Preschoolers love to learn through hands-on games and activities. They definitely won’t learn by sitting through a full lecture in their preschool class, so making sure that they have something to create or a problem to solve is a wonderful way to help expand their minds and get them ready for the schooling years to come.
We can define what children learn in preschool as the foundation blocks that set up what the later years will teach them, and there’s no better way to learn than through games.
Styrofoam Printmaking
We’ve all heard of the fantastic benefits of arts and crafts in the preschool years, and throughout later school years, too. The creativity and expression preschoolers can put into a painting speaks to the improvement and refinement of their fine motor skills, getting them ready for more in-depth handwriting work later on. For this activity, you need:
- Styrofoam sheets
- Pencils
- A small foam paint roller
- Stamping inks or paints
- Craft paper
Styrofoam sheets make for easy printmaking for preschoolers – there are no scissors involved, and the child can have full control over what they want to print without a guardian needing to lend a hand with cutting. Each child can draw their pattern onto a Styrofoam sheet, and with enough pressure, the design will be made through these indentations. Using the foam roller, lightly pick up some stamping ink or acrylic paint and cover the Styrofoam sheet in a thin coat of color.
To finish off, simply turn the Styrofoam sheet upside down and press into a sheet of craft paper. These Styrofoam stamps can be used multiple times and can be any size you want, meaning there’s plenty of room for children to practice and experiment with different colors, amounts of paint, and the pressure that the design is stamped with.
Knick Knack Sorting
Preschool is a great time to work on developing a child’s grouping and categorization skills. With this simple task, you can teach your preschooler to find matching attributes in objects so that they can assign these to group categories. You will need:
- Assorted knick-knacks, such as beads, marbles, or rings (anything small works!)
- An ice cube tray, sorting box, or muffin tray
For this activity, you can tell your child to sort the items into the ice tray based on the groups that they are in. Feel free to give them ideas, such as sorting by color, shape, or size, but also make sure to leave your child to create the groups they want to make. They may have a grouping system that you didn’t think of!
Creating A Group Story
This fun group activity has it all: it can help your child improve their memory, encourage teamwork, and improve their creative storytelling skills.
With all children sitting in a circle, the group leader can start off a story with a simple sentence, such as “The man took his dog for a walk in the park.” Going around the circle, each child adds a sentence or short phrase to contribute to the story. As the story gets longer, the preschooler’s memory is tested, perhaps needing them to think back to whether the man was walking a dog or a cat.
Connect The Alphabet
Although writing full terms maybe just past a preschooler’s realm of knowledge, it won’t be for long. They’re at a perfect age to begin recognizing letters and their symbols, and playing connect the alphabet helps to reinforce those mental connections. For children in Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) programs, this is even more essential.
For this activity, all you need is a roll of art or butcher paper. Using a strong marker, choose five or six letters and write them each about ten times on the paper sheet. Mix them around so they’re not all in a neat line, it should look a little bit disorganized! Handing a different color marker to your preschooler, let them connect the matching letters in a long line, matching a ‘b’ at the end of one page to a ‘b’ near the middle, and so on. Use a mix of familiar letters and letters the child may be struggling with, this way they can be kindergarten-ready from ‘a’ right through to ‘z.’
Preschool Classes In Coconut Creek
These activities don’t have to stay in the classroom, they’ll also fit right into a weekend arts and crafts afternoon at home. At Providence Children’s Academy, we care about teaching preschoolers in a way that will benefit them the most. Schedule a tour with us to see how we make learning fun, every day.