Let's blast off to Outer Space this week and explore Astronauts, Planets, and Stars!

​I've Scoured the Web to find inspirational Outer Space lesson planning ideas, so you don't have to!

This page includes out of this world fun learning ideas for cognitive,  social, and physical development.
You will also find ideas for parent & community engagement, fun Outer Space related books and materials to add to your learning environment, and fun ways to use activities from the Pre-K Printable Fun Outer Space Activity Pack. 
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Activities marked with an asterisk * are Pre-K Printable fun products
​These resources are available FREE to Pre-K Printable Club Members inside the the Member Download Area.

Related Products

Outer Space Activity Pack

$5.00

This product is free for Pre-K Printables Club Members inside the member download area! Not a member? Find out out to join here!


This 56-Printable activity pack includes the following activities:

Space Shuttle Shape Clip Cards

Blast off color matching activity

Outer Space Cutting Practice

Starry night uppercase & lowercase file folder game

Outer Space Count and Clip Cards

Outer Space Puzzles

Counting Stars Mats 1-10 with Frames & Counters

Night Sky Counting Mats 1-10

Blast off counting mats 1-20

Outer Space Gross Motor Activity Cards

Outer Space sorting mat

Planet Line-Up

Astronaut and spaceship shapes file folder game

I Spy Outer Space

Outer Space Positional Mat

Label the parts of the space shuttle

Outer Space 3-part cards

Outer Space Word Wall Cards

Cover, Directions, TOS, and Graphics Credit
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Sight Word Activities-Editable

$5.00

This resource is available FREE to Pre-K Printable Club Members inside the the Member Download Area.


This 22 page download contains the following 6 editable sight word mats and matching card designs:

Basket & Easter Egg

Lunchbox and apple

Boat & Sail

Car & Wheel

Chicken & Egg

Spaceship & Astronaut


Easily add any word to the editable boxes to create developmentally appropriate sight word matching activities for your group.

In addition to sight words: Consider adding each child’s name, colors, shapes or other beginning words.
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Pre-K Printable Fun Outer Space Activity Pack

The Pre-K Printable Fun Outer Space Activity pack is full of engaging learning activities for preschoolers! 
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​Use as file folder games, tot trays, or create your own invitation to play using the printables and your own materials!
​Here are just a few of the fun activities included in this pack!
Find out more about what's included in this pack in the Outer Space Activity Pack description page

Ideas by Learning Domain

Creativity

  • Add a variety of Outer Space open ended arts & crafts items to your Art Space this week including Space themed stickers, stencils, stamps, and cookie cutters.
  • Add small Space themed figures to be used with your Play Dough Invitation this week.
  • ​Make a fun snack using these cute outer space cookie cutters!
  • ​Provide blue paper, star stamps, and yellow tempera paint for kids to create star art
  • Make rocket ships from empty 2 liter bottles
  • Create an invitation to create a telescope using paper towel tubes, stickers, and markers. 
  • Create visual interest in your classroom by hanging inflatable balls in a variety of sizes from the ceiling to represent planets. 
  • Make Galaxy Dough! Simply use your favorite play dough recipe to make black play dough and add purple and silver glitter. 
  • Provide Model Magic for students to create a planet of their choice. Once it's dry they can paint it. 
  • Provide paper plates and a variety of art materials for students to create their very own planet!
  • Set out an invitation to create the moon using crumpled tin foil and scissors, cutting the foil is great for fine motor development. 

Literacy

Here's a fun space pun to pull out this week:
"I’m currently reading a book on anti-gravity and it’s impossible to put it down"
Once the laughter is tamed from that clever pun, break out one of these impossible-to-put-down books!


  • Set up the Spaceship and Astronaut sight words set from the Pre-K Printable Fun Editable Sight Words Pack. Use this set to practice name and word recognition!
  • Put cloud dough in a writing tray along with space themed letter cards for moon sand writing. 
  • Invite students to create an astronaut name badge (Pre-K Printables Club Members there is a printable for this in the members download area under the letter O next to the Outer Space Pack)
  • Set up the Starry Night Uppercase/Lowercase matching game from the Pre-K Printable Fun Outer Space Activity Pack. 

