Inside: Find the top 30 activities for preschoolers you can do right now. This list is packed with fun crafts, playful learning activities, and indoor places to take your toddler to get some wiggles out.
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When the weather is yucky outside it’s critical for me to have tons of ideas to keep my preschooler and toddler busy so we don’t go stir crazy. Anyone else?
Here I have compiled a list of 30 activities for preschoolers you can do right now. This list is packed with fun crafts, playful learning activities, kids activity videos, and indoor places to take your toddler to get some wiggles out.
Below, you’ll find:
10 Indoor Activities for Preschoolers to Play and Learn
10 Low-Stress, High-Fun Activities for Preschoolers
10 Places to Go with Preschoolers on a Rainy Day
10 Indoor Activities for Preschoolers to Play and Learn
1. Building Letters with Magnetic Tiles
Building letters is so much fun with magnetic tiles. We printed off a template with all of the letters and had a blast creating each one.
This is a great activity for spatial awareness and literacy. Double win!
Click the link to get the full details on building letters video demonstration.
2. Indoor Obstacle Course
This indoor obstacle course for preschoolers is the best way to have fun when it’s yucky outside.
We had so much fun gathering items from around the house like pillows, chairs, painters tape, a box, mini trampoline and a bouncy cow to create our course.
Click the link to get the full details on the indoor obstacle course and video demonstration.
3. Sparkling Water & Raisin Experiment
Do you know what happens when you add raisins to sparkling water?
For this simple science experiment, all you need is sparkling water and raisins. And it’s so much fun!
Click the link to get the full details to see what happens when you add raisins to sparkling water and video demonstration.
4. DIY Sensory Bins
This sensory bin is so much fun, you’ll wonder why you haven’t tried it before.
In sensory bin, we used:
-Rice
-Recycled bottle caps
–Poms
-Erasers
–Popsicle sticks
–Feathers
–Pipe cleaners
-Cups
-Straws
Click the link to get the full details on this DIY sensory bin for preschoolers and video demonstration.
5. Cereal Bracelets
This is a great way to spend time with toddlers. Not only is this fun a fun way to practice fine motors skills, but it’s edible too!
I make my kid-friendly needle with a plastic straw. And use that to make threading the cereal onto the strong easier.
Click the link to get the full details on how to make cereal bracelets and video demonstration.
6. Shaving cream writing
Shaving cream writing is a super fun way to practice writing letters, numbers, names or sight words.
Simply add some shaving cream and food coloring to a baking sheet. Then, use a paint brush to make the letters, numbers or words.
Grab the printable alphabet template here.
Click the link to see the full video demonstration for shaving cream writing.
7. Shaving Cream Sensory Dough for Preschoolers
With only two steps, this sensory dough is easy, squishy, and SO much fun.
First you add about a cup of shaving cream to a bowl. Next, you mix in corn starch and food coloring until the consistency is doughy.
Click the link to get the full details on this sensory dough and video demonstration.
8. Pre-Writing Skills Activity
By isolating the lines needed to write letters, this sensory activity is a fun way to practice writing.
Preschoolers can mix shaving cream and paint in a ziploc bag. Then, use the printable pre-writing skills activity template for of writing lines to draw the lines with a Q-tip.
Click the link to see the pre-writing skills activity video demonstration.
9. Sesame Street Puppets
These printable Sesame Street Puppet crafts are so fun and simple to make.
First, print the puppet templates for Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster or Oscar the Grouch. Next, Color them. After that, cut them out. Finally, glue on the pieces and play!
Click the link to get the full details on the Sesame Street Puppets.
10. Exploring Bubble Foam
With one base, you can make five preschool activities for exploring bubble foam including literacy, sensory, science, art and more.
To make the bubble foam base that can be used for each of the following activities, you’ll want to add three tablespoons of bubble bath to 1/4 cup of water, and liquid watercolor (or food coloring).
Next, use a mixer on the highest setting for 1-2 minutes. Then, stir the mixture after a minute to get the water from the bottom mixed in. Keep mixing until it becomes a dense foam.
Then, you are ready to get started on these fun educational activities:
- Bubble Foam Letter Hunt (literacy)
- Galaxy Glitter Sensory Play (sensory)
- Bubble Foam Prints (art)
- DIY Bubble Foam Machine (play)
- Bubble Foam Eruptions (science)
Click the link to get the full details on the five preschool activities for exploring bubble foam.
10 Low-Stress, High-Fun Activities for Preschoolers
When my kids get sick, I like to have an easy list of low-stress, high-fun activities we can do indoors. These are perfect for spending quality time and having some fun.
- Make a Fort
- Decorate Cookies
- Build Marshmallow Castles
- Movie and Popcorn
- Sensory Bins
- Painting Rock Animals
- Stamp Art
- Zumba Dance Videos
- Glue Bag Writing
- Make Maracas
Places to Go with Preschoolers on a Rainy Day
Sometimes, it’s just nice to get out of the house, even when the weather is yucky out. Here is a list of 10 places to go with preschoolers.
1. Coffee & Play Place
If Starbucks and McDonalds had a baby, these coffee and play places would be their kid. Ok, so the coffee isn’t as good as Starbucks, but it’s coffee. Plus, the kids get to run around in a giant padded jungle gym. Win-win.
2. Trampoline Park
Let your little ones jump and bounce around for hours at a trampoline park. Typically, they offer a schedule with options based on the age of your children.
3. Open Swim
Pools and swim schools typically host an open swim time during the week. Kudos to you, if you can find one with a heated pool.
4. Mall Play Area
If your kid likes to climb on things, the play place at the mall is all the rage. Plus, the floors are almost always padded, so even the littlest of little’s can join the fun.
5. Open Gym
Most gymnastics places host an open gym time, during the week. This is an excellent way for kids to get sweaty and have some fun.
6. Museums
Local museums are a great place to walk around and see new things. Bonus– the kids might even learn something. If you check the website ahead, you will find that some museums offer free or discounted admission on certain days of the week.
7. Library
The library is a great place to keep kids entertained in the winter. In addition to having plenty of reading material, they have a variety of classes for children of all ages to participate in.
8. Aquarium
Take a stroll and enjoy a few hours staring at swimming creatures floating by. Maybe, grab some lunch afterward. You can make a whole day out of this one.
9. Classes
Dance class. Karate class. Music class. You get the idea. Sign your kid up for a class that he or she would enjoy.
10. Play Date
Set up a play date with a friend. It still counts as getting out of the house, and you don’t even have to change out of your yoga pants unless you want to.
Adapted from the article I originally published on Her View From Home.
P.S. If you liked this post, you may also like Over 100 Easy Kids Activities That are Surprisingly Fun.
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