10 Preschool Activities to Engage Your Little Ones

preschool activities

Are you a parent looking for engaging and educational activities to do with your preschool-aged children? Look no further! We’ve compiled a list of 10 fun and interactive preschool activities that will keep your little ones entertained while also promoting learning and development. 

From math to science, art to literacy, these activities cover a range of subjects and are designed to be easy and enjoyable for both kids and parents. The best part is, you can do these activities using supplies you already have at home. So let’s dive in and explore the wonderful world of preschool activities!

Our Favorite DIY Preschool Activities

1. Color Sorting Train

color sorting train activity for kids

Let’s start with a colorful and engaging activity for preschoolers that will help your kids practice their sorting skills and learn about colors. Create a color-sorting train using toys or objects of different colors. Set up different colored carts and encourage your little ones to sort the items into the correctly colored carts. This activity not only promotes color recognition, but also improves fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Learn More: Fun Learning For Kids

2. Sort & Count Bottles Math Activity

count and sort bottles preschool activity

Take sorting to the next level by incorporating counting into this math activity for preschoolers. Gather empty bottles and fuzzy pom poms in different colors. Label the bottles with numbers and colors. Your preschoolers can then sort the correct number of pom poms into the matching colored bottle. This math activity not only reinforces color recognition, but also introduces basic counting skills.

Learn More: The Imagination Tree

3. Counting Flower Petals Math Activity

counting flower petals activity

Combine outdoor time with counting practice by engaging your preschoolers in a flower petal counting math activity. Head outside with your little ones and let them pick flowers. Encourage them to count the petals on each flower they find. This activity not only reinforces number recognition, but also allows children to connect with nature and develop their observation skills.

Learn More: Hands On As We Grow

4. Number Activity With Grain Bins

number grain bin activity for preschooler

If your child already has a farm or dump truck, this number activity is one of the best math activities for preschoolers out there. Create “grain bins” using containers and fill them with small objects like beans or pasta. Label each bin with a number and challenge your little ones to unload the correct amount of “grain” into each container. This math activity for preschoolers promotes number recognition, counting skills, and fine motor development.

Learn More: Hands On As We Grow

5. Clothespin Counting Wheel

preschool activity: counting wheel

Engage your preschoolers’ fine motor skills with this counting activity using clothespins and cardboard. Create a counting wheel with numbered sections and provide clothespins with numbers on them. Your little ones can practice their number recognition and counting by matching the clothespins to the corresponding section on the wheel. This activity is not only educational but also helps develop hand strength and coordination.

Learn More: Keep Toddlers Busy

6. Alphabet Clothespin Activity

hang up alphabet activity

Introduce your preschoolers to the alphabet with this easy DIY clothespin activity. Label clothespins with letters and invite your little ones to pin the letters in the correct alphabetical order. This activity promotes letter recognition, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination. It’s a great way to make learning the alphabet fun and interactive.

Learn More:What Do We Do All Day

7. Seashell Alphabet Activity

seashell alphabet for preschool activities

Bring the ocean to your preschoolers’ learning experience with this seashell alphabet activity. Label seashells with letters and bury them in a sensory bin filled with sand. Your little ones can dig for the shells, arrange them in alphabetical order, and even practice pronouncing the letter sounds. This DIY activity combines sensory play with letter recognition, making learning fun and engaging.

Learn More: Pre-K Pages

8. Fine Motor Pizza Shop

fine motor pizza shop for preschool activities

Unleash your preschoolers’ creativity and fine motor skills with this pizza shop activity. Provide paper and scissors for your little ones to cut out different pizza toppings. They can then use their fine motor skills to assemble their own paper pizzas. This art activity for preschoolers not only promotes fine motor development, but also encourages imaginative play and decision-making.

