5 Family & Friends Activities for Preschool that are Effortless and FUN!

“Family & Friends” activities for preschool should be fun and hold kid’s attention. The right activities can help you and your students learn more about each other, and what makes a family. Additionally, it is fun to add a bit of literacy, math, and art to your Family & Friends unit. I have my favorites, some I’ve done for years, a few I added to my lesson plans just last year! I want to share my favorites with you so maybe you can add something new too, and make your Family & Friends unit the best it can be!

Family & Friends Activities for Preschool: Story Sequencing

No Family & Friends Activities for Preschool list would be complete without literacy! I love literacy activities that center around books. For that reason, I try to fit story sequencing activities into my lesson plans whenever I can. Story sequencing is a great tool to boost reading comprehension. Plus, kids LOVE story sequencing! Sequencing activities give kids a chance to revisit favorite books and really dive into the story.

For My Family & Friends theme, one of my favorite books is “Alligator Baby” by Robert Munsch. This book was a favorite bedtime story of my daughters. Consequently, my preschool kids love it too! In my “All About Family & Friends” lesson plan, I made sequencing cards to go along with this fun and silly book. Usually, I read the book during morning circle time, and then during center time we re-visit the story with the cards and put them in order.

You can make sequencing cards for almost any book with a book, a copy machine, and some index cards. Here’s a list of some of my favorite books for My Friends & Family that you might want to try.

• Alligator Baby by Robert Munsch
• The Family Book by Todd Parr
• A Family is a Family by Sara O’Leary
• Happy in Our Skin by Fran Manushkin
• One Family by George Shannon
• My Family, Your Family by Lisa Bullard
• Families, Families, Families by Suzanne Lang
• Our Class is a Family by Shannon Olsen

Family & Friends Activities for Preschool: Put the Babies in the Strollers

Family & Friends activities for preschool should be fun and relatable. Because little kids love babies, I created this really cute counting game. First, I found this adorable stroller clip art from Educlips to make my numbered ‘strollers’. Next, I made the most adorable little baby cards (also using clip art from Educlips). As you can probably figure out, the idea is to look at the number on the ‘stroller’, then count and put that many babies into the stroller. As a result, you have an adorable math center using cute babies that kids love. So, it is a win-win and a fantastic “My Family” math activity for preschool!

Family & Friends Activities for Preschool: Art

When you are looking for Family & Friends activities for preschool arts and crafts come first! Therefore, I want to share one of my most favorite activities of the year! Every year I ask the kids to bring a family photo to school. Then we have a little “Show & Tell” time and they take turns talking about their families as they show the class the picture. As a result, we learn the names of brothers and sisters and even pets. It is always a lot of fun. Then we have the BEST art center ever.

First, I die-cut lots of circles. Sometimes I use people colors, other years, I use bright colors. After the circles are cut, I gather 3 sized of craft sticks. After that, I set out the circles, the crafts sticks, construction paper, glue, and markers for an art center. When the kids come to the center I show an example of my family made from the sticks and circles with faces, hair, and arms and legs drawn with markers. Then, the kids make their families out of the sticks and circles, adding as much detail as they are able with the markers. It goes without saying that he portraits always turn out so cute, and just a little bit adorably wonky.

The Family Portrait Bulletin Board

After the family pictures have dried, we display them on the hall bulletin board with…wait for it…their own family photo right next to it! Consequently, the parents absolutely love it! As you can imagine, the enjoyment everyone gets form this adorable and kinda funny family portrait display is one of the best parts of the year! In closing, I HIGHLY recommend this activity. You will love it too!

I love these Family & Friends activities for Preschool, and I hope you will too. There are a lot more to love in my Family & Friends 5-day Lesson Plans. Just click the link on the photo above. Or if you want a fun center for your family and friends unit, click the link above and its all yours!