Letter Y Preschool Activities (And Free Preschool Lesson Plan Y is for Yawn)

Whether you are planning preschool for a crowd or you just want some activities for your child, kids will love these preschool activities about the letter Y. These activities include games, music, books, science ideas, crafts, and more! Kids will enjoy and learn from these creative and hands-on Letter Y activities for preschool. This post includes all you need to teach the free preschool lesson plan Y is for Yawn.

This lesson continues our alphabet lesson plan series and is intended to help make your experience teaching preschool in your home easier, educational, and more fun.

Most importantly, the best part of doing preschool at home is the chance to teach my kids (and whatever buddies are with us) the things that really matter, laugh together, and shower them with love at this young and important age. My hope is that these lesson plans and activities help you in your efforts to do the same.

If you haven’t seen my quick tips for getting started with successful home preschool, check them out.

Use and share these plans to talk, sing, read, write, and play your way through the alphabet; these kinds of activities are the foundation of building strong readers. You can use our full lesson plans, or, of course, pick individual activities to do with the Littles in your life. Lastly, I am also a budget-friendly Mama, so no worries there: our activities are always easy on the pocketbook. Now, let’s get to it!

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Visit the Preschool Lesson Plan Index to see what free plans are published or in the works!

Update: You can now get ALL of the Alphabet Lesson Plans, Checklists, and Printables, (plus Bonus Ideas and 75+ exclusive preschool printables!) all in one budget-friendly digital product…A to Z and Beyond! Preschool Curriculum.

INTRODUCTION

First off, gather on the floor for circle time and start with a welcome song. We have been singing, “Hello to All the Children of the World”. Each week we have been briefly spotlighting one of the countries or features in the song.

Earlier we talked about the line that says, “We speak in many different ways!” One way to speak that is not in the song is with sign language.

Today, we’ll learn signs to represent the lines “If we could meet each other, to run and sing and play.” Some of these words we’ve already learned, but each of them can be found in this super helpful signing dictionary that shows how to make the signs.

To make the sign for “if,” hold up just your pinky (the sign for the letter I), and tap it on your cheek.

Remember, “we” is signed by using your right hand pointer finger to point to the right side of your chest and then across to the left.

One way we can sign the word “meet” is by holding up the two pointer fingers facing each other, but spaced out with one in front of the other. Then move the hands together like they are meeting each other.

“Each other” is signed by making fists with one thumb pointing up and one thumb pointing down. Move your thumbs around each other.

We can sign “run” by hooking one thumb around a pointer finger and quickly moving them forward and back.

Remember, we learned the signs for “sing” and “play” before. Sign “sing” by bending one arm at the elbow and holding that hand flat, with palm facing you. Flatten the other hand, holding fingers close together, and sweep it back and forth right above your elbow crook.

Lastly,  hold out the thumb and pinky of both hands and move them up and down to make the sign for “play.

Sing the song again, reviewing all the signs learned so far. We almost have the whole song down!

Write: Letter Y with Yarn

I introduced our letter for the day, Y! First we made the sound of letter y , and I said how we were going to practice writing with something that starts with y- yellow yarn.

I showed how uppercase letter Y is made with straight shapes, and lowercase y is made with curvy shapes. It has a tail. Then the Littles made their own Y’s.

After Y, practice making some other letters too.

Play: Letter Y…Yes or No?

To practice the sound of the letter Y, we played a Yes or No Game.

Before preschool I had cut out the Alphabet Picture Clues (included in Free Lesson Plan Checklist). We put the cards in a stack and went around the circle, taking turns drawing a card. Whoever drew the card would decide if the picture goes in the “Yes (another Y word!), it starts with a Y” pile or not.

As we went through the cards, we talked about some of the different letter y pictures. For example, a lot of kids don’t know what a yak is. This article teaches some interesting differences between yak and bison.

