Community Helpers Butcher Paper Activities for Preschool, Pre-K, & Kindergarten

I like to do a community helper theme every year with my students so they become familiar with the community they live in. We talk about many jobs that keep the town moving and growing. This is a great theme to build background knowledge, vocabulary, and world awareness. So, I have rounded up my favorite community helpers butcher paper activities for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten students.

If you aren’t familiar with butcher paper activities, let me give you a quick overview. They are hands-on activities that are on a large scale so that students are up moving around while learning. This helps them burn off energy and build their larger muscles to help their fine motor skills develop. These are great for moving larger body parts while developing gross motor skills. They help students learn with their peers in a multi-sensory, play-based activity that is educational. They also help students develop social skills while focusing on math concepts. Butcher paper activities are great for morning time, table time, small groups, or center time.

Grab the Butcher Paper Activity Guide for ideas for the whole year! Grab my favorite butcher paper supplies from Amazon here.

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Community Helpers Butcher Paper Activities for Fine Motor

Teacher Connect! Grab some people stickers and markers to make this cute butcher paper activity great for strengthening fine motor skills! I removed the background sticker, which left just the stickers on the paper, making it easier for the students to get the stickers. Then, I cut the sheet into smaller pieces so each student gets a little sheet. Then, students will put their stickers all over the butcher paper. Then, use markers to connect the stickers. This practices drawing lines, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and more.

Dentist Line Trace! Draw some lines on a piece of butcher paper, then give students small manipulatives to trace/build the line. I used teeth mini erasers and pom poms (cavities/germs) for a dental-themed activity. I love this one because all I have to do is change the manipulative, and I have a new activity for another theme.

Construction Lines! Make some line pattern strips that you want your students to practice drawing. Young children pick one and then draw the line on the butcher paper. Next, they use their construction equipment to trace/drive on the line.

Community Helpers Butcher Paper Activities for Literacy

Pilot Sky Names! Write your students’ names in the sky with airplanes! Students will build the names with letter manipulatives or trace the names with the airplanes. I used blue butcher paper and a white paintstick to create this butcher paper activity.

Vet Letter Build! Cover a piece of paper with letters and give students mini dog bones to build the letters. I set out some dog toys for students to walk along the letters to practice letter formation, too.

Mailman Color Match! Make some letters in different colors and have students match letter manipulatives to the colors. I used magnet letters so students could use magnet wands to make clean-up a breeze.

Chef Letter Match! Draw a pizza and put letters in the toppings! Then, students used magnet letters and spatulas to put the matching letters on the pizza. This is one of my kids’ favorite community helpers, butcher paper activities, which we do.

Plumber Letters! Write letters and draw water puddles around them. Then, have students use plungers to pick a letter and say the name/sound.

Baker Letter Sort! Make this cute butcher paper activity by drawing a donut and writing letters all over it. I gave students beginning sound manipulatives and letter manipulatives. They matched the letter and beginning sound pictures while they worked together and moved around the donut. I made the letter manipulatives out of water bottle lids and dot stickers. You can find more DIY manipulative ideas here.

Community Helpers Butcher Paper Activities for Math

Birthday Count! Practice one-to-one correspondence, number identification, and counting skills with this birthday-themed butcher paper activity. I drew cakes and wrote numbers inside of them. Then, I gave students candles, number candles, and magnetic bingo chips to count and sort into the correct cake.

Police Numbers! Draw a police badge and fill it with numbers. Then, students can roll a die, identify that number, and place a marker on it. Students can play independently or in groups. They will practice counting, number identification, patience, and taking turns.

Firefighter Count! Draw some apartment buildings and write numbers inside the windows. Then, I wrote large numbers across the bottom. Students could use little fire trucks to trace the numbers. Students could count out pony beads in fire colors to match the numbers in each window.

Parking Garage Number Sort! I love this transportation butcher paper ideas! I made parking spaces on black paper with masking tape. Then, I numbered the parking places. I put mine out of order, but if your students aren’t ready for that, you could put the numbers in order. Next, I labeled my cars with number stickers. Students pick a car and drive it to the matching parking parking space.

Farmer Shapes Sort! Draw shapes and turn them into pastures by drawing fence posts. Then, students can use tractors to trace the shapes or put shape manipulatives in the matching area. You could also put shape stickers on the back of farm animal toys and have students put the animals in each pasture!

Doctor Shapes! I drew small shapes all over; then, I added a heart inside. Give students bandaids, popsicle sticks, and string to make the shapes. You can laminate the bandaids so students can use them repeatedly.

3D Food Sort! Use food containers and play food to practice 3D shapes and sorting skills. This is great for a community helpers theme, grocery store/ food theme, or a Thanksgiving theme.

3D Blocks Sort! Give your students blocks, cones, and other building materials to make this construction-themed community helpers butcher paper activity. I had students sort by 3D shape, but you could also use 2D shapes if that is what your students are working on.

Zookeeper Measure! I drew some blades of grass in varying lengths. Then, I gave students zoo animal counters and glass gems to measure the lines. I set out safari hats for students to wear while they worked.

Recycle Sort! I gave students all kinds of lids to sort by color. You could also sort them by size if that is a skill that they need.

Driver Graph! Draw a simple number graph and give students a math manipulative. For this activity, I gave them transportation counters to count and graph.

Community Helpers Butcher Paper Activities for Art

Community Map! Make a community map with your students! They will love to draw and add places and roads to the map. I did this activity over a few days, adding a new part each day. See all the steps here!

Mechanic Painting! Use different-sized toy vehicles to paint a large piece of paper. My students love driving their vehicles through the paint I squirted all over the paper. I like finding vehicles with different tires to make the painting even more detailed.

There are so many great jobs within a community that you can make so many unique activities for your students to learn through. Pick a few and jot them in your lesson plans to get started! For more community helper ideas, click the images to go to the other blog posts.

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