60+ thematic unit lesson plans and printables for project based learning

 

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Your teaching fairy godmother has worked her magic again. Here are over sixty thematic units, with lesson plans, activities, and printables, all planned and prepped for you.

Teaching with thematic units lesson plans

Thematic units are such an effective way to teach, making vital links across the curriculum and including a wide variety of engaging activities that your children will love.

Use this guide to understand why thematic units are so effective, how to build you own, and help yourself to over sixty planned-and-prepped-for-you teaching units that will save you so much time and make your teaching easier.

What is a thematic unit?

A thematic unit is a programme of learning that includes a wide range of skills and activities, all linked to one central topic.

The topic of a unit can be whatever you choose, matched to your children’s interests, events that are happening in your lives, or the time of year.

A thematic unit might be delivered over five days of the week, across a term, or stretch through a school year.

The subject of a teaching unit might be a math or literacy theme such as Shapes or Storytelling. It could be seasonal, such as Halloween, Spring or Christmas. It can be varied and personal to the children you are leading: Puppets, Dragons, Dinosaurs, The Beach, Fairies, Gingerbread Men…

The thematic unit is structured to include a wide variety of subjects from the traditional curriculum within the topic: math, literacy, arts and crafts, science, gross and fine motor skills, music, role play, sensory play, science and discovery, small worlds and construction.

The different elements of the thematic unit can be taught to a whole class, offered as continuous provision, or organised into areas for small groups to rotate to though the teaching day.

The benefits of teaching thematic units

Thematic units are an excellent way to teach skills and concepts because they match the way we live and work in real life.

In our adult lives, we don’t divide our work and hobbies into math, literacy, science, and geography. Everything is integrated. When we offer a curriculum of thematic units that are also integrated we’re giving our children an education that is much more relevant, realistic, and suitable for life in the real world.

Thematic units have the benefit of integrating traditional subjects in one whole programme of learning. This lets children see links and make connections.

A thematic unit also lets us offer a wide range of hands-on learning activities, so there are things that appeal to all learners. This keeps lessons engaging and encourages our children to try new things, and develop many skills.

Our children also benefit from the depth and breadth of a thematic unit. They can learn much more about a topic if they consider it from a scientific, artistic, literary, mathematical, geographical and playful point of view. Their learning will be so much more practical and robust.

For example: reading a story about a Chinese dragon might lead to looking at a map to see where China is and how far away it is. This can lead to a conversation about what food is eaten in China, which we might try. We might talk about where our families originate from and what caused them to move to where we live now. How do people get to another country? Who has visited another country and what was it like there? Then we might use craft materials to build junk model dragons, and develop our own stories which we can act out for each other.

Literacy, geography, math, sensory play, practical life skills, social studies, vocabulary development, critical thinking, ancestry, travel and tourism, conversation skills, arts and crafts, fine motor skills, scissor skills, problem solving, creativity, storytelling are all weaving into one thematic unit.

How to plan a thematic unit

First pick you topic. What are your children interested in? Ask them and involve them in the planning.

Over the course of the year you can include a mix of topics. You might include units that match the time of year; festivals that you are celebrating or to learn about the wider world; concepts, skills and values that you want your children to develop; and topics that reflect what’s happening in the world around you.

Once you have chosen your topic, think about the circle of ‘school subjects’ that you would want to include in your provision. You can use my free printable Unit Planner to help you, and you’ll find over sixty thematic units listed below all planned for you with a rich variety of activities included.

You’re likely going to want to include:

• math
• literacy
• books to read
• sensory play
• music
• role play
• gross motor skills
• fine motor skills
• science and discovery
• arts and crafts
• small world / construction
• and perhaps an outing to visit a gallery, museum or place linked to your theme

Think about all the different activities and experiences you can link to your theme, so that each area of the curriculum is reflected somehow. Be creative! Ask your children for ideas, and include unusual, hands-on activities that will delight your children.

You can deliver your thematic unit in the way that best suits your children and circumstances. Some aspects of the unit may be best delivered to the whole group, some will work better as small group work. Will you devote your whole classroom to the unit, or set aside one project corner? Can you have your whole day given over to the unit, or do you need to allow time for other core areas of your teaching? The thematic unit is completely flexible.

Typically in a school a thematic unit is taught over five days of one week, or one overarching theme is chosen for a whole(half) term. By planning a wide variety of activities now, you will have plenty of flexibility to work with your children: stay longer on aspects they love, move along from items that don’t pique their interest or engage them as long. Always leave room to add in new ideas, responding to your children and especially being sure to include their ideas in the day.

Think too about how this thematic unit will develop into a full annual curriculum. Can you plan several thematic units so that they flow from one to another, developing ideas, skills and in-depth knowledge and experiences? And always leave space in the year for a surprise, giving you the ability to add in a unit that reflects how your children’s skills and interests grow and change over the course of time.

