Fun Activities for Kids

Hi everyone! My mother’s club friend Karen Baker sent the following to the group and I thought I’d share. Karen got this from a friend, who got it from a friend, so we do not know the original author to give credit - if you know, let me know! Any more ideas? Add them in the Comments! This is great. Thanks Karen!
-
50 At Home Preschool Activities ˆ
When you run out of ideas, try some of these!

1. Button Sorting ˆ Buy a bag of buttons at your local craft store and
have your child sort them however s/he wants to, by color, size,
number of threading holes, etc.  An older child can count the sorted
piles.  I use little plastic cups from the party store that I think
are for condiments or something. But they are shallow and non breakable.

2. Placemat per Night ˆ Buy a stack of blank paper placemats from the
party supply store. Have your preschooler color a new placemat to eat
off of for the evening.  S/he can make a new one each night as make on
for other family members. Great during dinner prep.

3. Wash Day ˆ This sounds silly, but kids adore it. Fill a large
bucket with some mild soap, like Ivory. Allow your child to wash
washcloths or dish towels. Provide another bucket (or rinse the first
out) to rinse, and then hang them with clothes pins and a string in
the bathroom. This helps the child learn that clothes get clean via a
process, not just “magic”.

4. Shaving Cream Cars ˆ Put a mild, unscented shaving cream on a
cookie sheet with a lip (sometimes called a brownie sheet or
jelly-roll pan). Allow your child to drive cars and trains through the
“snow”. Those learning to write letters can attempt their letters with
an index finger and erase to try again easily.

5. Painting the driveway or deck ˆ On a sunny day, give your child a
container of water and a real painter’s brush (wide with a thick
handle) and allow h/her to paint away. The sun evaporates the water
quickly, and the kids love to see the cause and effect of painting.
My own kids would do this for hours in the summer.  If you are really
easy-going, feel free to add a dash of liquid washable watercolor.
You’ll have to wait for rain or hose off the masterpieces!

6. Big Paper Bag Hats ˆ Using a large, shopping-sized paper bag, cut a
large shape and staple it closed except for the bottom portion. Invite
your child to decorate however h/she wants, then the child can try it
on and you can adjust with staples accordingly.

7. Aromatherapy Play-Dough — Homemade play-dough is easy to make and
when you add a couple of tsps. Lavender oil (or eucalyptus if the
child has a stuffy nose), children get the benefits of calming scents
while they knead and create. A very “downtime” activity.
Play Dough Recipe
1 cup flour
π cup salt
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil (of your choosing)
1/8 cup cream of tartar
Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan. Cook and stir over low/medium heat
until play dough is completely formed and no longer sticky. Allow to
cool slightly before storing in an air tight container or zip lock bag

8. Matching Pasta ˆ sorting and matching are pre-math activities.
Glue a different type of pasta (shape, color, whatever) to the bottom
of a plastic cup ˆ clear works well; then provide the child a bag or
cup full of a mixture of all kinds of the pastas to sort. Counting can
be added when the child is ready.

9. Cutting Lines ˆ Preschoolers and scissors = hours of entertainment.
To teach fine motor skills, draw lines (all kinds ˆ dotted, swirly,
straight) lengthwise on a piece of plain paper. Ask your child to
follow the line you’ve drawn with scissors. You can even put a sticker
at the end as a goal target. Start easy, build gradually.

10. Collage Mania ˆ This also makes a great homemade gift for a
friend. Get a small tackle box and fill each compartment with a
different glue-able item (pom-poms, rickrack, magazine cut outs,
pieces, feathers, beans, buttons, pasta, etc.) add a glue bottle or
stick and you have the makings of a collage activity at a moment’s
notice. You can even bring this to a restaurant to ease the
boredom/restlessness factor there.

11. Lacing ˆ Lacing cards are easily made. Take some cardboard and cut
a shape or animal that your child likes or needs to learn. Punch holes
around the perimeter (less for younger children, more for older), then
tie a shoestring to one end and show the child how to lace. Great for
small motor skills, great for a restaurant.

12. Tweezers ˆ Give your child a set of blunt tweezers. Fill a small
bowl with items like a tissue, a cotton ball, feathers, pipe cleaners
ˆ get creative. Invite your child move the items from one bowl to
another bowl using only the tweezers. Super small motor strengthening
activity.

13. Musical Drawing ˆ Invite your child to draw to match the mood of
music that you put on ˆ marching music, classical, rock ˆ whatever.
This can be done with watercolors too.