Learn More: Frugal Fun For Boys And Girls

9. Fizzing Dinosaur Eggs Science Activity

dino eggs science activities for preschoolers

Take sensory play to the next level with these homemade fizzing dinosaur eggs. Create dinosaur-shaped bath bombs using simple ingredients and let your preschoolers watch in awe as the eggs hatch and fizz in water. These kinds of science activities for preschoolers combine sensory exploration with science and encourage curiosity and observation skills.

Learn More: Frugal Fun For Boys And Girls

10. Construction-Themed Sensory Bin

math activities for preschoolers: sensory bin

If your preschoolers love construction and building, this sensory bin is perfect for them. Create a construction-themed sensory bin using materials like sand, rocks, and toy construction vehicles. Your little ones can explore the textures and elements of a construction site while engaging in imaginative play. This activity promotes sensory exploration, creativity, and fine motor skills.

Learn More: Pre-K Pages

Finding the Perfect Sitter for Your Preschooler

While engaging in these fun and educational preschool activities with your little ones, it’s important to have support and assistance when needed. UrbanSitter connects families with trusted sitters and nannies who have experience with preschool-aged kids.

Search and filter for sitters who specialize in caring for preschoolers, ensuring you find the perfect match for your family. With UrbanSitter, you can have peace of mind knowing your little ones are in good hands while you take a well-deserved break or attend to other responsibilities.

Looking for a sitter for your preschooler?

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Seasonal Craft Activities for Preschoolers

Looking for more seasonal activities to do with your preschoolers? Check out our article on Fall Crafts for Preschoolers for a variety of fun and engaging ideas that celebrate the beauty of autumn or get crafty with Spring Crafts for Preschoolers.

Engaging in these preschool activities will not only keep your little ones entertained, but also promote their learning and development. From sorting and counting to sensory exploration and imaginative play, these activities cover a range of subjects and skills. 

Plus, you can easily do them using supplies you already have at home. So gather your materials, get ready for some fun, and enjoy quality time with your preschool-aged children as they learn, play, explore, and imagine. Happy learning!

Related: 6 Ways to Help Your Child Adjust to Preschool

After-school, weekends, whenever.

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Fantastic Father’s Day Photo Ideas

valentine's day sitter

Scrambling to find the perfect gift to celebrate the Dads in your life this Father’s Day? You can scour the stores in search of a gift that speaks to his hobbies or wardrobe, help the kids create a craft worthy of a spot on his desk, or take one spectacular Fathers Day photo that he’ll cherish for a lifetime. The right photo says far more than any store-bought gift or last minute craft. We’ve curated a list of fun father’s day picture ideas to inspire you and your child and capture the perfect shot.

Photo Ideas for the Perfect Father’s Day Gift

via Natural New Age Mum
via Natural New Age Mum

Write a message that’s as sweet as the tiny feet.

via House of Hendrix
via House of Hendrix

Get Dad to star in a photo shoot.

via Crafty Texas Girls
via Crafty Texas Girls

Fun photo that the kids will love creating.

via Amanda Myers
via Amanda Myers

With a message and a family photo that steals his heart.

via I Can Teach My Child!
via I Can Teach My Child!

In his shoes.

via Family Share
via Family Share

This Father’s Day photo shoot idea works especially well if you have three kids!

via Indulgy
via Indulgy

Make it multi-generational for a powerful portrait of the fathers in his life.

For more great Fathers Day picture ideas and inspiration for photographing kids in general, check out our Photographing Babies and Kids Pinterest Board.

Looking for a sitter to take that special dad out for Father’s Day? Join UrbanSitter to browse profiles, sort by pay rate, and book jobs online.

Fun Activities for Kids and Babysitters: Ideas & Tips

babysitter makes fort

Even the best babysitters in your area may be at a loss for finding fun activities to do with your children. Your preferred babysitter may spend many long hours with your children in the months and years to come, and this is the time that should be fun and stimulating for them. If you want to encourage your babysitter to limit screen time and to engage your children while you are gone, suggest some of these thoughtful ideas.