Physical Development and Health

  • Here is a fun activity to work on hand-eye-coordination and fine motor development. You will need: golf tees, marbles (ones that look similar to planets, like these, would be fantastic but not required), and a block of styrofoam (available here on amazon or in store in the craft section). Stick the golf tees in the styrofoam in a line. Children then place the planets on top of the golf tees. For an extra engaging learning experience, encourage them to put the planets in order from distance from the sun. **Teacher Tip: You can utilize the Planet Line Up Cards included in the Pre-K Printable Fun Outer Space Activity Pack for this activity. 
  • Set up a planet obstacle course. Use a variety of materials from around the house to set this up. Some ideas: a small slide (to slide out of their rocket ship), pillows or jumping stones (moon rocks), laundry basket (large moon rock), tunnel (crawl into the rocket ship), balance beam (to walk between planets). At the start give the child a planet sticker, they then go through the obstacle course and place their sticker on a black piece of poster board that is at the end, then of course they do it all again!
  • Practice Moonwalking
  • Kids can work on hand strength using a star hole puncher, then use the punched out paper for art projects. 
  • Use the Outer Space Gross Motor Cards to get bodies moving! Included in the Pre-K Printable Fun Outer Space Activity Pack. ​

STEM

  • Make moon sand for sensory exploration. 
  • Construct a rocket ship in the block center
  • Use an app like Night Sky to explore a virtual representation to identify stars, planets, and constellations
  • . Set your classroom computer or tablet up as part of a rocket ship control center. 
  • Fill your sand table with black kinetic sand and astronaut figures
  • Practice counting backward from ten during transitions! 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-blast off!
  • Meet STEM learning objectives with the following activities from the Pre-K Printable Outer Space Activity Pack:
    • Space Shuttle Shape Clip Cards
    • Blast Off Color Matching Activity
    • Outer Space Count and Clip Cards
    • Counting Stars Mats 1-10 with frames and counters
    • Outer Space Number Puzzles (great for fine motor too!)
    • Blast Off Counting Mats 1-20
    • MoonSize SortingSorting
    • Planet Line-Ups
    • Astronaut and Spaceship shapes file folder game
    • Outer Space Positional Phrases ma 
  • Set up an Outer Space Sensory Bin like this one created by Pre-K Fun Community member Erica P. of Erica's Educare Learning Center. You can use black and white beans or aquarium gravel for the base. The figures can be found at the dollar store or in a set like this from amazon.

Group Play

  • Set up an invitation to play cooperatively in a pretend space station (see the dramatic play section). 
  • Planet scavenger hunt: Create or purchase paper or cardboard planet shapes. Trace the shapes onto dark blue or black poster board. Next, make sure the planets are labeled and hid around the classroom. Challenge students to work together to find all of the planets and place them on the board. 
  • Set up hula hoops in the yard to represent planets, mark each hula hoop with a picture label so children know where each planet is. Children draw a card and then travel to the planet they have drawn.  **The Planet Line-Up Cards included in the Pre-K Printable Fun Outer Space Activity Pack would work great for this activity. 

Dramatic Play

Construction

  • Add a variety of open ended recycled parts to your building Area this week (both inside and out). Consider adding Cardboard Tubes, Astronaut Figures, Rocket Ships, Black and Dark Blue Felt, Stars and Planets.
  • add balled up foil to represent moon rocks
  • Mix blue and purple water beads for a galaxy themed sensory exploration. 
  • Add pretend telescopes to the classroom and demonstrate how they are used. 
  • Make a baking soda and vinegar rocket

Community Involvement

  • Ask the librarian at your local library to put together some books related to outer space that are age appropriate for your group! 
  • If you have any local astronauts invite them to your program to talk about their job and show off pictures. 
  • Take a trip to a local science museum or see if they will bring a field trip to you!

Parent Engagement

  • If any parents have an occupation or interest in space invite them to come and share something fun with the class. 
  • Ask parents to assist in setting up an Outer Space Dramatic Play Invitation. 
  • Request materials such as paper towel tubes, tin foil, beach balls, poster board, and model magic for this theme. 

Resources from Around the Web

Astronaut pretend play fine motor activity from Best Toys 4 Toddlers
Sun inspired Number match activity from Modern Preschool
Galaxy Dough recipe from Growing a Jeweled Rose
Marbled Planets from I Heart Crafty Things
Squishy Paint Suns from Fun in PreK 1
Telescope to see the Stars from Things to Share and Remember
Moon Dust Paint Recipe from Learn Play Imagine
Paper Plate Astronaut Helmet from Toddler Approved
Space Water Bead Sensory Bin from 3 Dinosaurs
Spell a Star Sensory Bin from My Mundane and Miraculous Life
Smashing ABC Rocks from Stir the Wonder
Counting Down Stars Game from JDaniel4's mom
Push Light Planets from Play At Home Mom LLC
Moon Sand Sensory Bin from Totally Tots
Moon Dust Writing Tray from Stir the Wonder
Star Gazing Box from The Wonder Years

Plan Your Next Theme

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