Going On A Bear Hunt Preschool Activities & Free Printables

Who doesn’t love free Going on a Bear Hunt Preschool Activities? Of course, kindergarten and first grade students will love this just as much!

Today I’m sharing a free printable sequencing sheet and puppets for you to go along with a super fun bear hunt activity! Young children will love getting in a circle to have their very own bear hunt using Michael Rosen’s famous book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. I hope you enjoy using these fun activities with your little learners!

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Favorite Bear Hunt Activities

Today I’m sharing my favorite bear hunt activities! Michael Rosen’s book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, published by Walker Books and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, is a classic book that is perfect for getting students up and moving. When my kids are a little wiggly, I’ll ask them to stand up, gather in a circle, and get ready for so much fun! 

Going on a Bear Hunt Preschool Activities – Retelling by the Author

Of course, you can probably recall this story from then you were younger and hit all of the important story elements in your own words. However, the author, Michael Rosen himself, does an absolutely fabulous job of reciting his own book in this video. He is so animated as he takes children through different places, such as the cold river and into the tall grass. His sound effects are perfection and kids will be mesmerized as he takes them through different scenes and into the bear cave. I would highly recommend you give your kids a chance to watch the video after you’ve reminded them of an author’s role.

Going on a Bear Hunt Preschool Activities – Retelling led by the Teacher

The following day we start to use this popular children’s book during our circle time. There is no better way to get their attention than for you to be retelling the story and acting out the different parts, such as how we would have to trudge through “thick oozy mud” and get around different obstacles in our journey. Kids of all ages think it’s so fun to act out the different parts in this great story. Even older children giggle as we move through long wavy grass and through a big dark forest. 

In my experience as a multilingual teacher,  many of these words are unfamiliar to them so using our body and facial expressions helps them understand this. When you ask them to join you in acting out the motions, it’s such a great sensory experience and way for them to truly comprehend the story. We even hold up our hands to make our own binoculars or you could easily make some out of empty cardboard tubes. This sensory walk activity is such a fantastic way to practice gross motor skills with your students. I always say that we discuss fine motor skills so much in the early years, and gross motor skill sometimes get put on the back burner. You can GUARANTEE that you will capture your children’s interests by incorporating more opportunities to work on gross motor development!

Going on a Bear Hunt Preschool Activities led by the Students 

I created these free printables for you. Inside you’ll find sequencing sheets and even puppets. My kids will use them to retell the story but also for pretend play. I created the sequencing sheet to resemble a bear hunt map. 

You can even have your students create their own map craft. To do this map activity, you would want to use heavier paper from a local craft store. After the kids draw the map, you can dip the paper in water that has been steeped with black tea. It will give it a vintage look. After setting it out to dry, you can crumble it or tear it just a little. 

You could also let the kids use different materials to create natural obstacles on their maps. Remind them how the children in the story encountered different nature experiences. They could create a snow storm with cotton balls or white glitter, a lake to swim through using watercolour paints, and more. 

Do you regularly plan sensory play areas for your kids? You can add items, like a pine cone, long grass, etc. that they might find on a scavenger hunt outside to create a fun sensory activity for your preschool or nursery children. Add sensory table labels to have additional print opportunities for your kids. Later you can let the kids create bear hunt sensory collages or a bear paw print name activity! 

If you’re short on time, small children will love the puppets and free printable to help them sequence the events that I’m providing for you.

Teddy Bear Picnic and Sleepover

Have you ever had a picnic or sleepover for teddy bears? It is such a great way for little kids to have fun while practicing different reading and math skills. They select a stuffed bear (or really any stuffed animal) at home and bring them in to be weighed measured, compared to a real bear, graphed, and more! 

My kids love making a keepsake print of their hands with some googly eyes or a quick drawing. I just squirt brown paint on a paper plate or paint their hand directly for the little bear craft shown above. I also think it would be cute to use green construction paper for grass at the bottom of this one. You would just need a glue stick and could even make a bear’s den in the background with some brown paper. It’s totally up to you!

We always have a simple snack for our picnic with teddy grahams and teddy bear tea. I often head home with tears in my eyes because it’s truly the best day. I don’t think the kids in any kindergarten or preschool classrooms will ever forget their teddy bear’s picnic. You can read more about it here but incorporating a favorite stuffed animal from home has led to the absolute best dramatic play opportunities. It can be really wonderful to let your students come up with their own brilliant little ideas! 

Going on a Bear Hunt Listening Activity 

Have you ever heard of a story box or Toniebox? We absolutely love ours. I went back and forth about whether I should choose YOTO players or a Toniebox for my 3 kids. I decided to get Yoto players for the older kids who were 8 and 10 at the time. I’ve found that big kids appreciate the slimmer profile but ability to listen to so many books on tapes, podcasts, etc. 

I’m so glad we went with the Toniebox for Tyler. He was almost 4 when he received it. This starter set is wonderful, but one of my favorite things I’ve purchased is the “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” Tonie. If you’re not familiar, the individual pieces are so sturdy. It’s kind of a magical thing when you place them onto the box and start to hear the many voices and sound effects. It’s such a great kids’ activity for your small group time. At the beginning of the year, I would recommend playing one at your teacher-led table, but later you can trust the kids to play and listen to them on their own. 

Don’t forget that you can read all about my favorite unit of the entire year, here.

Looking for more center activities? How about adding an interactive bulletin board to your classroom? I’ve got you covered!

I truly hope you’re able to incorporate the bear hunt puppets and sequencing sheet about a big brown bear in this beloved story into your lesson plans soon!