Have you been asked to create a list of postal service themed activities for a group of Pre-Kinders? If so, I may be able to help. At one point in my career, I worked in a preschool. Thus, I happen to know of some ideas that you may find useful. Here they are:
Should you want to incorporate the theme into a language arts related activity, there are free flashcards that feature pictures of a post office and a postal employee on the ESL Kids website. You could use them to teach the children how to spell post office and mail carrier. I would also suggest that you consider pairing the flashcards with Sue Farrell’s book “To the Post Office with Mama.” Its storyline focuses on a child’s walk to the post office. Thus, the two tend to go well together.
Role Playing
Based on my experience, kids also seem to love spending time in a role playing area pretending to be mail carriers. To set up the area, simply fill it with homemade or store bought bins and mail boxes. If you do decide to make your own, the Artists Helping Kids website has instructions for making mail boxes out of old cereal boxes. Other items to consider placing in the play area are old catalogs, a box of envelopes, postcards, a mail bag and postage stamps. Speaking of stamps, oftentimes the International Society of Worldwide Stamp Collectors is willing to provide free or low postage stamps to children. You can find out more about the organization’s offerings posted on the ISWC website. Of course you could also always make homemade stamps using your home printer and a box of blank shipping labels.
Another option would be to have the kids play community helper bingo. You can find a great, free bingo card posted on the PreKinders website. It features pictures of a postal worker and several other community helpers. If you want to make your own bingo cards, there is a free program available on the DLTK website that you may find beneficial. It will walk you through the process of creating the cards.
Songs and Finger Play
Lastly, you may want to consider teaching the children a song or two about the post office. There is one song posted on the Everything Preschool website that you could use. It is entitled “Mail Myself to You.” In my experience, it is easy to utilize hand and body motions with the song. For example, when the kids sing the part of the song that talks about sticking stamps on their heads, they could put their hands on top of their heads. When they sing the part about wrapping themselves up in paper, they can wrap their arms around their torsos.
Source: Personal Experience
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