Beach theme for 3 and 4 year olds: a week of activities
A beach theme lesson plan for 3 and 4 year olds: what a day looks like, then the week's circle time (ten to fifteen minutes, with a child holding the book), books, craft, song, snack, letter and outside time, each with what changes at this age.
A day of the beach theme with 3 and 4 year olds
- Arrival, sign-in, and a job from the helper chart.
- Circle (ten to fifteen minutes): calendar, “What would you find at the beach?”, sing “rub-a-dub-dub”, then Kip and the Crab.
- Centers, with the craft at one table: sand picture.
- Letter S: trace it once, then hunt for S around the room.
- Snack: Crab Croissant, with children pouring and counting.
- Outside: sandcastle team.
- Rest, then a longer read-aloud: Under the Sea.
Beach circle time
- Good morning song, then say each name together.
- Calendar: the day, the date and the weather.
- Ask: “What would you find at the beach?”
- Sing: Rub-a-Dub-Dub.
- Read: Kip and the Crab (level 3).
Threes and fours: ten to fifteen minutes; let a child hold the book.
Beach theme books
- Kip and the Crab (level 3, free on peabody.kids): A crab on the beach.
- Chip and the Shell (level 2, free on peabody.kids): A crab looking for a shell.
- Fish in a Dish (level 2, free on peabody.kids): A fish and kindness.
- Under the Sea (read aloud, level 4): A read-aloud pattern book under the waves.
Beach craft: Sand picture
You need (4): card, glue stick, a little play sand in a tray, a paper shell.
- Rub glue where the beach goes.
- Sprinkle sand on and tip off the extra.
- Glue a shell on your beach.
With a grown-up. No heat, nothing hot.
Beach song: Rub-a-Dub-Dub
The words
Rub-a-dub-dub, Three men in a tub, And who do you think they be? The butcher, the baker, The candlestick-maker; Turn them out, knaves all three!
Traditional; public domain. From Top 52 nursery rhymes with lyrics.
Beach snack
Crab Croissant from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.
Letter S activities
SsS is for sand. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).
Threes and fours: trace S and s once, then find S in the room and in the book.
Outside activity: Sandcastle team
In the sandbox, build one big castle together with cups and spoons. Count the towers.
Beach theme for toddlersBeach theme for 2 year oldsBeach theme, all ages
Checked 2026-10-30