Teaching a thematic unit alongside daily math activities, literacy activities, art projects and nature walks builds a wonderfully engaging and successful curriculum.

Thematic unit planner printables

I’ve made two thematic unit planner printables to make it easy for you to plan and deliver thematic units.

The first printable helps you think out how you will incorporate the different subject areas within your topic, and includes a space for notes of any special materials you want to gather, or observations you make as you go along.

The second unit planner lets you look longer term, over a period of weeks, to plan how your thematic units will be structured together. It gives you an at-a-glance overview of your full curriculum.

You’ll find the Thematic Unit Planner and the Semester / Term Lesson Planner printables in the Planning Printables section of the NurtureStore Printables Library. To access the Library follow the instructions immediately below.

Thematic units, all planned and prepped for you

Reclaim your Sundays! Your teaching fairy godmother has over sixty thematic units, all planned and prepped for you.

These units cover a huge variety of topics and include all the key subjects of the school curriculum through engaging, hands-on, creative activities. Many include printables and all are packed full of great ideas that will save you time and help you teach better. The units are fun, putting the magic back into teaching and making lessons your children will never forget.

You can use this alphabetical list to head straight to what you are looking for, or browse the images below for inspiration.

• All About Me, Apple, Art Camp, Autumn
• Bees, Birds, Black History, Buddha Day
• Candy Canes, Chinese New Year, Circles
• Daffodils, Day of the Dead, Diwali, Dragons
• Easter, Eggs, Equinox (Autumn)
• Fall, Famous Artists, Forest School, Fractions
• Gingerbread Man
• Halloween, Hanukkah, Hundred Days of School
• Ice
• Leaves
• Matisse
• Nature, New Year
• Pancake Day, Pi Day, Plants, Play Dough, Pollination, Printmaking, Pumpkins, Puppets
• Rainbows, Ramadan
• Seeds, Shapes, Shrove Tuesday, Small Worlds, Snow, Solstice (Summer), Solstice (Winter), Spring, Summer Camp, Sunflowers
• Thanksgiving, Time, Trees
• Valentine’s Day, Vesak
• Weather, Winter, Winter Art, Winter Math, Winter Literacy, Winter Solstice, World Book Day

All About Me thematic unit

These All About Me resources give you ideas for hands-on lessons that explore identity and diversity.

You’ll find ideas for arts and crafts that explore faces and bodies, map activities that you can use to talk about our multicultural world and where people come from, journal page printables that ask children to think about their own likes, plus ideas for very young children who are just starting to learn about themselves and the special people in their life.

Apples thematic unit

Part of our Seasons School Autumn curriculum, this Apples unit includes apple investigations, taste testing, number line, poetry, recipes, art and craft.

Art Camp thematic unit

Art Camp gives you everything you need to run one to three weeks of art projects. Using simple materials, your children will explore DIY art materials, messy art and printmaking. This unit includes a printable planner, invitations, stickers and certificates.

Autumn thematic unit

Our Seasons School Autumn units give you a full programme of fall thematic units based around apples, pumpkins, leaves, and twigs.

Bees thematic unit

Over five days we’ll use this Bee theme to explore science, art, craft, literacy, poetry, math, and fine motor skills.

Birds thematic unit

The Birds unit within the Seasons School Spring curriculum includes bird watching and ID, storytelling, nest building, and bird art and craft projects.

Black History Month thematic unit

Use these creative lesson plans for Black History month and throughout the year to create an inclusive curriculum for your children.

In this guide you can learn about Black History Month, how and why it is celebrated around the world, and access our lesson plans to celebrate diversity and the achievements of people of colour. 

Buddha Day thematic unit

Whether you are celebrating Vesak with your children, or want them to learn about Buddha, these Buddha Day activities will help you build a unit of story, art, and mindfulness.

Candy Cane thematic unit

Here’s a complete programme of activities all inspired by Candy Canes. This unit includes math, science, literacy, play, arts and crafts and delicious recipes.

Chinese New Year thematic

In this thematic unit for Chinese New Year you will find a broad range of Chinese New Year activities that covers the full curriculum of math, literacy, arts and crafts, sensory and play activities, cultural studies, fine motor skills, and food. Free printables are included, plus links to additional resources for extended learning.

Circles thematic unit

Let’s combine math and art to develop creative thinkers with this thematic unit all about Circles. This kit gives you everything you need to teach math-meets-art STEAM lessons based around circles.

It includes art history and criticism, geometry and cultural lessons, and hands-on art projects to explore the mathematical, artistic, and cultural properties of circles.

Daffodils thematic unit

Within the broader curriculum of the Seasons School Spring units, the Daffodils unit includes science investigation, poetry, art still life painting and crafts.

