Have you ever noticed that preschoolers love touching everything? Has your heart ever skipped a beat as your little one reached towards something before you could warn them or squeak out a “no!” before touching something breakable or dangerous? Well, same! But it is what preschoolers do best. They learn through their senses. Incorporating fine motor activities allows those little fingers to work those muscles in their hands and their brains! These fine motor nocturnal animal activities create learning opportunities – your heart will only skip a beat because of the learning happening in your classroom!
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Nocturnal Animals Lesson Plans
Nocturnal Animal Activities
Sensory Bin
Speaking of your heart skipping a beat… does the idea of a sensory bin filled with black beans make you cringe or does it spark visions of imaginations running wild?
I’m somewhere in between, but I know the risk of a carpeted floor covered in beans is worth the reward!
And, if you’re like me, you love an activity that is quick to set up but captures imaginations for an extended amount of time.
The nocturnal animals sensory bin will do just that! Fill your bin with dried black beans, plastic nocturnal animals, plastic trees, rocks, and logs.
Let your preschoolers’ imaginations do the rest of the work!
Materials:
- sensory tub filled with dried black beans
- rocks
- small logs
- small wood slices
- plastic trees
- plastic forest animals
Nocturnal Animals
Play Dough Invitation
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: play dough trays are like magic.
I don’t know what it is about a preschooler, a tray, playdough, and assorted tiny objects, but it is the perfect recipe for occupied preschoolers.
I also love that you can make a playdough tray fit any theme you are teaching! And, who doesn’t love a good theme?!
Plus, when you add glow-in-the-dark-stars (remember those?!) to the tray, your little learners’ will think you’re the brightest teacher ever. See what I did there?
Materials:
- black playdough
- plastic forest animals
- sticks & wood slices
- tree buttons
- glow-in-the-dark stars
- plastic bats
- milk caps (moons)
Bat Balance STEM Challenge
Nocturnal Fine Motor Activities
When things get batty in your classroom, there’s no need to feel like you’re hanging upside down.
Just grab cardboard tubes, popsicle sticks, and plastic bats (or black bowtie pasta), and you’ve got yourself a bat STEM challenge that will keep your little bats from flying around.
First, have them build a tree with the cardboard tube and popsicle sticks. I limited my little ones to four each to keep it simple.
Then, see how many bats they can balance on top of their branches, counting along the way.
You’ve got fine motor skills, concentration, counting, and something to keep your kiddos (and yourself) from going batty. Boom!
Materials:
- cardboard tubes
- popsicle sticks
- plastic bats (or plastic bowtie pasta)
Owl Feathers
Nocturnal Animal Activities
Did you know that owls can rotate their necks 270 degrees? Wouldn’t that come in handy while you teach a classroom full of littles!
Imagine all that you could see (or wish that you didn’t see) while teaching with a neck like that!
You won’t be hooting or turning your neck 270 degrees anytime soon, but you can set up this fine motor activity for your preschoolers that will turn heads in the hallways.
Gather egg cartons and feathers to create owls that look ready to take flight.
First you’ll add some googly eyes and a beak (we used one of the points we cut off from the other side of the egg carton). Next, use a hole punch to make holes in the side of the egg carton. Then your preschoolers can poke the feathers into the side of the cartons to create beautiful wings!
Materials:
- egg carton
- large googly eyes
- orange marker / paint
- hole punch
- feathers
Hedgehog Poke
Fine Motor Activity
Hedgehogs remind me ever-so-slightly of toddlers.
They are both so cute, and when handled with care they are harmless!
Well, technically toddlers are always harmless (except those accidental headbutts in the nose). They don’t have quills that can poke you…but they can be ornery.
Looking for a hedgehog activity that doesn’t involve quills that can harm your little learners!?
I’ve got you covered! This hedgehog poke activity uses brown playdough with eyes and black nose.
Your preschoolers can break and poke spaghetti into its back to create a cute hedgehog while working those fine motor skills in their little hands!
No preschoolers (or hedgehogs) will be harmed in the implementation of this activity!
Materials:
- brown playdough
- googly eyes
- black beads
- raw spaghetti
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MORE Nocturnal Animal Activities
With a little bit of creativity, you can plan your own nocturnal animal fine motor activities that will engage and excite your students. From poking hedgehogs with spaghetti noodles to inserting owl feathers into an egg carton, the possibilities are endless. Be sure to check out our bat balance STEM activity and nocturnal animal sensory bin for even more inspiration. What fun activities have you planned for your students this year?
