Bats use echolocation, a system of sending out high-pitched sounds that bounce off of objects, to move through the darkness and locate food. Children will learn how important the sense of hearing is to bats through a listening activity. Ask children to close their eyes and listen very carefully to the world around them. Make noises, play an instrument, run a fan or perform other noise-making activities that the children can identify. Discuss what noises they heard and how important good hearing is to bats.
Using dark blankets, chairs and desks, assemble a "bat cave." Invite students into the bat cave to share bat stories. Examples of bat books appropriate for preschool learners include, "Stellaluna" by Janell Cannon, "Bat Loves the Night" by Nicola Davies and "Bats: Creatures of the Night" by Joyce Milton.
Provide children with art supplies, such as crayons, markers and drawing paper. Ask them to draw pictures of what they think bats look like. After finishing the pictures, display pictures of bats, including a diagram of a bat's body. Discuss the different parts of a bat's body. Together, make a large bat drawing, including as many body parts as the children can remember from the discussion. This activity will debunk many notions young children may have about bat appearances.