Day of the Dead thematic unit

Let’s raise our kids as knowledgeable, global citizens with a multi-cultural education. This kit gives you everything you need to learn about the Day of the Dead.

With fun activities, lesson plans, and super useful printables you will transform your space into a celebration of the festival through math, literacy, art, craft, sensory, food, and film.

Diwali thematic unit

Celebrate the festivals of the world with this Learning about Diwali unit, and try these fun Diwali crafts and activities with your children.

Dragons thematic unit

Welcome to five days of sensory play, arts, crafts and learning themed around Dragons!

Easter thematic unit

Use these activities, arts and crafts to build an Easter-themed unit.

Eggs thematic unit

The Eggs unit within the broader Seasons School Spring curriculum includes science discovery lessons, recipes, crafts, egg dyeing techniques, fine motor skills and sensory play.

Autumn Equinox thematic unit

Use this guide on how to celebrate the Autumn Equinox with children to learn about the new season and to welcome autumn into your home and classroom.

Fall thematic unit

The Seasons School Fall curriculum includes thematic units for apples, pumpkins, leaves and twigs.

Famous Artists thematic units

Make art with Picasso, Miro, O’Keefe and Van Gogh. These Famous Artists units give you everything you need to teach an exciting art program inspired by the great artists of the world.

With profiles of each artist, materials lists, lesson plans, and creative, hands-on art projects for every featured artist.

Forest School thematic unit

The Forest Classroom is the perfect beginner’s guide to running a successful forest school. This practical resource will show you how to engage your children in fun and educational forest-school units.

Suitable for forest school leaders, teachers, and parents with children aged 4 to 10, to learn in a forest, school nature area, local park or your own backyard.

Fractions thematic unit

Welcome to our fractions Fractions unit lesson plans. Over five days we’re learning about fractions through math, art, jigsaws, and pizza!

Gingerbread Man thematic unit

The Gingerbread Man kit is a deliciously educational unit of learning.

This unit gives you everything you need to teach an engaging program of activities all based around The Gingerbread Man. With ideas for math, literacy, science, play, sensory, arts and crafts your children will love learning through baking, play, and exploration.

Halloween thematic unit

Kids don’t need monsters and vampires and zombies. This kit gives you everything you need for a super fun, not scary Halloween unit.

With activities, lessons, and printables for Halloween math, science, literacy, arts and crafts, sensory, and play you’ll be all set for a super fun Halloween theme with no nightmares!

Hanukkah thematic unit

Let’s learn about Hanukkah. This kit gives you everything you need to teach an engaging program of activities about the Jewish Festival of Lights

Learn why and how Hanukkah is celebrated, with math, writing, food, games, sensory play, art, and crafts.

100 Days of School thematic unit

Are you celebrating 100 Days of School with your children? Use these Hundred Days of School printables and activities to celebrate all the learning they have done.

Ice thematic unit

Welcome to our Ice unit! Over five days we’re exploring ice through sensory play, science, art, and storytelling. 

Leaves thematic unit

The Leaves unit of within our Seasons School Autumn curriculum includes tree discovery lessons, symmetry, number line, leaf books, word trees, arts and crafts, play dough, puppets and recipes.

Henri Matisse thematic unit

Meet Creativity Mentor Henri Matisse. This unit gives you everything you need to introduce your children to Henri Matisse: his life, his art, his legacy.

With art history guide, hands-on projects, many examples of his work, art criticism lessons, and bonus printable posters. Let’s make our own art inspired by Matisse!

Nature Study thematic unit

In the Seasons School Year you will get a complete program of spring, summer, autumn and winter learning, combining nature study, math, science, literacy, arts and crafts, sensory and play, recipes and more. It includes 16 whole thematic units, over 200 lessons and activities, and over 130 pages of fun, educational printables.

The resources are easy to use as they are split into seasons and all set out in fully-indexed, relevant units with supporting printables. You can use the full program or make a selection of your favourites, to suit your needs.

New Year thematic unit

Here’s a collection of fun New Year activities for kids that you can enjoy as a children’s New Years Eve countdown or put together as a thematic unit.

Pancake Day thematic unit

Celebrate Shrove Tuesday in style with these Mardi Gras and Pancake Day activities.

Pi Day thematic unit

Wondering how to celebrate Pi Day and introduce pi to kids? Use these resources for stories, baking, and crafts.

Plants thematic units

The Seeds and Shoots unit within the Seasons School Spring curriculum includes an Investigating Seeds science lesson, Growing Seeds science experiment, My Sunflower mini book activity, watercolour flowers art project, blossom printing project and carrot sensory tub.

Play Dough thematic unit

Welcome to five days of Play Dough. Let’s celebrate this amazing sensory play material with new flavours, new play ideas, and fun play dough printables.

