Ten Turtle Facts for Preschoolers: Theme & Teaching Ideas
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Information About Turtles

Learning about turtles is a great way to incorporate the life sciences into your units of thematic study, or as another component to

your lessons about the letter T. Here we will cover ten turtle facts for preschool children to learn and remember, as well as explore several related activities which can be completed at home or in the classroom to supplement the learning.

Turtles are fascinating little animals, and there are certainly many, many interesting facts which could be shared with your students. The list provided here is in no way meant to be all encompassing - rather it includes facts which might be easily remembered by young learners and provides a basic over-view of the turtle species. Here are ten age-appropriate turtle facts for preschool lessons that you may wish to use:

  1. Turtles are reptiles.
  2. Turtles have been on earth for more than 200 million years.
  3. Turtles live on every continent except Antarctica.
  4. There are a lot of different kinds of turtles.
  5. Turtles live on the land and in the water.
  6. Depending on where they live, turtles can be sorted into two groups - sea turtles or fresh water turtles.
  7. Turtles can also be sorted according to what they eat. Different turtles eat different things. Some turtles eat just plants, some turtles eat just meat, and some turtles eat plants and meat.
  8. Turtles lay eggs.
  9. A turtle’s shell is made of 60 different little bones.
  10. Turtles have an excellent sense of smell and very good eyesight.

You may wish to display these 10 turtle facts on a bulletin board or around the classroom. Consider writing each fact on a separate turtle shape for a colorful and interesting display.

Non-Fiction Stories for Read-Aloud Time

Reading non-fiction stories is an effective way for students to learn at this age. Children will naturally glean information, while colorful

Turtle Drawing

pictures provide visual experiences which are not always possible to duplicate in a classroom setting. Here are several suggested stories for exploring turtle facts with your preschoolers:

  • Look Out for Turtles, by Melvin Berger
  • One Tiny Turtle, by Nicola Davies
  • Sea Turtles (Undersea Encounters), by Mary Jo Rhodes
  • The Life Cycle of a Sea Turtle, by Bobbie Kalman
  • Box Turtle at Long Pond, by William T. George
  • Fun Facts About Turtles (I Like Reptiles and Amphibians), by Carmen Bredesen

Extension Activities

If you are looking for ways to extend the learning, try these suggested activities:

Turtle Maze

As always, your comments and suggestions are encouraged. If you know of other interesting turtle facts for preschool children, or

Turtle Drawing 2

lessons for learning the letter T, please share them in the box below. Your preschoolers are bound to think learning about turtles is totally terrific!

References

Ziggity Zoom. “Turtle Hop ‘Chalk and Pavement’ Game”. February 10, 2010. www .ziggityzoom.com