The most fun card was yodel. After watching quite a few yodeling videos (the kids kept wanting to watch another!), my Littles liked this young yodeling girl the best. Then we had some fun and a lot of laughter trying to yodel ourselves.

Play: Y is for Yoga

Yoga is awesome for connecting our minds, breathing, and bodies. It’s all about acceptance and when practiced intentionally can bring health and healing into our lives.

This Letter Y Preschool Lesson was the perfect time to throw in some yoga because, yep, Y is for Yoga!

We do quite a bit of yoga around here, so we did a yoga flow. One of our favorites is this 10 Minute Yoga Flow! with Yoga Girl, Rachel Brathen.

If your Littles haven’t done much yoga before, you might prefer this Yoga for Kids with Alissa Kepas. It moves through the poses slower, gives more explanation, and even adds animal sounds for some added fun for kids.

I feel it’s really important when doing yoga to help everyone understand that it’s not about being flexible. It’s not a competition to see who can do what poses. (We love competition in our family, but this isn’t the time for it!) Yoga is about doing something good for your body and self and feeling gratitude for the bodies we’ve been given.

Talk: Y is for Yawn

After yoga, I introduced our topic for the day: Y is for Yawn!

Why do we yawn? That’s actually an interesting question, without definite answers. This article for kids shares some theories about why we yawn, including to get more oxygen or to stretch our lungs. From experience, I yawn when other people yawn or when I’m tired!

We talked about being tired and why it’s so important to get good sleep. Last preschool we learned about choosing to keep our bodies healthy. Sleep is a vital part of that. We can learn to pay attention to our bodies and rest when we feel tired. We can also choose to go to sleep at bedtime.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, “Studies have shown that kids who regularly get an adequate amount of sleep have improved attention, behavior, learning, memory, and overall mental and physical health.”

So, today, as part of this Letter Y is for Yawn preschool lesson plan, we are going to do some fun activities centered around sleep!

First, we set up the tent!

Write: Bedtime Stories

We gathered pillows and blankets and threw them in the tent. Before snuggling in though, we wrote our own bedtime stories to read.

In order to make our books, we folded pieces of paper in half, and then stapled them together along the folded edge. Each person wrote and illustrated their own bedtime story. (Non-writers told me what to write and on which page.)

I haven’t mentioned yet that this week was fun because my big kids were home. So they were in and out, joining us for several of the preschool activities. Writing these bedtime stories was enjoyable for all ages.

It was a blast seeing how unique each book was. The stories were called Little, Holly The Turtle Makes Cookies (with the cover colored like a Little Golden Book), Tornado, The Friendly Dragon, and Thy Boy Who Died of Boredom. (That last one was about an older boy who goes to preschool and dies of boredom. We might have accidentally skipped that one when it came time for reading aloud. Just had to share that because it’s real life. And yes, there’s one in every group. 🙂 )

Read: Bedtime Stories

We climbed in the tent and read our bedtime stories. Little #4 especially enjoyed reading her story to us. Then we read several of our favorite bedtime stories. We must have picked good ones because check out that YAWN!

One great bedtime story is Sleep Train, written by Jonathon London and illustrated by Lauren Eldridge.

In this book, a little boy counts train cars instead of sheep. While we see and count the different types of cars, we are slowly drawn to lowered eyes in the sleeping car. With all the starry nighttime pictures and big yawns, we can feel the sleepiness. I like this book because one can’t help but read it slower and calmer as it goes, until it feels like the next logical step is drifting off to sleep.

Click image for purchasing information.

Another one of the best bedtime stories of all time is Love You Forever, written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Sheila McGraw.

This story follows a baby into adulthood. All along the way his mother is rocking and telling him how she will love him forever, until one day when the mother is too old to rock. The rocking motion is soothing, and honestly, the words usually bring tears to my eyes. This is one of my favorite baby shower gifts. It’s also one of my favorite stories to read with my kids because that is the truth I want them to know, “I’ll love you forever.”

