Preschool Hibernation Crafts: 3 Ideas to Teach the Concept of Hibernation

Preschool Hibernation Crafts: 3 Ideas to Teach the Concept of Hibernation
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Huge Hibernation Cave

Divide children into two or three groups, and give each group a large paper shopping bag. Help them to cut an arch out of one side of the bag, at the open end, to form the mouth of the cave. Go on a short nature walk with children, and have them collect different objects that a bear (or another animal) might have in its cave. Then have them glue these objects to the sides or bottom of the cave. Give students cotton balls to glue to the top of the cave to show that the cave protects the hibernating animal from the cold. Then let kids put stuffed animals, such as teddy bears, into the cave to hibernate for the winter.

Pop! Goes the Bear

Make a bear using these teddy bear puppet directions in another article by this writer on Bright Hub Education. Cut a slit in the bottom of a foam cup, large enough for the Popsicle stick to poke through. Give students nontoxic brown paint to paint the cup so that it looks like a cave. Then show children how to slide the bear in and out of the cup using the Popsicle stick. They can use this craft to show how the bear goes into its cave at the beginning of the winter and comes out when winter ends.

Our Hibernation Book

If you’ve been spending a while reading and learning about hibernation, consider making a class hibernation book. Have each child draw a picture on a piece of construction paper of an animal hibernating. Encourage them to use different types of hibernating animals in their drawings. Then let each child dictate a sentence to write beneath their picture. Label each page with the child’s name and staple the pages together. This hibernation craft is a great way to show off children’s work when the parents come to visit.

These preschool hibernation crafts will give students something to take home with them – literally! – about the concept of hibernation.

This post is part of the series: Preschool and Toddler Teddy Bear Activities

This series includes several preschool teddy bear activities, including crafts, games, and lesson plans that involve bears. You can use these activities for preschoolers, toddlers, or even kindergarteners.

  1. Preschool Lesson Plans: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
  2. Five Teddy Bear Crafts for Preschool
  3. Teddy Bear Theme for Toddlers: Book, Activity, and Craft Ideas
  4. Preschool Activities on Corduroy the Teddy Bear
  5. Three Preschool Winter Crafts: Animals and Hibernation