Preschool is such an exciting time for little ones! They’re full of energy and ready to learn, play, and explore the world.
What are the best preschool activities for kids aged two to five years old? Ideally, preschool activities should be both fun and educational. Below, you’ll learn about the best art activities for preschoolers, as well as some awesome science, math, exercise, and literacy activities.
Essentials of Preschooler Creative Activities: Experience, Discover, Equipment
The best preschool activities engage all five senses and help young ones develop skills that they’ll use for life. Preschool activity categories include:
- Math activities: Math activities teach preschoolers how to count and recognize patterns.
- Scientific activities: Children are naturally curious and love learning how the world works.
- Motor activities: Motor activities are essential for learning fine and gross motor skills.
- Sensory activities: Through sensory activities, kids learn to discover the world through the senses of touch, sight, taste, smell, and sound.
- Literacy activities: It’s never too early to teach kids how to read. Early literacy activities, such as regular storytime, will give children a head start in elementary school.
Preschool activities do require some equipment and supplies, but you needn’t shell out for anything expensive or fancy. Gather supplies such as:
- Art supplies (crayons, colored pencils, markers, washable paints)
- Empty tissue boxes and paper towel rolls
- Rubber bands
- Popsicle sticks
- Playdough
- Flashcards
- Wooden blocks
- Second-hand clothing for playing dress-up
Nature’s Classroom: Sensory Nature Walk
What child doesn’t go wide-eyed in delight at the sights and sounds of nature? Take your kids to the park, beach, or any other outdoor environment where they can roam and explore. Encourage little ones to collect objects that they find appealing, such as smooth stones, pretty seashells, leaves, flowers, and twigs.
When you return from the nature walk, have the kids sort their collected objects into different categories based on texture, smell, and color. This activity teaches the skill of classification.
Creative Dance and Movement
It’s time to get moving! Dance and exercise have many perks for growing preschoolers. These activities improve fitness, teach coordination, and encourage teamwork.
Some of the best preschool activities that encourage movement include:
- Put on a music video geared towards kids and prompt little ones to dance to the beat.
- Play a game of “Simon Says.” Select one child to be Simon, and have them choose different movements to act out, such as standing on one leg. Have the other children copy whatever Simon does.
- Play duck, duck, goose. Children sit in a circle, and one walks around the circle until they choose a “goose.” The goose must quickly spring into action and tag the other child to win.
- Have children make musical instruments out of household supplies and enjoy a parade around the room. You can make a simple guitar by pulling a rubber band taut around an empty tissue box. To make maracas, fill an empty bottle with dry rice or beans.
Arts & Crafts Activities
No preschool program would be complete without plenty of fun arts and crafts. These are some of the best art activities for preschoolers to teach fine motor skills, creativity, self-expression, and self-esteem.
- Have children make cute “dragonflies” out of clothespins and pipe cleaners. When they are finished, they can paint them pretty colors.
- Use empty plastic water bottles to create flower stamps on a sheet of paper. Squirt some paint on a palette, then dip the bottom of the bottle into the paint. Have kids press the bottle against the paper to create a colorful flower.
- Pasta necklaces are always a hit with preschoolers. Have kids feed a string through tubed pasta, such as penne. Once done, they can paint the pasta or draw on it with markers.
- Teach kids how to make slime. You can make fluffy slime with shaving cream and stretchy slime with white glue. Have the kids add food coloring or glitter for an alluring sparkle.
Scientific Exploration & Math Mania
Science and math are rigorous subjects, but preschool is a great time to teach kids that they can be fun, too. Here are some of the best preschool activities for math and science:
- Help kids grow candy “crystals” on a string or stick. To make candy crystals, dissolve 6 cups of sugar in 2 cups of water. Heat the mixture until boiling, then allow to cool and pour it in a glass jar. Next, dip sticks or strings into the solution and keep them suspended. Crystals will start growing the next day.
- Mix baking soda and vinegar and watch the kids ooh and ahh as the solution fizzes. For an even more exciting project, build a paper-mache volcano and add the solution to the center.
- Hold a mathematical scavenger hunt. Place numbered objects around the classroom and see which kids can find selected objects first.
- Teach the basics of geometry by giving little ones wooden blocks in different shapes. By playing with them, they’ll learn how various shapes fit together.
Dramatic Grocery Store & Culinary Class
Kids have excellent imaginations, so they naturally adore pretend play. Try creating a simple grocery store complete with a toy cash register and shelves full of faux food. Kids can take turns playing as the shoppers and cashier. This activity teaches kids the value of food as well as counting skills.
You can also use your faux food collection to teach kids how to cook simple meals. Ask children which foods they think would pair well together and why.
Try asking children to help in the kitchen while you’re preparing a meal. Young children can handle basic tasks such as setting the table, cracking eggs, mixing ingredients, and mashing vegetables.
Fun Activities for Preschoolers of Diverse Abilities
Children with diverse abilities benefit from a little extra TLC during activity time.
- For children with limited mobility, gather supplies and toys for them and ensure they’re within easy reach.
- For kids with sensory sensitivities, introduce new activities and objects slowly. Dimming the lights and playing soft music can help them feel more comfortable.
- For children with fine motor issues, encourage big movements, such as jumping, stretching, and reaching.
- For children who have difficulty with creative play, encourage simple actions and break things down for them into easy-to-follow steps. Some children respond better to illustrated instructions than verbal ones.
Story Hour: Interactive Storytelling
Holding an interactive storytelling session is an excellent way to spark the imaginations of little ones. Try these ideas:
- When reading a story, encourage children to act out the roles of the characters.
- Hand out puppets of people and animals and have children put on a puppet show.
- Create a dress-up box filled with second-hand clothing and costumes. Encourage kids to dream up characters and put on a play.
- Fill a box with objects, such as toys and household items. Ask children to pull out an object at random and tell a story about it.
- Create a storyboard that tells a tale with pictures. Cut the pictures apart and mix them up, then have children rearrange them in the right order.
- Ask children to create a story map. At each point on the map, they can write what their characters are doing and the actions they’ll take next. This activity helps kids visualize cause and effect.
Preschool Activities for Reading
To get the most out of story time with your preschoolers:
- Select books with engaging artwork, large print, and rhyming words.
- Use props to act out what’s happening in the story.
- When reading, pause after an event in the story and ask kids to suggest what might happen next.
- Play the “snow throw alphabet game.” For this game, you’ll tape felt or cardboard letters to the wall and give children faux snowballs. Ask children to throw their snowballs at the correct letter when you call it out. This activity teaches the alphabet as well as coordination skills.
Social Studies: Global Play & Traditional Clothing
Encourage preschoolers to learn about other cultures with a session of dress-up. Offer traditional clothing from around the world for little ones to wear, and explain the history of each culture during dress-up time.
A trip to a museum is always something to look forward to for little ones. Take your young charges to a local cultural museum and explain the history behind each exhibit.
Explore the history of your city or town. Your local library likely has books and newspaper articles for historical reference, and you can find plenty of interesting facts about your area online too.
Instill patriotic pride by having children create their own American flags. All you need is a pack of construction paper and some markers or paints.
Discover the Best Extracurricular Activities for Preschoolers at Bubbles Academy
Now that you’ve discovered the best preschool activities, we welcome you to drop by Bubbles Academy for even more fun with your little one! We offer exciting preschool programs for ages two to five that encourage kids to learn and explore.
Call Bubbles Academy at (312) 944-7677 to register your child for a free trial class today.
