Do you want to provide your preschoolers with an educational and fun experience? Look no further than sea turtles! In addition to being a captivating topic for young minds, sea turtles offer lots of learning opportunities for children. With so many animals in aquatic ecosystems, it’s an ideal way to explore the outdoors from the comfort of your home.
From activities that pique their curiosity about ocean creatures and interactive games that reinforce important concepts like conservation and stewardship, read on to find out several exciting ways you can provide your little ones with stimulating experiences through engaging Sea Turtle Games & Learning Activities!
Welcome to my blog post about sea turtle games and learning activities for preschoolers! As a teacher, I love incorporating fun and educational activities into my classroom lessons.
Today, I’m excited to share some of my favorite ideas for teaching about sea turtles. These activities are perfect for young students, and they’re sure to enjoy them! So without further ado, let’s get started. :)
Sea Turtles are amazing reptilian creatures.
What is a Sea Turtle?
Sea turtles are a species of marine reptile found in all parts of the world. They are ancient animals and have been around for some 150 million years. They have a streamlined body shape and flippers, which allow them to move gracefully and quickly through the water.
Their hard shells protect them from predators as well as any other danger they may encounter in their environment. These shells also provide them with buoyancy and keep them warm in cold waters. Sea turtles can come in a variety of colors depending on their species, ranging from green, yellow, brown, grey, black, or even red!
Sea turtles feed primarily on jellyfish and mollusks but they also eat crustaceans and algae. They rarely come ashore to feed and will typically only do so when they’re searching for nesting sites or laying eggs.
Female sea turtles lay eggs – usually 100 at a time – on sandy beaches which hatch after two months incubation period. After hatching, young sea turtles make their way to the ocean where they live for several years before returning to their nesting grounds to mate when they reach adulthood.
How long do sea turtles live?
The lifespan of sea turtles varies between species but most live up to 80-100 years! They can grow up to 4 feet long and weigh up to 400 pounds! As far as sea turtle predators go, sea turtle eggs are eaten by raccoons, skunks, dogs, and cats while hatchlings are preyed upon by gulls and other birds once they reach the surface of the water. Additionally, adult sea turtles can be attacked by sharks or killer whales if they venture too close to shore or get caught in fishing nets.
In order to protect this endangered species, many countries have put regulations in place. Examples of regulations include prohibiting killing or capturing sea turtles along with banning fishing gear that is lethal for them (such as shrimp trawling).
There are also programs that provide public awareness about the importance of protecting these creatures through education campaigns as well as creating protected nesting beaches for female turtles wanting to lay eggs.
Sea Turtle Quick Facts for Kids
- Sea Turtles have existed for over 150 million years
- Were once bigger than a car, over time sea turtles have become smaller (now 2-6 feet long and 75-2000 pounds)
- There are seven species of sea turtles
- Sea turtles travel thousands of miles every year
- They are an endangered species
- They cannot pull their head and legs into the shell
- They only come on land to lay eggs.
- Only one hatchling in a thousand makes it to adulthood (15-25 yrs) They can live to be over 100 yrs old.
- Hatchlings will return to the same beach where they were born to nest if they make it to adulthood.
- A female deposits 50 to 200 (depending on the species) Ping Pong ball shaped-eggs into the egg cavity.
- The only ocean sea turtles don’t live in is the Arctic Ocean
Sea Turtle Games for Preschoolers
Sea Turtle Crafts
- Origami Sea Turtle,
- Bottle Cap Sea Turtle
- Egg Carton Sea Turtle
- Maize Noodle Sea Turtle
- Dot Art Turtle
- Sticky Turtle
- In the Yarn Sea Turtle Craft
- Button Sea Turtle
- T is for Turtle crafts
- Paper Plate Turtle and Turtle snack
Coloring Pages
I taped this sea turtle coloring page on our dining table ready for the boys to discover to start their minds going on sea turtles. There are several other great Sea Turtle coloring pages available on the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s website.
Connect the Dots
My 3-year-old has been really into connecting the dots lately. So I found this great sea turtle connect the dot from the Sea Turtle Conservancy for him.
Language Activities
I made these Sea Turtle Species three-part cards to identify the seven species of Sea Turtles. Here is a great online resource for learning about the different Sea Turtle species.
Sea Turtle Life Cycle
We purchased these wonderful Safari Sea Turtle Life Cycle replicas and used this Sea Turtle Life Cycle document. We also watched the Youtube video [below] of hatching making its way into the world.
Practical Life
I created a sea turtle transfer tray with tongs, two identical bowls (one with the sea turtles and one empty to present), and ten mini sea turtles from Safari.
Sensorial
I found this great Tangram site and downloaded this sea animals tangram printout. I pulled out our Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and let my son at it.
Math
I created a number seven to represent the seven main species of sea turtles. Then I had my son cut out these mini sea turtles to decorate the number seven with glue, crayons, and markers.
Geography
We took a look at where Sea Turtles live and nest in Australia and Hawaii. Then we took a look at this very cool Sea Turtle resource that allows us to track various sea turtles.
Also, check out these sea turtle tracking projects! So cool and kids will enjoy watching where the turtles roam!
More Sea Turtle Resources
Sea Turtle Conservancy Kids Corner
Have fun and thanks for stopping by!
Marnie