Preschool Activities
Back-and-forth Drawing
I recently read this book about artist Mica Angela Hendricks, who has been making collaborative work with her four year old. While I don’t have her awesome illustration skills, I still thought it would be fun to create a game out of making artwork together. So, inspired by Hendricks (and partially by the game “Exquisite […]
What Makes a Great Kids App?
Seemingly, everything has gone digital along with our kids’ games. It seems as though that, as well as Nursery songs on Youtube, are the most popular forms of entertainment for small children. While TV still dominates screen time, we’ve seen a tremendous rise in online and app-based games. On average, over one quarter of three […]
Color Matching and Paintbrush Craft
Practice color recognition with these fun ‘paintbrushes’. You’ll need paper, scissors, Popsicle sticks, glue, and crayons. Cut the paper into approximately 3×4 rectangles. On each piece of paper, write a color name in the correct color. Have your child add ‘paint’ to each brush by coloring one end. Glue each brush to a Popsicle stick […]
Multi-colored Hand Stamps
Make your own handprint stamp, and use all the colors of the rainbow to make this project! As you stamp, you can use the process as an opportunity to talk about differences, working together, and equality. You’ll need A “block” to make your stamp on. We used a piece of linoleum, but […]
Musical Instrument Coloring Pages
We explored the new interactive appbook about a Little Lost Note that was on a mission to find herself. Through this self discovery she has a chance to try on lots of different musical sounds and your kids get to play the instruments she encounters along her way. Such a whimsical story that leaves children […]
Easy Peasy St. Patricks Day Dessert
The kiddos and I were on the lookout for a fun dessert to make for St. Patricks Day. What makes a good St. Patty’s Day treat? Well it has to be green. Check! And it has to have something magical inside. Check! We were inspired by an activity we saw over at Chalk Preschool (they have so […]
Preschool Counting Activity with Pom Poms
Repetition is key to learning for young children. To help reinforce the concept of counting and number recognition, here’s a super easy-to-make counting activity for preschoolers. All you need is about 10 minutes to make the counting boards and these supplies: Materials: 5 Sheets of Colored Paper (all different colors) Pompoms in colors matching paper […]
Kids Party Ideas: Make Sparkling Slap Bracelets with Friends
It’s pretty hard to run out of ideas for kid’s birthday parties Dayton because there’s no such thing as getting TOO creative! So, this might seem like our 1000th post on activities you can do at birthday parties but we think all of them are good ideas that you can do with your kids and […]
Easy Winter Animal Paper Costumes
At school recently, we found ourselves in a time crunch to create a whole bunch of winter creature costumes for the winter pageant. They had to be super affordable, easy enough that the kids could make their own, and I obviously wanted to have them be recognizable! These paper costumes were fun to make in […]
Measurements Lesson and Play (with free printable!)
After reading some particularly encouraging testimonials and blogs, we’re trying to work a LOT more water drinking into our daily routine. Staying well hydrated is good for both your mind and body! In figuring out the optimum amount to drink I ran into a lot of logistic problems. Should I count ounces all day? Cups? […]
5 Great Reasons to Visit Your Local Playground
Do you enjoy taking your little ones to your nearest playground? Spending time with children in the great outdoors is a fantastic form of exercise. However, it is no secret that chasing after your children can take its toll on your muscles. Consequently, if you often feel tired and exhausted after a long day looking […]
Pantone Leaf Necklace
I seriously might have a problem, I think I’m addicted to paint samples. In any case, we did this fun project immortalizing the colors of Fall, and turned it into a beautiful fun necklace. Check it out! We started on a crisp morning with a walk around our neighborhood, collecting some “samples”. It was fun […]
Popsicle Stick Tic Tac Toe Board
Tic-tac-toe is an easy first game to teach your preschooler. Practice taking turns and following simple rules. You can use popsicle sticks and rubber bands to make this portable tic-tac-toe board and play with alphabet cereal x’s and o’s. Take four popsicle sticks and use four rubber bands to fasten them together into a tic-tac-toe […]
Easy Window Silhouettes
I absolutely love holidays but all those decorations can get a little pricey, especially when you like to go all out like I do. When I saw this pin for Halloween decor on Pinterest, I knew it was the perfect budget-friendly decoration for ALL holidays because you can customize it however you want. It looks […]
