Pizza Collages
For each child, cut a large yellow circle "pizza" and the following "toppings" out of construction paper: small red circles for tomatoes; brown circles for sausages; white spirals for onions; black ovals for olives; green squares for peppers; and white mushroom shapes for mushrooms. Then give the children their pizzas and let them glue on their choice of toppings.
Graphing Pizza Toppings
Make a graph with a list of pizza toppings on the left side and blank spaces for tallying on the right. Conduct a survey of the children to find out which pizza toppings they like. Name a topping from the list and ask the children who like that topping to raise their hands. Help the children count the number of hands raised, then mark off that many squares on the graph. Repeat for each topping. Then ask the children to decide which topping is the most popular and which is the least.
Pizza Toppings Game
Play a fun language game by letting the children name toppings they like on their pizzas. Have the first child begin by saying, "I'm going to make a pizza with ______." Have the second child repeat what the first child said and add the name of his or her favorite topping to the end of the sentence. Continue until every child has had a chance to add a topping name to the list.
Variation: Use age and ability to determine when to start the sentence over with the name of one topping.
Five Little Pizzas
Cut five pizza shapes out of felt. Decorate them as described in the poem below, using felt scraps or felt-tip markers. Then place the shapes on a flannelboard and recite the poem.
Five little pizzas all in a row.
The first one said,
"I'm made with pepperoni, you know."
The second one said,
"I'm made with sausage and cheese."
The third one said,
"Don't eat me, please."
The fourth one said,
"I'll be your dinner tonight."
The fifth one said,
"Someone has taken a bite!"
Five little pizzas all in a row.
Would you like to eat them?
Yes, I know!
I Wish I Were a Pepperoni Pizza
Sung to : "The Oscar Meyer Theme Song"
Oh, I wish I were a pepperoni pizza,
That is what I'd truly like to be.
For if I were a pepperoni pizza,
Everyone would be in love with me!
Let the children take turns naming their favorite kinds of pizza and singing about them.
I Like Pizza
Sung to : "Skip to My Lou"
I like pizza, yes, I do.
I like pizza, yes, I do.
I like pizza, yes, I do.
And my tummy likes it, too!
Pizza Puzzles
Cut out three cardboard circles (approximately 12 inches in diameter). Using felt-tip markers, decorate the circles to resemble pizzas. Cut one pizza in half, one pizza in fourths, and one pizza in eighths. Place all of the pieces in a pile and let the children take turns putting them together in various ways to make their pizzas.
Hint: For younger children, put out the pieces for one pizza at a time.
Small, Medium, and Large
Make three pizzas out of cardboard: one small, one medium-sized, and one large. Talk about the differences in size. Then show the children three different sized objects such as a button, a block, and a stuffed bear. Have the children compare the sizes of the three objects to determine which one is small, which one is medium-sized, and which one is large. Then let them place the objects next to the matching sized pizzas.
Biscuit Pizzas
Prepare a variety of pizza toppings. Include tomato sauce and cheese plus any others the children would like (olives, mushrooms, onions, pepperoni, sausage, etc.). Give each child a refrigerator biscuit on a piece of foil that has his or her name on it. Have the children press their biscuits out from the centers to make mini pizza crusts. Then let them add their choice of toppings. Carefully lift the pizzas by the foil pieces and place them on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Extension: Turn this activity into a simple nutrition lesson by sorting the pizza ingredients into the four food groups (breads, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and meat products) and encouraging the children to use at least one ingredient from each group to make their pizzas.