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Family theme for 3 and 4 year olds: a week of activities

A family 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.

Plan this week for 3 and 4 year oldsThe whole family week

A day of the family theme with 3 and 4 year olds

  1. Arrival, sign-in, and a job from the helper chart.
  2. Circle (ten to fifteen minutes): calendar, “What do you like to do with your family?”, sing “hush, little baby”, then Pat, Pat, Pat.
  3. Centers, with the craft at one table: family house.
  4. Letter F: trace it once, then hunt for F around the room.
  5. Snack: Fruit Dip, with children pouring and counting.
  6. Outside: family game.
  7. Rest, then a longer read-aloud: A Boo for Bea.

Family circle time

  1. Good morning song, then say each name together.
  2. Calendar: the day, the date and the weather.
  3. Ask: “What do you like to do with your family?”
  4. Sing: Hush, Little Baby.
  5. Read: Pat, Pat, Pat (level 0).

Threes and fours: ten to fifteen minutes; let a child hold the book.

Family theme books

  • Pat, Pat, Pat (level 0, free on peabody.kids): A family's small kindnesses.
  • Dad Naps (level 0, free on peabody.kids): A family moment in a pattern.
  • Get Up, Gus! (level 1, free on peabody.kids): A family morning.
  • A Boo for Bea (read aloud, level 4): A read-aloud: a big sibling and a baby.

Family craft: Family house

You need (4): a paper house shape, crayons, paper window flaps, glue stick.

  1. Glue on window flaps.
  2. Under each flap, draw someone in your family (pets too).
  3. Open the flaps and tell a friend who lives there.

With a grown-up. No heat, nothing hot.

Family song: Hush, Little Baby

The words

Hush, little baby, don't say a word, Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird won't sing, Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring. And if that diamond ring turns brass, Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass. And if that looking glass gets broke, Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat.

Traditional (Southern US); public domain. From Top 20 lullabies with lyrics.

Family snack

Fruit Dip from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.

Letter F activities

FfF is for family. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).

Threes and fours: trace F and f once, then find F in the room and in the book.

Outside activity: Family game

Play a game families play: follow the leader, with a new leader each time.

Family theme for toddlersFamily theme for 2 year oldsFamily theme, all ages

Checked 2026-10-30