Practice Cutting: Paper Snakes
This activity is great for more advanced preschoolers to practice their cutting skills. You’ll need paper, a pencil, and scissors. Starting in the center of a piece of paper, draw a spiral line. Don’t make the circles too close together. Go all the way to the edge. Starting at the edge, carefully cut on the […]
DIY Scratch Art
Create your own scratch art paper and artwork! I was amazed at how well this worked. Here’s what you’ll need: – Watercolor or Multimedia paper – Oil pastels – Acrylic paint (for traditional scratch art you’ll want to use black) – Paint brust – Scratching tool What to do: 1. Create a design on your […]
Rainy Day String Pictures: A Fine Motor Activity
For this fun and easy indoor project, all you need is some lengths of string or yarn. The more colorful the better! Try this creative, fine motor activity with your preschooler. Show your preschooler how to use the strings to make shapes and pictures. The sky is the limit! Beware – this project is fun […]
Rainbow Letters Coloring Pages: Free Printables for Beginning Writers
A great activity to work into your preschool letter lessons is Rainbow Letter Tracing. The idea is for the preschooler to trace the same letter several times with different colors to get the hang of how to write that letter. They create a rainbow of colors on the letter. It’s a great way to get […]
Dream Catcher Sculpture
These might just be the perfect summer camp craft. The sculptures are fun to make and can go in so many directions with a little creativity. I’ve never actually seen anything like them before. The idea came to me when I was thinking about creating a dream catcher activity and saw the stick sculptures one […]
Bottled Spring: Fine Motor Nature Walk
Put spring in a bottle! This is a fun nature walk sensory project. All you need are a few kids who like exploring, some empty water bottles (clear), and colored tape. Give each child a bottle. Talk about spring and how wonderful it is to see everything growing and blooming. Then go out to the […]
Pipe Cleaner & Straw Preschool Jewelry Project
Here’s a fun beading activity for very young children. The pipe cleaners are easier to handle than strings or shoelaces and they fit perfectly inside the straw-beads. What you will need: pipe cleaners, colored straws, scissors, and tape. First make your beads by cutting the colored straws into one inch pieces. If you are working […]
Origami for Kids: Jumping Paper Frogs
Today we made jumping paper frogs. These are a very simple origami project that kids love, because they really jump! All you need is some paper and crayons or markers. I used small strips of paper, about 3×6 inches, but 3×5 index cards would work well also. Start by having the children color the paper […]
Bath Time Foam Letters, Numbers, and Shapes
Bath time is a fantastic opportunity to bond with your child. Moreover, in our house, we always try to make bath time as fun and educational as possible! One way that we do this is through our choice of bathtub toys. We are incredibly lucky as we have just had our bathroom remodeled so there […]
Simple Nature Scavenger Hunt Printable
It’s spring, and chances are it’s beautiful outside! I’ve spent the last couple of days researching Tree Care in Amador, San Joaquin, Tuolumne Counties as it has definitely been too long since we gave our backyard some love! My two toddlers adore spending time outside together, so I’m always looking for new outdoor activities to […]
Foam Dough = Shaving Cream + Corn Starch
My preschooler loves playing with play dough, but what do you do when you run out? I’ve tried making my own, but it never turns out as smooth as the store-bought dough. I don’t love the price tag either. So, as usual, I browse the internet for ideas. When I first saw this dough online, […]
Ignore the mess sometimes and let them be kids…while it lasts
I usually cringe when I think of the mess that my preschooler makes when we do projects and activities together because any activity (seriously any activity), she somehow manages to become a mini tornado of destruction. But I came across this pin on Pinterest. After reading the Hands Free Mama’s post the pin led me […]
Spaghetti Painting
Here’s another unconventional (but fun and silly!) painting method to try out: spaghetti painting! It’s slippery and slimy and messy – a super tactile way to paint! You’ll need cooked spaghetti paint containers (we used muffin liners – you’ll need something shallow enough that the floppy spaghetti can really “get in there” and […]
Easy Geometric String Art for Preschoolers
Encourage fine motor skills and pattern making with this easy-too-make geometric string art project! There’s a number of ways to complete this project. We used Cardboard A marker to trace a circle Styrofoam plate Scissors (and for thicker cardboard, a utility knife) A variety of embroidery floss or yarn tape We made two string […]