• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Preschool Toolbox Blog

Educational Learning and Play for Children 2-7

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Shop Lesson Plans
    • My Downloads
  • About
    • PR/Social Media
  •  
  • Literacy
  • Math
  • PreK
  • Science
  • Fall Theme Activities
  • Preschool Themes

Sep 17, 2014
Fruits and Vegetables Theme Activities· PreK· Science· Thanksgiving Theme Activities

Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards for #Preschool! #PlayfulPreschool

Thanks for sharing!

  • Share
  • Tweet

 All About Corn in PreschoolFARM THEME ACTIVITIES for PRESCHOOL

This week’s #playfulpreschool theme contains activities centered around a FARM THEME!  All throughout the school year, the Playful Preschool blogging team will be working behind the scenes to offer activities and suggestions just for your students or children.  Please visit the home page of this blog each Wednesday morning to see new theme-based ideas for playful learning!

For other posts in the #playfulpreschool series, visit:

APPLES THEME ACTIVITIES

FAMILY and HERITAGE THEME ACTIVITIES

Corn Life Cycle Paper Plate Craft

Corn Life Cycle Paper Plate Craft & Sequencing Cards – CORN LIFE CYCLE SEQUENCING CARDS_LABELS

The first corn farmers in the United States were the American Indians.  Approximately 75% of the food we eat everyday contains corn in one form or another.   Teaching young kids about the growing cycle of a corn stalk is not only interesting, but it will help “plant the seeds” (pun intended) for future studies on life cycles and how plants develop.

Please note:  the paper plate corn life cycle above uses Wikki Stix.  Wikki Stix are the original wax-coated yarn sticks made here in the U.S.A.  While I do write for Omnicor, Inc. (better known as the Wikki Stix Co.), this post is NOT a sponsored post.  I’ve have used Wikki Stix for 25+ years with preschoolers and it is, by FAR, the best sensory material for creating life cycles.  In the extra resources section below, you’ll find links to many other life cycle crafts our own students have created.  Wikki Stix can be stored and used over and over again for future projects and learning activities.  Check out the Wikki Stix website, free lessons plans, or the Wikki Stix blog for creative ways to encourage playful learning!

Explain and discuss with the children the growth of a corn stalk from the corn kernels planted in the ground (seeds) to a corn plant that produces more kernels.

  • The corn kernels (seeds) are planted in the soil.
  • With water and sunlight the seed sprouts
  • The sprouts grows and form the corn stalk with leaves and then tassels/silks
  • The silks (inside the corn husks) grab pollen from the tassels to grow the corn kernels.

Remind the children that a life cycle repeats itself over and over again. Have the children divide the paper plate into four sections using Wikki Stix (as shown in photo above).

Materials needed to make the paper plate corn life cycle craft:   Green/Yellow/Orange Wikki Stix, one paper plate (per craft), scissors, and the printable labels (linked at the top of this section).

  1. The life cycle begins in the upper left corner. Have the children cut small pieces of Wikki Stix with scissors and place real corn kernels (or print the photo of corn kernels below and have the children cut out the corn) CORN KERNELS on top of the Wikki Stix inside that section. No glue is necessary as the corn kernels (or paper corn) will adhere to the Wikki Stix.
  2. In the upper right corner of the paper plate, the children can make a small sprout using the green Wikki Stix.
  3. The lower right corner of the plate should contain a corn stalk with silks/tassels (the silks grab pollen to make the corn). Have the children create a larger green stem and leaves to resemble the corn stalk and cut small pieces of yellow Wikki Stix for the silk/tassels.
  4. To complete the life cycle, the children can make the corn lower left hand corner of the plate.

The children can use markers to label their CORN LIFE CYCLE or they can cut the labels from the printable provided above. The labels will adhere directly to the Wikki Stix without the need for glue.

Corn Life Cycle Sequencing Cards

EXTENSION ACTIVITY:  Print the Corn Life Cycle Sequencing Cards in the file linked above, laminate for durability, and cut them out.  Invite the children to place the cards in the correct life cycle order from the planting of the corn seed to the actual corn.  If desired, the cards can also be used for a matching game:  print several copies of the sequencing cards and cut out.  Have the children place all of the cards face down on the floor.  The game begins by choosing two cards at a time.  If the cards match, then the children keep the cards.  If the two cards do not match, then the cards are turned over and play continues.  The game is over when all matching pairs have been located.

BOOKS ABOUT CORN FOR KIDS

Books about Corn for PreschoolDisclosure:  This post and others within this blog contain affiliate links.  To see full disclosures, see the ABOUT section at the top of this blog.

