Ahoy there, little mateys! Get ready to go on a thrilling pirate adventure with these Pirate Activities for Preschool. Set sail towards a treasure chest of fun as we explore these swashbuckling activities that boost creativity, math, literacy and fine motor skills.
RELATED: Ocean Activities for Preschoolers
These pirate activities are a blast for preschoolers and Pre-k! Recently, my little one has been obsessed with all things pirate, so we decided to declare a whole ‘Pirate Week’, and it was a hit!
We tried out all these activities that I’m so excited to share and we also played Pirate Bingo and used these amazing Pirate Coloring Pages. These ideas are perfect for a classroom, to use at home, and at pirate themed parties.
Pirate Preschool Theme
Pirates have a special appeal for most kids (and even grown-ups) because they spark their imagination and create a sense of adventure! So, grab your pirate eye patches, pirate hats, and maybe even a toy parrot on your shoulder as we dive into an awesome Pirate Unit.
These pirate activities can be added easily into lesson plans that cover important areas like math, literacy, and fun pirate crafts. The pirate theme makes learning more exciting – for example, counting becomes super fun when you’re counting your hoards of treasure.
You can dedicate a week to a pirate unit, or mix these hands-on activities into your other lessons.
Helpful Tips
- Treat the little pirates to themed snacks. I always find the cutest ideas on Pinterest! From banana slices or oreos covered in edible gold glitter shaped like ‘gold coins’ to ‘pirate punch’, which can be any juice, the kids will love the effort!
- Read a thrilling pirate-themed book. Our current favorite is ‘How I Became a Pirate’ by Melinda Long.
- Go on a treasure hunt! Create a simple treasure map with easy-to-follow hints and clues for an exciting outdoor activity.
Literacy Pirate Activities
1. Learn Pirate-Themed Vocabulary Words
Discuss pirate themed vocabulary and then complete a pirate labeling worksheet.
3. Go on an Alphabet Treasure Hunt
Kids will have to find and place a manipulative on the letters that match the treasure box.
5. Sail Away with Pirate Sight Words
This activity is so cute. Match the flags to the same sight word flags on the ship.
2. Try and Match Letter Scrolls
Learning to differentiate between upper and lower case letters is a great tool to lay the foundation for pre-reading.
4. Learn Beginning Sounds
Kids will have to identify the word and clip a corresponding letter sound. Clothespins work well.
Math Pirate Activities
6. How Many Syllables?
Identify the word and then mark how many syllables the word has.
8. One More One Less Treasure
Counting becomes more fun when you have to count sprakly gems! Use printed-out gems or appropriate sized beads to count the gems in the chest and add them to the card.
7. Count the Treasure Number Mats
These activity mats are multi-use. Use them to practice tracing numbers, counting gems, filling a ten frame and making numbers out of play dough.
9. Message in a Bottle Measurement Cards
Use manipulatives like counting blocks to measure the bottles! You could create a message in a bottle in class as fun take home gift.
Fine Motor Pirate Activities
10. Make a Ship with Pom Poms
Create the pictures using pom poms for sensory and fine motor skills reinforcement. Then, count and write down how many pom poms were used.
11. Pirate Map Tracing
Kids are so used to technology they may not even know what a map looks like. Follow the map by tracing along the path. Remember ‘X’ marks the spot.
Craft Pirate Activities
12. Build a Pirate Ship
Build a pirate ship with this cool craft activity by following the directions.
13. Pirate Treasure Chest Name Craft
This activity requires your little ones to create their names by gluing the letter gems on the chest.
Visual Discrimination Pirate Activities
14. Match the Color of the Parrot’s Feathers
Match the feathers to the parrot the feathers came from. This is such a spectacular way to practice color recognition.
16. Break the Pattern
An activity that requires kids to identify outliers or objects that don’t belong.
15. What Shape is the Treasure Chest?
Improve shape recognition skills by matching the shape coins to the correct treasure chest.
CUTE IDEA: Laminate activities and use them with our Ocean Theme Preschool Sensory Bin.
Pirate Worksheets
If you’re a preschool teacher or a busy parent like me, you’ll appreciate the convenience of a learning pack that also includes worksheets.
These printables filled with pirate activities for preschool are low prep and all you need to do is print them. What I love most is that this can be done in advance and kept in a binder ready to save the day when you need it most!
GET THE PIRATE ACTIVITIES PACK A HERE
Do your little one’s love mermaids?
GET THE MERMAID ACTIVITIES PACK HERE
More Preschool Activities
- More Pirate activities for preschool? Be your own pirate and steal this Pirate Theme Printable Preschool Pack.
- Pirates are cool but are they cooler than mermaids? Find out in this Mermaid Activities Pack.
- Prefer easy worksheets? Me too. You’ll love these 20+ Summer Worksheets for Preschool.
Leave a Comment