If you’re looking for fun and educational activities with your preschooler, look no further! These bear activities for preschoolers are perfect for exploring nature and learning about animals.
They’re also great for developing fine motor and problem-solving skills. So get outdoors and have some fun with your little one! The following post includes bear activities for preschoolers.
Bear Activities for Preschoolers
My Montessori instructors emphasized the importance and effectiveness of taking a topic, whatever it may be, across all areas of the classroom. I always found this approach challenging but highly worthwhile as I saw it play out in the school.
I hope to share some of my ideas, some borrowed (of which I will source), and some original ideas. I hope you find inspiration in these Unit posts. The following post includes bear activities for preschoolers.
Fun Bear Facts for Kids
Bears are among the most popular animals in the world. They have long been a source of both fascination and fear. Although they are often considered dangerous predators, bears are naturally shy and gentle. They are also inquisitive creatures, and their antics often amuse children and adults alike.
Bear Fun Facts for Kids
- Bears are found on every continent except for Antarctica.
- There are eight bear species, including the polar bear, brown bear, and black bear.
- Bears typically live for around 20 years in the wild, although some captive bears have been known to live for up to 40 years.
- Bears hibernate during the winter months, but they do not indeed sleep throughout this time.
- A bear’s diet consists mainly of plants, although they will also eat small mammals such as rabbits.
- Baby bears are called cubs, and a group of cubs is known as a litter.
- Male bears are called boars, while female bears are called sows.
- Bears are excellent swimmers, and some species even enjoy catching fish!
So, next time you see a bear at the zoo or in a nature documentary, remember these fun facts. You might learn something new about these incredible animals.
Check out the bear cubs playing in my backyard!
Bear Activities for Kids
Bear Themed Math Activities
- Bear Counters can match with Safari’s Mini Black Bears, gems, or clothespins.
- Bears in a Den is a simple Numeration work. I used this printable of a REAL bear den with Safari’s Mini Black Bears. You can have the child roll dice or write a number on the card for the child to match.
Bear-Themed Sensorial Activities
- Tactile work can include the children creating their fur-covered “b” or “bear” cut out. Or have various furs for the children to explore with their hands.
- Bear patterning with Baby Bear Counters that we all know and love. Create your cards or use Learning Resources Bear Pattern Cards.
- Circle bear craft
- Silhouette Matching using this bear silhouette printable
Bear Themed Practical Life Activities
- Bear Matching with Clothespins is great for fine motor skills but also pre-sensorial and pre-math. I prepared clothespins with small amounts of various (craft) fur to loosely match the fur of the bears in our unit. Then I printed out images of bears with multiple numbers on the cards. The object is to match the clothespins to the cards with the matching number.
- I made a few Bear Lacing Cards using the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor Constellations. Easy. I printed out a “dot to dot” of the constellation, laminated it, then circle hole punched the card for the lace.
- Bear Tracks with Playdough is a great shelf work. Kids love it. We used Safari ‘s Large North American Black Bear.
- Tonging with Safari’s Minis Black Bears
- Sorting with Safari’s Minis Black Bears and Safari’s MiniPolar Bears.
Bear-Themed Language Activities
- We looked at Types of Bears using this 3 part card Types of Bears printable
- Children’s Books about Bears
Geography Activities
- Where in the world do bears live? I created this Bear Geography template available in my TeachersPayTeachers store to match a species of bear to their home in our world. Grab a globe and make the work a bit more hands-on. Talk about the habitat and how bears might live differently in different parts of the world.
Zoology Activities
- Hibernating Bear Activity from Teach Preschool
- Animals in Winter Round-Up of Activities
- See these Hibernation facts for more information
History Activities
Art Activities
- Bear cave craft from Fantastic Fun and Learning
- Simple Bear Craft
Science Activities
- Balancing Bears using a simple balance scale or hanging with bears tied on each end to find a balance
- I plan to focus a bit on what happens to the body during hibernation. I found many excellent hibernation facts online. We’ll also measure our pulse sitting and then running. I have this beautiful print of the human heart that we’ll closely examine and discover.
- Animals in Winter Science Experiment