Teddy Bear Picnic Activities for a Full Day of Kindergarten Fun
What if you’ve been asked to organize the activities for the annual Kindergarten Teddy Bear Picnic? What plans do you have? Which activities will you prepare? When will you have time to pull it all together?
Now, take a deep breath! Let it out. Maybe even sigh as you exhale. Let me assure you it’s going to be ok and easier than you think. Keep reading to find out more.
For many Kindergarteners, the Teddy Bear Picnic is a highlight of the year. Your littles will love it!
A theme day like this is a perfect opportunity to have a fun day of learning. Your students will be thrilled by the unexpected joy of bringing their special snuggly friend to school and sharing the day together.
Remember, some children might not have a teddy so make sure that other varieties of soft furry toys are welcome too, and bring some spare ones just in case someone forgets.
Setting Up a Successful Teddy Bear Picnic Day
To host a successful theme day, you’ll need to do a little planning ahead, but not too much. Make the day fun and easy for yourself!
- Pick the date.
- Choose the activities for the day.
- Make a plan.
- Send out a notification to your student’s families.
- Prepare any activities that need materials.
- Choose whole-class or rotation station activities.
- Shop for cookie decorating supplies.
- Remind the class the day before.
- Kick the day off with a welcome to the teddies.
- Take photos.
- Enjoy all the fun!
Teddy Bear Picnic Activities
To help you get started with planning, here’s a collection of Teddy Bear Picnic activities.
Many of these tasks can be completed as a whole class or set up as activity stations for small-group fun.
Start your day with a welcome and meet and greet. Sit in a circle and tell the class teddy’s name and an interesting fact. Read a picture book together. Sing teddy bear-inspired songs.
Teddy Bear Hat
On days like this, it’s always fun to send your students home with something they’ve made. It’s fun to see how excited Kindergarteners are when they’ve created something to wear home from school.
A little preparation beforehand will make this a simple activity to complete. Grab some art supplies to decorate the Teddy Bear Picnic Hat. For example, use colored card, oil pastels, watercolors, or whatever medium you prefer.
Then watch their little faces glow with pride as they wear their teddy hat!
Teddy Directed Drawing
For some reason, students go nuts for directed drawing! Whether it’s the encouragement to ‘have a go’ or the simple task of following directions and making a finished picture. I’m not sure but they love it.
Starting with a blank sheet, tell your students step-by-step instructions. Talk about shape and size. Help them understand positions on the page by giving them direct instructions like ‘draw a circle in the bottom half of the page’, ‘top half’, ‘three fingers from the bottom of the page’, and ‘under the circle’.
So many learning opportunities in one lesson!
Once finished, add color with crayons and watercolors. No two teddies will look the same. They take on their own personality and style. So good!
Afterward, set the completed drawings out on the desks for a walk-by art gallery tour. Encourage your students to wander around the room and explore the variety of teddy bears on display.
Teddy Bear Cookie Decorating
Here, in Australia, there is a cookie, or as we call it, a biscuit at the supermarket in the shape of a teddy. We use these with a tub of pre-made icing and lollies to decorate.
The other option is a simple round cookie and add icing and candies to create a teddy face. Use the icing as glue to attach the candy to the cookie.
When using foods in your classroom, remember to be aware of any allergies or sensitivities that your students might have. Adjust the activities to suit your class.
Please note – This activity was far easier pre-2020 when food handling standards were very different from today. Be mindful of your local guidelines for food handling and decide whether this activity can be done without too much stress. Individual portions and no sharing of equipment may be an option.
Teddy Color by Code
Use this as a number coloring activity, a fast finisher task, or play it as a partner game.
Gather an 8-sided dice or an 8-part spinner. Roll or spin and color a piece of the picture with the matching number. If playing with a friend, take turns until the picture is completed.
Want your own copy of this printable? It’s available as a FREE DOWNLOAD. Click here for your Teddy Bear Color by Code.
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The TCH newsletter offers a dose of creative classroom tips and super ideas. When you subscribe, you’ll get instant access to the super cute Teddy Bear Picnic Color by Code. Awesome!
Teddy Bear Picnic Resource Pack
Finally, if you’d like more Teddy Bear Picnic activities, I’ve created for you a collection of activities ready to print and use.
Includes Welcome Sign, Reminder Wristbands, Draw and Trace, Measuring Teddy, as well as the Teddy Hat, and Directed Drawing mentioned above.
Not sure if you need it? See what other Kindergarten teachers have said…
This was a great addition to my Teddy Bear/Bear week in kindergarten! The kids looked adorable for the Teddy Bear picnic! I took a picture of all of them and sent it to the parents! I will definitely be using this resource each year!
This is my first year teaching kindergarten, and when a colleague told me she does “Teddy Bear Picnic” every year, I had no idea where to start! This was an excellent resource that my students enjoyed.
This is a fantastic resource with several activities. I particularly love the teddy bears picnic parent poster reminder! It saved me heaps of time for my class upcoming teddy bears picnic!
This was PERFECT for our Teddy Bear day for our end of year ABC countdown! I’ll be using it every year, thank you! 🙂
These are great ideas! Thank you for making my teddy bear picnic so easy to organize!
So, now it’s time to gather your ideas, choose the activities, check back with the list at the top of this post, and get ready to plan and enjoy a memorable and fun-filled Teddy Bear Picnic day with your little learners. Woohoo!
For more Kindergarten ideas, check out this blog post about Counting the Days – a valuable activity to integrate into your morning meeting and math time.
Happy teaching,
