With their prominent humps and penchant for spitting, the camel is a favorite of the animal kingdom when it comes to a roomful of lively preschoolers. From songs to crafts, plenty of options exist when it comes to teaching children about this animal -- as well as teaching other skills such as problem-solving and counting. The preschoolers will see that activities about camels can be fun, while also learning important lessons.
Sally the Camel
Singing the "Sally the Camel" song helps children master counting and problem solving while getting them up out of their seats to move and burn off some wiggles. Draw a picture of a camel on your classroom chalkboard or whiteboard, giving it four humps. Erase one hump after singing each verse of the song. Encourage children to "ride" imaginary camels around the room, and to call out how many humps remain as they are eliminated.
Camel Coloring
One of the simplest and most enjoyable activities for young children involves printing out various pictures of camels for them to color and decorate any way they choose. If you are teaching the class about Ancient Egypt, the desert, or any other camel-related theme, allow them time to color camels to reinforce what you've learned. They can also use the coloring pages to unwind, or allow them to draw their own interpretation of what camels look like on blank pieces of paper.
Camel Egg Carton Craft
Using a cardboard egg carton and some brown tempera paint, create a craft with your preschoolers that is fun and durable. Cut a strip out of the carton that leaves you with two cups. Then, cut a single cup from the carton. Cut four thin strips out of the egg carton lid. Tape or glue it all together to form the camel, and then turn up the strips on the end to form feet. You can also reinforce the cups with tin foil balls, which help the camel to not tip forward onto the table. Paint brown and allow the kids to admire their handiwork.
Sunday School Camel Chart
If your preschoolers are participating in a Sunday School environment, print out a camel and paste into the center of a piece of large poster board. Then, ask children to recall Bible stories that involve camels in some way. If they are too young to think of any on their own, simply tell them a story each week for a handful of weeks, then write the chapters and verses onto the board around the camel. Allow the children to contribute a drawing of their own onto the board that represents that week's story. Some stories include the wise men visiting Jesus, the story of Isaac and Rebekah, John the Baptist's clothing, or the parable of the rich man.