14. Choose the Mood ˆ Draw a plain head with no facial features. Make
many copies. Allow your child to draw the face with different moods:
happy, sad, disappointed, hurt, etc.; another good restaurant
activity. For kids who have a hard time articulating their feelings,
this can be a tool to let them show how they feel.

15. Animal Doctor ˆ The word veterinarian is a hard one for
preschoolers. But Animals doctor works just fine. Provide a small
Tupperware container of bandages and other first aid items obtained
from the drugstore (or even the dollar store).  If your child needs
something to do or you need a moment to breath, bring out the box and
say something along the lines of “I think I just heard Brown Bear cry,
I hope he’s okay. Will you check?”  This is good for teaching empathy
as well as just plain fun, my kids always love trying on the role of
sole caregiver.

16. Easy tambourine ˆ this is an oldie but a goody.  Have your child
color or paint on the underside of 2 paper plates.  Staple the sides
together leaving a small opening. Using a funnel, allow your child to
pour about ∏ cup of beans or rice into the pocket, then staple the
hole up.  Instant fun ˆ add some music and your child will be loving life.

17. Ladle Fishing ˆ Using a large bin or wash basin (dollar store is
great for these) ˆ drop toys or household items into the bin and
invite your child to “fish” for specific items.  Can you get the
yellow block? Oops, looks like you got the blue alligator, try again!
Helps to teach shapes and colors without the child even knowing it!

18. Tupperware Galore ˆ Tupperware is of endless fun to this group.
Keep you family’s supply in a low cabinet that the child can easily
access.  Ask for your child’s help in finding a matching lid to a
specific container ˆ even if you don’t really need it. This not only
teaches matching and provides tactile stimulation, but lets the child
feel the pride of being helpful.

19. Pace It Out ˆ How many steps is it from your bedroom to the
stairs? How about from the kitchen to the laundry area? How about when
I pace it or Daddy does? This is a good one for line-waiting boredom.
I wonder how many steps it is over to that water fountain. One of my
kids even made a little journal listing the paces to and from various
places.

20. Nature Bracelet ˆ Using very sticky tape like packing tape or duct
tape, make a “bracelet” by reversing the tape so the adhesive side is
out. Go on a walk and let your child create a bracelet with what h/she
finds along the way. This can also be done at home with feathers ˆa
quick and easy craft.

21. What’s in the Bag?  Using any bag that isn’t transparent, put 5 or
so items in the bag such as a spoon, a cup, whatever you find. Have
your child close his/her eyes and feel in the bag to guess what is
inside. This is a good family activity too as the child can add things
to the bag to stump mom or dad.

22. Spin the Bottle ˆ Not the traditional kind!  Spin the bottle, and
whomever it lands on has to pay the spinner a compliment, even if the
bottle lands back on the spinner!  Kids love this and it teaches them
to notice good traits in others, as well as feel good about themselves
when others compliment them!

23. Hide and Go Find ˆ Place objects around the house in a fairly
obvious way.  Then ask your child to go find something red in the
living room, etc.  This is fun and can be played with any number of kids.

24. Shoebox Wagon ˆ The next time you have an empty shoebox, punch a
hole in the side, tie a yarn or ribbon line to it and set a teddy bear
or stuffed animal in it. Let your child discover it in your home and
h/she will adore pulling it around and making up scenarios with it and
stuffed animals.

25. Large Craft Stick People ˆ Using a handful of large craft sticks,
draw faces on each one (perhaps representing family members) and wrap
them up in a pretty bag for your child. Allow him/her to add details
with crayons and even provide extra sticks for older ones to make
his/her own nation of stick buddies. Another good one for restaurants.

26. What Sifts Through?  A messy but fun one, perhaps for outdoor
time.  Using a colander and a basin, give your child a variety of cups
filled with various things ˆ rice, sand, blocks, beans, etc. Invite
him/her to explore what can fir through the colander’s holes. This is
great for pre-math and visual spatial relationships.

27. What floats?  Using a basin of water, give your child a cup or
container of items to see which ones float. You can discuss heavy and
light and how size doesn’t always indicate weight.

28. Paper Bag Puppets — Using brown paper bags (an inexpensive
necessity!), draw faces of a dog, a cat, etc. and invite your child to
do the same, on the bottom of the bag.  You can even glue items like
yard and feathers to make fun and funny puppets.  These puppets have
taught lessons in our house, as I have put on little plays with them
to teach the importance of being kind, or manners, or cleaning up
after oneself.

29. Produce Printing ˆ Using washable tempura paint, fill a paper
plate with paint and cut a number of produce items in half in front of
your child. You take one half and give your child the other. Dip in
paint and print on paper. This makes nice gift wrap!

