Boat theme for toddlers: a week of activities
A boat theme lesson plan for toddlers: what a day looks like, then the week's circle time (two or three minutes, on laps), books, craft, song, snack, letter and outside time, each with what changes at this age.
A day of the boat theme with toddlers
- Arrival and free play on the floor.
- Sing “Rub-a-Dub-Dub” with actions; repeat it while you change and feed.
- Hold and pass something real for the week (boat), and say its name.
- Snack: a toddler-safe version of kiwi turtles (check the recipe's lines for under-4s).
- Outside: a short walk looking for float.
- Read Chip and the Shell on laps, pointing and naming.
- Nap, then the song once more at pick-up.
Boat circle time
- Hello song: sing hello to each child by name.
- Look out of the window together: sun, rain or clouds?
- Show the theme: hold up something real and name it.
- Sing: Rub-a-Dub-Dub.
- Read: Chip and the Shell (level 2).
Infants and toddlers: two or three minutes, on laps.
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.
Infants and toddlers: one book, read every day; point and name.
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.
Infants and toddlers: let them touch and hold the materials while you make it; nothing small enough to swallow.
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).
Infants and toddlers: skip the trace page; show the picture page and say the word.
Outside activity: Row the boat
Sit in pairs facing each other, hold hands and row back and forth while you sing.
Boat theme for 2 year oldsBoat theme for 3 and 4 year oldsBoat theme, all ages
Checked 2026-10-30