Without proper focus and concentration skills, it can be hard to keep attention maintained and follow through with tasks. Daily activities that help students learn to focus and build their skills are essential through early childhood education.
If you’re looking for more ways to enhance your class activities and your student’s focus skills, then you’ve come to the right place! Here is a list of 27 activities that are perfect for preschool-aged children.
1. Fine Motor Letters
This letter activity is great for school and at home! Watch the focus grow within your student as they work to match up all the letters. Simple and engaging, a perfect activity for a rainy day. All you’ll need is a cardboard box and some popsicle sticks!
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2. Sensory Bins
Sensory bins are a go-to when it comes to preschool-aged children. Undoubtedly, these bins have been designed to bring out the senses. Providing children with a space to be mindful and connect with themselves will help to provoke a deeper focus on other activities.
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3. Playdough Letters
Letter activities HAVE to be engaging. There’s no way around it. Using materials that students know, love, and can connect with is #1 to keeping them engaged. Playdough is a favorite among teachers and students everywhere.
Learn More: Nikki’s Child Care
4. LEGO Building
Child activities involving LEGOs will no doubt provoke attention and focus. Giving students the space to build and interact with each other will help them to hone their attention skills. Keeping their buildings structurally strong or the tallest possible requires great attention, focus, and, hopefully, teamwork.
Learn More: Nikki’s Child Care
5. Spidey Senses
This game is so much fun! It not only requires attention but also focuses on how the challenge should be approached. It seems like @marissa.ann.marino used this as a Halloween activity, but the truth is it can be used as an activity in preschools or at home all year round!
Learn More: Marissa Ann Marino
6. Magna tile Construction
If you’ve ever seen children seriously engaged with Magna tiles, then you fully understand the concentration level it takes. I’ve attempted to build some of the creations that my preschool-aged children have created and can’t even compete against the focus they’ve obtained from constantly building.
Learn More: Magblox Au
7. Over & Under
Finding ways to use materials you already have somewhere in your preschool environment is a win-win for everyone. With low prep and affordable materials, teachers can focus more on each student! Simply weaving ribbons through the bars in a storage rack or over a plain old white canvas will keep them engaged, ESPECIALLY if you have various colors of ribbon!
Learn More: Fun A Day
8. Matching Insects
Matching games are mainly aimed at developing a student’s critical thinking skills. But, with critical thinking comes a great deal of focus. Try playing focus music and providing the students with the space they need to finish the activity.
Learn More: Mahtisa Learning Activities
9. Cup Stacking
Cup stacking may seem difficult for preschool-aged children, but you’d be surprised at their determination to build the best or biggest castles. This is the perfect activity to complete with older students acting as role models to help the preschoolers with their focus and attention!
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10. Color Weaving
Weaving is a great way to intertwine the proper development of fine motor skills and concentration. Being a physical activity using the hands will play a key role in how well your student engages with the activity and continues to be focused throughout.
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11. Gluing Paper
Students love the idea of using glue and love the idea of painting it even better! Simply gluing paper to one of the following with being the best way to keep your kiddos engaged and working on building a strong attention span.
- A Paper Plate
- A Sheet of Paper
- A Large Bulletin Board Size Paper
Learn More: Oak Tree Learning
12. Focus Ball
This is not an easy activity for anyone, but you’d be surprised at how quickly your preschooler picks up on the tricks. With proper parental involvement, this is the perfect activity to be done at home! Or it’s a great additional activity during free time or a break between classes.
Learn More: Kids Fun Learning
13. Follow the Line
Using ping-pong balls and a sheet of paper, this project can quickly be done anywhere. The key role of following the line is focused on your student’s cognitive and motor skill development, but it also takes a great deal of focus.
Learn More: Kids Fun Learning
14. Soap Search
Talk about keeping your kiddos busy on a hot summer day! This simple soap activity is the perfect way to keep them focused while providing some sensory play. They will love the feeling of the soapy bubbles and will be working hard to find all of the colors and match them up
Pro tip: The best bubbles can be made by shaving dial soap (with a cheese grater) and then adding water
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15. Concentration Spoons
TikTok brings us another amazing activity that’s perfect for preschoolers! This activity will activate the entire brain and keep your kiddos focused! It’s the perfect activity for students to work independently. With little materials and prep, teachers will equally love this activity.
Learn More: Kids Fun Learning
16. Color Matching
This one is super cute and one of my favs. I always include this in my gifts at birthday parties for preschool-aged kiddos. It’s great because kids will love the sensory of it while also promoting color-matching skills.
Learn More: Beyond the Playroom
17. Brain Break Breathing
My preschoolers LOVE rainbow breaths and never forget to remind me about them when I’m slightly frustrated.
This means they’re very in tune with how breathing affects their feelings. Teaching them how it also can affect their focus and attention will play a key role in their development.
Learn More: MDR Bros. Education Channel
18. Shake Your Sillies Out
Focusing at any age can be difficult, especially when you just have so much more energy than you’re able to give out! This is why giving your students time to focus on their bodies rather than completing physical activities is important. Shake your sillies out is a great song for kids up and moving.
Learn More: The Learning Station – Kids Songs and Nursery Rhymes
19. Yoga
Yoga helps to grab the attention of our racing minds and channel it into something helpful and mindful. It’s no different for even our youngest learners. So take the time to include yoga in your daily activities, and you won’t be disappointed.
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20. Build a Story
Okay, there’s no doubt that our little preschoolers can be quite the storytellers! Acting as role models, we can quickly help our students to create some amazing, funny, serious, or just crazy stories. This video will help gather your student’s attention to create your own story together.
Learn More: The Evelyn Winters Adventure
21. Cup Flip
Cup flip is a simple, fast-paced game that does actually require a lot of attention. It may seem simple to us, but to our preschoolers, it’s a great way to work on their concentration skills with lots of yelling and excitement all around them.
Learn More: aNIM
22. What do You Hear?
I love this game. Sometimes when my kiddos are just a little overwhelmed or overstimulated, we need to take a break. This game not only forces children to focus and listen, but it’s also simple enough that they can guess most of the sounds.
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23. I Spy
Have you ever searched for Waldo as an adult? My teacher friend and I often look through old Where’s Waldo books, trying to find him. We both agreed that we’re never more focused than in those moments! The same goes for our kiddos, who absolutely LOVE diving into these “I spy with my little eye” videos.
Pro tip: Pull them up on the smart board and allow students to circle the items!
Learn More: Detormentis
24. What Color, is It?
We all have those days when we just don’t seem to have any time or energy to prep for a lesson. This is a great systematic review of the colors, and it will also provide students with a completely different view of objects they are extremely familiar with.
Learn More: Games 4 ESL
25. Quick Grab
This definitely will involve various teachers or parents! If you don’t have anyone to help, it’s a great way to have your students practice waiting their turn. With high focus and a busy environment of cheering others on, this is one of the best activities to create strong focus and attention skills within your preschoolers.
Learn More: Little Wings Holistic Childhood Center
26. Parachute
There’s no doubt that moving and playing are a huge part of preschool. And I have yet to meet a child that doesn’t get excited when we pull out the parachute! Games using the parachute have various benefits, from concentrating on the next move to taking turns.
Learn More: Twitter
27. Noodle Threading
Both easy and exciting, noodle threading is one of my absolute favorite activities! The best part is that the noodles are big enough for even the littlest hands to use, and they’re also pretty cheap. With a ball of yarn and colorful noodles, your students will be engaged and focused for hours!
Learn More: Hunter Hall Prep & Pre School
Number 1 Preschool Activities: Worksheets, Videos, And Crafts