Little ones have fun and enjoy learning through movement, play, and using their hands…and we know this type of exploration helps them learn better too! If you are looking for fun hands-on preschool activities, look no further! This collection of preschool activities will keep any little one engaged and learning a range of skills. It includes hand-on games, basic skills for letter and number identification, visual motor skills, and more. All of which are developmentally appropriate for preschoolers.
1. Letter Activity
All you need for this activity if some wax sticks and a laminated letter matter. Children will manipulate the wax sticks to mimic the shape of each letter. The activity helps with learning letter formation and builds hand strength.
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2. One to Ten Number Sort
This activity teaches math skills. It has children matching different number scenes – dominoes, word form numbers, linking cubes, counters, tallies, and more – to the digit. A nice way for kids to see the many ways numbers can be represented.
Learn More: You Clever Monkey
3. Patterning
These cover pattern block mats are great for learning patterns. Using solo cups and dot stickers, create different patterns on the mats – aba, abc, abba, etc. The students will them ned to cover them while correctly matching different patterns.
Learn More: You Clever Monkey
4. Color Sorting
Color sorting activities are great for pre-k students. For this activity, all you need is a color mat and some colored items – in this case they use bears. Mix the small colored items in a pile and have students organize by color.
Learn More: Teaching Mama
5. Ice Cream Motor Skills
Work on motor skill development with this fun activity! Student will need to walk different paths holding their “ice cream” (a ball on tip of a cardboard tube) with out dropping it! Challenge them to walk different ways – slow, fast, big steps, etc – while still maintaining balance of their “ice cream”.
Learn More: Coffee Cups and Crayons
6. Pancake Math
A cute way to do number work and use motor skills. Using numbered cardboard “pancakes” students will pretend to be chefs and play different number games – match the number, identify the number, or order the numbers.
Learn More: The Educators Pin On It
7. Non Standard Measurement
Geometry activities don’t always have to be about shapes, they can also help with measurement! In this activity, will measure lines using blocks. You can also ask them to measure each line using different shapes – “How many triangles does it measure?” or “How many squares does it measure?”
Learn More: Days with Grey
8. Veggie Counting Activity
This farm theme math activity not only works on counting, but you can use it to teach about farm life, healthy eating habits, and colors. All you need to some brown dough and play veggies! Have students count veggies in their pile, or ask them to count out a specified about of certain veggies – “5 corn and 3 eggplant”.
Learn More: Stay at Home Educator
9. Sticker Counting
This is a very simple preschool activity idea, but kids love it! Using stickers of their choosing, they will work on one to one correspondance. On a chart, numbered with as many digits as the students know, they will match the correct number of stickers with each digit.
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10. Crabby Hands
A cute craft with children when learning about the sea, is these crabby hands! Student will use red paint and their hand prints to make a crab. They can add a face, along with anything they may find in the background – sand, kelp, water, shells, etc.
Learn More: Amy Latta Creations
11. Alphabet Collage
Hands-on activities are great for teaching the alphabet to preschoolers. In this activity it has them creating collages for each letter. Using a variety of mediums – paper scraps, colors, straws, etc – these art activities teach student letters AND creativity.
Learn More: Early Learning Ideas
12. The Kissing Hand
For this activity you get to read a favorite book “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn and play a related activity. After reading the story, or listening on YouTube, students will play matching game that uses colors.
Learn More: Activity Mom
13. Animal Tracks
Fun science experiments can sometimes be hard to find for young children. This experiment works on animal tracking, science inquiry, and print making using differing animal tracks. The site includes a few different mini lessons around the topic.
Learn More: Parenting Science
14. Domino Lineup
A great way for preschool children to learn basic math skills is by using dominoes. Using a set on dominoes they will need to count the dots on each one to determine the total and match to the correct digit. This is great for an introduction to adding.
Learn More: Busy Toddler
15. Beginning Sounds
This is a nice game for preschoolers to do letter work. It is a phonics matching game where children use a strip of images to determine what is the beginning letter sound they hear. They then place a magnetic letter.
Learn More: Pre School Play and Learn
16. Counting Wheel
This counting wheel will help students with early numeracy. Students will have a set of clothes pins that are numbered with digits. Their goal is to match each number to the appropriate dots on the counting wheel.
Learn More: Keep Toddlers Busy
17. ABC Soup
Have some fun pretend play, while learning letters! Using magnetic letters, place them in a pot with water. Allow students to use a ladle to scoop some out. Then have them identify the letter they scooped.
