It’s December and the holiday season is upon us. When it becomes nearly impossible to keep anyone’s focus, I love to study these fun and festive animals: reindeer! This Pre-K Reindeer Science Unit is full of activities for a week’s worth of fun as your students embark on this study of a fascinating creature.
There are many adorable reindeer crafts to be made, like our Craft Stick Reindeer or our Reindeer Ornaments. I also love to make these Reindeer Bags for students to take home all of their December goodies and work in before the holiday break.
And don’t forget, before your little ones head home for the holidays, make sure to send them with some Reindeer food to leave out for Santa’s helpers!
And while we sing songs about reindeer and tell magical tales, the true magic is found in what else we can do in the classroom while discussing these furry creatures…SCIENCE!
There is nothing better than incorporating what your students are already excited about into the curriculum. Reindeer are truly a diamond in the rough, because not only are they fun, festive, and magical in stories, but the actual animal is REAL and there is so much to learn about them!
Our Pre-K Reindeer Science Unit is the perfect addition to your studies this winter and will have your students excited and motivated to learn. So when your little ones start coming up to you this December asking, “Are reindeer a real animal?”, you’ll be able to wow them with so many fun reindeer facts, pictures, and information with this unit.
Maybe you’ve already spent your fall learning about spiders, bats, and turkeys with our other Pre-K science activities. If so, you’ll be more than ready to follow the familiar plan of this unit. If you want more animal-themed science activities for prek, plus tons of additional science units, check out our Endless Science {Growing} MEGA Bundle for Pre-K!
Pre-k Reindeer Science Unit
Use our week-long reindeer lesson plans to incorporate all the great things inside this science unit into your busy schedule.
Our living things science units are full of everything you need to teach a successful unit to your littlest learners. This unit includes many pre-k science activities like reindeer facts and pictures, reindeer worksheets, teacher resources and so much more. You can read all about what is in this unit below.
Inside you’ll find:
This Pre-k Reindeer science unit is packed with resources for teaching and learning all about reindeer. The unit includes:
- Unit Overview covering all that is included in the unit
- Lesson Plans for the week
- At-Home Letter to send to families
- Teacher Guide to give you all of the background knowledge you need
- Science Center Ideas
- Science Questions to help you lead discussions throughout the unit
- Book, Video, and Song Lists
- Reindeer Facts Powerpoint and Posters
- Reindeer Nonfiction Emergent Reader
- Question of the Week to engage students and pique their interest at the start of the unit
- Parts of a Reindeer Posters
- Parts of a Reindeer Worksheets
- Reindeer Life Cycle Posters
- Reindeer Life Cycle Worksheet/Hat
- Reindeer Fingerplay
- Reindeer Craft
- Reindeer STEM Centers
Plus all of these bonus materials too!
- Writing Center Cards and Papers
- Reindeer Facts or Animal Research Craft
- Definition Posters
- Word Wall
- I’m a Little Reindeer Emergent Reader
- Reindeer Bingo Game
- Reindeer Can, Have, Are Activity
- Circle Maps
Materials needed:
None of us have enough time in the day to finish what needs to get done as it is, so we always try to base the activities in our pre-k units of study on what you might already have in the classroom or at home. We don’t want you using the very little free time you have to run to the store. You’ll find more materials listed within the unit depending on which crafts and projects you choose to complete.
Some of the materials you will need to prepare for the Pre-k Reindeer Science Unit:
- Copy Paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Coloring Tools
- Construction Paper
- Masking Tape
- Small Plastic Reindeer or Reindeer Pictures
- Pipe Cleaners
- Pom Poms
Using the Pre-K Reindeer Science Unit Animal Study
Once you have purchased and downloaded the Pre-K Reindeer Science Unit, we recommend printing the posters on cardstock and laminating them so you can use them year after year. There are multiple activities, crafts, and projects included in this science unit, meaning preparation will vary depending on what you choose to do with your students! First, check out some of the teacher resources that come in this unit.
Reindeer Unit Overview
Our unit overview shows you a small glimpse of all the good stuff that comes in your Pre-K Reindeer Science Unit, all with suggestions on when and how to use each resource.
Reindeer Science Unit Study Lesson Plans
These week-long reindeer science lesson plans provide you with an outline of when and how to use all of the reindeer information in this unit. The lesson plans are only a suggestion to help get you started. We know that everyone’s school day looks different. Choose what is best for you and your students using the lesson plans and the provided unit overview.
Reindeer Science Unit Home Letter
Parents love knowing what their child is learning about at school and students love to share with their families! Send this provided letter home with your students to clue families into the latest happenings in science.
Teacher Guide for Pre-K Reindeer Science Unit
You might think you already know all that there is to know about reindeer, but I bet we can teach you a fun fact or two! Our Reindeer Teacher Guide is filled with facts and information to teach you all about reindeer before you start teaching the unit to your students. So you will be fully equipped with facts when little Johnny asks, “Do reindeer really fly?” Plus, it’s always good to have extra fun facts for those kids that want to know more!
Science Center Ideas and Science Questions
It’s hard to keep your science center materials new and engaging for your students. Use our suggested ideas and questions to make an interactive center that goes along perfectly with the reindeer theme! Plus, we provide you with curated lists of questions to spark discussion, creativity, and critical thinking in your littlest learners. You can use questions from our Reindeer-specific questions list and/or our general “Science Talk” questions list.
Collections of Reindeer Songs, Videos, and Books
In your download, you’ll receive curated lists of songs, videos, and books that can be used with your students throughout the science unit. You can pull from these lists anytime you need to start a new lesson, fill some time, or transition to another activity! Best of all, the lists are clickable and take you right to the link to watch, listen, or purchase the book. Your students will love the non-fiction and fiction stories and all of the fun songs.
