Category: Activities

Materials
Large plastic tub
Dirt
Worms
Sand toys such as trowels, small rakes, and buckets
Child’s magnifying glass
Small watering can
Apple core or banana peel

Directions
Fill the tub with a bag of dirt. After a spring rain, go on a worm hunt with your preschooler. Collect the worms in a small container and then add them to the dirt. You can also purchase earthworms from a bait store. Provide sand toys such as a trowel, rake, small bucket, watering can, and a child’s magnifying glass. Invite your child to explore, examine, and observe the worms in the dirt.  What happens when a small amount of water is added to the dirt? Add the apple core or banana peel to the dirt.  Cover when not exploring.

Research with your preschooler what worms need to survive.  Here’s a child friendly video to help your child learn a little more about earthworms.

Materials
Temperal Paint in spring colors
Large White Paper
Green marker
Fluffy silk flowers (like carnations)
Paper plates

Directions
Pour paint onto paper plates. Cut the stems of the silk flowers down to the size of a small paint brush (approximately 6 inches). Tape the large white paper to the table, and using the green marker invite your child to draw green stems and leaves or you draw green stems and leaves. Then invite your child to dip a silk flower into one of the colors of paint and tap it on the paper.  Encourage using a different flower for each color paint. Allow painting to dry and display.

Materials

Rain puddles
Rain Coats
Rain Boots

Allow your child the joy of jumping in rain puddles! Such a delight on a warm spring or summer day – even on a chilly spring morning.  The children loved it!

Materials
Styrofoam pool noodle, cut in 1 inch slices (from the Dollar Store)
Large number line or number cards from 1-6
One die

Directions
Using a shart knife, cut a styrofoam pool noodle into 1 inch slices. Lay the number line or number cards in front of your child. Go over the numerals together. Invite your child to roll the die, count the dots on the die, and then find the matching numeral. Have him make a tower with the correct number of styrofoam pool noodles on the matching numeral. Continue playing until all the numerals have been covered. 

For preschool and kindergarten age children, use two or even three dice.

Materials
Baby Bear Counters
Dot Stickers
White Construction Paper
Small Bowl or Basket

Directions
Place dot stickers all over a piece of white construction paper.  Make sure you have the same color stickers as you have baby bear counters. Place bear counters in a small bowl or basket. Invite your child place a bear counter on each dot matching the colors.  Count the different color bears.  How many red bears? Blue bears? Purple bears?

Your child is practicing:

• One-to-one correspondence
• Color matching
• Eye-Hand Corrdination
• Counting

Materials
Various colors of construction paper
Scissors
Glue
Circle Shapes in various sizes
Construction paper cut in six-inch squares
Pencil

Directions
Invite your preschooler to trace around the different size circle shapes, using different colors of construction paper.  Then have your child cut each circle out. Next, have your child glue the circles onto a square piece of construction paper from largest to smallest, placing each circle inside of the one just glued. Continue making new squares with colored circles until your child loses interest. Display in a quilt-like pattern.  

Materials
Q-Tips
Non-sharpened pencils with erasers
Circular Sponge Brushes
Tempera Paint (three colors)
Small containers – one for each color of paint
White construction paper
Newspaper to cover surface of table

Directions
Cover the workspace with newspaper. Tape a piece of construction paper to the surface. Pour one color of tempera paint into each small cup or container. Provide a cotton swab, circular sponge brush, and pencil for each color.  Invite your child to create their very own masterpiece using dots! Your child may also enjoy exploring the different painting tools or mixing the colors together, which is just fine. This activity encourages creativity.

Pointillism – the technique of using dots to create art

 

Materials:
Pom poms
Kiddie pool
Various kitchen utensils

Directions
Fill a small kiddie pool with various colors and sizes of pom poms. One large bag will do. Place a variety of kitchen utensils in the pool (spatulas, tongs, scoops, plastic cups, etc. Invite your child to sit right in the pool and explore with the pom poms – scooping, filling, pinching, tossing, sorting. This is such a fun activity to do on a rainy day! 

Materials
Do-A-Dot Markers
Large White Construction Paper

Directions
Tape a piece of white construction paper to the table surface. Invite your child to explore the dot markers.  He may choose to make lots of colorful dots all over the table or experiment with making lines.  These markers are fun to use and the ink dries quickly.  Reinforce the names of the colors as your child uses the different markers.