Ideas for Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers
Busy parents often find themselves at a bit of a loose end when it comes to ideas for keeping little children happy and occupied, especially if they have older children to home educate too. Below is an assortment of ideas for fun activities to do with younger children.
For obvious reasons, small children should not do these activities without adult supervision. Some of them have potential to be dangerous or even life-threatening.
So... now for some ideas:
Busy parents often find themselves at a bit of a loose end when it comes to ideas for keeping little children happy and occupied, especially if they have older children to home educate too. Below is an assortment of ideas for fun activities to do with younger children.
For obvious reasons, small children should not do these activities without adult supervision. Some of them have potential to be dangerous or even life-threatening.
So... now for some ideas:
Indoors
Sensory Play
- Find the animals hidden in a bucket of playsand
- Find the sea creatures in a bucket of water coloured blue with food colouring
- Rainbow coloured rice (for this one you will need to prepare the rice in advance) - provide a tray, a couple of spoons and an assortment of cups and bowls
- Cornflour mixed with water and food colouring (children find this fascinating, the way it is both solid and liquid) - provide a few containers and a spoon
- Find the animals hidden in a bucket of playsand
- Find the sea creatures in a bucket of water coloured blue with food colouring
- Rainbow coloured rice (for this one you will need to prepare the rice in advance) - provide a tray, a couple of spoons and an assortment of cups and bowls
- Cornflour mixed with water and food colouring (children find this fascinating, the way it is both solid and liquid) - provide a few containers and a spoon
In the Kitchen
- Playdough - buy it or make your own. Provide a rolling pin, cookie cutters, cutlery and assorted containers
- Baking - let them help you make biscuit dough and shape it for baking
- Cookie decorating - plain digestive or tea biscuits and coloured icing. Provide chocolate sprinkles, hundreds & thousands, small sweets, and/or raisins
- Playdough - buy it or make your own. Provide a rolling pin, cookie cutters, cutlery and assorted containers
- Baking - let them help you make biscuit dough and shape it for baking
- Cookie decorating - plain digestive or tea biscuits and coloured icing. Provide chocolate sprinkles, hundreds & thousands, small sweets, and/or raisins
Cooking
- Pizza - provide small ready-made pizza bases and topping ingredients and let the child prepare their own pizza
- Pizza - provide small ready-made pizza bases and topping ingredients and let the child prepare their own pizza
Art & Craft
- A piece of paper with print on it and a pen - the child can trace over the print, identify certain letters, draw between the lines or find patterns
- Drawing - provide an interesting assortment of pens, pencils and felt tips, and large sheets of paper
- Colouring-in books - provide an assortment of different colouring materials - crayons, pens, pencils and felt tips
- Face Paint
- Bubble Prints
- Finger Painting
- A piece of paper with print on it and a pen - the child can trace over the print, identify certain letters, draw between the lines or find patterns
- Drawing - provide an interesting assortment of pens, pencils and felt tips, and large sheets of paper
- Colouring-in books - provide an assortment of different colouring materials - crayons, pens, pencils and felt tips
- Face Paint
- Bubble Prints
- Finger Painting
- Stickers - provide an assortment of stickers and large sheets of paper
- More Sticking Activity - provide woodglue and an assortment of things to stick - rice, beans, seeds, beads, buttons etc and large sheets of paper
- Decorate a cardboard box - provide coloured paper, paint, glue and objects to stick
- Make and decorate a 'house' - provide a large cardboard box (big enough for the child to climb in), cut out doors and windows - provide coloured paper, paint, glue and objects to stick
- More Sticking Activity - provide woodglue and an assortment of things to stick - rice, beans, seeds, beads, buttons etc and large sheets of paper
- Decorate a cardboard box - provide coloured paper, paint, glue and objects to stick
- Make and decorate a 'house' - provide a large cardboard box (big enough for the child to climb in), cut out doors and windows - provide coloured paper, paint, glue and objects to stick
- Punching - provide a paper punch and paper
- Threading for little children - provide a shoelace and a picture card with holes punched in it for threading
- Threading for slighty older children - provide wool and a large blunt needle and a picture card with holes punched in it for threading
- Sewing - use an embroidery hoop and stretch the material taunt as it is easier for little hands to sew this way
- Threading for little children - provide a shoelace and a picture card with holes punched in it for threading
- Threading for slighty older children - provide wool and a large blunt needle and a picture card with holes punched in it for threading
- Sewing - use an embroidery hoop and stretch the material taunt as it is easier for little hands to sew this way
Chores
- Wash toys in a bowl of warm soapy water - provide an assortment of sponges and cloths and a small dish/bottle of bubblebath or handwashing liquid
- Wash toys in a bowl of warm soapy water - provide an assortment of sponges and cloths and a small dish/bottle of bubblebath or handwashing liquid
Outdoors
Sand Play
- We used a tractor tyre filled with sand, but a paddling pool will do an equally good job.