Make Cookies

If your babysitter has basic baking skills, making cookies is a fun and delicious way to spend time. Frosted cut-out cookies take much more time to make than chocolate chip cookies, and they allow for more interaction with children. This is only one of many types of foods that children can participate in making. For example, they can make ice cream sundaes, cut-out shapes for their lunchtime sandwiches, a fruit salad with cutting help from the babysitter and more.

Build a Blanket Fort

Before you leave, pull out several blankets and sheets that can be used for the walls and ceiling of a living room or bedroom fort. The act of creating the fort can keep the kids and the babysitter busy for a while. Once the fort is created, they can play together, read books or even tell their own made-up stories in their shelter.

Create Works of Art

Many children love to draw, paint and work with clay. Other ideas include working on sand projects, making slime, creating snowflakes and more. Set aside several types of art supplies before leaving the house. The kids and babysitter can use the supplies in their own creative ways to produce beautiful or unique works of art.

Dance to Children’s Songs

If your children love music, another excellent idea is to recommend a dance party. You can compile a mix of songs that your kids enjoy, or you can suggest that your babysitter stream music from an app on his or her smartphone. This is a fun way to get your children moving regardless of outdoor weather conditions.

Play Board Games

Many kids love to play games with their parents, but you may not pull the games out as frequently as they may like. Set out a stack of your children’s favorite board games and card games. Regardless of your children’s ages, board games provide interactive fun that can extend potentially for several hours.

Work on Puzzles

An alternative to board games is puzzles. Simple puzzles are ideal for young children, and there are numerous puzzles that are increasingly challenging for older children. Determine your children’s skill level, attention span, and interests when picking out a puzzle.

You may go to great lengths to find the best babysitters in your area, but even these skilled, qualified professionals may not know what your children like to do or what activities are available in your home. Suggest or plan for some of these excellent activities so that your children truly enjoy spending time with their babysitter.

How to inject Family Fun into a Summer of Work & Camp

four out of five of the miller & friedlander kids playing cards

Summertime, which we’d so love to think of as carefree fun-time, can too often be an extended period of regret for those working moms and dads who can take few vacation days to spend with the family. But do the post-school hot months necessarily have to translate into drudgery for kids, and a guilt-fest for parents?

Not in the slightest, say Lisa Friedlander and Ilene Miller, DC-area moms who are the founders of class- and camp-booking site Activity Rocket, and between them, parents to five kids. Fun for all might just start with an attitude adjustment: one that enables you to see the summer camp you might inevitably have to enroll your kids in as something exciting and enriching rather than an unfortunately necessity.

According to Miller—mom to sons Mark, age 13, and Max, age 10—“The beauty of summer is it gives kids the opportunity to do something new, that they don’t get exposed to in school, like Claymation camp, or rock band camp, for example,” she says. “But in our area, there are also kids who spend the summer at the community pool, taking swim lessons and being pool bums.” Either way, she says, when kids are happy and tired at the end of the day, that goes a long way toward minimizing parental guilt. Which makes for happier family time all around, when you do manage to wedge some in.

This doesn’t have to be an elaborate or expensive prospect, Miller maintains. “I really value the longer days in the summertime, when the kids can stay up later,” she says. “My husband, Craig, and I try to spend a lot of unstructured family time in the evenings with them. We can barbecue outside, have family tournaments that can last the whole weekend—the kids are huge card sharks. We just get back to basics.”

The basics certainly extend to weekends, when camp and work are finished for the week. Says Miller, “We’re so lucky that in the DC area, we have hiking trails, and a lot of rivers that are accessible to us within 10 minutes, that we can kayak on with the kids.” She’s also a big proponent of finding community events, most of which are free. “In the Potomac area, we’ve got all the Smithsonian museums, book fairs, concerts in the parks, festivals—often they have no admission and the only money we’ll spend is on food once we get there.”

