Skip to the content
Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

Hats theme for preschool: activities, books and a week’s plan

Checked Oct 30, 2026 · Any time of year · January, February, March, October

H

Hats theme preschool activities for one week, for twos to fours: a five-line circle time, 5 books (4 free to read on Peabody), one craft with 5 materials, “The Grand Old Duke of York” with its words, a snack from the Kitchen and the letter H.

Plan this weekPrint the two sheets

By age:Hats theme for toddlersHats theme for 2 year oldsHats theme for 3 and 4 year olds

Hats circle time

  1. Good morning song, then say each name together.
  2. Calendar: the day, the date and the weather.
  3. Ask: “Why do people wear hats?”
  4. Sing: The Grand Old Duke of York.
  5. Read: The Hat Cat (level 3).

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

Hats theme books

  • The Hat Cat (level 3, free on peabody.kids): A cat and a hat, with short words a four-year-old can follow.
  • The Red Hat (level 3, free on peabody.kids): One red hat, for the colour talk and pointing.
  • Six Cats, Six Hats (level 1, free on peabody.kids): Counting hats on cats: six, then fewer.
  • Rain on the Hat (level 3, free on peabody.kids): A hat for the rain, and the sound it makes.
  • Where Is Ned's Hat? (read aloud, level 5): A read-aloud: a hat lost on a cold day, and where it turns up.

Hats craft: Paper-plate hat

H

You need (5): paper plates, crayons, stickers, a strip of card, tape.

  1. Color and sticker the plate.
  2. A grown-up tapes on a card band to fit.
  3. Wear it in the hat parade.

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

Hats song: The Grand Old Duke of York

The words

Oh, the grand old Duke of York, He had ten thousand men; He marched them up to the top of the hill, And he marched them down again. And when they were up, they were up, And when they were down, they were down, And when they were only half-way up, They were neither up nor down.

Traditional; public domain. From Top 52 nursery rhymes with lyrics.

Hats snack

Rice Cake Faces from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.

Letter H activities

HhH is for hat. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).

Threes and fours: trace H and h once, then find H in the room and in the book.

Outside activity: Hat parade

March around the yard in your hats while the class sings. Freeze when the song stops.

All themesJanuary themesFebruary themesMarch themesOctober themesThe theme plannerPreschool and daycare

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.