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Theme Primer for Playschool (September 2025): Human Bodies

Big Picture Ideas and Concepts

Related Concepts:

  • Body parts and their names (head, arms, legs, tummy, etc.)
  • Each part has a special job (eyes for seeing, ears for hearing, lungs for breathing, stomach to digest food)
  • Our body has internal (inside) and external (outside) parts; some inside parts we can’t see (heart, stomach, lungs)
  • Our skeleton helps us stand up and keeps our internal organs safe (bones vs. no bones like an octopus)

Related Activities from Resource Bank:

Domains & Competencies:

  • Cognitive Development: Scientific Thinking; Critical Thinking & Reasoning; Executive Function
  • Physical Development: Gross Motor Skills; Fine Motor Skills; Health & Self-Care
  • Approaches to Learning: Learning Strategies; Play Development
  • Creative Arts & Expression: Visual Arts
  • Language & Communication: Literacy Skills; Oral Communication

Related Concepts:

  • Different ways to move (jump, crawl, dance, stretch)
  • Muscles help us move
  • Joints bend so we can move (elbows, knees)
  • Animals move differently than people (slither, fly, swim, gallop)

Related Activities from Resource Bank:

Domains & Competencies:

  • Physical Development: Gross Motor Skills; Fine Motor Skills; Health & Self-Care
  • Cognitive Development: Executive Function
  • Approaches to Learning: Play Development; Learning Strategies
  • Language & Communication: Oral Communication

Related Concepts:

  • We eat different foods than animals; our digestive system is different
  • Food goes on a journey through our body
  • Cooking makes food easier to digest; our digestive system can’t process raw food like some animals can (comparing animal diets to human diets)
  • Healthy foods help us grow strong; our teeth help us chew (comparing to animal teeth)

Related Activities from Resource Bank:

Domains & Competencies:

  • Cognitive Development: Scientific Thinking; Critical Thinking & Reasoning
  • Physical Development: Health & Self-Care; Fine Motor Skills
  • Approaches to Learning: Learning Strategies
  • Language & Communication: Literacy Skills; Oral Communication

Related Concepts:

  • We see, hear, smell, taste, and touch
  • Some animals have stronger senses than us
  • We can use our senses together
  • Our senses keep us safe (hot/cold, yucky smells)

Related Activities from Resource Bank:

Domains & Competencies:

  • Cognitive Development: Scientific Thinking; Executive Function
  • Physical Development: Health & Self-Care
  • Approaches to Learning: Learning Strategies; Play Development
  • Language & Communication: Oral Communication

Related Concepts:

  • Babies, children, grown‑ups all look different
  • We get bigger and stronger
  • We learn new things our bodies can do
  • Everyone grows at their own speed

Related Activities from Resource Bank:

Domains & Competencies:

  • Physical Development: Health & Self-Care
  • Social & Emotional Development: Identity & Self-Concept
  • Language & Communication: Literacy Skills; Oral Communication

Related Concepts:

  • People have different skin colors, hair, eyes
  • Bodies come in different shapes and sizes
  • Some bodies work differently (glasses, wheelchairs)
  • Everyone's body is good and important

Related Activities from Resource Bank:

Domains & Competencies:

  • Social & Emotional Development: Identity & Self-Concept; Emotional Intelligence; Social Skills
  • Language & Communication: Oral Communication; Literacy Skills
  • Creative Arts & Expression: Visual Arts; Dramatic Arts & Storytelling

Monthly Progression

What is outside and inside our body? Gentle and playful invitations for kids to learn about the workings and functions of internal and external body parts through sensory activities, playing with working models of human organs (heart and lungs), and life‑sized art activities where kids represent internal body parts with everyday materials (for example, a bunch of loose threads for a brain; a slinky opened up for the large intestine).

How is our body different from other animals? Kids explore similarities and differences (no bones in octopus vs bones in humans, gills vs lungs, fixed eyes in owls vs moving eyes in humans) and learn about adaptations and needs of living organisms, doing small experiments and watching short videos to see how bodies are designed for different environments.

All about spooky skeletons Dive deep into bones and skeletons, conduct experiments like the thumb challenge and egg drop, make skeleton artworks, and dance like skeletons.

What does our body need to grow, move and remain healthy? Explore movement (exercise), nutrition, and hygiene; do a messy digestion experiment, learn basic food groups, try movement exercises and pulse checks, and discuss good hygiene.

All Bodies are beautiful Engage with stories and activities to observe and appreciate unique features like eye colour, hair, skin, and body build.

Weekly Plans

Story and video suggestions:

Activity suggestions:

Projects

Embedded in the weekly plans above are these small projects that may exceed a single session.

Resources