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Check out this post for some of our other favorites:

15 Best Bedtime Stories to Help Kids Feel Calm and Loved

Sing: Lullabies

After reading several stories, we pretended it was time to go to sleep. So, the kids laid down, and we sang some lullabies.

Two of our favorite lullabies are “Homeward Bound” by Marta Keen Thompson and “You’ll Be in My Heart” from the Tarzan Soundtrack.

When I heard my daughter practice “Homeward Bound” for choir, it left an imprint on my heart. The tune is enchanting. In her own words, Marta Keen Thompson said the song is about “Finding your true calling in life; knowing that those who love you trust that you will return.” I want my kids to feel as if they could sing these lyrics…I will go, live, explore, find my true calling, and I’ll be home.

• Tune: Beautiful version of “Homeward Bound” sung a capella by Peter Hollins and 300 kids
• Lyrics: “Homeward Bound“

Disney’s Tarzan came out when I was about fifteen years old. I remember hearing “You’ll Be in My Heart” by Phil Collins and knowing that I would one day sing it to my children. How true it is that our children, whether adopted or biological, are always in our heart.

• Tune: You’ll Be in My Heart from Tarzan Soundtrack
• Lyrics: You’ll Be in My Heart

For more great lullaby options, check out 12 Beautiful Lullabies to Sing: How to Calm Down Kids with Music.

(Have you noticed a pattern about how I like our bedtime to go…calm and loved? 🙂 )

Talk and Read: Nocturnal Animals

The kids pretended to go to sleep, and we started talking about what happens in the world while we’re sleeping. First off, many animals sleep during the day. So when night comes they are ready to hunt and play. These are called nocturnal animals. Animals who sleep at night (like us!) are called diurnal animals.

We have several nocturnal animals around us, like bats and owls. We talked about those and any others Little #4 could think of. Then we read Nighttime Babies by Joan Emerson. This book has vibrant photographs of nocturnal babies, accompanied by fascinating information. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure this book is not currently available. (Unless maybe your local library already has a copy.)

Another fun book about nocturnal animals that we read is Lights Out, Night’s Out: A Glow in the Dark Book. This is a rhyming book about nighttime creatures. It has colorful pictures, and our edition had some unique glow-in-the-dark elements. Of course, you can’t see those when it’s light enough to read the book, but it was still fun to turn off the lights and then see it!

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Sing and Play: Owl, Owl Where’s Your Mouse

After reading about these nocturnal animals, we played a game involving one of them: owls!

I made up a variation of Doggie, Doggie Where’s Your Bone? We called the game Owl, Owl Where’s Your Mouse?

Playing the Game with a Bigger Group

If you have a bigger group for preschool, have one person be the owl and face away from the group, with the mouse picture sitting behind the owl. You tap one person to steal the mouse very quietly, and everyone puts their hands behind their backs.

Then, sing the song (using the Doggie Doggie Tune) but with the following words instead:

Everyone: Owl, Owl where's your mouse? Someone stole it from your house.
Owl: Who stole my mouse?
The one who stole the mouse: I stole your mouse.

Then the owl guesses who stole the mouse by trying to recognize the voice of the one who stole it. This is especially fun when kids try to disguise who they are by using a silly voice.

Playing the Game with a Smaller or Younger Group

This next variation works better if you have a small group for preschool, when it would be too easy to guess who took the mouse, which is not quite as much fun. This next way to play is also better for younger kids. (Little #5 was playing with us, and he’s two.)

Take turns being the owl and sitting inside the tent (or in a different room). Everyone else hides the mouse somewhere in the room. We made the rule that you had to be able to see part of the mouse without moving anything.

The owl comes back in the room, and again using the same tune as Doggie, Doggie, substitute the following words:

Everyone: Owl, Owl where's your mouse? Someone stole it from your house.
Owl: Where is my mouse?

Then the owl “hunts” around the room until he or she finds the mouse.

This simple game was a big hit with my Littles. They saved the owl and mouse to play again later.

