Are you looking for fun and educational activities to engage your preschooler? These FUN and doable at-home preschool activities will make learning a joy for you AND for your child!
Your child’s earliest learning experiences do not need to rely on worksheets or complicated activities to be successful.
You and your child can delight in learning together with simple materials, relaxed exploration, and captivating experiments.
Plus… if you don’t want to do any planning, I have a fantastic preschool activity guide that lays everything out for you!
Table of Contents
The Importance of Quality Preschool Activities
Early childhood education is a crucial foundation for a child’s future development. Research has shown that the early years are a critical period for brain development, and the experiences a child has during this time can shape their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical abilities.
By engaging in educational preschool activities at home, whether or not your child attends a formal preschool program, you can provide your child with a solid foundation for lifelong learning.
What Types of Preschool Activities Can We Do At Home?
The sky is truly the limit! You can be as relaxed or structured as works for YOU and your child.
These activities can range from simple games and crafts to more structured lessons that focus on specific skills.
The key is to make learning fun and interactive, allowing children to explore and discover new concepts at their own pace.
By creating a stimulating environment at home, you can help your child develop essential skills while fostering a love for learning.
Language-Based Preschool Activities
With preschoolers, they are still developing their vocabulary and ability to make sense of the world with their spoken words.
Help them build on that by extending their thoughts for them and building in new vocabulary. Here are some examples:
- Ask them to find specific letters of the alphabet while you run errands
- Have them predict what they might see inside a store or at an event
- As you read books, have them retell it in their own words
- Use bigger vocabulary words around them
Creative Preschool Activities
Preschoolers love to get creative and express themselves… sometimes in messy ways!
Arts and crafts activities help them develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Plus, they are great for expressing themselves!
You do not need to get elaborate! Here are some examples:
- finger painting
- creating collages from construction paper
- using a wet paintbrush to “paint” on paper or cardboard
- use packing boxes or Amazon boxes + crayons for HOURS of coloring fun
Sensory Play Ideas
Sensory play is a really important part of development! Children need exposure to sensory experiences to help them develop.
However, many adults do not enjoy sensory play, so it can be a real challenge to incorporate it.
My top tips for sensory play are to take it OUTSIDE whenever possible, or at the very least CONTAIN the mess. It reduces stress, so it makes it much more enjoyable for you.
If you want to save costs, you can make a lot of sensory materials, including playdough!
But, if you want to go beyond just playdough and paint, here are some ideas:
- dried rice, beans, or pasta are great materials for dumping and mixing (just ensure children are supervised while playing with them so the materials are not eaten!)
- water play, even in the bathtub
- bring snow into the tub in the winter for a less-mess opportunity for play
- create a texture bin with fabrics and materials of various textures
- use swings or hammocks to get proprioceptive play
Easy Science Experiments
Science experiments are a great way to introduce young children to the wonders of the natural world. And, they do NOT need to be expensive or complicated!
Simple observation is enough at this stage, but here are some more ideas too:
- collect leaves and plants that you find outside
- go on nature walks and observe changing seasons
- draw different clouds
- keep a weather log
- cut fruit apart and talk about the seeds inside
- combine vinegar and baking soda to make a “volcano”
- talk about the various landforms you see around your home
Outdoor Activities for Physical Development
Physical activity is essential for young children’s overall development. And, for yours, too! 🙂
If you can get outside every day… do it! You and your child will be so much happier for it. Here are our favorites:
- play catch
- go to local playgrounds
- practice hopping on each foot
- ride bikes
- play freeze tag (also helps with impulse control!)
- get outside and just RUN
Music and Movement Activities for Preschoolers
Preschoolers LOVE music and this is a fantastic tool to add to your home if you don’t yet do so.
Personally, I love just popping on a Spotify music playlist and having a dance party with my kids! Here are some more ideas:
- sing a longs
- listen to various genres and composers
- listen to music while you read or rest
- practice playing your own music with instruments you make
- do a family karaoke night
- incorporate movement with music, such as stretching, yoga, or jumping
Building Social Skills Through Play
Play is a crucial avenue for young children to develop social skills and learn how to interact with others. Through play, children practice sharing, taking turns, problem-solving, and negotiating.
Remember, social skills are TAUGHT by adults, then PRACTICED with peers. So, narrate to your child what to do and expect when going to play with peers.
Make sure your child has some good scripts for how to handle social situations, and also practice what to do if they need help.
Here are some great social prompts to practice with your child:
- “My name is ______. What’s your name?”
- “When I’m done I will give it to you.”
- “I need to go to the bathroom.”
- “No, stop, I don’t like that.”
- “Could I have a turn, please?”
- “Would you like to play with me?”
- “I need help.”
Coach your child through scenarios and always make sure they know how to find a trustworthy adult to ask for help.
I taught my kids to find another mom with small children if they got separated from me. Make sure your preschoolers know what your first and preferably last name is so they can find you if you are separated.
Resources and Materials for At-Home Preschool Activities
You do not need fancy materials or expensive resources to successfully work with your preschool child!
Everyday items found around the house can be used for educational purposes. Simple supplies like paper, crayons, recycled materials, measuring cups, or even kitchen utensils can become valuable tools for learning.
Preschool is a time of learning, growth, and discovery. You do NOT need worksheets or a fancy curriculum!
If you do, however, want a guide to help you with a loose structure to follow as you incorporate preschool activities into your routine… I’ve got you covered. 🙂
The Homeschool Preschool Activity Guide: 140 No Prep, Worksheet Free Activities
If you’re wanting to create a little routine like this, I’ve got the PERFECT tool for you to use!
This guide has 140 activities that are PLANNED for you. This is NOT curriculum… it is a loose guide designed to help you intentionally work with your child in just 10-20 minutes per day… without worksheets!
The guide includes 20 weeks of planned activities, with 7 activities planned per week. You can take as long as you want to work through them.
The activities cover:
- literacy
- math
- science
- fine motor
- gross motor
- social skills
- sensory
The BEST part… no printing is required and all activities have been planned to use common household items. This is truly meant to be “no prep”!
From early reading skills to hands-on math and science, simple crafts, sensory play ideas, or interactive games, I’ve got you covered!
Grab the guide for just $5 in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop!
I know your time is valuable! Now, you don’t need to search Pinterest every day to find something to do that isn’t expensive or complicated.
You’ve got 140 options for fun activities, right at your fingertips, and your kids will LOVE them.
Many of the activities in the guide I did with my own children when they were preschoolers.
Grab the guide here!
