Boat theme for 3 and 4 year olds: a week of activities
A boat 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 boat theme with 3 and 4 year olds
- Arrival, sign-in, and a job from the helper chart.
- Circle (ten to fifteen minutes): calendar, “What makes a boat float?”, sing “rub-a-dub-dub”, then Chip and the Shell.
- Centers, with the craft at one table: foil boat.
- Letter B: trace it once, then hunt for B around the room.
- Snack: Kiwi Turtles, with children pouring and counting.
- Outside: row the boat.
- Rest, then a longer read-aloud: Ben and the Puddle Boat.
Boat 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.
Boat theme 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.
Boat 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.
Boat 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.
Boat snack
Kiwi Turtles from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.
Letter B activities
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 activity: Row the boat
Sit in pairs facing each other, hold hands and row back and forth while you sing.
Boat theme for toddlersBoat theme for 2 year oldsBoat theme, all ages
Checked 2026-10-30