Boats: a preschool theme week
Checked Oct 30, 2026 · Summer · July, August
One week on boats for twos to fours: a five-line circle time, 4 books (3 free to read on Peabody), one craft with 5 materials, “Rub-a-Dub-Dub” with its words, a snack from the Kitchen and the letter B.
Circle time
- Good morning song, then say each name together.
- Calendar: the day, the date and the weather.
- Ask: “What makes a boat float?”
- Sing: Rub-a-Dub-Dub.
- Read: Chip and the Shell (level 2).
Threes and fours: ten to fifteen minutes; let a child hold the book.
Books
- Chip and the Shell (level 2, free on peabody.kids): Life by the water.
- Kip and the Crab (level 3, free on peabody.kids): A day at the water's edge.
- Fish in a Dish (level 2, free on peabody.kids): Water and a fish.
- Ben and the Puddle Boat (read aloud, level 6): A read-aloud: making a boat for a puddle.
Craft: Foil boat
You need (5): a square of foil, a paper sail, a craft stick, tape, a tub of water.
- Fold the foil edges up into a boat.
- Tape the sail to the stick and stand it in the boat.
- Float it, then add little balls of play dough until it sinks.
With a grown-up. No heat, nothing hot.
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.
Snack
Kiwi Turtles from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.
Letter pack
BbB is for boat. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).
Threes and fours: trace B and b once, then find B in the room and in the book.
Outside: Row the boat
Sit in pairs facing each other, hold hands and row back and forth while you sing.
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The books are Peabody's own open library, free with no sign-in. The song is public domain. The snack links to the Peabody Kitchen. Nothing here asks for a child's name.