Talk and Read: The Night Sky

After playing several rounds, back in the tent we went. Besides nocturnal animals coming out, what else happens at night? We talked about how in the sky, the moon shines and stars come out.

We looked through A Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky: The Story of the Stars, Planets, and Constellations- and How You Can Find Them in the Sky. They fit a lot into that title! But that’s what the book is about. We found this at our library, and it is really fascinating. There’s much more information that you could get through in one sitting, and I learned a lot from it too. We really liked how for many of the constellations, it had a picture and then a short explanation to go along with it.

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Sing: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

It’s really hard to talk all about the stars and not sing the classic Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Of course, we always do the hand motions too.

Craft: Shiny Moon Mobile

I want to give a shout-out to the book that gave me the idea for this craft. While we adjusted the materials some, the inspiration came from Night Science for Kids: Exploring the World After Dark by Terry Krautwurst.

The book has tons of interesting science facts. For example, what’s the difference in eyes between nocturnal and diurnal animals? Spoiler: diurnal animals have rods and cones, but nocturnal animals have many more rods, which are sensitive to dim light. There are several other differences too, and one page of the book has a clear diagram of them.

Click image for purchasing information.

The book is also packed with fun experiments and activities, like the moon catcher that we crafted.

Materials for the Shiny Moon Mobile

In the variation that we created, you will need the following materials:

• Cardboard or cardstock (we used an old cereal box)
• Circular object to trace (we used a plate)
• Pencil and scissors
• Two pencils or two wooden craft dowels (2 per mobile)
• Aluminum Foil
• Fishing Line
• Beads (we used star-shaped beads- there are some cool choices like pastel colored stars, Silver Glitter Sparkle, & Glow-in-the-Dark!-and some regular blue pony beads)

How to Make the Shiny Moon Mobile

1. Start by placing the plate on the cardboard and tracing half-way around it. Connect the top and bottom with a curved line to create a crescent moon. Cut it out.
2. Wrap the moon and the two pencils or dowels in aluminum foil.
3. Cut at least four pieces of fishing line. Tie a bead to the bottom of each. String more beads on top, making the dangles for the mobile. You can make as many of these dangles as you want and use whichever kinds of beads you want. We did one star bead on the bottom of each, followed by blue pony beads. We made four dangles, with equal number of beads on each, so they would be easy to balance on the mobile.
4. Place the two pencils or dowels in the shape of an X. Use fishing wire to lash them together. Use more fishing wire to hang the moon from the center of the dowels. Tie the dangles onto the mobile, trying to keep them evenly balanced.
5. Next, tie a piece of fishing wire to the top of each end of the dowels. Tie another long piece to the middle. Knot all five together so that the mobile is balanced.
6. Use the long fishing wire to hang the mobile. Enjoy!

Little #4 “helped” tie all the knots with the fishing wire, but it required an adult to make sure it would all balance. Otherwise, she did the rest on her own. She was so excited to hang her moon mobile in the bedroom and see it twist and shine!

Snack: Foods that Begin with the Letter Y

We had yellow peppers for a snack. Other foods that begin with the letter y are yogurt, yams, yucca, or you could get really fancy and delicious with yakitori.

Another option is to serve different kinds of foods and have kids share whether they think the foods are Yucky or Yummy. Or, go the simple route by serving whatever you have around and call it a Yummy snack!

Sing: Goodbye Song

We closed up by reviewing our letter of the day: what Letter Y looks and sounds like. We talked briefly again about the importance of getting good sleep and paying attention to when we feel tired.

To finish off, we sang our goodbye song and see you next week!

Our next preschool lesson will be the last in this alphabet series! Letter Z is for Zoo! It has a lot of fun activities!

Leave a comment and share what activities your Littles are enjoying, what types of posts you’d like to see, or any other questions or thoughts you have. I love hearing from you. Share pictures on social media using #lovinlifewithlittles. Thanks for visiting, and Happy Preschooling!

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