Coral Reef Activities for Kindergarten

Math Activities

• Using coral reef themed materials is a fun way for children to develop counting and basic math skills. Find photos or drawings of coral reefs, and ask children to count the number of fish or other creatures they see in the photo.

  Print images of two or three types of animals commonly found on coral reefs on a worksheet, and supply specific instructions for coloring and counting, such as "Color the fish blue, the seahorses green and the jellyfish orange." Ask students to count the numbers of animals of each color, reinforcing skills in color identification, counting and following directions.

Art Activities

• Art projects involving coral reefs are ideal for small children, as they are attracted to the bright colors and various shapes of the reef. Create a wall mural with an ocean floor background, and ask the kindergartners to decorate construction paper fish to swim in the mural. If you don't want to hang the fish on the wall, hang the fish from the ceiling using string; the fish will appear to be swimming through the classroom.

Language Arts Activities

• Create flashcards or play games where children can list things found in a coral reef for each letter of the alphabet. Read stories about the coral reef or the ocean, and create activities based around the stories that you share. Help your students build their vocabularies by showing images of animals and plants found in coral reefs and ask them to describe the pictures; students can describe the animals using colors or adjectives including prickly, sharp or round. Engage your students in a discussion about why the animals look the way they do.

Hands-On Learning

• Create a hands-on learning environment. If your school is near an aquarium, and you have the budget for a field trip, take the class to see an actual coral reef environment.

  If you can't take your students to the aquarium, inquire about possible guest speakers in your classroom. Many aquariums and rescue or research organizations offer classroom guest speakers; a representative could visit your class and discuss coral reefs and possibly bring specimens for students to see and touch.