Preschool Activities to Keep Little
Hands Busy & Minds Engaged

Parents and teachers alike are always on the look-out for preschool activities that are developmentally appropriate. Whether you are searching for fun, rainy day activities or activities to use to teach a lesson, you have come to the right place.

The ideas you will find below have been "field-tested" on my own little preschoolers. They have all been enjoyed by many children over the years. You will have to use your judgment, based on your knowledge and experience, on which ones will go over the best with your own children.

Feel free to take these ideas and, using your creative imagination, turn them into something better. Perhaps substitute a material, change the order of the directions, or expand an idea into something more.

Looking for specific preschool activities? Jump down to find what you're looking for.

Preparation for Preschool Activities

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Have you ever heard the saying, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail?" That saying couldn't be truer when it comes to preschool activities! Children are notorious for having short attention spans and they will not want to wait as you gather materials, read the directions, and figure out how to implement these activities.

My first suggestion would be to read through the activities to plan out what you will be doing before it's time to do it! This may sound obvious, but I've fallen into the trap of, "Well, I'll just wing it." Disaster every time! So if you know that you want to teach about bubbles, spend some time finding bubble activities. Make a box of "rainy day" activities that can be pulled out and are all ready.

Second, gather all the materials that you will need. There is nothing worse than planning to do a really fun activity, telling your child all about it, having them get excited about it, and then realizing you don't have the yarn needed for the lacing. Yep – I've been there too! So make sure you have all the materials and you can even set them out or put them in a shoebox so they are all set.

Third, you may want to consider doing a trial run of the preschool activity if it's new to you or looks like it may be complicated. Some activities may need tweaking, especially if you are changing an "ingredient" or based on what you know about your child's skills and abilities.

Materials List

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Many of the materials used in these preschool activities are household type items that you may already have lying around. If not, they are easy to acquire and generally inexpensive. Some materials listed below will be used over and over again, so you may want to invest some money into buying a quality item (for example, child's scissors).

Suggested Materials:

• Child-sized safety scissors
• Construction paper in various colors
• Craft glue
• Cotton balls
• Washable paint
• Crayons
• Markers
• Glitter
• Shoeboxes
• Q-tips
• Clear tape
• Yarn
• Dry beans
• Sand
• Hole puncher
• Play-doh in various colors (can be homemade)
• Writing utensils – pencils, pens, etc.
• Chalk
• Buttons
• Paint brushes
• Magnets
• Empty egg cartons
• Empty milk jugs
• Ziploc bags

This list is not exhaustive, but will give you a good base from which to start your preschool activities. Make sure to check each activity's material list before beginning (remember Preparation?!).

Organization for Preschool Activities

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A great question I get asked often is, "How do you organize all these materials?" There are several options, based on your own preference and circumstances.

I love to use shoeboxes! They are small enough to not take up too much room, but large enough to hold what I need. You can ask other parents, family members, or even local shoe stores to donate their unused, empty shoeboxes. I like to label the outside of the box with a picture and a name to help me easily identify what’s inside each.

Another option is plastic totes. These come in so many sizes that there is sure to be one that fits your needs. Many are clear so you can easily see what the contents are – no labels are necessary. The downside is that unless you already have these, there is a cost involved to go purchase them.

If you have small projects or activities that need to be organized, plastic Ziploc-type bags can work well. These also come in many sizes so are quite versatile. The cost is significantly lower than totes, so this could be a more viable option.

Safety First

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Since we are working with young children, we need to keep safety in the forefront of our minds for these preschool activities. Here are some reminders:

• SUPERVISION is key!!! Stay close to your child(ren) while they are working.
• Small objects, like dry beans, marbles, etc. are a choking hazard.
• Even if you are only using a small container of water, remember it only takes a few inches of water for a child to drown.
• Teach and model safe behaviors with scissors.
• Some things must ONLY be done by an adult – like hot glue guns, using hot water, cutting objects, etc.
• Plastic grocery bags and Ziploc-type bags are a suffocation risk – monitor their use carefully.

These may seem like common sense tips, but one can never be too careful with preschoolers.

General Preschool Activities

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Below you will find some general preschool activities. These do not necessarily fit into a specific category.

• Fill a bucket full of water and let children use paintbrushes to paint outside
• Use rollers, toothpicks, and cookie cutters to make fun shapes out of Play-doh
• Give children a large cardboard box and let them use their imaginations to decide how to play with it (train car, airplane, fort, etc.)
• Make a necklace with string and an assortment of materials: beads, cereal, dry noodles, etc.
• Create an indoor sandbox by filling a shoebox with sand and have child play with spoons, cups, and small cars (alternate fun is to fill with rice!)
• 2 words: Sidewalk. Chalk.
• Cover the dining room chairs with blankets, secure with clothespins, and voila - a tent! Complete the experience with pillows, a flashlight, and s'mores
• Build a tower with all the plastic Tupperware and mixing bowls from the cupboards
• Give kids your "button box" and let them sort according to attributes - color, size, number of holes
• Let children practice lacing and tying knots with old sneakers
• Fill a shallow pan or bowl with water and set on a towel. Allow children to sail boats, let their toys go "swimming", or use measuring cups
• Find a cloth measuring tape or plastic ruler and have children measure objects around the house
• Stickers + blank paper = busy children
• Give children a damp washcloth and let them "help" you clean the house!
• Put a small amount of whipped or shaving cream in a pie pan or cookie sheet and watch as children "write" and draw
• What to do with all those old magazines? Give them to the kids with a pair of safety scissors! They love cutting out pictures and it's great practice for their fine motor skills
• Use a magnifying glass to go on a "Looking Adventure"
• Create a scavenger hunt for your kids to follow

Preschool Activities by Category

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Some activities are best organized together to make up a category. If you are searching for a specific type of activity, check the list below.

Preschool Bible Activities

Preschool Literacy Activities

Preschool Math Activities

Preschool Nursery Rhyme Activities

Preschool Phonological Awareness Activities

Preschool Printables

Preschool Storytime Activities

Preschool Writing Activities

Kid Recipes to make for crafts

Summer Activities

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