There are many fun activities that you can do with your preschooler to help them learn and grow.
Here are a few ideas:
Go on a Nature Walk
One of the best ways to spend time with your preschooler is to go on a nature walk. Explore your backyard or a nearby park and look for different types of insects, birds, and plants. See if you can find shells or rocks during your walk too.
This is a great way to get some fresh air and exercise, and it’s also a great opportunity to teach your child about the world around them. Here are some tips for making the most of your nature walk:
Bring a camera. This is a great way to capture all the interesting things you see along the way.
Stop and look at everything. Take time to examine the different plants and animals you see. Ask your child questions about what they see and encourage them to ask questions too.
Collect some treasures. Whether it’s pretty leaves, acorns, or rocks, allow your child to pick up a few things to take home with them.
Make it a game. Turn the nature walk into a scavenger hunt or a game of I Spy. This will make it more fun for both you and your child.
Bring a snack. Nature walks can be tiring, so bring along a healthy snack to keep your energy up.
Enjoy the silence. Let your child lead the way and enjoy the peace and quiet of being in nature.
End with a special treat. Make sure to end the nature walk on a positive note by giving your child a small treat, like a piece of candy or a cute sticker book. This will help them to associate nature walks with something positive.
Do a Puzzle Together
Not only are puzzles great for problem-solving skills, but they also help with hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Plus, it’s a fun activity that you can do together!
Try doing a puzzle together once a week to help bond with your child and create some lasting memories.
One of the best things about puzzles is that there are so many different kinds to choose from. If your child is into animals, you can get a puzzle with animal themes. If your child is into shapes, you can get a puzzle with geometric shapes. There are also puzzles with numbers and letters to help your child learn their ABCs and 123s.
Another great thing about puzzles is that they come in different sizes and levels of difficulty. If you want to make the activity more challenging for your child, you can get a puzzle with more pieces. If you want to make it easier, you can get a smaller puzzle or one with fewer pieces.
No matter what kind of puzzle you choose, your child is sure to have fun spending some quality time with you while working on it!
Play Games
Games are a great way to teach them important life skills like counting, taking turns, and following rules. They’re also a lot of fun!
Here are some of our favorite games to play with preschoolers.
- I Spy – This classic game is a great way to work on your child’s observation skills. Take turns looking for objects around the room and see who can find it first.
- Simon Says – Simon Says is a great game for teaching following directions. Take turns giving commands like “Simon says touch your nose” or “Simon says stand on one leg”. If your child doesn’t follow the command, they’re out!
- Red Light, Green Light – This game is a fun way to work on following rules and listening skills. One player is “it” and stands at the other end of the room. The other players line up at the start line. When the player says “green light”, everyone can move towards the finish line. But when they say “red light”, everyone has to stop. If anyone moves while it’s red light, they have to go back to the start line. The first person to the finish line wins!
- What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf? – This is a fun game that helps with telling time. One player is “it” and stands at the other end of the room. The other players line up at the start line. The player who is “it” calls out different times like “what’s the time, Mr. Wolf? It’s 1:00!”. Everyone then takes that many steps towards the finish line. But be careful! If Mr. Wolf says “lunch time”, everyone has to run back to the start line because he’s going to eat you up! The first person to the finish line wins.
- Duck, Duck, Goose – This is a classic kids game that’s great for large groups. One player is “it” and walks around the circle of players tapping each one on the head saying “duck”. When they tap someone and say “goose”, that player has to get up and chase the first player around the circle. If they catch them, they become “it”. If not, the first player gets to keep going.
- Mother May I? – This game is a great way to work on listening skills and following directions. One player is “it” and stands at the other end of the room. The other players line up at the start line. The player who is “it” will give a command like “Mother, may I take 3 giant steps forward?”. If the player hears “yes, you may”, they can take the number of steps specified. But if they hear “no, you may not”, they have to stay put. The first person to reach the finish line wins!
- Freeze Dance – This is a fun game that gets everyone up and moving! Put on some music and dance around the room. When the music stops, everyone has to freeze in place. The last person to freeze is out! Keep going until there’s only one person left – the winner!
- Musical Chairs – This classic game is always a hit with kids! Set up a circle of chairs and put on some music. Everyone walks around the chairs while the music is playing. When the music stops, everyone has to sit down in a chair. The person left without a seat is out! Take away one chair and start the music again. Keep going until there’s only one person left – the winner!
- Hide and Seek – This is a classic game that’s great for working on listening skills. One player is “it” and counts to 20 while the other players hide. Once the players are hidden, the person who is “it” calls out “Ready or not, here I come!” and comes looking for everyone. The first person to be found is “it” for the next round.
- Hot Potato – This is a fun game that’s great for large groups. Everyone sits in a circle and passes around an object like a ball or stuffed animal while music plays. When the music stops, the person holding the object is out! The last person remaining is the winner.
- Telephone – This is a fun game that helps with listening skills. One player starts by whispering a message to the person next to them. That person then whispers what they heard to the next person, and so on. The last person in the line then says out loud what they heard. It’s usually quite different from the original message!
- Play quizzes – Quizzes are a great way to learn new things and have fun at the same time. You can find quizzes online or in magazines, or even make up your own. There’s a fun one about nicknames, called “Nickname Generator” full of fun and family-friendly ideas for your new nicknames.
Arts and Crafts
One great way to spend time with your preschooler is by doing some arts and crafts together. There are tons of different projects that you can do, and it’s a great way to let their creativity shine.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
-Paint rocks or leaves together and turn them into a garden ornament
-Finger paint a picture together
-Do some simple block printing projects
-Make homemade cards or wrapping paper using stamps and markers
-Paint a picture on an old T-shirt or piece of fabric
-Make a collage out of scraps of paper or magazine pictures
-Create a mobile out of family photos or pictures from magazines
-Bake and decorate some sugar cookies together
-Make a simple scrapbook or photo album together
These are just a few ideas – the possibilities are really endless. Just have fun and be creative!
Read Books Together
One of the best ways to bond with your preschooler and create lasting memories is by reading together.
Not only is this activity enjoyable, but it’s also educational. Visit your local library or bookstore and let your child pick out a few books that interest them. Then, snuggle up together and enjoy the stories. You can even make up your own stories based on the books’ illustrations.
Whatever activities you choose to do together, cherish the time you spend with your little one. These are memories you’ll both treasure for a lifetime.
Bake or Cook Together
Cooking is a great way to teach your child about measurements, following directions, and other math concepts. Plus, it’s delicious.
This is a great way to teach them about measurements, following directions, and patience. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to talk and bond with one another. And, of course, you’ll get to enjoy a delicious treat when you’re done!
All of these activities are great ways to spend quality time with your preschooler. So choose one (or all!) and enjoy some special bonding time together.
Have a Picnic
Eating outdoors is a fun way to change up your routine. It’s also a great opportunity to teach your child about healthy eating habits.
It’s also a great opportunity to teach them about nature and the environment. Here are some tips for having a successful picnic with your preschooler:
- Choose a location that is safe and comfortable for your child. A park or backyard is usually a good choice.
- Bring along some snacks and drinks for your child.
- Bring along some toys or games for your child to play with.
- Be sure to pack sunscreen, hats, and insect repellent.
- Teach your child about nature and the environment while you are at the picnic.
- Enjoy your time together!
There are endless possibilities when it comes to fun activities to do with your preschooler.
One of the most important things you can do with your preschooler is simply spend time talking with them. Ask them about their day, their thoughts on different subjects, or what they want to be when they grow up. These conversations will help you get to know your preschooler better and build a strong bond between the two of you.
Just use your imagination and let the fun begin!