Friedlander and family spend weekends at a river house on the Chesapeake (if you don’t have your own, make friends with someone who does, she jokes!). “It’s very much no screens, no electronics, a lot of time spent tubing and water skiing and playing beach tennis and fishing and crabbing the old-fashioned way, with a piece of chicken tied to a rope.” With her oldest child, Jaclyn, age 14, set to head off to sleepaway camp for the entire summer, she says she’s also relishing the opportunity to spend a bit of quality time with Cole, age 11, and Camryn, age 9. As well as taking her own breather from the usual grind. “Those eight weeks of summer go by so fast, it’s important to give yourself a little bit of a break,” she says. “Whether that means not cooking every night, or not cleaning up every day, or just enjoying a walk around the neighborhood—things you wouldn’t do on a regular basis. Just slow down and enjoy the pace of summer.”

Also critical for Miller, “I need time with my husband, too, whether or not the kids are away. We’ll take a picnic and a bottle of wine somewhere, and focus on our time alone.”

But absolutely the biggest opportunity afforded even to working parents and camp kids in the summer: the fabulousness of being outside. “We get really active,” says Friedlander. “We have swimming races, and we bought a Kanjam—literally a Frisbee you throw into a slot, a team game that’s tons of fun; we all love it.”

Says Miller, “Friends helped us build a Gaga pit, which is Israeli dodge ball in a confined space. On weekends we’ll have friends over and sometimes it’s just adults in there. It’s a great way to be outside, get competitive, and work out a little aggression.” Let the summer games begin!

Crafty Kids: How to Make Maps of Your Neighborhood–and Your Imagination

Children love maps. The graphic imagery of even the simplest charts can give them lots to feast their eyes upon, and to dream about. But maps also help them make sense of the world around them—something grownups, who’ve committed thousands of routes to memory, often take for granted.

The warming weather provides the perfect opportunity to accompany your budding cartographer out into the neighborhood, to sketch up the way to a friend’s house, or the playground, or just once around the block. Some kids prefer to draw places they see in their imagination. Either way, inspired by the book Mapsby Aleksandra and Daniel Mizieliński, and featuring images from the accompanying Maps Activity Book, here we offer a primer in the ancient art of map making.

What you’ll need:

  • Writing implements—pencils and colored pencils, markers, pastels
  • Paper—either a printout of one of the templates below, or plain paper of your choosing

1.     Decide what you want to make a map of. Will it be a map of a place you know already—like your room or your block? Will it be a map of someplace big, like the whole Earth or a made-up planet? Or will it be a map of someplace small, like your school or your neighborhood? Take a tour of the place—if you can—to get the lay of the land.

2.     Map out your map. With light pencil or chalk marks, rough out where everything on your map will go: buildings, streets, parks, trees, oceans, cars—whatever you fancy! Then work on making your map more permanent, with firmer marks and color and details like windows on buildings, or waves on the sea, or leaves on your trees.

3.     Label the things you’ve drawn on your map: Nico’s house, the Indian Ocean, Christmas Street. Then, make a legend. A legend tells things like how many inches equal a mile, what the capital of your country is, and what the native language is. If you like, you can also draw pictures of local birds and flowers, and the people (or aliens!) who live here.

4.     Finally, make sure you give your map a compass rose, so the people who use it know which direction they’re heading in!

Hand drawn map by Ada Grazia Cowan.

Maps Activity Book. Copyright © 2013 by Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielińki. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

Maps. Text and illustrations copyright © 2012 by Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielińki. Translation copyright © 2013 by the Templar Company Ltd. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

Crafty Kids: How to Make Beaded Key Fobs

The title of this craft begs the questions: what exactly is a fob, and why on earth would any kid want to make one (aside from the fact, of course, that they’re really pretty)?

Traditionally—meaning, in the late 19th century—a fob was a decorative chain that attached your pocket watch to your person. Since not many folks wear pocket watches anymore, the craft is reimagined here by our friends at Crafting Community as a decoration for a key. And as every kid knows, getting your own key to the house is an enormous rite of passage, one that symbolizes a surge in responsibility as well as a parent’s recognition of it.

