Handling kids can be a daunting task unless you are fully prepared for it. One way you can tackle any classroom situation while making it all the more fun and engaging for the kids is by introducing them to Dr. Seuss-themed activities.
Dr. Seuss is well-known amongst kids for unusually grasping storylines and characters. It is sure to get everyone nostalgic and enthusiastic for any event such as birthdays, holidays, or other elementary school activities.
Whether it is crafts or games, Dr. Seuss-themed activities can make things fun and engaging for the kids so they can productively spend their hours.
Great Dr. Seuss Activities For Kindergarten
Below we have a list of some great Dr. Seuss activities for you to start your day along with your kids. There is something for everyone, so you are sure to come across an activity that would suit you the best.
If you are looking for something intellectually stimulating for kids up to ten years, this activity includes counting and measuring. It involves a storybook having a lion, a dog, and a tiger as characters, challenging each other to find out who can balance the most apples atop his head. You can make use of old milk bottle caps for the apples. The kids can then take over to practice by adding and taking away apples.
What is great about this activity is that it also offers a sensorial experience by having homemade apple-scented play dough for the kids to use alongside wooden numbers to make it all the more exciting for them.
It has three versions that help kids with recognizing numbers, counting, and fine motor skills. The book also comes in a digital version, so you can put it on for the kids over a tablet too. For the printable, you can head over to mamapapabubba.com.
If your kids enjoy activities that involve conversation, this one will be a great activity for them to indulge in. It essentially aims to help kids rhyme better.
The next step is to ask the kids to close their eyes while you hide behind one of the images and then give a clue saying, for example, “The Cat in the Hat is hiding behind the picture that rhymes with a bat.” The kid then has to pronounce the words of every image until he comes across the right one.
All you have to do is use coloring pages that consist of images such as those of a fox, bell, bug, hat, dish, and dog, and then use them as a pocket chart. You can also scan the coloring page to downsize the images and label them.
It is an activity-filled with curiosity and excitement for the kid and the teacher both. The images can be used to color on after this step is complete, and since they can be enlarged to a human scale, up to three kids can color a single image.
If you have any further queries about this one, you may find ThisReadingMama.com useful.
For this activity, the main components are a jumbo craft stick and cat-face printouts. The primary supplies you will need are glue, rubbing alcohol, a red and black marker, bowtie pasta, red food coloring, and a ziplock bag. You can start by adding red food coloring and rubbing alcohol to the zip-lock bag along with the bowtie pasta. Then seal the bag.
The next step is to shake the bag till the pasta gets the color and then set it out to dry over a sheet. Print the cat face and cut it out. Draw the facial features using a black marker.
The cat face goes atop the craft stick using glue. Then using the red marker, you can draw stripes on the hat and then glue red bowtie pasta beneath the cat’s face.
This activity teaches the skills of assembly, painting, and organization to kids and makes them more adept at following instructions as they are laid out.
For more information about this activity, be sure to check out KidsSoup.com.
This activity involves reading The Lorax. Upon completion of this book, there is a template that the kids can use to come up with their very own Lorax mini-poster. As a teacher, you can start them off with ‘If I were the Lorax, I would help planet Earth by ..” and see their imagination come into play. Before you begin this activity, you can also have a class discussion to brainstorm some ideas, so you know what to expect.
This is a great activity for kids above six years of age, as it involves polishing reading and writing skills. By the end of it, ask the kids to show their final work, which may also include graphics. It can be an entertaining activity for Earth Day. For an even more meaningful learning process, you can make a math mat and give some markers, small pom-poms, and a file folder to kids who can then use them to solve math problems. For an online format of the book, you can head over to WeAreTeachers.com.
Reading Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham always brings out the curiosity in kids of what they must taste like in real life. This gives you a chance to surprise them with a tasting session to evoke their senses and imagination.
All you have to do is get plastic forks and paper plates ready. Pre-cut the ham and then offer little pieces to each kid. Make the scrambled eggs in bulk using the recipe provided at the website link mentioned below to make them look just as they are in the book.
Involve the kids in the cooking process while ensuring safety for handling equipment. You can even dress up as Sam-I-Am and then serve it to them while quoting from the book “Would you? Could you in your chairs? In the hallway? Up the stairs?” You can follow this up by taking pictures of them and handing out cards that mimic the green egg to write their names.