30. Large Paper Tabletop ˆ Buy a roll of shipping/packaging recycled
paper.  Roll it out onto a table or breakfast bar for the day or week,
securing it with tape or clothespins.  Provide a cup of crayons, a
small basket of stickers, washable stamps, etc.  An instant, easy
activity that is great when a buddy is over as well.

31. My Journal ˆ Buy a journal at the dollar store and a beautiful
writing pencil or interesting crayon and give it to your child to
doodle, write, or simply scribble.  Let him/her know that it is for
him/her only and that it doesn’t need to be shared or shown to anyone.
This makes the child feel so grown up.

32. Pasta Necklace ˆ Another oldie but goody.  Using strong string
(not yearn) and tube shaped pasta, let the beading begin. Be prepared
to be asked to wear these creations, and do so!

33. Straws and Cotton Balls ˆ keep these in a bag together and invite
your child to make the cotton ball “run” using only his/her breath
through the straw. H/she can use different colored straws to see if
one makes the cotton ball go further than another color.

34. Volcano World ˆ This is a production, but whenever I did it, the
kids played with it all day long exclusively.  In a small jar (baby
food sized is ideal) put in enough baking soda to fill the jar
halfway, add a few drops of red or orange food coloring if desired,
build a “mountain” around the jar, leaving an opening to pour vinegar
into the jar later. Using plastic animals or dinosaurs let your child
play with them on the mountain and then, with great drama, add the
vinegar. A containable and safe “explosion” will occur. SO fun!

35. Paper Chain ˆ Using strips of construction paper, let your child
make a loop garland using tape or a stapler. Make sure you are near if
a stapler is being used. Older kids can write on the strips ˆ my kids
write what their favorite things are, or colors, etc. And the chain
becomes a monument to that list, “My favorite foods chain”, etc. ˆ to
hang in a bedroom or playroom.

36. Magnets Galore ˆ At the craft supply store, purchase a dozen or so
painted wooden figures. These are very cheap - .25 cents each, I
believe.  Super ˆglue a small magnet to each one and purchase a small
cookie sheet for magnet play.  When you are cooking, you can bring
this out to occupy a little “helper”.  Store this on top of the
refrigerator and only pull it out occasionally to keep it fresh. You
can add magnets as your child develops new interest. This also makes a
lovely homemade gift.

37.  Lunch a New Way ˆ For a casual lunch, use a 6 count muffin tin
and put a different food in each spot.  You can use one of the spots
for the child’s drink.  This is great on rainy or indoor days when
some excitement is needed.

38. Bread and Dough Sculptures ˆ making a simple pretzel or pizza
dough is easy and when kids can make shapes or animals out of it
before it bakes, all the better.  Here’s a recipe I use:

Pretzel Dough:
1 tablespoons quick-acting yeast
1 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon oil
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Measure the water, sugar and yeast into a
bowl and mix. Wait two or three minutes for the yeast to soften. Stir
in one cup of flour, then add oil, salt and remaining cup of flour.
Sprinkle flour onto a wooden breadboard and place the dough on it.
Knead dough for about five minutes. Place dough in a bowl and cover
it, letting it rise for about 45 minutes in a warm place away from
drafts, open windows, etc. Punch the dough down and work it into a
ball. Next, separate the dough into smaller portions and let the
children use their hands to roll the dough into ropes or snakes to
mold dough into different shapes. After combining ingredients, show
children how to knead the dough and let them try. There’s no need to
wait for it to rise.
Let them brush their pretzel with a beaten egg, sprinkle with sesame
seed, and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, until light brown.
39) Frozen Ants — Ask your preschool child to peel a banana and cut
into two or three small pieces with a plastic knife.  Spread peanut
butter on each piece then roll each piece in raisins. Wrap loosely in
waxed paper and freeze. Your young child may want to eat right away so
have more than one banana available.

40) Teddy Bear Fort ˆ Kids always make forts for themselves, but what
about their favorite doll or stuffed animal? Help your child get
started and h/she will take it from there.

41) Can You Find It?  Hide a variety of small objects in a basin of
rice or sand and ask him/her to find specific objects by feeling alone.

42)  Which is longer?  Cut strips of construction paper to different
lengths. Ask your child to find the longest green strip, the shortest
red one, etc. Categorizing options are many here and easy for the
child to do without frustration.

43) Pajama Day ˆ Let your child stay in his/her jammies all day and
eat breakfast foods all day.  Gather up all of your lullaby music and
nighttime books. Let your child use a flashlight all day and make a
teddy bear bed out of a shoebox.