Why make a key fob? To celebrate that oh-so-important key and make it look as important as it really is. Not to mention, help your kid find it in her cluttered backpack!

What you’ll need:

Plastic lacing
Scissors
Metal clips
Pony beads in assorted colors

1. Start with about 6 feet of plastic lacing, fold it in half, and put it on a metal clip.

2. Thread your first bead onto one end of the cord, then thread the other end of the cord through the opposite side of the bead.

3. Begin your design by adding the next row of beads. To do this, slip on 2 beads to the right half of the lacing and then thread the left side of lacing through both beads.

4. Continue to increase or decrease by 1 bead each row until your design takes shape. Once your design is finished, make a knot and hide the little ends under the last row of beads. Now it’s time to hook on that key!

Crafty Kids: How to Make a Woven Yarn God’s Eye

Woven Yarn God's Eye

The ojo de Dios (Spanish for “eye of God”) is a folk toy with origins among the Huichol Indians of the Sierra Madre. The four points of the crossed sticks are said to represent the elements of earth, air, water, and fire; the finished eye, replete with alternating stripes of yarn, is meant to offer health, fortune, and long life.

Extremely simple to put together, this bright, festive craft from our friends at Crafting Community forms the base for a great crib mobile—something for an older sibling to make for the new baby in the house. It’s also a super entry point for talking to kids about American history—and for parents to learn a little something, too.

What you’ll need:

  • Two sticks of equal length
  • Brightly colored yarn in 3 or 4 color
  • Scissors

1. Grab two sticks and tie them together in the middle with the end of your ball of yarn. Twist the sticks to form a ‘+’.

 

2. Wrapping in a clockwise direction, wind your yarn over and around 1, then 2, then 3, then 4. (See image at right for technique).

3. To switch up your colors, simply snip the yarn you’re working with and tie on a new color. Trim the excess and continue wrapping.

4. To finish your god’s eye, top knot your yarn around your final stick twice. Trim the excess yarn and you’re done!

To add tassels:

1. Loop yarn around your fingers 15x

2. Thread another piece of yarn through your loop and make a knot with long tails. Cut the end of your yarn loop to create fringe.

3. Tie your tassel on, knotting it to your gods eye on the back side.

4. Wrap one side of the tails around the arm of your gods eye several times, then knot it to the other tail to finish.

Crafty Kids: Floating Container Ship

By Chris Barnardo

A super quick and easy model to put together, this floating container ship is made from a couple of old dishwasher or washing machine liquid bottles, along with a few other bits and pieces. There’s plenty of fun to be had both making and playing with it—kids love naming their ship, writing its name on it in permanent marker, and then sailing it across the great Bath (or Swimming Pool) Ocean.

What you’ll need:

  • Glue gun
  • Marker
  • Craft knife
  • Large dishwasher soap bottle
  • Small dishwasher soap bottle
  • Piece of cardboard
  • A few small stones
  • Shower gel bottle
  • Milk carton cap
  • Liquid detergent bottle cap
  • Yogurt cup base

1.     To make a floating ship, you’ll need a plastic bottle for the hull, and another, smaller bottle for the cabin. Mark lines around the bottles following the diagram above, using a permanent marker. Use your craft knife to cut.

2.     Place the hull part upside down on a piece of thick cardboard and draw around it with a marker.

3.     Cut out the deck slightly inside the line so that the cardboard will just fit inside the hull.

4.     Cut some small supports out of cardboard, at the right height to allow the deck to be slightly recessed. Glue these to the underside of the deck. Glue around the edge of the deck and slide in. Glue the milk bottle top into the detergent bottle opening. To prevent your ship from being top heavy, glue a few small stones inside the hull before you glue the deck into position.

5.     With deck in place, glue around its seams to make sure it’s waterproof.

6.     Glue the cabin upside down to the deck, then glue the yogurt cup end to the deck.

7.     Cut the end off a shower gel pack and glue to the front of the cabin to make the bridge. Glue a detergent bottle top to the top of the bridge to make a funnel.