CORN IS MAIZE – The Gift of the Indians by ALIKI

CORN by Gail Gibbons

Corn Up Close by Katie Franks

I Like Corn by Robin Pickering

Three Stalks of Corn by Leo Politi

The Life and Times of Corn by Charles Micucci

COME EXPLORE ALL THINGS ABOUT FALL with the FALL THEME designed just for Preschoolers!  The theme is a large zipped file instant download with over 100 activities for:  literacy, math, science, gross motor, pretend play, crafts, and food crafts!  See how playful learning can benefit your kids at home or in the classroom!

Fall Theme for Preschool and Kindergarten

Life Cycle Crafts for Preschool

ADDITIONAL FARM, PLANT, and LIFE CYCLE RESOURCES:

WIKKI STIX APPLE TREE LIFE CYCLE for PRESCHOOL

WIKKI STIX SUNFLOWER LIFE CYCLE CRAFT

WIKKI STIX CORN ESTIMATION

WIKKI STIX PARTS OF A PLANT (free lesson plan)

WIKKI STIX FARM-THEMED LEARNING CRAFTS

WIKKI STIX PUMPKIN MATH ESTIMATION BOOK (free to print and create)

WIKKI STIX PUMPKIN LIFE CYCLE and PRINTABLE PUMPKIN BOOK

WIKKI STIX POINSETTIA PLANT LIFE CYCLE

WIKKI STIX LIFE CYCLE OF A SEA TURTLE

PARTS OF A PLANT PLAYDOUGH MAT

 Playful Preschool BloggersPlan Your Learning Week with Preschool Activities for the Farm Theme

From the ‪#‎PLAYful‬ Preschool Education Team!

Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Art, Sensory, Songs and MORE!!!!

Farm Animal Letter Sounds by Mom Inspired Life
Learning to Write: Labeling the Farm by Growing Book by Book
Make a Who Am I Farm Animal Book by The Educators’ Spin On It
Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog
While at the Farm:  Children’s Farm Song by Capri + 3
Farm Animal Counting and Sorting Sensory Bin by Life Over C’s
Farm Themed Count and Add Activity for Preschool by Rainy Day Mum
Corn Painting – An Art Activity for a Preschool Farm Theme by Fun-A-Day!
Preschoolers DIY Farm by Tiny Tots Adventure
Preschool Science: Duck Feather Experiment by Raising Lifelong Learners
Farm Animal Sort by Powerful Mothering
Wash the Farm: Fruits and Vegetable Sensory Play for Preschoolers by The Kennedy Adventures

Preschool Farm Activities and Sensory Play for Math, Science, and Literacy by Little Bins for Little Hands

 

We would like to extend an invitation to join us tonight 9/17/2014 at 9:00 P.M. EST for a live Google Hangout talking about the activities we are doing with our preschoolers for the farm theme. This hangout will be recorded and able to be viewed at a future date.



44 Comments

Join our newsletter & receive the FREE DOWNLOAD:
Explorations with ALL 5 SENSES!

Enjoy in the classroom or at home!



Previous Post: « My Funny Family: Family Tree Stick Crafts for Preschool! #Playfulpreschool
Next Post: Fall Theme for #Preschool: 50+ Pumpkin Playful Learning Activities »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amanda says

    September 17, 2014 at 5:38 am

    I love plant sequencing activities. My kids just saw a big corn field, so it would be perfect timing to do this!

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      September 17, 2014 at 6:34 am

      Amanda – kids love to learn about life cycle and the sequencing cards help expand important skills! Thanks so much for your comment!

      Reply
  2. Kim says

    September 17, 2014 at 7:55 am

    This is such a comprehensive resource for exploring corn! Thanks for sharing all your great ideas! I especially love that you used WikkiStix. They are fantastic for building fine-motor skills.

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      September 17, 2014 at 1:18 pm

      Kim – thanks for visiting! We do all of our life cycles with Wikki Stix!:) It’s fun to create, build our fine motor skills, learn about how things grow, and see the variations in the crafts!

      Reply
  3. Theresa says

    September 17, 2014 at 8:30 am

    I love the visual representation of the corn life cycle on the paper plate. I like that it shows the sequencing in a three dimensional way.

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      September 17, 2014 at 1:19 pm

      Theresa – thank you for visiting and your comment! It’s a great way to make 3-D life cycles.:)

      Reply
  4. Danielle @ Mom Inspired Life says

    September 17, 2014 at 10:29 am

    Love the life cycle paper plate craft! I bet that is so fun to make. The sequencing cards are a great way to reinforce learning.

