Using themes to plan exciting and meaningful experiences in preschool

Whole school trip to T-Play indoor playground

The children and staff of Swallows and Amazons visit T-Play, for a space flight in sensory and imaginative play on Friday 2nd November 2018. As part of the children's unit of enquiry on Space, the intrepid explorers will experience rockets, crawling tubes and nets, foam obstacles, bridges and tunnels. Oh yes, and an escape wave slide of course.

However, the unit of enquiry or theme isn't the most important part of planning an early childhood learning experience. Yes, it makes activities and ideas more cohesive when you're planning. They basically provide a way to tie early childhood subjects together with an overriding concept. It makes learning more meaningful to children as it helps their brains make connections faster. But the behavioral and learning goals, teaching standards, and meaningful learning activities should take precedence to whatever your theme is.