5 Ways to Celebrate American Eagle Day with Preschoolers

National American Eagle Day is coming up quickly on June 20th! It’s a day to honor our national symbol and learn about this magnificent bird.

It’s the perfect time to introduce your preschooler to the bald eagle. You can also add these activities to your patriotic preschool activities.

Celebrate American Eagle Day

Here are five fun activities to celebrate American Eagle Day. Hands-on fun for preschoolers!

1. Read About the Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle by Gordon Morrison is a delightful book about the life cycle of the bald eagle, from the time the eagles hatch until they leave the nest to start their own families.

Not only is it full of beautiful illustrations, but the text has two levels, the basic story and detailed information with the illustrations.

First, read the book focusing on the story itself. Then read the book a second time enjoying the extra information included in the book!

2. Study the Letter E

American Eagle Day is an awesome time to study the letter E. First, print off a printable with the letter E and then fly around the house chanting E for Eagles, E for Eagles, E for Eagles, E-E-E! Preschoolers love to run and be noisy.

Now search the house for the letter E. How many places can you find the letter E hiding? Remember to look on the bookshelf, in the pantry, and on the computer.

You can even make a game to see who can find the most E’s in your house. By the end of the day, your child will know the letter E!

3. Practice Counting

Look through your book on eagles again and count the eagles you see on every page. Do you count two, three, or even four eagles?

Point out to your child that there are two eaglets in the book. It’s a prime opportunity to count by twos!

The easiest way is to teach your child the chant, “Two, Four, Six, Eight, who do we appreciate?” then scream your child’s name.

Your child will be counting by two’s in no time at all!

4. What Do Eagles See?

Eagles have super sharp eyes as they fly through the air! Their eyes are estimated at being 4 to even 8 times stronger than our own eyes.

So sit down with your preschooler and chat about what an eagle would see up there in the air. Could they see a rabbit, mouse, or snake? How small of an object do you think they could see?

Cut pictures out of a magazine and create a collage of everything an eagle sees while flying through the air!

5. Pretend to Be Eagles

Finish the day by pretending to be eagles. Create a nest of blankets and hatch a couple of stuffed eaglets (or stuffed animals). Feed the stuffed eaglets, help them grow, and teach them to fly!

Be sure to use all your new knowledge about eagles as you pretend!

American Eagle Day is an excellent opportunity to use a unit study approach to teach your children all about eagles while reinforcing phonics and number skills as you play.

Books About Bald Eagles

If this craft inspired your kids to learn more about the bald eagle, here are some books to read with them.

You should be able to find them at your local library. If not, you can purchase them on Amazon by clicking the images below.

• Eagle in the Sky – Have you ever dreamed of flying? In this interactive adventure, you experience life from an eagle’s point of view. Flap your wings. Gobble down fish. Make important life choices. This entertaining and educational story encourages movement and decision-making while taking you through an eagle’s life cycle, from hatching to having a baby bald eagle of your own!

• Soaring with the Wind – A majestic bird swoops down, snatches its prey, then soars into the clouds. It is a bald eagle, one of North America’s largest hunting birds.

• The Bald Eagle – This strong and beautiful bird is a symbol for an entire country. It is the bald eagle, and Americans made it their national emblem more than 200 years ago. Join Bill the bird keeper to see how this bird lives and how it became a symbol of the United States.

RESOURCES I LOVE

This felt eagle mask and wings is perfect for your dress-up box and imaginative play center.

This gorgeous felt eagle toy is perfect for imaginative play. Kids can use it to act out their favorite stories or as a prop when talking about bald eagles.