Here are over 50 activities pre-schoolers will enjoy doing at home, which aren’t just fun, but educational too! You’ll never run out of ideas anymore!
Preschoolers are a joy to have around the house. They’re quite conversant now, and have some very interesting things to say about people they meet and things they see! They give out hugs and kisses freely, and are past the rebellious stage of the toddler years.
Our advice is this – make hay while the sun shines. In other words, make the most of this time and introduce them to some creative activities!
Why are creative activities important for preschoolers?
- Helps them develop imagination and creativity
- Improves fine motor skills and gross motor skills
- Encourages problem-solving and critical thinking
- Promotes speech and language skills
- Helps them process and express emotions
- Improves communication
- Builds confidence and self-esteem
- Encourages a better understanding of the world around them
Now that we know why they’re important, here’s a list of over 50 creative activities pre-schoolers will enjoy – no matter what their interests!
50+ Activities Pre-schoolers will Enjoy Doing
Reading Activities Pre-schoolers will Enjoy
1. Magnetic Letters: A pack of magnetic alphabets will serve you for a long time, and can be very handy for learning! Kids can put them on a magnetic whiteboard, the fridge or on a cookie sheet, and try identifying the letters.
2. Phonics: The letter magnets come in handy here too; show up a letter magnet and let your child sound it out, then pick it up and put it up on the board or fridge.
3. Sensory Letter Hunt: Bury the magnetic letters in a tub of sand or rice and let the kids use their hands to hunt for them. They could look for the letters of their name or their pet or simple words they’ve learnt.
4. Story Time: Hand your child a few stuffed dolls and some objects like a cup, a pen and a sock. Now let them come up with a story using these characters and items – the crazier, the better!
5. Making a Book: Reading books is fun, but so is creating a book of your own! Kids can take inspiration from this flip book craft from I Heart Crafty Things and create their own books using whatever supplies they have.
Learning Activities Pre-schoolers will Enjoy
6. Shape Hunt: Try this simple game with your kids – tell them a shape, and let them walk around the house finding objects that match the shape. It’ll help them see shapes in real life objects and make learning more interesting.
7. Color Hunt: This is similar to the shape hunt game – give them a color and a time period – like two minutes – to find at least 5 objects that match the color. This will be great fun when other kids are involved!
8. Guess the Weight: How much does your child’s doll weigh? Well, let’s find out! Ask your child to guess the weight of everyday objects or toys, then use a kitchen scale to check the answer.
9. Fireworks in a Glass: With oil, water and food colouring, you can create a gorgeous little color explosion in a tall glass that’ll delight kids of all ages.
10. Kitchen Science: You don’t have to hold multiple degrees to become a scientist – you can use your kitchen as a lab and turn into one right there! Use basic kitchen supplies to create interesting experiments like this basic volcano experiment.
Art Activities Pre-schoolers will Enjoy
11. Sponge Painting: You don’t need a brush set to paint – simply cut up some sponges, attach them to Popsicle sticks and you are ready to paint! Kids will enjoy seeing how this creates a different texture than a brush.
12. Process Art: Process art is where kids play around with different materials to create art, which creates a sensory experience. Let kids experiment with bubble wrap, water guns and various kinds of paints on paper, canvas or cardboard.
13. Washable Markers: If you’re worried about your kids messing up their clothes or your walls, hand them some washable markers or washable chalk. They can explore however they want and you don’t have to stress about it.
14. Tie Dye Art: Tie dye is a kind of process art that kids will love. This is a fun way to upcycle an old t-shirt of your child’s so it transforms into something new. Children will love wearing something that they created on their own.
15. Finger Painting: This can get messy but it’s an amazing sensory activity for young children. Let them wear a smock or apron before starting out, and make sure you get a good quality set of child-safe finger paints.
Craft Activities Pre-schoolers will Enjoy
16. Crumpled Paper Crafts: Crumpling paper is a great fine motor activity for young children, and a calming exercise too. After they’ve got a lot of crumpled balls, draw a simple image and let them arrange the balls inside.
17. Paper Collage: Encourage kids to pick out some pictures from old magazines or you can print some out. Then let them arrange them to create a scene of their choice on a large sheet of paper.
18. Window Art: If you have a window that gets a lot of sunlight, it’s a good spot for some window art! Hand your kids some colored transparent sheets to put up on the window and watch the gorgeous effect created by sunlight passing through the colors.
19. Handmade Stuffies: Ask your kids to draw a favorite character or animal on a plain muslin cloth and fill it in with fabric colors. Once they’re done, cut out the character and turn it into a cute little handmade stuffie.
20. Busy Box: Maintain a cardboard or plastic box with odds and ends you find around the house – paper or fabric scraps, colored string or ribbon, Popsicle sticks, straws or wrapping paper. Let kids use them to create anything they like – let their imagination run wild!
Life Skills Activities Pre-schoolers will Enjoy
21. Cooking: Few life skills are as important as cooking, so give your kids a head start! Let them join you in the kitchen and learn how to butter a slice of bread, peel a banana or break an egg.
22. Room Cleaning Race: Set a timer for 2-5 minutes and let your child run around the room picking up stuff and putting it back in its place. This is a win-win for everyone – your child enjoys a fun game while you get the room clean!
23. Laying the Table: Even if your child is too young to use a knife, they can still lay the table. Help them carry (unbreakable) plates and cups to the table, arrange the cutlery and pour water into glasses.
24. Doll Dressup: Dressing themselves is another important milestone for kids, and it’s a good idea to start practicing on a doll. Tying laces, buttoning and unbuttoning, closing and opening snaps – these are things they could try.