Pollination thematic unit

The Pollination unit within the Sunflower School curriculum includes lessons about bees and pollination. Additional units within the curriculum cover planting, measuring, words, books, poems, art, shape and symmetry and seeds and sustainability.

Printmaking thematic unit

In the Printmaking unit within out Art Camp programme children can explore printmaking with five lessons that use a variety of materials and techniques to develop skills.

We’ll create art with pattern circles, mono printing, marbling, homemade stamps, and by printing with toys. You can learn about the art of Bernard Pras, Hiroshi Fuji, David T. Waller, and Robert Bradford.

Pumpkins thematic unit

The Pumpkins unit within the Seasons School Autumn curriculum includes pumpkin investigation lessons, number games, Venn diagrams, storytelling, arts and crafts, and sensory play.

Puppets thematic unit

Welcome to our Puppets unit lesson plans. Over five days we’re boosting language, storytelling, and creative skills as we make puppets, a set, and props, to host our own puppet show.

Rainbow thematic unit

Welcome to five days of Rainbow sensory play. You can use these ideas to bring colour, play, and chatter to your week.

Ramadan thematic unit

Welcome to our Learning About Ramadan unit. Here you will find lesson plans and printables to learn about the Muslim celebration of Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr.

Seeds thematic unit

The Seeds unit within our Seasons School Spring curriculum includes Investigating Seeds science lessons, Growing Seeds science experiment, arts, crafts and play.

Shapes thematic unit

Welcome to a week of Shapes. Each day of this shape unit includes ideas you can use with your children to explore the art, math, and play of shapes.

Small Worlds thematic unit

Welcome to five days of learning using Small Worlds. Use these ideas with your children to develop a wonderful, in-depth week of imaginative, language-rich play.

Snow thematic unit

Save time and teach better this winter. This Ice and Snow unit gives you everything you need for an educational and engaging snow and ice-themed curriculum.

With fun activities, lesson plans, and super useful printables you can teach about ice and snow, the Arctic and Antarctic, penguins and polar bears through science, math, literacy, art, craft, sensory, play and food.

Summer Solstice thematic unit

Here’s a collection of ideas you can use to learn about the sun and celebrate the summer solstice with your children.

Winter Solstice thematic unit

Celebrate the Winter Solstice with children with these cosy winter craft and activities.

Spring thematic units

This Seasons School Spring kit is going to make your spring teaching so easy. It gives you everything you need to teach FIVE units of spring learning – all planned and prepped for you, plus you get bonus printables!

Eggs, birds, seeds, shoots, daffodils, and spring flowers…. let’s give our children an engaging, fun spring, full of nature-based learning.

Summer Camp thematic units

Need ideas for what to do with the kids this summer? Looking for screen-free activities or a summer camp programme? Here’s your guide to a happy, at-home summer.

Have a browse, pick the summer units that best suit your children, and enjoy a chilled out at-home summer with happy, creative kids.

Sunflower thematic unit

Welcome to Sunflower School. This kits gives you everything you need to teach SIX units all based on sunflowers – all planned and prepped for you, plus you get bonus printables.

Science, math, literacy, nature study, art, recipes, and play…. there’s so much to learn about sunflowers!

Thanksgiving thematic unit

For a fun and creative Thanksgiving celebration with children, try these easy Thanksgiving crafts, activities, and free printables.

Telling the Time thematic unit

Welcome to our Time unit lesson plans. Over five days we’re learning about seconds, minutes, days, and years, with hands-on playful activities your children will love.

Trees thematic unit

Use the resources in The Forest Classroom to teach a unit about Trees. Includes forest treasure hunts, Parts of a Tree lesson, Tree Identification lessons, Hawthorn and Elder guides, flower and leaf crowns, leaf printing, leaf symmetry and twig weaving.

Valentine’s Day thematic unit

To help you plan your Valentine’s Day unit here is our full archive of arts, crafts and play ideas for Valentine’s Day.

Vesak thematic unit

Whether you are celebrating Vesak with your children, or want them to learn about Buddha, these Buddha Day activities will help you build a unit of story, art, and mindfulness.

Weather thematic unit

Welcome to our Weather unit. Over five days we’ll be setting up a weather station, learning about clouds, and exploring the weather through art.

Winter thematic unit

Here’s a special twenty-one day programme that makes a cosy Winter thematic unit.

Winter Art unit

Use these ideas to deliver a Winter Art unit. Using easy techniques and simple art materials your children can explore the colours, sensations, and science of the season through art.

Winter Math unit

Use these Winter Math lessons to build a fun, hands-on, multisensory unit to explore counting, symmetry, estimating, shapes, time, and more.

Winter Literacy unit

Build your winter unit with these Winter Literacy ideas.

Winter Solstice thematic unit

Celebrate the Winter Solstice with your children using these cosy winter craft and activities.

World Book Day thematic unit

Use these easy book-themed activities to build a World Book Day unit.