🌟 Preschool Lesson Plan – Discovering Where We Live
🌟 Preschool Lesson Plan (Ages 3–5)
Theme: Where I Live
Sub-theme: My Neighborhood
Exploring the neighborhood helps young children understand the world around them. Through this lesson plan, preschoolers will discover the places, people, and helpers they see every day while building social skills, creativity, and early geography awareness.
🎯 Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, children will be able to:
✔ Identify important places in their neighborhood (houses, parks, stores, schools).
✔ Recognize people in the community (neighbors, mail carriers, shopkeepers, helpers).
✔ Understand that they belong to a larger community.
✔ Express themselves through art, dramatic play, and storytelling.
✔ Practice teamwork and problem-solving in group activities.
🧰 Materials Needed
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Storybook: Whose House Is This? or Our Neighborhood
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Large mural/chart paper
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Crayons, markers, scissors, glue
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Pictures of neighborhood places (store, park, post office, fire station)
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Toy cars, small figures, blocks
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Pretend play props: mail bag, grocery basket, doctor kit, firefighter hat
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Music player for songs
🕒 Lesson Flow
1. Circle Time (15 minutes)
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Greeting Song: The More We Get Together.
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Discussion Prompt:
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Show children pictures of streets, parks, and stores. Ask: “What do you see in your neighborhood?”
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Encourage them to share: “Who do you meet outside your home?”
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Movement Song: This is the Way We Walk in Our Town (add verses like “go to the store” or “play in the park”).
2. Storytime (10 minutes)
📖 Read Whose House Is This? or another neighborhood book.
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Pause to ask:
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“Who lives here?”
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“What places do you see near your home?”
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Let children compare their own neighborhoods.
3. Main Activity – Art Project (20 minutes)
🎨 Neighborhood Mural
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Lay down mural paper for a big group drawing.
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Children draw or paste pictures of homes, parks, stores, and roads.
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Add toy cars and figures to “drive” through the mural.
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Teacher labels drawings: “This is a park,” “This is a store.”
4. Dramatic Play (15 minutes)
🏠 Community Helper Role Play
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Set up a mini-neighborhood play corner.
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Children choose roles (mail carrier, doctor, grocer, firefighter).
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Encourage dialogue:
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“Can you deliver this letter?”
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“Would you like to buy fruit from the store?”
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5. Outdoor Play (20 minutes)
🌳 Neighborhood Walk (if possible)
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Take a short walk around the school block to look at houses, streets, and shops.
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If not possible: Use chalk outdoors to draw “streets” and “buildings.”
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Children walk toy cars or ride bikes along the chalk roads.
6. Closing Circle (10 minutes)
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Review: “What places did we find in our neighborhood today?”
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Sharing: Each child completes the sentence: “In my neighborhood, I see…”
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End with a calm goodbye song.
📝 Assessment / Observation
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Can the child name at least one place or helper in their neighborhood?
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Did they join in making the mural?
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Were they able to share something about their own community?
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Did they cooperate in role play and outdoor activities?
💡 Extension Ideas
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Invite a guest speaker (mail carrier, firefighter, or parent volunteer) to talk about their role.
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Add toy houses, cars, and people to the block area for ongoing play.
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Create a matching game with community helpers and their tools.
✨ This lesson plan encourages preschoolers to value the people and places around them while building early social studies skills through fun, hands-on activities. Perfect for classrooms, daycares, or homeschooling!