- Provide small cars, an assortment of spoons and cups and a funnel, some farm animals, and so on.
- You can also give the child some containers of water and a watering can.
(Note: Keep the sandpit covered if you have cats. They may misunderstand its purpose!)
- We used a tractor tyre filled with sand, but a paddling pool will do an equally good job.
- Provide small cars, an assortment of spoons and cups and a funnel, some farm animals, and so on.
- You can also give the child some containers of water and a watering can.
(Note: Keep the sandpit covered if you have cats. They may misunderstand its purpose!)
A Bucket filled with warm water
- For extra fun, add bubbles. Provide an assortment of different cups and containers. Only to be used with supervision.
- For extra fun, add bubbles. Provide an assortment of different cups and containers. Only to be used with supervision.
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* Map Making
* Treasure Hunting - Countries. There are countless ways of using a map - find specific countries, or colours, or shapes. Find where you live. Find where polar bears live. Find the country farthest from you. And so on...
* Book Writing and Making
Chores
Small children love to help with chores. They are very interested in the world of grown ups. So let them help, even though it means the task takes longer. Keep the focus on spending time together rather than on getting the job done...
* Pegs in a bucket - take the pegs and peg them on the side of the bucket, and then take them off again... put up a washing line at a height he can reach and give him some small items (socks, cloths, underwear) to peg.
* Cutlery that hangs on a frame... give the child the job of hanging the cutlery for you. (it doesn't really matter how he hangs it, but some children really like putting things where they belong). This task is really good for exercising fine motor skills too.
* A wet cloth so that he can help you with your cleaning jobs
* Washing Dishes
* Tools
* Using machines - with supervision. Small people feel very powerful when they are able to operate big, noisy machines like vacuum cleaners!
* Fishing
* Pet care
* Gardening
Pets
* Silkworms
Plants
Bits & Pieces
* Balloons
* Bubbles
* A container of large and interesting buttons with a set of cups so that he can group them in different ways (colour/size/etc)
* Sweets
* A 'busy box' with interesting odds and ends in it... paper, stickers, crayons, card cut in shapes, snacks, small toys.... (if you want to keep him occupied for longer, try wrapping some of the items)
* Shapes and Counters
Science
Egg, water and salt
Music
* Musical Instruments - these can be bought or made...
* Rhythm Games
* Dancing
Action
* Balancing Games
* Running Games
* Climbing Games
* Hide and Seek
Imagination
* Read Alouds
* Boxes
* Tent making
* Puppets for free play of his own choice or read a book and act the story out together
* The telephone - for real conversations with real people as well as for imaginary conversations with a disconnected phone
* Drama, improvisation and story-telling
* Dressing Up
* Read a book and then give him a container of items that he can use to role-play characters in the story - masks, scarves, hats, an apron, dress up clothes etc
* Face Painting
Toys
*Duplo (always such a favourite with my children, especially if farm animals and people are included)...
* Friends
* Dolls
Media
* Books
* Computer games
Outings
* Plant Nursery
* Farm
* Zoo
* Aquarium
* Nature - just being outside in the garden is a wonderful discovery time for little people. Sand, leaves, flowers, pebbles, ants, worms, snails and slugs are just a few of the amazing things they can investigate. Your job is to keep them from using their mouths for these investigations!
Note:
All of these activities work best when you show the child what to do and give him a few options, BUT let him decide what he wants to do, and how long he wants to do it.
All of these activities work best when you show the child what to do and give him a few options, BUT let him decide what he wants to do, and how long he wants to do it.
Links for Great Preschool Play Ideas
Mothercould
Great ideas and activities complete with recipes.
Shirley's Preschool Activities
Useful links intended to encourage and equip parents and teachers involved in preschool and early childhood education.
Great ideas and activities complete with recipes.
Shirley's Preschool Activities
Useful links intended to encourage and equip parents and teachers involved in preschool and early childhood education.