If you have any further queries about this activity, you can check out KindergartenWorks.com.
Known as one of the favorite Dr. Seuss reading books because of the “oobleck” falling out of the sky, Bartholomew and the Oobleck is great to use as a base for a magic activity. It is sure to hold the attention of kids for a long time.
The story is about King Derwin of Didd, who asks his kingdom’s magicians to make something different fall from the sky. This leads to all his people getting stuck in the icky muck. Now he needs to apologize for using certain words for the magic act to reverse. The mystery is surrounding the nature of those words and figuring those out.
For this activity, you need green dot markers, white crayon, and the Bartholomew and the Oobleck magic art activity printable page for this activity.
Before you begin, put down “I’m Sorry” on the printable page. Pass it on to the kids and watch them get excited as they drop the ink onto the paper, revealing the magic words. For more information about this activity, be sure to check out ICanTeachMyChild.com.
If your kids like a science experiment, this is the one to go for! For this activity, all you need is ¼th cup of sodium borate, borax powder/boric acid, and mix it with ½ cup of PVA (polyvinyl acetate) glue.
This would result in a slimy, stretchable substance. If you want it colored, you can add some food coloring to it. Your kids are sure to enjoy this process as no activity combines sensory play and literacy better than this one.
You can make this in different batches for differently colored slimes. The kids can then use it to throw at each other, and it will be completely safe as the color won’t transfer, nor will the slim stick to their skin or clothing.
It is also a very relaxing activity that would not call for a lot of physical exertion by the kids.
This is another book-inspired activity from the book Yertle the Turtle. The story surrounds a king, Yertle, who wishes to get a view of the land he is the ruler of, so he makes the other turtles stand on top of each other as he climbs atop their backs to have a good look. All you have to do is read the story out or have the kids recite it in a group.
Once that is done, you can make these turtles and have students write about why they think Yertle is a bad king. This activity can be done indoors and is perfect for executing any time of the week if you feel like things are getting a bit boring around the class.
It is a great learning exercise for kids and makes them reflect on ethics and polishes their reading and writing skills. For more information about this activity, be sure to check funfamilycrafts.com.
Every kid loves to dress-up. This activity involves them dressing up as Things 1 and 2 from The Cat in the Hat. It is a pretty simple activity enjoyable for both kids and teachers. You can combine it easily with other math and literacy Dr. Seuss activities too. For this, you only need blue and white construction paper along with a stapler and some markers.
Have each kid wear a red shirt and then cut out circles from white construction paper. The kids can write “Thing” at the top of the circle, along with the appropriate number underneath. So, for example, one character would be Thing 1, then the next would be Thing 2, and so on.
Then, using a safety pin, attach the names to the kid’s red shirts. You can also make a headband by measuring a blue strip along with the head and cutting it to measure and staple around the kid’s head. Then take lots of pictures to capture the moment.
It is a great activity when you need to celebrate a holiday event and need a theme to go by. If you need the template sample or more information, you can visit Fun-A-Day.com.
What Supplies Are Needed For These Activities?
All the activities mentioned above call for some sort of preparation beforehand. To help you with the process, we have provided an overview of some of the more common supplies and materials you will need for most of these activities. Each activity is different and thus would call for some unique material, but some should be readily available, and their use is mutual for all activities.
The glue comes in handy when you have to deal with a printable or have a crafty activity on hand. For drawing over printable or for outlining or handing over to the kids for marking purposes, make sure you have a set of markers on hand. It is better if you have a set of colored markers to make it more exciting for kids to use.
Every kid would want to indulge in a painting activity so make sure you have a good quantity of colored, washable, toxin-free paints for kids to use when required. A functioning printer and printable papers are also required, which you can use when you want kids to dress up or color on something. You will also need a pair of scissors, the use of which you should supervise to cut out the printable paper if need be.
Conclusion
Dr. Seuss is one of the most liked characters, and all activities related to his books are found to stimulate a kid’s imagination to a great extent. Furthermore, these activities call for a two-way interaction between the teacher and the kids, making a classroom an interactive learning environment rather than a typical classroom environment.
Hi, I'm Amanda! Welcome to Education Outside! Im passionate about educating young minds and helping parents/teachers by providing easy and effective teaching resources. Check out all of my teaching resources on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
