Learning about American symbols is such a worthwhile unit for kindergarten students. There are so many opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of our nation as they learn about each American symbol. The Statue of Liberty is an American symbol that kindergarten students love to learn more about! In this post, I will share some of my favorite Statue of Liberty activities for kindergarten.
6 Engaging Statue of Liberty Activities for Kindergarten
These engaging activities will help students learn more about the Statue of Liberty as they complete a wide variety of learning tasks. It’s always so helpful when we can add math and literacy practice to other content areas! These activities can be used to put together a one or two week American symbols unit.
1. Nonfiction Read Alouds
One of my favorite ways to introduce a new topic to students during a unit is by using nonfiction text. You can use engaging read-aloud books to get students excited to learn about the Statue of Liberty. It’s helpful to select books that use actual pictures of the Statue of Liberty instead of illustrations. I created a printable nonfiction book about the Statue of Liberty with photographs of the statue and child-friendly explanations, which is available through the link at the end of the post.
2. Statue of Liberty Chit Chat
After the reading and discussing the Statue of Liberty during the read aloud, it’s time for students to apply what they’ve learned about this American symbol. Students can use their new knowledge and context clues to fill out a Chit Chat message about the Statue of Liberty. This is a great way for students to stretch those comprehension muscles!
3. How Big is the Statue of Liberty?
It can be difficult to gauge the size of the Statue of Liberty from a photograph in a book, so it’s a good idea to take some time to explore how big the Statue of Liberty actually is. It’s helpful to share some facts about the size, but it’s even more helpful to let students SEE a real-life example of the Statue of Liberty’s size.
You can measure out bulletin board paper to show students how long the Statue of Liberty’s foot is in real life. You can even make the toes the correct length! This gives students a better idea of how huge the statue is. You can hang up the paper foot on the wall and see if your class can fit shoulder-to-shoulder inside the length of the foot. This is always fun for them to see!
In fact, this can serve as inspiration for a math investigation! Students can predict if the class will be longer, shorter, or equal to the length of the statue’s foot. After graphing the data, students can write about what they found out during the investigation. This gives students the chance to practice important math vocabulary words!
4. Statue of Liberty Directed Drawing
By this point, students are likely familiar with the appearance of the Statue of Liberty. This is a great time for a directed drawing activity! It can be such a confidence booster for our young learners to complete a directed drawing according to the directions. They’re always so excited to see their drawing come to life!
A directed drawing is a great way to incorporate more fine motor practice into the daily learning routine. Plus, it can help students see the importance of following step-by-step directions. This is an essential skill for them to learn! I think you’ll find that your students do an amazing job with this activity and they’ll be so proud to see their artwork on display.
5. Statue of Liberty Writing
You can also have your students complete a writing activity to accompany their directed drawings on the bulletin board. Students can write three of their favorite facts about the Statue of Liberty. The boxes on the writing sheet provide visual cues for where to put the title, the illustration, and the labels with each fact. Your students will love writing their own informational text! The final product makes such a nice patriotic display in the hallway.
6. Statue of Liberty Experiment
A common question you might hear during this unit is “Why is the Statue of Liberty green if she’s made out of copper?” This can become the essential question for an experiment that your students will love!
For this activity, students will soak some pennies in vinegar and salt. Students can color in pennies on their recording sheets to show what the pennies looked like before and after they were soaked. It’s so fun for students to see oxidation in action! They’re always so surprised to learn that the Statue of Liberty was actually the color of a penny when she was brand new. The exposure to the air and salt water created the green patina that we know so well. Your students will be so excited to share this fun fact with their families!
Printable American Symbols Activities
If you would like to use these activities in your classroom during an American symbols unit, I can save you a lot of time! I have put together a bundle that includes a wide variety of American symbols lesson plans and activities, including the Statue of Liberty activities I shared in this post.
These activities introduce students to many different American symbols so you can easily plan an entire unit without a lot of prep time. The additional President’s Day activities can help you have even more patriotic fun in your classroom during the month of February.
If you’d like to take a closer look at everything included in this bundle, you can find it in my TPT store.
Save These Kindergarten Statue of Liberty Activities
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