25. Pretend Play: Let kids pretend play using scenarios from everyday life, like a grocery store, restaurant or public transport. They can use their regular toys along with other household supplies and role play with their dolls.
Play Activities Pre-schoolers will Enjoy
26. Puzzles: Puzzles are an evergreen classic with kids and teach them patience, problem-solving and analytical skills. Toddlers can try puzzles with pegs, while preschoolers can try puzzles with large pieces.
27. Puppet Show: You can either buy a set of finger puppets or make your own with old socks. Create some interesting characters and let your kids create a story with them. Once the script is ready, let the show begin!
28. Racing Track: Use colored tape to make roads on the floor and use stickers to mark signals and stop signs. Now you have a track ready to race your toy cars along!
29. Treasure Hunt: You can either hide goodies in different spots of the house and give your child a time limit to find them. Or you could leave a clue at each spot that leads to the next clue, to make it more interesting.
30. Building Houses: Let your child build a house with different materials – cards, paper cups, wooden bricks, or even Popsicle sticks. It’ll be fun trying to balance everything while maintaining the shape of the house.
Self-Awareness Activities Pre-schoolers will Enjoy
31. Photo Albums: Go through old photo albums with your child, and show them how they looked when they were a baby. Let them look at their grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, to know how many people love them!
32. Emotion Cards: Young kids often have trouble expressing their emotions, which is where emotion cards can help. You can make these yourself, and help kids understand what feelings are, and how to deal with them.
33. Personal Information: Preschoolers should be able to remember a few pieces of information about themselves, like their full name, address and number of at least one parent. Use flash cards to make learning fun and easy.
34. Dress Up: Start a dress-up box or bag and keep adding old clothes or any unusual props you come across. Ask your child what they want to become, and encourage them to dress like it – this might change every day!
35. Body Awareness: It is crucial to educate your child about the right names of their body parts, as well as what should be kept private. It’s also fun to do little exercises that increase body awareness and body confidence.
Physical Movement Activities Pre-schoolers will Enjoy
36. Balance Board: A balance board or balance beam is a great way to improve balance in children so they have better orientation and fewer falls. They can also practice standing on one leg for a few minutes every day.
37. Bouncing Ball: No child will say no to a bouncing ball! It keeps them active, burns off energy and is also a fun way to let go of any feelings like anxiety or anger.
38. Freeze Dance: Play some peppy music and ask your kids to dance. When the music stops, they should freeze in whatever pose they were in. It’s a hilarious game, especially when there are more people involved!
39. Yoga for Kids: Yoga is an excellent activity for young kids, especially if you want them to calm down before bedtime. Make it fun by including animal sounds along with the animal poses.
40. Animal Dance: Give your child an animal name – now they should move and make noises like that animal for 30 seconds straight! If you want, you can watch a few short videos of unfamiliar animals, so your child knows what to do when the name turns up!
41. Indoor Obstacle Course: Bring out the blankets and pillows and create a mini obstacle course using your furniture. Now let your child make their way through the course – you can also leave little prizes along the way for them to collect!
Nature Activities Pre-schoolers will Enjoy
42. Leaf Hunt: Pick an outdoor green area and collect leaves, fill them up in different containers and hand them over to your kids. Ask them to match the leaves they have with those which are growing on the plants.
43. Gardening: Try planting a simple dried bean and watching it germinate. Once your child has an idea about soil and water, start gardening with seeds in real soil. They can also learn about pruning and weeding plants as they go.
44. Digging: Your little digger will enjoy exploring the various things they find in the dirt! Hand them some gloves and a little shovel and spade so they can have fun without getting dirt under their nails.
45. Nature Art: Go on a walk with your child and collect leaves, branches and flowers. Now turn them into art – leaf portraits, flower brushes, nature collages and more!
46. Season Study: Ask your child to look outside and see how warm or cold it is. Is it sunny or cloudy? Is it raining or snowing? Then ask them about how it was on their last birthday or when they visited Grandma – how was it different?
Outdoor Activities Pre-schoolers will Enjoy
47. Bubbles: There is no child alive who doesn’t enjoy blowing bubbles! This is a great outdoor activity for a hot day, and you can even make the bubble solution at home easily.
48. Car Wash: Another great summer activity is washing the car. Dress your child in shorts and a t-shirt, hand them a large sponge and let them go ahead scrubbing away at the car.
49. Backyard Picnic: When the weather is good, plan a little picnic right in your backyard. Spread out a sheet, make your child’s favorite snacks and enjoy time together as a family.
50. Kite Flying: This is a must-try activity when you’ve got a good breeze – you can easily make a kite at home! Teach your kids how to run with a kite and let it soar – they’re sure to love it!
51. City Walking Tour: It’s surprising how little we know our own city! Take a walking tour of your own city with your child, visiting any special monuments, museums or other famous places.
Please remember to always let your child lead – it’s not a good idea to force them to do something they don’t want to. Once you introduce an activity, let your child go ahead and explore it – don’t worry if it leads somewhere else. The purpose of these activities is for preschoolers to think for themselves, so encourage them to go with the flow.
Prerna is the founder, editor and owner of ‘Maa of All Blogs’, one of India’s Top Parenting Blogs. Besides being a certified Ashtanga Yoga instructor, she is also a fashion designer and economics graduate.
When she’s not busy running her home and business, she ensures she stays active – whether it’s running the half marathon, completing the Oxfam walk or climbing to the Everest base camp. Prerna enjoys wearing all her hats, and she does so in style!
Very useful post!