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      September 17, 2014 at 1:20 pm

      Danielle – we had not made a corn life cycle before so it was NEW even to our kids! They liked it and we now know about corn before we head to the FARM!:)

      Reply
  5. Sarah says

    September 17, 2014 at 11:25 am

    Great ideas for a popular food item! We have done these kind of activities with apples and pumpkins and flowers but not corn!

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      September 17, 2014 at 1:16 pm

      Sarah – thanks for visiting and your comment! We had not tried the corn life cycle until last week either:) It was fun!

      Reply
  6. Cerys from Rainy Day Mum says

    September 17, 2014 at 2:48 pm

    Fantastic way of creating a lifecycle – I am now wondering whether we can get those stix in the UK as well. We grew corn this year and this would be great to renforce what we did.

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      September 17, 2014 at 10:18 pm

      Cerys – you can as someone asked that before on Google+. I’ll have to email and see what distributor has them in the UK. We use them for TONS of learning activities! Thanks for your comment and visiting.:)

      Reply
  7. Jodie @ Growing Book by Book says

    September 17, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    What a fun activity. We really enjoy using Wikki Stix .

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      September 17, 2014 at 10:17 pm

      Jodie – our kids do, too (obviously). Thanks so much for visiting and your comment!

      Reply
  8. Mary Catherine says

    September 17, 2014 at 4:23 pm

    Oh, I’ve never done a life cycle activity with corn – what a great idea. Thanks for all of the book suggestions as well!

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      September 17, 2014 at 10:16 pm

      We haven’t either…until NOW! Thanks for visiting and your comment!

      Reply
  9. Nicolette Roux says

    September 17, 2014 at 6:21 pm

    my son is fascinated with planting stuff!

    Although he says corn is meant to be popcorn and that is what he is sticking with.. lol

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      September 17, 2014 at 10:16 pm

      I’d go with popcorn. 🙂 Isn’t that a whole food group by itself? lol Thanks for visiting and your comment!

      Reply
  10. Natasha says

    September 18, 2014 at 10:46 am

    Thanks for letting me know about the wikki sticks. I have just talked my husband into purchasing them. I like this craft/activity. I think we would have fun talking about the life cycle.

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      September 18, 2014 at 11:11 pm

      Natasha – Thank YOU for visiting and your comment! It’s a fun learning craft to do in the fall!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Farm Themed Math Activities for Preschoolers says:
    September 17, 2014 at 5:24 am

    […] Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog […]

    Reply
  2. Art Activity for a Preschool Farm Theme - Fun-A-Day! says:
    September 17, 2014 at 5:58 am

    […] Farm by Growing Book by Book Make a Who Am I Farm Animal Book by The Educators’ Spin On It Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog While at the Farm:  Children’s Farm Song by Capri + 3 Farm […]

    Reply
  3. Preschool Farm Activities And Sensory Play Ideas For Math, Science, And Literacy | Little Bins for Little Hands says:
    September 17, 2014 at 6:28 am

    […] the Farm by Growing Book by Book Make a Who Am I Farm Animal Book by The Educators' Spin On It Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog While at the Farm:  Children's Farm Song by Capri + 3 Farm Animal […]

    Reply
  4. Learning to Write: Labeling a Farm #playfulpreschool says:
    September 17, 2014 at 6:37 am

    […] Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog […]

    Reply
  5. Farm Animals Counting and Sorting says:
    September 17, 2014 at 6:39 am

    […] Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog […]

    Reply
  6. Farm Animals Beginning Sounds Game #PlayfulPreschool - Mom Inspired Life says:
    September 17, 2014 at 6:51 am

    […] Farm by Growing Book by Book Make a Who Am I Farm Animal Book by The Educators’ Spin On It Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog While at the Farm:  Children’s Farm Song by Capri + 3 Farm […]

    Reply
  7. Farm Animal Sort says:
    September 17, 2014 at 6:53 am

    […] Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog […]

    Reply
  8. Wash the Farm: Fruits and Vegetables Sensory Play for Preschoolers - The Kennedy Adventures! says:
    September 17, 2014 at 12:39 pm

    […] Farm by Growing Book by Book Make a Who Am I Farm Animal Book by The Educators’ Spin On It Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog While at the Farm:  Children’s Farm Song by Capri + 3 Farm […]

    Reply
  9. Why Do Fall Leaves Change Colors? #PlayfulPreschool - The Preschool Toolbox BlogThe Preschool Toolbox Blog says:
    October 1, 2014 at 3:01 am