Reindeer Facts PowerPoint and Posters
Our Reindeer Facts PowerPoint can be displayed on your screen/board. Also included are the Reindeer Facts Posters that match the PowerPoint and can be printed, laminated, displayed, and saved for years to come. Students will love learning fun facts about real reindeer. And don’t forget, if you need some more background knowledge or have kids that want to know even more about reindeer, check out the teacher guide in the unit for more information!
Nonfiction Reindeer Emergent Reader
After introducing reindeer to your students with the Reindeer Facts PowerPoint and Posters, use this emergent reader to help students identify the most important facts about reindeer. Filled with real-life pictures, this emergent reader can be used in whole-group or small-group settings and is perfect to place in your reading center for students to explore on their own. Kids love taking their emergent readers home to read to their families too.
Parts of a Reindeer Posters and Worksheets
Help students discover the different parts of a reindeer with these posters and worksheets. The posters include both real-life and clipart options and come with matching labeling worksheets, plus fun glyphs to have students review the parts of a reindeer while also practicing their listening skills!
Reindeer Life Cycle Posters
These posters are perfect for teaching your young students all about the life cycle of a reindeer, with both real-life and clipart options. After reviewing the posters that show the entire cycle, you can have students use the definition cards of the various stages to put the life cycle in order. Students will especially love getting to make a fun hat to show what they know after learning about the reindeer life cycle. Your students will have so much fun making this reindeer hat worksheet activity, they won’t even realize that they’re learning.
Reindeer Fingerplay
Our littlest learners love songs and rhymes, and so do we! This reindeer fingerplay will have your students singing, dancing, and smiling each time you do it. I love to use fingerplays as transitions throughout the day after the kids get the hang of them. Plus, this fingerplay helps your students practice counting too!
Question of the Week
With your Pre-K Reindeer Science Unit download, you’ll also receive a Question of the Week header. I love to start every unit off with a question that piques the interest and curiosity of my students. The kids also love to go home and ask the same question to their families and report back the next day. The question of the week is a great discussion starter and can also be a good way to tie in graphing! For the reindeer animal study, we have a Christmas-related option and a non-Christmas related option for you to choose from.
Reindeer Craft
With simple directions and materials, students will love making this reindeer craft to go along with these Christmas science activities! Tracing hands and feet makes for excellent fine-motor practice, and the finished product of these crafts is perfect for a bulletin board or to send home as a cute keepsake or decoration.
Reindeer STEM Centers
After learning about reindeer all week, give students a chance to explore and create on their own with these reindeer STEM challenges. Students can try to camouflage their reindeer using materials you probably already have in the classroom or at home.
Definition Posters
We want our students to gain an understanding of the different vocabulary words that they’ll be hearing throughout the unit when we introduce a new topic, which is why I love these definition posters! Use these definition posters to teach students the simplified definitions of words related to reindeer that you’ll be referring to during the week. With real-life photos, these posters are one of the first things added to my “print, laminate, and save” pile!
Word Wall Cards
Display the words that you’ll be using while discussing reindeer in different places around the classroom. These word wall cards can be hung up on the board, put in a pocket chart, or put on a ring to allow students to review and familiarize themselves with them.
Reindeer Facts or Animal Research Craft
This Reindeer Fact or Research Craft is perfect if you are looking for a project that has a little more work and depth to it. Use our provided template and directions to help students showcase all of the new reindeer information they’ve learned. If you have students that need even more of a challenge, you can use one of the reindeer facts or reindeer research options for students to add to their craft. Utilize the various options to fit the needs of your students.
I’m a Little Reindeer Emergent Reader
This fiction emergent reader is great to use as an “extra” activity. Your students will love coloring in the pictures and taking this reader home to read with their families.
Reindeer and Reindeer Facts Circle Maps
Doing some writing? Or maybe just some brainstorming? Circle maps are a type of graphic organizer and can be used with drawings or words. I love to make one as a whole group at the start of the unit and then again at the end to see how much the kids have learned. They are also great for your older students to use as a starting point when collecting facts and information about reindeer.
Reindeer Can, Have, Are Activity
Students can complete this Reindeer Can, Have, Are activity by identifying what reindeer can do, what they have, and what they are. This can be done as a whole group activity, as individual work, or a mix of both. With my littlest learners, I like to do this activity whole-group on the board after we introduce the animal.
Writing Center Cards and Paper
After purchasing the unit, you’ll find writing materials to place in a center throughout the week-long unit or to even use as a whole group activity. You’ll receive horizontal and vertical papers with and without lines, plus writing cards in both lower and uppercase letters with pictures so that your young students can identify the words. This is a great way to spark creativity and practice vocabulary and I love to see the drawings and stories (verbal or written) that the students come up with! There are so many different ways to use and incorporate these writing materials into your classroom. With reindeer writing papers and writing cards, you’re sure to get endless magical and festive stories told by your young students.
Reindeer Bingo Game
Want something fun to do leading up to the holiday break? This Reindeer Bingo game is perfect for that! The bingo boards and cards come in color and black & white. I love using bingo as a fun Friday activity, during my holiday parties, or just because! Bingo is also easy to have a parent volunteer come in and run. I love to use counters as the pieces to cover up the pictures on the bingo cards, but many people use paper or anything else they have on hand.
Download the Pre-K Reindeer Science Unit Now!
If you think this is the perfect science unit for your littlest learners, purchase now and get access to it immediately! Grab it from one of our stores:
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Have fun learning all about real reindeer this winter!
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Have fun using this pre-k reindeer science unit with your class. Our students love all the activities and especially the reindeer facts and pictures.
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