8.     Decorate with marker, then get ready to launch your ship!

Excerpted from Made with Dad by Chris Barnardo, (c) 2015 Skyhorse Publishing.

Crafty Kids: Straw Rockets

This sweet, summer-celebratory craft from our friends at Kiwi Crate is great fun when you’re wrangling a whole group of neighborhood kids who could use a little (but not a lot!) of structured activity. It’s super quick and easy to pull together, and gets (and keeps) the whole gang outside.

What you’ll need:

  • Several pieces of origami paper, or any other square-shaped paper
  • Straws (fat ones from bubble tea stores work best)
  • Tape (used here: long pieces of metallic tape to seal the side, as well as shorter tape squares to close the top)
  • Curling ribbon (optional)

1. With the “nice” side of the paper facing up, place a long strip of tape, sticky side down, along one edge of the paper.  Half the tape should hang over the edge of the paper.

2. Flip the paper over. Starting opposite the tape, roll the paper loosely around the straw.  Seal with tape to make a tube.

3. Fold one end of the tube over and tape it closed. Make sure the tube is completely sealed so no air can get out.

4. If you’d like, decorate your rocket by taping on pieces of ribbon.

5. Blow into the straw to launch your rocket. Blast off!

10 Family Activities for a Sweet Summer

For most of us, summer provides a less restrictive schedule with a little more time to spare. There are no school bells to beat, carpools to shuffle, homework to deal with or early bedtimes to make. Take advantage of some of the extra time and freedom, even if it’s just having a longer evening thanks to Daylight Savings Time, by enjoying these top 10 summer activities to do with your family. You’ll be glad you did!

blog1

  1. Attend a baseball game.
    Whether it’s a MLB or a little league game, nothing says summer quite like rooting for the home team at a ballgame. Grab a few hot dogs for the kids and find a spot on the bleachers… even if your little ones are too young to last more than a few innings.
  2. Splash with friends at a pool party.
    If you don’t have a friend’s pool to crash, find a local public pool or private swim club and arrange to have a few friends and their kids gather for a fun afternoon in the water.
  3. Throw a BBQ.
    You don’t need a backyard to host an outdoor summer BBQ. A park with accessible grills or a spot for you to bring your own will work just as well. Check out our Pinterest board, Party Food for fun outdoor dishes to share.
  4. See the stars.
    Loosen the reigns and let your kids stay up late enough to see the night sky. Pack a blanket, load up the car and find a spot dark enough to see for miles.
  5. Get away without the kids!
    No matter how much you cherish the extra hours with your kids during summer vacation, everyone needs a break from each other. Log onto UrbanSitter to find a sitter who will stay the night, or better yet the weekend. You don’t need to spend a fortune or go far to rejuvenate and recharge.
  6. Enjoy an outdoor concert.
    Even families with infants can manage and appreciate a concert in the park. Kids will love camping out on a blanket and listening to the music. Just be sure to bring snacks.
  7. Get wet!
    Come summer, you gotta hit the water. Find a local spot to rent a paddle boat, tube down a lazy river or get drenched at a water or kids splash park.
  8. Go camping.
    Our post last summer on camping hot spots was a reader favorite for good reason. Camping is perfect for families! Check out our post for super family-friendly sites, coast to coast. If packing up the car and hauling your kids to the woods seems like a daunting task, pitch a tent in the backyard for a slumber party under the stars.
  9. Get together with school friends.
    Back to school transitions will be easier if there are familiar faces to share the new routine. Take the time now to schedule play dates with school friends and host an afternoon at your place for your child to meet new friends who will be together in the fall.
  10. Have a picnic. A picnic is the perfect way to enjoy a relaxing afternoon with your family, and knock out dinner, too. We have just the menu for you to do it right and with little effort.

Before the hectic routine of the school year starts again, take the time to enjoy the season with your family. Sharing these fun, memorable summertime activities helps to build happy memories that will stay with you and your kids a lifetime.

 What’s on your summer to-do list?