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Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

Nursery rhymes: a preschool theme week

Checked Oct 30, 2026 · Any time of year · January, September

One week on nursery rhymes for twos to fours: a five-line circle time, 4 books (4 free to read on Peabody), one craft with 4 materials, “Humpty Dumpty” with its words, a snack from the Kitchen and the letter R.

Plan this weekPrint the two sheets

Circle time

  1. Good morning song, then say each name together.
  2. Calendar: the day, the date and the weather.
  3. Ask: “What word rhymes with cat?”
  4. Sing: Humpty Dumpty.
  5. Read: Man, Pan, Map (level 0).

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

Books

  • Man, Pan, Map (level 0, free on peabody.kids): Rhyming words in a row.
  • Six Cats, Six Hats (level 1, free on peabody.kids): Cats and hats: a rhyme in the title.
  • The Hat Cat (level 3, free on peabody.kids): More rhyming fun with a cat.
  • Fish in a Dish (level 2, free on peabody.kids): Fish and dish: rhymes to listen for.

Craft: Humpty Dumpty puzzle

You need (4): an egg shape on card, crayons, a grown-up's scissors, a paper wall.

  1. Draw Humpty's face on the egg.
  2. A grown-up cuts it into three pieces.
  3. Put Humpty together again on his wall.

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

Song: Humpty Dumpty

The words

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men Couldn't put Humpty together again.

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

Snack

Mini Cracker Pizzas from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.

Swap: Round crackers → gluten-free round crackers.

Letter pack

RrR is for rhyme. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).

Threes and fours: trace R and r once, then find R in the room and in the book.

Outside: Rhyme and move

Jack be nimble: jump over a block. Little Bo Peep: find the hidden sheep. Act out a rhyme each day.

All themesJanuary themesSeptember 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.