Hands-on activities for Preschoolers

Introduction

I love my preschooler. She's curious, energetic and full of life. And she's also a great little friend to have around the house. But sometimes I get tired of her asking questions about everything that goes on in our home, like why does the water come out of the faucet? Or why does it take so long for things to dry in the microwave? My preschooler never stops asking questions!

Why not use this curiosity to your advantage? The next time you are planning an activity with your preschooler or toddler at home, try incorporating this list into your plans:

Finger Paint - Jello

You can use jello as finger paint.

• Use a variety of colors and flavors.

• Can be used to make shapes or pictures.

Pipe Cleaner Fun

Pipe cleaners are an inexpensive and fun way to keep your preschooler engaged in some learning. With the right supplies, you can easily make something cool for your preschooler or children's group.

You will need:

• Colored Pipe Cleaners (a variety of colors)

Why We Like It:

• Pipe cleaners are easy to use because they bend into shapes easily and hold their shape very well once bent into place. -Colored pipe cleaners also help teach your child about colors by identifying them as different colors, not by name but visually only by what color they are! This simple activity can be used during circle time or as a quiet activity during free play time or even at home when it's too warm outside!

Preschool Dough Play Ideas

You can use play dough to explore a variety of fun activities with your preschooler.

• Shape, color and pattern: Use play dough to explore shapes, colors, and patterns. For example, roll the dough into a ball and then flatten it into a disk. What would happen if you made one bigger than the other? Use different colors of play dough while doing this experiment so they can compare sizes too!

• Texture: Explore texture by letting preschoolers knead the playdough with their hands or pressing it onto paper. This will help them understand how different textures feel in their hands. It also gives them an opportunity to practice using fine motor skills!* Size: Let's say they've pressed some green pieces onto the paper - now ask them what else could go here? Do they want something bigger like yellow or red? Asking questions like these helps kids develop their problem solving skills.* Weight: Have kids weigh various objects on top of each other (or stack up as many as possible) until one topples over! You could also make weights out of rocks/beads/beans etc..and place these on top of each other until one side goes down - then see how many objects it took before that happened!* Temperature: You can engage young children by asking them what happens when you place hot water inside cold water such as putting iced cubes into warm milk...what does this teach us about temperature changes?!

Crafts for Chickens

• Chickens are fun to observe. They're curious and interesting animals, even for young children.

• Chickens are a great science experiment. They lay eggs, grow from babies into adults, can be counted and sorted according to color or type of chicken; all these things make them an excellent subject for scientific exploration!

• Chickens can be used in art projects (paintings, sculptures, etc.)

Kid's Food Crafts

Kids' food crafts are a great way to teach kids about healthy eating.

Let’s face it: some of the best foods that kids love are unhealthy. Chocolate chip cookies, pizza, hot dogs and ice cream are just a few examples of favorites that aren’t exactly nutritious. So how can you get your child to eat more fruits and vegetables? These easy kid's food crafts will make it fun!

Pumpkin Playdough Math Mats

Here's what you'll need:

• Pumpkin playdough (see recipe below)

• Number mats (free printable or purchase from a teacher store). If you're using the free printable, laminate it first so it will last longer. The pumpkin playdough mats can be used without lamination if they are stored in an airtight container when not in use.

Using the number mats, have your child match them to their corresponding pumpkin playdough pile until they run out of numbers to match. Once done, ask them questions like "What number is next?" or "Is this bigger/smaller than that one?".

Play Dough Heart Invitation to Create

Play dough is a great way for children to express their creativity. It's also a great way for them to learn about the world around them and how things are made. Children can roll out the play dough into different shapes, such as squares and triangles, in order to make pictures or objects. The thinness or thickness of their creations depends on how long they knead it before rolling it out into a flat sheet on which they can begin creating patterns or designs with their fingers.

When you ask your child what he/she wants from play dough, you'll most likely hear some ideas similar to these:

• A heart like Mommy's (or mine) in our family picture!

• Something that looks like my favorite toy at home!

Painting with Gumballs

Materials:

• gumballs (preferably the kind with a flavor)

• paper

• paint brushes and paper towels for cleanup

What to do:

• Place a few gumballs on each sheet of paper. You can use more or fewer depending if you have time to work on this activity with your kids, but between four and ten would be ideal. It's okay if they're out of reach at first; they will soon be covered in paint anyway!

• Dip your brush into the paint and gently flick it across the tops of your gumballs, creating lines that cross over each other—these are "rainbows." You can alternate colors or use all one color if you prefer; just bear in mind that while red might look like blood when viewed from afar, it looks like candy when seen up close! Use as much paint as necessary so that every surface is coated with color; feel free to add more layers for extra texture and shine (or shine-free!).

Team Building Activities for Pre-K Children

Team building activities for preschoolers can be fun, engaging and educational. These activities help develop a child’s social skills, self-esteem and confidence in their abilities as they spend time working with others in the classroom. Team building activities for pre-k are usually structured around games that promote cooperation between students of varying ages. Teachers may create teams for a scavenger hunt or other activity where children will need to work together. Preschool teachers may also implement team building exercises such as obstacle courses designed to encourage teamwork among their students.

Team Building Activities:

• Name That Tune – A teacher selects an audio clip from a famous song through an online site like YouTube then plays it over speakers in the classroom while each student has a turn naming it correctly before choosing another student to pass on the challenge (or not). The first person who gets all his/her teammates right wins! You could also use instrumentals rather than vocals if you prefer something less recognizable or quicker paced than your regular old pop songs.* “Simon Says/I Do As I’m Told” – This game is great way to teach young kids how not just listen carefully but follow directions too! The leader has various commands that require different movements; e.g., jump up high five feet away then come back down again; touch noses with someone else etc… When another student says “Simon says do this…” everyone must follow directions until someone messes up! Then there are consequences :)* Scavenger Hunt - A scavenger hunt requires some advance preparation by parents at home who may need to collect certain items beforehand accordingto what kind of tasks you want them completing during class time (elderly people might need more help carrying heavy items etc.). Once these things have been gathered together all

Preschoolers are incredibly curious and learning about the world around them.

Preschoolers are incredibly curious and learning about the world around them. They are learning about their own bodies and how they work. They’re also learning about the world around them, including other people and how they work.

They’re beginning to understand their emotions and learn that they have control over these feelings.

Conclusion

You can make some amazing things with preschoolers, but one of the most important things to keep in mind is that they are still little kids. Remember that their attention span is short, so you need to keep things simple and make sure they're having fun! It's also important not to overwhelm them with too many activities at once - this will only make them frustrated and upset.