Airplanes and Helicopters Lesson Plan for Kindergarten

Airplanes and Helicopters Lesson Plan for Kindergarten
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Circle Time: Airplanes and Helicopters

Explain to the children that the airplane was designed long ago by people who experimented with the idea of flying. The airplane has developed into a form of transportation that we now use frequently to travel all around the world. Tell them how the military planes and helicopters protect the people, the cargo planes and crop dusters help us work, gliders and hot air balloons help us have fun and jet planes help us travel.

Introduce a new word, “biography” and clap to the syllables. Read the book, Young Amelia Earhart: A Dream to Fly, by Sarah Alcott and James Anton.

Activity:

After reading the story, encourage a fun role playing activity. The class will pretend to be a family going on a trip, people at the airport and pilots and workers on the plane. Assign each child a role to play, from packing, driving to the airport, boarding the plane, and arriving at their destination. This activity encourages self-expression, as well as social skills.

Art:

A good idea is to always have drawing paper available for the children to develop their creativity in art. In this lesson, encourage them to create a colorful picture of airplanes and helicopters they have learned about to be displayed.

In addition to the picture, demonstrate how to make a paper airplane. Attach fishing line to each child’s plane and hang on the ceiling around the classroom.

Math: Number/Word Recognition

Make 10 card-stock suitcases, labeling each with a number word one through ten. Use plastic items for the children to place the correct number of items in the marked suitcase. For example, in suitcase marked “eight”, the child will place 8 items, etc.

Some ideas for this lesson were from the Saskatchewan Education, Kindergarten Children First: An Information Bulletin for Administrators.

Suggested reading:

  • A Day at the Airport by Richard Scarry
  • Young Amelia Earhart: A Dream to Fly by Sarah Alcott and James Anton
  • All Aboard Airplanes by Frank Evans and George Guzzi
  • How Will You Get There, Maisy? by Lucy Cousins

This post is part of the series: Kindergarten Transportation Unit

This is a 5 part series of lessons on transportation for kindergarten that focuses on the airplane and helicopter, boats, trains, trucks and cars.

  1. Kindergarten Transportation Unit: Airplanes and Helicopters Lesson & Activities
  2. Kindergarten Transportation Unit: Boats
  3. Kindergarten Transportation Unit: Trains Lesson Plan
  4. Kindergarten Transportation Unit: Trucks
  5. Kindergarten Transportation Unit: Cars Lesson