44)  Animal Search & Find ˆ Give your child a stack of a few magazines
and ask him/her to find as many animals as possible.  H/she may choose
to cut them out with safety scissors.

45)  Cup Tower — Have your child stack paper or plastic cups into a
tower and then knock them down. Watching them all fall around is half
the fun!

46) Make a rainbow streamer. Take a paper plate, punch 5-6 holes next
to one another along one side of the paper plate, cut out the middle,
and tie ribbons to each hole. Encourage your child to run and dance
while trailing his/her creation.

47) Tea and a Tea Tree ˆ Buy a very fancy tea cup and saucer for your
child ˆ Ross or Marshall’s works well for this.  Buy a collection of
herbal teas and perhaps some stevia, honey or agave nectar to sweeten.
Let your child choose from a variety of teas. After you have your high
tea together, hang the used tea bag on a tree outside. When it rains,
it will “rain” tea!

48) Giving Back ˆ Every once and awhile, make cookies for the mail
carrier or garbage truck workers. If it’s hot, hand them a Gatorade
box or popsicle. When you do this, be sure to talk about how hard
these people are working and how thankful we are that they do what
they do. This remains one of my kids’ favorite activities and
memories, and the mail carrier thinks it’s pretty great too!

49) Tissue Box Mailbox. When you have an empty tissue box, gather up
some junk mail, write your child’s name on the side and allow him/her
to play with opening mail, putting it through the slot and feeling
like a grown up.  H/she can decorate it as well.

50) Weather Chart ˆ Make a circular pie chart Party supply stores have
cake making supplies that work well for this), punch a hole in the
middle and use a brad to secure a sturdy cardboard. Making as many
sections as you wish, draw simple weather shapes. Encourage your child
to notice the weather and change the chart whenever h/she notices the
changes. How many different types of weather can happen in one day?
Hang this low or on the refrigerator so h/she can access.

A Last Couple of Notes:

Messiness ˆ It is hard to watch your home become a chaotic mess from
preschool activities. Try to let that go. These are the years that
they need to learn with all of their senses and curtailing that only
means stunting learning opportunities. That said, they shouldn’t be
allowed to rule the roost either.  Designate an area in your home
(ours is the kitchen table, which I figure I’ll be cleaning anyway)
for any messy activities. Encourage your child to help you clean, even
in the most basic way, such as; will you pick up that spoon while I
wipe down the table?

Restaurants ˆ We have always had a restaurant bag that lives in the
car.  Whenever we go to a sit-down place, it comes with us.  Really
little kids love to have a set of extra-small legos usually reserved
for bigger kids, but that you can monitor their use of easily at the
table.  Little Dover books (available at bookstores and toy stores)
are the best for restaurants, and almost all ages can use these.
Play-dough is so easy and perfect for restaurants that some even
provide them for your child.  A set of plastic cooking tools (keep it
to a small number) can keep a little one occupied easily.

Activity Bags — Many years ago, a friend suggested this and we ended
up hosting an Activity Bag Exchange with 25 moms.  Take a gallon sized
zip-loc bag and have an activity in it such as the pasta or button
sorting, cutting activities, very simple crafts (that require little
or no parental help).  Put the bags in a basket and bring it out when
you want to make a phone call or use the computer, etc.  Our exchange
went like this:  Each mom was assigned an activity bag, of which she
made 25 exact copies, bag included. We then placed them in a box or
tub and each mother collected one of each bag, for a total of 25
different activities right at hand.

Block Crayons ˆ Having only discovered these a few years ago, I cannot
say enough about them. They are long lasting, unbreakable and a child
cannot use one without automatically using the proper grip for future
pencil and pen use.  The proper grip seems easy enough, but many
children struggle with it when beginning elementary school.  We use
Stockmar brand, they can be found at variety of places online such as
atoygarden.com, finnandthatcher.com and even eBay.

Paint ˆ Our family finds watercolor the easiest to use. There are all
levels of quality out there, and we like the mid-priced. The cheapest
don’t have enough pigment and it’s hard to get the ideal consistency,
which frustrated the child. Expensive sets are wonderful to work with,
but costly to replace if your child loves painting like some do.  The
brand I use most often is Prang.

The Dollar Store ˆ or Dollar Tree or 99cent store ˆ these are a huge
resource for all of these activities. They have so many things you can
use at an obviously very attractive price. If you make a list of
everything you want for your own activity “database” from craft sticks
to paper to wooden spoons; look at these stores first.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS