Cars, Trucks & Motorcycles

In this theme, we will cover cars, motorcycles, auto races and race tracks. We will discover the basic mechanics of how these machines work.

Theme Resources

Cars & Motorcycle Coloring Pages

Preparing for this theme

Ask parents to bring in whatever old car or motorcycle magazines they might have lying around the house that they don’t need anymore.

Field trips & special events

Arrange to tour a car dealership if possible.
Take a field trip to a drag racing strip. While they don’t normally have actual shows during the week, they do have practice and qualifying events. Our class got a big kick out of talking with the drivers and watching them race down the speedway. They saw just as much action and we had the whole place to ourselves.
Sunday drive: Cars are more than an object; they are a symbol of freedom – a ticket to head off down the road and travel to new places. Illustrate this point by planning a road trip with your kids. Drive along scenic highways, play road games in the car, and schedule a few short stops at rest stops, scenic areas, or other interesting destinations. Have kids bring along a dollar or two and stop at a roadside convenience store to pick out snacks for the trip. It’s an unorthodox field trip, but if you plan it well the kids will have a wonderful time.
Set aside a day for ‘remote control car day,’ when kids who have a remote control car can bring it in to play with at school.

Classroom decoration ideas

Walk along the highway and look for hub caps that you can salvage, clean up, and hang on the wall in your classroom.
Get the rubber section from several old tires (ask your local tire dealership if they can donate a few; they typically end up with the old worn out tires when people replace the ones on their car) and turn them into a lounge seat for your classroom by laying them on their side like a doughnut and throwing a blanket or two in the middle.

Show & Tell

ECEkids