This year, the 29th Annual Children’s Week in Florida will take place between February 25 and March 1, 2024. It’s the perfect time to not only celebrate your preschooler but also to engage with them in fun activities designed to help them learn and grow. There are a variety of events happening throughout the week including outreach efforts, activities, and interactive events.
Child-Centered Activities My Preschooler May Love
Honestly, there is no better way to engage a preschooler than through play. It’s an important part of daily learning and allows children to learn in a way that’s not only on their level but also fun and engaging. Having regular play time with your child not only increases your bonding time with them but helps them develop in more ways than one. Not only will their concentration develop, but depending on the skills learned through play, they may better their fine motor skills, coordination, and more.
- Playing With Sand
Sand is such a fun thing to play with and can be a fun activity for all ages to engage in. Building sandcastles and digging, scooping, shaping pathways, and the like will teach your child how to utilize not only their hands but also the tools around them to make things work. It engages them both mentally and physically as they think about what they’d like to build and how it works and then put those thoughts into practice. Playing alongside your child makes it a team effort where you’ll communicate with each other, and your child will learn from your examples. If you’re not too fond of the beach or communal parks, using kinetic sand is a great way to build and play within the comfort of your home.
- Kids In The Kitchen
What better way to not only stimulate your child’s development than by cooking or making simple and easy treats for them to enjoy. There are many easy and tasty recipes online that you can use as inspiration when in the kitchen with your preschooler. Cooking together will also help your little one develop valuable life skills for the future. For fun and tasty kid-friendly recipe ideas, there are plenty of different recipes available online.
- Playing With Water
There are numerous ways that you can use water as a play tool. Using a semi-significant amount of water in a controlled and safe environment will help children experiment with concepts such as volume. For example: If a cup holds x amount of water, how many cups are needed to fill the bowl? There are numerous ways you can use water to boost your child’s hand-eye coordination and even physical strength when playing with water.
- Playing Dress-Up
Children should have very active imaginations. Playing dress-up or role-playing scenarios with your little one will not only stimulate their imagination but can also help them understand the adult world. Your child may want to dress up as a knight, superhero, doctor, astronaut, or even royalty. Encourage them to find out what their interests are through dressing up. Pair this activity with reading a storybook relevant to their dress-up or role-play, and you’ll combine learning and play together.
- Engaging In Sensory Playtime
Sensory playtime is a range of activities you can do with your child. It’s any activity that involves any of the five senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, and sound. It can be as simple as using jelly for touch, sight, and taste or making use of shakers for touch, sight, and sound. Sensory playtime is a great way to stimulate your child’s five senses.
- Outdoor Playtime
Head into the great outdoors with your preschooler this children’s week! Granted, you don’t need to venture very far. A trip to the local park is a great way to teach your child about the environment. Not only will this help stimulate their inquisitive natures, but it’s also a great opportunity for them to learn more about the fauna and flora in the area.
- Arts & Crafts
Making use of paints or crafting simple things together with your little one is a great way to let your preschooler express themselves in a safe space. Not only will it help them better express their thoughts, which can be very difficult to put into words when you’re that age, but it will also help them develop fine motor skills for writing at a later stage. Crafting can be done with anything ranging from making clouds with cotton wool to using toilet paper rolls to make rockets. The possibilities are limitless if you and your preschooler work together this children’s week!
- Sing-A-Long Song & Dance
At one stage or another, every parent, when they were the same age as their little one, had a favorite song that they would sing all day if they could. Your preschooler is the same, and even if listening to the same song isn’t ideal, there’s no better fun to be had for your little one than to sing along to a favorite song with you! Dance together and make memories to this specific song (or songs). You can even try doing a very simple dance together to make it even more fun. Acting silly with your preschooler will allow them to express themselves better.
In fact, one of the best things you can do to create child-centered activities this children’s week is to ask your preschooler what they’d like to do. Give them options and choices, or find out if they’ve learned or heard of activities in class that interest them. Incorporating things children learn at preschool will help reinforce what they learn at school. This will help promote creativity and independence and teach your little one to take the initiative, all while having fun.
Providence Children’s Academy Preschool in Broward County
At Providence Children’s Academy, we will be celebrating Children’s Week both in the lead-up to the week and after. We understand the importance of providing your child with a solid foundation through a curriculum-based education. One that nurtures both their physical and emotional development. To schedule a visit to our preschool, give us a call today at (954) 570-6914!