January Preschool Themes

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Using theme units to teach your preschooler is a fantastic way to get your child excited about learning.

You can easily adapt them to meet your child’s needs as well as mold them around topics that your child is already interested in, which will only make them more eager to learn.

The possibilities are endless of course, and your only limit to the number of theme unit ideas that you could come up with is your imagination, but if you’re just beginning to use theme units or are looking for a few more ideas for the new year, this list of January preschool themes is the perfect place to start!

Some of these unit ideas definitely have a bit more of a winter theme going but there are also quite a few that are less seasonal while still a lot of fun!

Penguins

While penguins are around all year long, their association with colder temperatures makes winter a great time to explore these adorable animals with your child.

Ice & Snow

Does your preschooler love playing in the snow? An ice and snow theme unit is perfect for those little ones that love winter weather and with a few simple science experiments, can help them understand what happens to water as it freezes and how snow is made.

Winter

Of course, it’s January, and that means winter in most areas of the country. Make it easier for your preschooler to learn about the various seasons by putting together a theme unit based on the coldest one of the year.

Birds

Did you know that there is an entire day devoted to birds? Well, there is! National Bird Day (January 5) would make an excellent starting point for bird theme unit!

Circus

With January 19 being National Popcorn Day, the first month of the year makes a fantastic time to learn all about the animals under the big top.

Chinese New Year

Also known as the “Spring Festival,” the Chinese New Year honors the start of a new year according to the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. This year’s Chinese New Year falls on January 28 and is a great way to introduce your preschooler to new cultures and traditions.

Hibernation

Another theme unit that is absolutely perfect for winter! Why? Well, it’s the time of the year that animals hibernate so it allows your child to make the connection between the two that much easier.

Police Officers

Learning about various types of community helpers is a great way to encourage your preschooler’s curiosity in the world around them. For our own home preschool, we like to break the different types of community helpers up into different theme units. So, rather than a single, large community helpers theme unit, we create smaller ones that focus on individual professions, like one just for police officers :)

Mittens

Nothing screams winter more than a pair of mittens. With fun, hands-on activities, printables, and Jan Brett’s book, you and your preschooler could have a blast learning with this winter clothing item.

Castles and Kings

I don’t think I’ve ever met a child that didn’t like to read fairy tales of some sort. Put those books to good use and pair them with some fun activities and dress up clothes for an awesome theme unit that your preschooler is going to love!

Polar Animals

While winter lasts only a few months of the year for us, there are quite a few species of animals that live in the cold their entire lives and with some awesome books and fun activities, your preschooler will have a blast learning all about them.

Space

Rockets, stars, planets, and constellations. There are so many awesome things to learn about while studying space!

Snowmen

Whether you’ve got snow on the ground in your neck of the woods or not, like ice and winter, January is the perfect time to incorporate a few fun snowmen activities into your learning.

Dinosaurs

Is your preschooler obsessed with the Tyrannosaurus Rex? Or maybe they’re a fan of all dinosaurs in general. Either way, a dinosaur theme unit might be just the ticket to get them really excited about learning.

Pets

January is National Train Your Dog Month. That means there is no better time to put together a fun theme unit based on all of the various types of pets people have. And if your family has a pet, it may also be the perfect time to get your kids involved in taking care of them.

Puzzles

Puzzles are not only fun, they’re also a great way to get your preschooler to work on a multitude of skills. From early math skills like problem-solving and critical thinking to fine motor skills, there are so many ways to learn with puzzles.