Looking for a fun bulletin board display to go along with your preschool transportation unit? Not only will this vibrant design give you a chance to show off your students' artwork, it will help reinforce the concepts learned in class!

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles! Crafts

For the sake of time (and attention spans!), it’s usually best to divide the crafts for this bulletin board into several days.

Day 1: Planes

Before beginning the craft, download the simple plane template below and use it to trace and cut out the plane pieces from brightly colored card stock or construction paper. Let your student pick their favorite combination of colors and use glue sticks to assemble the planes. Help them script their name along the wings and provide them with stickers, glitter, and other craft embellishments for them to decorate with.

NOTE: Having your students trace and cut out their own pieces would be a great way to build fine motor skills!

Day 2: Trains

Print out the simple train template below onto heavy card stock. Cut out the entire train outline and use this to trace and cut out train shapes from sheets of craft foam in assorted colors (e.g. blue, green, yellow, red, etc.). After creating enough train engines, one for each student in the class, cut out the wheels and use the circles to trace and cut train wheels from sheets of black craft foam. You'll need two train wheels for each child in the class. Allow your students to choose their engine and collect their wheels, then use foam glue to secure the wheels to the train. Provide sticky-back foam letters and shapes, as well as washable markers, craft glitter, and other embellishments for decoration.

Day 3: Automobiles

Find a race car coloring page or a black and white clip-art print online and make card stock copies (one for each child in the classroom). Provide your students with markers, colored pencils, washable paint, crayons, and other graphic art materials and invite them to decorate their race cars. Present them with a stack of card stock in assorted colors and invite them to choose a complimentary border for their creation. Encourage them to use regular scissors (or specialized craft scissors) to create an interesting border shape (i.e. fringe, jagged lines, wavy lines, etc.).

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles! Bulletin Board

• Background: Red bulletin board paper.
• Title: Planes, Trains, & Automobiles!" or "___________________ (Mrs. Nelson's Class Is, Our Preschoolers Are) Racing Through The Transportation Unit!"
• Border: Car themed bulletin board border or bright solid trimmer. You might also consider creating "wheels" from black and yellow construction paper, black and white racing flags, or common road signs as a transportation themed border.
• Decoration: Use your students crafts.

We'd love to hear what you think about the bulletin board! What would you keep? What would you change?