Opposites theme for 3 and 4 year olds: a week of activities
A opposites 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 opposites theme with 3 and 4 year olds
- Arrival, sign-in, and a job from the helper chart.
- Circle (ten to fifteen minutes): calendar, “What is the opposite of up?”, sing “the grand old duke of york”, then Go, Snail, Go!.
- Centers, with the craft at one table: big and little picture.
- Letter O: trace it once, then hunt for O around the room.
- Snack: Banana Sushi, with children pouring and counting.
- Outside: opposite moves.
- Rest, then a longer read-aloud: Look at the Big Pig.
Opposites circle time
- Good morning song, then say each name together.
- Calendar: the day, the date and the weather.
- Ask: “What is the opposite of up?”
- Sing: The Grand Old Duke of York.
- Read: Go, Snail, Go! (level 3).
Threes and fours: ten to fifteen minutes; let a child hold the book.
Opposites theme books
- Go, Snail, Go! (level 3, free on peabody.kids): Fast and slow.
- In My Bag (level 3, free on peabody.kids): In and out.
- Where Is the Cat? (level 3, free on peabody.kids): Hiding: in, on, under.
- Look at the Big Pig (read aloud, level 4): A read-aloud: big and little.
Opposites craft: Big and little picture
You need (4): paper, a big and a little paper circle, glue stick, crayons.
- Glue the big circle and the little circle.
- Turn them into a big and a little animal.
- Say which is big and which is little.
With a grown-up. No heat, nothing hot.
Opposites 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.
Opposites snack
Banana Sushi from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.
Swap: Flour tortillas → corn tortillas; Peanut butter → sunflower seed butter.
Letter O activities
OoO is for opposite. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).
Threes and fours: trace O and o once, then find O in the room and in the book.
Outside activity: Opposite moves
Do the opposite of the leader: when they go fast, go slow; when they reach up, crouch down.
Opposites theme for toddlersOpposites theme for 2 year oldsOpposites theme, all ages
Checked 2026-10-30