They work like magic by 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
Learning through Nursery Rhymes is a tried and true classic with young children. Nursery rhymes are a great way to encourage reading as well as other literacy elements. Using nursery rhymes offers opportunities to learn rhyming, onomatopoeia, alliteration, and don’t forget the musical benefits! Take it one step further with this nursery rhyme sorting activity! After you finish nursery rhymes, you can jump straight into other rhyming songs.
Preschool Teacher 101 has lots of lesson plans based on nursery rhymes, like this one for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Pets Theme
A pet theme is great anytime in the year! Pets are so special to us and children love to play, interact, and be big helpers with their pets. Create a dramatic play area with a pet clinic or pet store to get your preschoolers excited about their new pet theme!
Read The Pigeon Wants a Puppy for some extra silly giggles, and don’t miss the rest of our favorite books about pets. We also have a great list of animal songs, with many songs about pets included!
Our friends at Preschool Teacher 101 have a pets lesson plan in their store for planning the perfect pet theme. And for some pet-themed learning, don’t miss our count and clip cards! They’re free when you fill out the form below.
Pumpkins Theme
Pumpkin spice and everything nice! Pumpkins = Fall + Halloween. September kicks off learning about pumpkins with science experiments and art projects. We have a whole list of pumpkin activities you’ll love! Incorporate literacy with this pumpkin writing center. Taste test pumpkin baked goods, learn about the life cycle, enjoy some pumpkin books, create your own pumpkin book character, and of course, pumpkin crafts! Our list of Halloween songs for kids includes lots of fun pumpkin songs.
Or grab this entire pumpkin lesson plan from Preschool Teacher 101.
Rhyming Theme
There are so many ways you can teach rhyming that having a whole week dedicated to this idea is not only fun, but necessary! Some of our favorites are rhyming stories, rhyming songs, and nursery rhymes, and rhyming fingerplays.
Seasons Theme
Exploring the seasons is a perfect preschool theme and super fun especially if you live somewhere where you experience all four seasons. This theme ties in perfectly for teaching preschoolers about the weather, plant life, temperature, and more! Consider adding a book or a hands-on activity from each season, winter, spring, summer, and fall.
We even have a seasons lesson plan with these activities and more in our store.
Shapes Theme
Shapes are everywhere! We learn the basics first and branch out to the more geometrical. Not only is it important to learn about shapes themselves, but shapes are the perfect canvas for teaching math, literature, or even science. This preschool theme is a great time to pull those pattern blocks or Korxx blocks out of your block center!
Trees Theme
Fall trees with all the autumn colored leaves are truly a sight to see. Learning about trees is a perfect introduction to fall and a great way to make connections to how trees provide for us. They offer shade, animal homes, and help us live a comfortable life. Snag this perfect silly read-aloud, Tap the Magic Tree, which humorously takes us through the seasons as we watch how a tree changes and adjusts to a new time of year.
You can find a lesson plan all about flowers and trees in our preschool store.
Weather Theme
Summertime sure provides us with lots of weather! Preschoolers can be frightened of various types of weather so this theme is perfect for helping them see the beauty of mother nature. Grab the book All About Weather: A First Weather Book for Kids and help your little ones better understand how different types of weather occur. Plan special activities for each type of weather… sunshine, rain, snow, etc. And don’t miss our list of weather songs, perfect for circle time!
Get more weather ideas in the weather lesson plan in both our preschool store and toddler store.
We hope these September 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
- 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
- August Preschool Themes
Themes by Season
- Favorite October Preschool Themes - September 10, 2023
- April Preschool Themes You’ll Love! - March 21, 2023
- March Preschool Themes - February 22, 2023
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