Learn More: How We Learn
18. Fine Motor Pull
Using ribbon and felt pieces with a slit, children will work on lacing. They will pull the ribbon through each felt shape. It will help them to gain strength with pincer grip and eye-hand coordination
Learn More: Play Dough to Plato
19. Big and Small
You can do this activity anywhere, but this example uses nature. Find objects in varying sizes and have children put them in order from smallest to biggest. You can also use things like shoes, pillows, or toys! Make sure to not only size them by numbers, but also by using vocabulary words, like small and smallest, tall and tallest, etc.
Learn More: The Measured Mom
20. Preschool Cooking
You are never too young to learn basics cooking skills! This site gives a few kids friendly recipes that teach the basics – washing produce, chopping, and mixing. For this activity, students make a special edible fruit cup! with an ice cream cone, berries, and chocolate!
Learn More: Create Kids Club
21. Colander and Pipe Cleaner Activity
A simple, yet beneficial activity that helps with fine motor and eye-hand coordination skills. Children will use pip cleaners to pull them through the tiny holes on a strainer. They will need to use accuracy and also work on their pincer grip.
Learn More: Hello Wonderful
22. Shape Scavenger Hunt
In this scavenger hunt, children will need to find objects around the school yard, house, or in the community that use these shapes. As they find each shape, they will cross it off the list.
Learn More: Good Housekeeping
23. Name Puzzle
Learning our name is important to get pre-schoolers ready for primary school! Use this simple puzzle as a pre-writing activity to teach students how to correctly write their name. They will have their name fulling written on a writing strip and then a second written on puzzles pieces. They must correctly match the pieces. Once they have mastered this, take away the guide.
Learn More: Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds
24. Floating Dry Erase
A super fun activity that you can modify for many things – working with numbers, letters, shapes, and colors! Draw objects on a glass or plastic plate with a dry erase marker, then add some water. The shape will come to life!
Learn More: Active Littles
25. SEL Activity
Social Emotional Learning is important to learn at every age. Use these dough 2D play dough mats of faces to help them express their emotions and learn about feelings in general. While they create different faces, give them vocabulary words that match the expressions.
Learn More: Pinterest
26. Edible Play Dough
Edible dough is great for preschoolers who are always wanting to out things in their mouths, but you know it’s safe. Have them practice motor skills like rolling and pressing shapes! You can also use this dough in the previous activity for showing emotions. At the end (or during) they can eat the dough!
Learn More: Teaching Mama
27. Letter Recognition Activities
Literacy skills are extremely important! Make them engaging with this letter recognition station. At each letter station, kids will have the same activities – tracing the letter with dough, letter stamping, and more!
Learn More: Fun Learning For Kids
28. Sensory Bin
Sensory exploration is always a hot with pre-school children. For this bin, it is themed about insects. Gove students a magnifying glass as they search through the dirt, rocks, and natural debris to find some cool insects!
Learn More: Fun Learning for Kids
29. Winter Art
Process art activities are great fine motor skills and critical thinking skills. In this type of art, students are given an idea or theme. In this case, it is winter. They can then lead the art design and choices of materials, colors, etc.
Learn More: Stay at Home Educator
30. How Tall? Activity
A fun STEM activity for preschoolers, this “how tall can you build it?” activity uses items found around home. Cups, popsicle sticks, or you could even use building blocks. The goals is for little ones to find different ways to build the tallest tower.
Learn More: Pinterest
31. Noodle Necklace
Something simple like a noodle necklace is a great way to have fun working on eye-hand coordination and motor skills. Dye the noodles and have students also create or mimic patterns!
Learn More: Homeschool preschool
32. Alphabet Activity
A fantastic letter recognition game! This activity uses ping-pong balls that are placed inside tubes with corresponding letters. Students will work on both upper and lower case letter recognition. They will choose a ball and place it in the correct containers.
Learn More: The Imagination Tree
33. Shape Bingo
A simple Bingo for learning shapes and colors. Using bingo cards you can buy online, or homemade ones, call a shape and have children place the matching shape. It also helps teach colors to children.
Learn More: Pre Kinders
34. Bubble Wrap Names
This is a great pre-writing for little ones! Write each child’s name on bubble wrap in permanent marker with different colors. Then, students will use their finger to trace their names. Great for sensory as well!
Learn More: Coffee Cups and Crayons
35. Pizza Counting
This is an educational activity that works on counting. Children will need to mimic each pizza puzzle by matching the correct number of pepperonis to their pizza. They should make their puzzle look exactly like the one on the worksheet card.
Learn More: Mindy Makes
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