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Free Circus Crafts, Activities, Rhymes, Printables, and Circus Books

Welcome to the Circus!
Look at a circus poster or circus book together. Discuss with children the circus performances they have watched. What did they enjoy? What did they not like or were afraid off? Explain the word perform and entertain and discuss that different circus performers entertain the audience in the circus.

Clown Movement Rhyme and Activity (Gross Motor Skills)

Look at the clown pictures together and let children describe the clowns.  What is the clown wearing? Which color is his/her hair, hat, etc?  Let children color a clown face.  Recite the following rhyme and make the movement together:

I’m a Little Clown
by Jolanda Garcia KidsSoup, Inc.

I’m a little clown. Look at my hat.
I have a big belly and I walk like that.

With my big shoes and my red nose,
I fall down and make a funny pose.

Watch me jump up and bow,
I hope you enjoyed the show!

Clown Face Drawing	Clown Nose Coloring Page	Clown Juggling Coloring Page	Circus Animals Coloring Page

At the Circus

Provide children with a range of items for re-creating the circus acts, such as stilts for stilt walking, a beam to balance on or to walk the tightrope, and balls for juggling. Outline a ‘Circus’ ring, indoors or outdoors, and have fun performing together, dancing, doing tricks, or clowning around.

In your house keeping area create a circus clown dressing room. Display a range of clown costumes including hats, shoes, and bags – don’t forget to have a mirror for the children to see themselves dressed up in their clown costumes!

Amazing Acrobats

Use a rope or masking tape on a carpet as a tightrope and take turns with your child to balance along it. Walk forward, backwards, balance on one leg, etc.

Let children balance paper cups, balls, etc. while standing or walking on the rope.

Outdoors
Stretch a long piece of rope across the ground or grass and secure it at both ends (rope should stay on the ground; this is just for pretend ;-). Let children pretend to walk a tightrope by walking on the rope that is on the ground. Show children how to walk like a tightrope walker by placing one foot in front of the other along the rope. Encourage children to try to keep their balance and stay as much as possible on the rope.

Circus Animals

Look at Circus Animal Picture Cards. Ask children to tell you the name of each animal and describe something it might do in the circus. Write the word for each animal next to its picture. Say each letter as it is written on the chart paper.

Together, make the sound of each of the animal as the animal is introduced. Then, let children pretend to be the animal performing in the ring.

Let's All Go to the Circus Today
Original Author Unknown
(Tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb)

Let's all go to the circus today,
circus today, circus today,
Let's all go to the circus today,
and watch the animals play.

See the lions jump through the hoops,
through the hoops, through the hoops,
See the lions jump through the hoops,
at the circus today.

See the big seals spinning balls,
spinning balls, spinning balls,
See the seals spinning balls,
at the circus today.

See the little dogs jump and twirl,
jump and twirl, jump and twirl,
See the little dogs jump and twirl,
at the circus today.

See the elephants standing up,
standing up, standing up,
See the elephants standing up,
at the circus today.

Clown Face Snack:

What you need:
Paper plates
Grated cheese
Cherry tomato halves
Shredded or sliced carrots
Cucumber slices
Banana cut in half lengtwise

What you do:
Give each child a paper plate. Ask them to make clown faces using the different food items. Have them add shredded carrots or the grated cheese to the tops for hair.

Circus Books

You See a Circus, I See...	If I Ran the Circus (Classic Seuss)	See the Circus (Lift the Flap Series)	Circus	Circus Family Dog
Olivia Saves the Circus	Harold's Circus (Purple Crayon Books)	Big-Top Benn	The Circus Alphabet	Peter Spier's Circus (Picture Yearling Book)

Other Circus Resources: