Preschoolers are filled with energy and imagination, and it’s hard for them to stay in one place for more than five minutes. They’re also ready to start learning more complex things, and even writing a bit. So how do you keep these active little creatures occupied?
One of the best ways is to use that imagination and energy for activities that are both fun and educational. Preschoolers are full of curiosity and love to be active in learning, so good activities for preschoolers are those that nurture their inquisitive minds and allow them to learn by doing and exploring. Here are some of the best activities for preschoolers:
- Make a monster in the mirror: In front of a mirror, teach your child how to make silly faces using their hands and fingers to show the reflection different expressions.
- Play the “I Spy” game: Have your child find objects of a certain color or shape, or even point out things you see from the car window.
- Read books together: Yes, reading to them is important for language development, but as an added bonus, if this activity is done before bedtime it also helps them relax and drift off to sleep faster.
- we Set up a paint easel outside: Doing arts and crafts outside means easier clean-up for you and a less restrictive environment for your child’s creativity!
- Go on a scavenger hunt: Make this one as elaborate or simple as you want—just remember to keep it age appropriate.
- Play “I Spy” and see if you can get them to guess what the object is before they lose interest in the game and wander into another room.
- Play hide-and-seek, but they have to stay in your sight at all times.
- Blow bubbles! (Note: This should be done outside as a matter of course.)
- Do puzzles; but not the kind you like, because they will have pieces missing that ended up behind the couch or under the fridge, but the ones they like.
- Build a fort out of chairs and blankets and pillows, and give them a flashlight so they can play with their friends inside it for an hour while you take a shower.
- Give them a bunch of pots and pans, some wooden spoons to bang on them with, and tell them to Create a bubble painting. This is a great way to use up leftover bubbles from bath time (and who doesn’t want to get messy?).
- Craft a story together. Tell stories together with your child, coming up with characters and plots as you go.
- Dig in the dirt. Plant seeds or just dig away—it’s fun either way.
- Bag leaves together. Fall is an excellent time to get outside and have fun bagging leaves together.
- Go on a walking tour of your city and point out different architectural styles or visit the city’s art museum.
- Play dress-up with old clothes from your closet or the local thrift store.
- Make a path of pillows to use as stepping stones (or make stepping stones using paint and cardboard cereal boxes).
- Write a book about the things you like to do, with illustrations.
- Make a snow dollhouse or snowman, or make snow angels or print out cards for footprints to use as you walk along in the snow.
- Volunteer at a local food pantry, library, or animal shelter.
- Play I Spy with colors, counting games, or letters.
- Draw pictures in chalk on the sidewalk; make a hopscotch game; draw roads for toy cars to drive on.
- Make crafts using popsicle sticks such as jewelry stand, bracelet, picture frame, letter holder, etc.
- Create a marble painting. Preschoolers love playing with marbles, so why not combine that activity with painting? Create marble paintings by dropping marbles into paint and rolling them around on paper (or glass!).
- Bake together. Baking is an excellent way to teach young children about measuring, counting, following directions, and patience
- We recently asked parents of young preschoolers what sorts of activities they recommended to keep their kids busy during the long winter season, and we received a wide variety of answers.
- Some suggested building a snow city or going indoors to build a city out of toys. These activities help children develop spatial awareness skills and allow them to be creative in a safe environment.
- Other parents recommended playing games like Finger Twister, doing puzzles, or playing Go Fish as ways for children to practice following directions and interacting with other players.
- Still others suggested getting kids outside for some physical activity like jumping rope, hula-hooping, or playing a game of freeze tag or hide and seek. Those are great options for helping kids get exercise during the winter months.
Educational Activities for Preschoolers
If you’re the parent of a young child and you’re reading this, you’re probably already thinking about what sorts of educational activities you can do with your preschooler. I bet that you’ve asked yourself questions like “what educational activities for preschoolers can I do?” or “how do I help my preschooler learn in a fun way?” Educational activities for preschoolers are messy. That’s half the fun! Getting dirty makes learning fun and children learn best when they are relaxed, so get ready to have some messy play with these educational activities for preschoolers.
It is amazing how much kids can learn and grow in their early years! I never knew that children could be held back by their preschool teachers not using the best educational activities with them. Check out this blog post to learn how your preschool participants can get a great learning experience at a childcare center.
Number sorting: Number sorting is a classic preschool activity that provides counting and number sense practice. It doesn’t take long, it’s fun, and children love it.
Taking turns: Taking turns is a fun activity for preschoolers. Taking turns is when children learn to share, cooperate, and play at the same time. Not only does taking turns have tremendous developmental benefits but it also helps children learn important social skills. As teachers we sometimes forget that solitary playtime can be just as important as time spent in large group or small group activities.
Colouring : is a great activity for preschoolers and kindergarten children. When children colour they learn about the joy of colour, how to use different textures (markers, solid colour, sponges), how to appreciate colours, and how to use fine motor skills by holding onto a crayon without squeezing it too tightly.
Tracing: Children will begin to form a sense of confidence as they trace letters and numbers. It’s one of the first steps in the development of their creative writing abilities. This article contains 10 art and craft ideas that children can do while they learn how to write in a fun and engaging way.
Painting :Most kids love colors and they would enjoy this activity a lot. You can either buy most kid friendly color crayons or colour the material yourself with regular crayons. Make sure that you have few paper pieces ready to place on top of each other and then give your child the freedom to paint it any color he/she likes.
Reading together: This is one of the most important activities that should be done for children for their learning and growing up. When you read with them, as parents it can help you understand where you child’s level is and how much you need to focus on him/her to help him/her grow more in reading skills and abilities.
Circle Time: There are many benefits of having circle time for preschoolers for example promoting physical health, emotional well-being, social growth and cognitive development. Kids learn a lot from classroom activities.
Story Telling: Story telling is an excellent activity to introduce your child to the world of books. It can enhance sensory skills, develop imagination and use their language skills to communicate their feelings. Story telling are good activities to engage in with your preschooler that they will enjoy.