Vacation and Travel Preschool Lesson Plan: Teaching Ideas & Activities
Traveling can be a mind-broadening experience, especially for young children. In this travel lesson, we will take a look at things preschoolers may need to learn about travel, as well as let them imagine the possibilities!
Materials
- A well illustrated map
- Picture postcards of places around the world
- A computer with Internet
- Used or Play tickets - Plane, bus, train
- Writing paper
- Drawing sheets
- Colors - markers, pens, pencils, water-colors
Directions
Begin by talking about the different types of vacation travel.
- People travel by themselves, with their friends, with their families, in organized tour groups, etc.
- During their vacation, people may stay with friends and family, stay in hotels and hostels, stay in hired cabins, cottages, houses or flats, stay on houseboats or cruise ships, or stay in tents.
- People may take their vacation at the seaside, in the mountains, in the desert, in other cities and towns, in other countries.
- People may stay in one place or they may travel from place to place in the course of their vacation.
- People may lie around and do nothing, or they may participate in different activities like swimming, boating, playing games, horse-riding, surfing, trekking, etc.
Talk about the reasons for vacation travel. Reasons can vary from wanting a holiday from work and school, from wanting to visit friends and family, from wanting to visit places they have never been to, from wanting to visit famous museums, monuments and parks, etc.
Talk about different modes of travel. People travel by car, by bus, by truck, by tram, by train, by plane, by ship, by boat, by scooter, by bicycle, by bullock cart, etc. In olden times, people often needed to travel from place to place on foot. This is still necessary in some remote parts of the world.
Talk about the travel the preschoolers have done so far. Have they traveled out of their town or city, or within it? Where have they traveled to - visiting the grandparents, visiting other relations and friends, etc.? Have they traveled by car, by train, by plane and so on? What was the experience like?
Talk about how it is important to make a plan before setting out to travel. Making a plan helps you to know:
- Where you want to go.
- What you want to do.
- What you can do in the number of days you have.
- The things you can see.
- The way you can get from one place to another.
- The money you will require.
- The things you will need like clothes, shoes, toothbrush, handkerchief, passport, bags, books to read, cell phone, etc.
- The number of things you should take so your bag won’t be too heavy to carry.
- The type of food and drink you can get.
- Whom to contact, what to do and how to better deal with emergencies like losing your luggage, your money, getting lost yourself, missing your bus or plane, etc.
Talk about the things one might see on one’s travels - Castles, Palaces, Museums, Towers, Buildings, Statues, Bridges, Zoos, Parks, Lakes, Mountains, etc. Different people, different landscapes, different trees, different animals, different birds, etc. Talk about how different places may have different climates, different culture, different languages, etc.
Talk about the benefits of vacation travel:
- Seeing new things
- Meeting new people
- Learning new things
- Having fun
- Spending time with family and friends
- Resting and relaxing
Activities
Look at an illustrated map, showing national or international places.
Show the preschoolers picture postcards of well-known and not-so-well-known places around the world.
Show the preschoolers bus, train, plane tickets.
Use Google Earth to visit different places virtually.
What Else to Do
Read stories and poems on travel. R. L. Stevenson’s ‘From a Railway Carriage’ is a nice one.
Talk about animals, birds and insects that travel. See ‘Why Monarch Butterflies Migrate’ here on Bright Hub.
Hand out drawing sheets and colors, and ask the preschoolers to draw their travels. They can also, if they like, illustrate a pretend trip to a faraway land.
See ‘How to Use a Preschool Vacation Theme in the Classroom’ here on Bright Hub.
This post is part of the series: Travel Preschool Theme
When teaching a travel theme in your preschool class, you can find lesson plans, activities and even book selections for a travel and vacation theme!