    […] FARM THEME ACTIVITIES […]

    Reply
  10. #PlayfulPreschool DIY Farm | Tiny Tots Adventures says:
    October 6, 2014 at 9:17 am

    […] Farm by Growing Book by Book Make a Who Am I Farm Animal Book by The Educators’ Spin On It Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog While at the Farm:  Children’s Farm Song by Capri + 3 Farm […]

    Reply
  11. The BEST of Wikki Stix Fall Playful Learning & Crafts for Kids! - Wikki Stix Educational Toys » Wikki Stix Educational Toys says:
    October 6, 2014 at 12:28 pm

    […] Stix Sugar Sensory Apple Paintings –an apple sensory painting activity and experiment for kids. Corn Life Cycle Craft for Kids – come learn about how a corn stalk grows with a Wikki Stix created life cycle craft. Pumpkin […]

    Reply
  12. Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh for #PlayfulPreschool! - The Preschool Toolbox BlogThe Preschool Toolbox Blog says:
    October 8, 2014 at 3:01 am

    […] FARM THEME ACTIVITIES […]

    Reply
  13. Dinosaur Theme for Preschool: Hatching DINO Eggs - Early Math & Science. - The Preschool Toolbox BlogThe Preschool Toolbox Blog says:
    October 15, 2014 at 3:01 am

    […] FARM THEME ACTIVITIES […]

    Reply
  14. Wikki Stix – The BEST of Wikki Stix Fall Playful Learning & Crafts for Kids! says:
    September 16, 2015 at 11:32 am

    […] Stix Sugar Sensory Apple Paintings –an apple sensory painting activity and experiment for kids. Corn Life Cycle Craft for Kids – come learn about how a corn stalk grows with a Wikki Stix created life cycle craft. Pumpkin […]

    Reply
  15. Life Cycle Activities for Kids says:
    March 27, 2017 at 9:05 am

    […] Corn Life Cycle and Sequencing Cards – The Preschool Toolbox […]

    Reply
  16. Eric Carle Theme and Author Study Activities for Preschool! • The Preschool Toolbox Blog says:
    August 27, 2017 at 9:46 am

    […] Corn Life Cycle and Sequencing Cards from The Preschool Toolbox […]

    Reply
  17. Autumn Colours Plant Science for Preschoolers - #playfulpreschool says:
    December 19, 2017 at 4:32 am

    […] Corn Stalk Life Cycle […]

    Reply
  18. Farm Animals Beginning Sounds Game says:
    February 15, 2018 at 9:09 pm

    […] Farm by Growing Book by Book Make a Who Am I Farm Animal Book by The Educators’ Spin On It Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog While at the Farm:  Children’s Farm Song by Capri + 3 Farm […]

    Reply
  19. Farm Theme - 123 Homeschool 4 Me says:
    October 27, 2018 at 12:29 pm

    […] Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards […]

    Reply
  20. Indian Corn Activities and Crafts for Preschoolers • The Preschool Toolbox Blog says:
    November 10, 2019 at 12:40 pm

    […] Preschoolers will also LOVE learning about the corn life cycle with free sequencing cards! Check out the many books on corn to read, […]

    Reply
  21. Paper Plate Life Cycle Crafts for Preschoolers says:
    January 27, 2020 at 4:00 am

    […] kids about the life cycle of corn with this fun paper plate craft. It’s perfect for your nutrition or farm-themed lesson […]

    Reply
  22. Thanksgiving Worksheet For Pre K | Printable Site says:
    March 10, 2020 at 4:49 pm

    […] Source @ thepreschooltoolboxblog.com […]

    Reply
  23. 25 Fun and Engaging Plant Life Cycle Activities for Kids - Teaching Expertise says:
    March 15, 2022 at 3:08 am

    […] Learn more: The Preschool Toolbox Blog […]

    Reply
  24. 25+ Corn Activities and Crafts for Kids - Fun-A-Day! says:
    August 3, 2022 at 10:41 pm

    […] This activity covers so many preschool concepts and skills. Your students will really enjoy learning about the corn life cycle. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

SEARCH for an ACTIVITY or SEASONAL THEME HERE!

Subscribe

Theme Activites, Parenting, Education

Copyright © 2025 · The Preschool Toolbox · Become an Affiliate · Web Hosting & Design by Servously

The Preschool Toolbox Blog uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience, analyze site traffic, and to personalize content. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies. Click READ MORE for details: Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT