16 Fun and Educational Activities for Your Preschooler
Engaging in fun and educational activities with young children is important for developing their skills as they learn and grow. Here are some ideas for early learning activities to do with toddlers and preschoolers:
Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts activities allow for creative expression and developing fine motor skills. Have children finger paint, use stamps and stickers, make collages, mold with play dough, and more. Describe what they’re doing to enhance language skills.
Sensory Play
Sensory play with items like rice, beans, bubbles or goop helps develop senses through touch, sound and movement. Provide safe containers and encourage exploring different textures.
Outdoor Time
Incorporating outdoor time into the day provides exercise, fresh air and nature exploration. Go for walks, play with balls, hula hoops, bubbles and water toys, dig in the dirt, climb on playground equipment.
Cooking Together
Cooking projects teach important concepts while making a tasty snack. Have children help measure, stir, pour, and name ingredients and flavors. Make cookie/pizza dough, fruit salad, yogurt parfaits.
Reading and Storytelling
Sharing books exposes children to language patterns and imagination. Use different voices, ask questions, have them predict what happens next. Retell your favorite stories together.
Pretend Play
With dress-up clothes, play food/kitchen items or a dollhouse, pretend play supports social skills and creativity. Role play different characters and scenarios to act out stories.
Music and Movement
Singing songs and doing dances/yoga gets wiggles out while developing coordination. Use scarves, pom poms or homemade instruments as props. Turn on fun music videos to change things up.
Learning Through Play
Toys like puzzles, blocks, shape sorters aid problem-solving in a low-pressure way. Encourage building, stacking, sorting and patterns.
Educational Games
Simple board or card games teach skills like colors, shapes, counting and taking turns. Look for games suited to their age and attention span.
Scribbling and Drawing
Provide paper, crayons, markers and let them freely scribble or copy shapes. Describe what they’re doing to build pre-writing skills and vocabulary.
Water Play
Fill containers with water for splashing, pouring, floating toys. Talk about concepts like full/empty as they play.
Playdough Math
Count objects they roll out of playdough, and sort by color or shape. Make patterns by pressing cookie cutters or shapes in a row.
Letter and Number Exploration
Point out letters and numbers in books, signs around the neighborhood. Make letters out of playdough, magnetic tiles or stickers.
Nature Scavenger Hunts
Go on walks to find things like rocks, leaves, pinecones. Encourage observation skills by discussing textures, colors and patterns.
Movement Songs and Rhymes
Songs that incorporate movements keep them engaged and build pre-literacy. Examples include “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” or “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”
Classification Activities
Sort toys, socks or other items by attributes to develop logical thinking. Categories could be color, size, type of item.
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