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6 Ways to Use Printable Kindergarten Hats for Learning

As kindergarten teachers, we’re always looking for fun ways to keep students engaged in learning. With all of the various activities that we can use to supplement instruction, it can be hard to decide which ones to use!  In this post, I’m sharing how printable kindergarten hats can be a worthwhile addition to your lesson plans.

6 ways to use printable kindergarten hats

What Are Printable Kindergarten Hats?

Printable kindergarten hats are one of my favorite ways to supplement lessons in the kindergarten classroom!  Printable hat templates are usually printed off in separate pieces on regular-size paper, then cut and assembled into fun hats for students to wear!

There are many other features that you can add to kindergarten hats to create a learning experience for your students. 

6 Ways to Use Printable Kindergarten Hats

Printable hats are more than headwear!  In fact, there are many ways that printable kindergarten hats can enhance your instruction. 

1. Fine Motor Practice

Kindergarten students start school with a wide range of fine motor skills, coordination, and hand strength. It’s always nice when a classroom activity can incorporate additional fine motor practice, since it can sometimes be challenging to add this practice to the school day. 

All of the pieces for a Letter B alphabet hat

There are so many fine motor skills that your students can practice as they prepare and assemble their hats.  Students start by cutting out the front of the hat and the hat bands. Then, if there are extra pieces to attach, students will color and cut those as well. They can then practice their hand-eye coordination as they fit the pieces onto the correct spaces on the hat. Finally, students will assemble the hat!

Attaching a beach ball picture card to a Letter B printable hat

Depending on the fine motor skills of your students, you can modify this task to best support their needs.  You might decide to pre-cut the hat pieces and bands, or support the students in attaching the bands to the hat. If your students are ready for more of a challenge, they can take care of all of the fine motor tasks for creating the hats.

2. Practice Following Directions

In addition to fine motor practice, kindergarten students can always use more practice following directions!  Printable hats are a fun way for students to practice this important skill. 

Attaching the band to the front of a number eight hat

There is usually a sequence that the pieces need to be assembled in order for the hat to turn out correctly. As students complete each step, they get visual confirmation that they have followed the directions.

3. Math Practice

There are so many fun hats that you can use to help students practice math concepts! For example, these number sense hats are full of activities to help students practice teen numbers.  

All of the pieces for a number 15 printable hat
Adding cards to a number hat
Completed hat for the number 15

Students can color the correct number of stars on the front of the hat.  Then, they need to cut out the four correct representations of that number out of the six cards provided.  (There will be two cards that don’t match the focus number.) After that, students can circle the number on a number line, trace the number word, and trace the number multiple times.  All of these skills are included on one hat!

Shape hats are another fun addition to math practice in the kindergarten classroom. Similar to the number sense hats, students can create hats for 2D shapes and 3D shapes while practicing many different skills. 

The front of a cone hat
Hexagon 2D shape hat

They can identify real world objects that match the focus shape, trace the shape and shape word, and identify the sides and vertices.

4. Literacy Practice

Printable hats are perfect for alphabet practice, especially if you do a letter of the day in your classroom. These printable hats are a great way for students to show off everything they have learned about a letter! 

A completed alphabet hat

Students can rainbow write the uppercase and lowercase letters on the front of the hat. The large letter outlines on the hat are an outline with plenty of space for students to write the letter multiple times in a variety of colors. Students love to use all of the different crayon colors!  They don’t even realize that they’re hard at work!

Gluing the letter tracing band onto a letter hat
Side view of a letter B hat

 Once students have completed the rainbow writing of the letters on the hat, there’s even more to practice! They can identify which pictures start with the focus letter, color them, then attach them to the hat. Finally, students can practice tracing and writing the uppercase and lowercase letters on the hat bands.

Sight word hat for the word "see"

Printable kindergarten hats are perfect for sight word practice, as well! Students can practice spelling the sight word as they create their hat!

5. Conversation Starter

No matter what skill you’re reviewing with your printable kindergarten hats, students will be eager to show them off! These fun printable hats are always a conversation starter!  Whenever students walk through the halls of the school or get in the bus line, someone is likely to ask them about the hat they’re wearing. This is the perfect time to get students to talk about what they’re learning in school!

Young child wearing a 2D shape hat

Not only does this help students reinforce the academic skills they’re learning, it also helps them practice their communication skills. Any time we can get kindergarteners to practice answering questions, especially with vocabulary from class, it’s a win!

6. Celebrate!

Printable hats are a fun way to celebrate in the classroom!  First day of school, 100th day of school, and last day of school hats are always a fun addition to those special days. 

Front of a first day of school hat

Plus, hats that focus on academic skills are a great way to celebrate and summarize the learning that students have done.  They always wear their hats with excitement and pride!

Printable Hats for Kindergarten

Would you like to use fun kindergarten hats in your classroom?  I have created a variety of hats for shapes, numbers, letters, and more!  Just click the button below to take a closer look at the different learning hats that I have available in the A Spoonful of Learning Shop or on TPT.


Save These Printable Kindergarten Hats

If you’d like to come back to these fun kindergarten hats later, be sure to save this post! Just add the pin below to your favorite teaching board on Pinterest. You’ll be able to quickly find these printable hats when you’re looking for a fun way to enhance your lessons.

Kindergarten Printable Hats