THEME : Knights and princesses (Open thematic poster- knights and princesses)
CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK, MONTH, YEAR
Throughout the week, children will become knights and princesses. Each day, during
circle time, crown a king and a queen for the day. Determine a privilege for the king and
the queen (example: they are exempt of cleanup, they may stay awake at naptime, etc.) A
model of a crown to be crafted by the children can be found in the crafts section.
Transform yourself into a king or queen and welcome your little knights and princesses
into the royal family. Have children kneel down before you.
For the princesses, hand them their crowns and declare: “I make you a princess. For this
week, you shall be called Princess (child’s name)”.
For the knights, touch their shoulders with a cardboard sword and declare: “I make you a
knight. For this week, you shall be called Sir (child’s name)”.
CIRCLE TIME
Magalie Lebrun suggests an imaginary game to begin each day. (Open thematic letter
knights and princesses). Print the letter.
Prepare a flamboyant box (silver or gold) to represent a treasure. Place the box in an easy
to find place in the daycare. Once they have found it, read them the letter and follow the
instructions throughout the week.
AREA SETUP
Place a chair covered with red fabric in the daycare. It will be the throne. Lay out a red
carpet in front of the chair. Hang a veil over the throne and set vases with flowers on
each side of it. You can prepare baskets of plastic fruit.
PICTURE GAMES
The pictures may be used as a memory game or to spark a conversation with the group.
Use them to decorate the daycare or a specific thematic corner.
(Open picture game – knights and princesses) Print, laminate, and store in a “Ziploc” bag
or in your thematic bins.
ACTIVITY SHEETS
Activity sheets are suggested for each theme. Print and follow instructions. (Open
activity sheets – knights and princesses)
VARIOUS WORKSHOPS
Have fun with these great workshop ideas provided by Caroline Allard.
Construction or building blocks:
 Knights and castles
 Horses
 Variety of blocks for children to build their own castles
 Display pictures of castles on walls to provide ideas
 Cone-shaped glasses, muffin cups, cardboard rolls and other recyclable items will
encourage creativity
Arts & Crafts:
 Decorate the arts & crafts corner with castles to inspire children in their creations
 Cardboard, tissue paper, empty egg cartons, recycled materials, and lots of
imagination to create castles of every size and shape
 Pipe cleaners and tissue paper for flags
 Cardboard cones and tissue paper, sparkles, and other decorations to make
princess hats
 Cardboard mask and silver colored paint to make knights’ masks
 Tempera paint for creating dragons, castles, princesses, and knights along with
their entire universe
 Models of princess shoes which can be decorated with sparkles and paint
 Strong cardboard to make swords, don’t forget to decorate
 Print the Educatall crown model and have children decorate with pearls, shiny
beads, ribbons…. Aluminum paper is perfect for shiny crowns.
 Strong cardboard is great for making armor and a shield
 Empty rolls of paper and cone-shaped glasses make towers. Add a piece of
square cardboard between the towers and you have a castle to decorate and play
with
 Sparkles, stones, pearls…make jewellery for the princess! A brooch, a ring, a
crown, a hairpiece…
Drawing:
 Castle, princess, knight, horse, or medieval times coloring pages
 Metallic markers
 Gel crayons with black or dark paper
Role Play:
 A large box (refrigerator or appliance box) easily becomes a castle. It can be used
as a closed quarter or used only to make a wall to mark off the area. Children will
love decorating it!
 A chair covered with red fabric for the throne
 Ribbons for decorating
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Jewels and dresses for princess costumes. Don’t forget crowns and high-heeled
shoes for the occasion
Suits, scarves, big shoes, and hats for knight costumes
Place a vanity with accessories in the area for princesses to comb their hair and
make themselves pretty for the ball
Manipulation:
 Memory game with knights and princesses using Educatall pictures or a storebought version
 Puzzles related to the theme
 Modeling dough for sculpting princesses and knights. Add small plastic soldiers
for creative play
 Multicolored beads to make beautiful princess necklaces
 Different fabrics such as silk, fur, satin, etc.
 Jewellery for admiring and manipulating. You can include a magnifying glass
 “Lite-Brite” game. It glows just like precious gems
Pre-reading:
 Books about castles, princesses, knights, medieval times! They are easy to find at
your local library. You may also want to ask parents to loan some.
 Dragon stories
 All fairytales with princesses
 Read along CD’s about princesses and knights
Pre-writing:
 Castles for tracing
 Games where children find the errors including pictures of princesses or knights
 Hunt and seek games
 Various activity sheets related to the theme
 Game with Educatall word flashcards
Motor Skills:
 An obstacle course where children must crawl like a dragon or run like a knight
holding a sword to rescue the princess
 A treasure hunt. Children must find all the gold pieces along their way.
 Medieval Olympics. (Duel, throwing stones, etc.)
 Dragon Tail game (Pin the tail on the donkey)
 Knights’ duel with foam swords! Children will want to do this over and over
again. If they succeed in making their opponent’s sword fall to the ground, they
will be king for the day!
 Castle Fight: two teams, two castles, and lots of crumpled pieces of recycled
paper! Just for fun.
 Organize a grand ball and have children attend daycare dressed up for the
occasion
Sensory bins:
 Sandbox or sand table for building sand castles
 Container filled with colored marbles
 Container of clay to build durable castles
 Bin filled with straws. Children search for precious stones.
CULINARY ACTIVITIES
With children’s help, make a dragon fire salad! Simply grate carrots and add grapes with
mayonnaise or salad dressing. Children will enjoy!
Using small and large marshmallows, build a castle you can eat afterwards! To color
marshmallows, simply moisten and put them in an air-tight bag with Jell-O powder or
juice and shake gently. Children love the look and the taste!
Make your lunch a royal meal: decorate your table with confetti and a special tablecloth,
use plastic wine glasses…
WORD FLASHCARDS
The flashcards may be used during circle time to spark a conversation or in your reading
and writing area. They may also be used to identify your thematic bins.
(Open word flashcards- knights and princesses) Knight, princess, castle, crown, throne,
horse, carriage, king, queen, servant, gold, opera
LANGUAGE GAME
The messenger
This is a variation of the telephone game. Children sit in a circle. You have a message
for the king. Whisper the message to the child sitting to your right. This child repeats it
to the child sitting to his right and so on until the message has traveled around the circle.
The last child to hear the message says it out loud to verify if the message is correct.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS
1, 2, 3, Princess!
One child is the princess. This child stands with his back against the wall. The other
children are lined up against the opposite wall. The princess turns to face the wall and
taps three times on the wall counting: “1, 2, 3, princess!” The other players move quickly
towards the princess’ wall but beware, as soon as the princess turns around, they must
stop and remain still. If they are not completely still, the princess sends them back to the
starting point. The first child to reach the wall becomes the next princess. Variation: 1,
2, 3, Knight! The game is the same, but the boys may prefer this title.
The rose
The rose (a plastic flower or a pink scarf) is hung at one child’s waist. Children move
about the daycare. The object of the game is to steal the rose. The child who succeeds
attaches it to his waist and continues moving about. The first child to have stolen the rose
three times is the winner.
House of cards
Provide children with several sets of playing cards. Sit down with them to show them
how to build castles.
Knight Obstacle Course
Build a maze. Include obstacles such as a rope, two chairs children must crawl under or
climb over, etc. You can also place a bucket of water on one chair and have children
crawl under without spilling the water. Use whatever you have on hand. Children can
participate in the creation of the obstacle course. Maximize the different ways children
move about (crawling, jumping ten times, jumping in hoops, walking on a rope, hopping,
spinning, etc.)
Statue
Designate one child to be “it” and have him try to “tag” the others. When he does,
children become statues. Other players may rescue the players standing as statues by
passing under their arms.
The duel
Draw a large square on the floor with colored electrical tape. Have two children stand in
the square and hand them each a foam cylinder (used in swimming pools) to be used as
swords. Children have a duel by hitting each other, sword to sword. Be sure to explain
the rules clearly and supervise closely.
Stone Castle
Build a large stone castle for the princess. Instead of using traditional blocks, use
sponges.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Colorful sand castle
Deposit 30ml of sand onto a paper plate. Grate a piece of colored chalk over the sand.
The sand will gradually become the same color as the chalk. Use the colored sand to
build a giant sand castle.
ACTIVITY IMPLICATING PARENTS
Invite parents to read a story you have chosen with their children related to the theme of
knights and princesses. The next day, children can recount what they enjoyed most about
the story.
COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES
Knights and princesses hunt and seek
(Open knights and princesses hunt and seek) Print and laminate. Children pick cards and
search for the elements in the scene.
Knights and princesses story and memory game
(Open Knights and princesses story and memory game) Print, cut out and laminate. Place
the cards face down on the floor. Children pick three cards each and invent a story in
relation to the illustrations. Trick: To solidify the cards, glue each illustration onto the
top of a frozen juice can.
Colorful castle
This is a color association game. (Open colorful castle) Print one copy per child.
Children color their castle by associating the symbols to the correct colors.
Concert for a princess
Children stand in a circle. Have one child leave the room and designate a conductor
among the others. Each musical instrument will be mimed by the performers, with or
without a violin, flute, piano, drum, guitar, or trumpet. The player who left the room
must guess who the conductor is.
SOCIAL AND MORAL ACTIVITIES
Special Day – Masked Ball
(Open perpetual calendar masked ball) For the occasion, we suggest you organize a fancy
clothes day. Your masked ball should include the usual; music, decorations, dancing,
balloons, tablecloth decorated by the children, garlands, and crowns. A special snack
could be composed of grape juice in plastic wine glasses, cheese and fruit brochettes, and
a buffet for lunch. Don’t forget to take pictures of everyone dressed up in their fanciest
attire! You may want to invite parents to join you. There is no limit to your imagination.
(Open invitation special day) Print and distribute.
Knights’ and princesses’ parade
Find a large cardboard box. Decorate it together to make a float. Paint children’s faces.
Use lace, fabric, and ribbons as costumes for the princesses. Add capes to the knights.
Give each participant a musical instrument and parade about the streets of your
neighborhood.
The knight
Place children two by two. One child is the horse and the other child (the knight) rides
on his back. The knight places a certain number of fingers over the horse’s head to form
horns. Once the child playing the role of the horse guesses the correct number of horns,
he becomes the knight.
London Bridge
Choose two children to form the bridge by joining their hands above their heads. These
two players secretly choose a color; gold or silver. The other children stand in a line and
pass under the bridge singing:
London Bridge is falling down
Falling down, falling down
London Bridge is falling down
My fair lady
When you sing the words “My fair lady”, the children forming the bridge lower their
arms capturing another player under the bridge. The prisoner must choose a color (gold
or silver) and stand behind the player who had originally chosen the same color. The
game continues until all the children have been captured. Count the children in each
team, gold and silver, and declare which team wins.
I have a fancy castle
Divide the group into two teams. Each team faces the other, standing at one end of the
daycare. One group at a time, they move forward and backwards reciting the following
song:
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(The first group moves forward and backwards saying) I have a grand castle, la la
la, la la la la la. I have a grand castle, la la la, la la la la la
(The second group moves forward and backwards saying) Our castle is much
grander, la la la la la la la la. Our castle is much grander la la la la la la la la
(The first group moves forward and backwards again saying) It will tumble down
la la la, la la la la la. It will tumble down la la la, la la la la la
(The second group moves forwards and backwards again saying) How could that
happen? La la la, la la la la la. How could that happen? La la la, la la la la la
(The first group moves forward and backwards again saying) We will remove a
stone la la la, la la la la la. We will remove a stone la la la, la la la la la
(The second group moves forwards and backwards again saying) Which stone
will you remove? La la la, la la la la la. Which stone will you remove? La la la, la
la la la la.
(The first group moves forward and backwards again saying) We will take
(Example: Julie’s) stone la la la, la la la la la. We will take Julie’s stone la la la, la
la la la la.
In this example, Julie would change groups and the game would begin all over again.
The group which was second previously begins the second round.
ARTS & CRAFTS
(Open king’s and queen’s crown) Print the model. Trace it onto a piece of cardboard
covered with aluminum paper. Cut out and decorate with anything shiny you have on
hand. Next, measure children’s heads, adjust the size, and staple the crown.
Princess costume
Drape children with lace curtains or pieces of fabric. Add jewellery. Paint small stars on
their cheeks and add sparkles. Don’t forget the crown!
Knight costume
Use a black garbage bag. Cut it so it is open on the sides like a cape. Make a loose knot.
Add the crown!
Jewellery
(Print jewel models) Cut a 2 cm wide strip of colored construction paper. With glue,
overlap the diamonds on the strip of paper, alternating colors.
Mask
(Open mask – masked ball) Provide children with flamboyant colored material to make
their masks: feathers, shiny paint, felt, sparkles. Tie a string behind children’s heads.
Sword
(Open sword) Cut out the model in very heavy cardboard. Children paint and decorate
their swords as they wish.
Harp
Arrange rubber bands around an empty styrofoam tray originally used for meat or
vegetables. Children make music with their harps.
COLORING PAGES
(Open coloring pages theme – knights and princesses)
SONGS & RHYMES
I’m a knight (sung to Mary had a little lamb) by Patricia Morrison
I’m a knight in shining armor,
Shining armor, shining armor
I’m a knight in shining armor,
I’ll marry the princess
We’ll gallop away upon my horse,
Upon my horse, upon my horse
We’ll gallop away upon my horse
Into the sunset
We’ll live in a fairytale,
Fairytale, fairytale
We’ll live in a fairytale
In our own castle
Ever seen a princess? (sung to Have you ever seen a Lassie) by Patricia Morrison
Have you ever seen a princess,
A princess, a princess
Have you ever seen a princess
With a crown all aglow
Have you ever seen a princess,
A princess, a princess
Have you ever seen a princess
Dance on her toes
Have you ever seen a princess,
A princess, a princess
Have you ever seen a princess
Curtsey just so
Marie-Josée, Karine, Nancy, Sonia, Magalie, Patricia, and all our collaborators.
Our job is to make yours easier. Do not hesitate to suggest themes you would like to see
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