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photo credit: tomeppy

Have you ever wondered how teachers can come up with preschool education games – those simple games that teach some basic skill like listening or color recognition or whatever?  It’s really just a matter of breaking down daily tasks into their simplest elements and then making a fun way to learn them.

Say for example you want your child to learn to listen quietly (a very important skill).  Create a game that makes it fun to listen closely.  Like – “I am going to make an animal sound and you tell me what the animal is?”  Or, “Can you tell me what kind of thing makes this sound?” and make a car or truck sound.

If you want your little one to learn their colors or shapes, then take the time to point out various colors and shapes until you think they have them down and then ask them to find a red truck or play I Spy a green rectangle and have them point it out to you.

Children love to interact and puppets can be a different way to get them to interact if they seem disinterested in you.  So take a paper lunch sack and draw a face of a person or animal or robot or whatever and then teach them using your puppet.

You can make a different puppet for each letter in the alphabet as you introduce the ABCs.  You can introduce colors by making one puppet a brown bear or a yellow flower.  Let your imagination run wild. And have fun playing preschool education games with your child.

What games do you play with your child?

Create a story with your kids!! This is so much fun!!  Print out the template and let your child create a picture and tell you a story, then help your child write the story.  This is a great Preschool learning activity.  It uses their imagination and drawing skills.  Depending on the level and age of your child you can write the story for them, as they tell you it or if they are a little older and learning to write, you can have them tell you the story and help them spell each word.  It’s excellent practice for their writing skills and they love it!  They are writing about what interests them and will therefore be more motivated.  After writing the stories you can have them read it to you!  This is a great way to give them success in their reading.  Since they wrote it-it is familiar to them and easier for them to start reading it.  My son loves reading his stories to me!!

The one pictured today is by my 3 year old daughter who wanted to “write” most of it herself!!

Don’t forget about We Heart Art sponsored by Three Bay B Chicks, Domestically Challenged and I’m Living proof God has a Sense of humor their Mr. Linky is up!!

Need some inspiration? Try these fun ideas:

• Make a Planter
• Collage
• Make HomeMade Play Dough – Create your own colors and creations.

Watering Can

Today is the second day of our Earth Day Activities series.  My kids love to help me water the Garden so we are always using watering cans.  There little ones are always running out of water to quickly.  This Watering Can will keep them watering for at least a few minutes before needing more water!  I was inspired to do this for Earth Day after seeing it at Kaboose .

Supplies:

• Plastic Bottle – Well Rinsed- you can use a 1/2 gallon or Gallon Bottle
• Paint, Stickers- What ever you want to decorate your watering cans
• Clear Acrilic spray (for the adults)
• Nail and hammer

Steps:

1. Wash out plastic bottle
2. Peel off any stickers
3. Paint or decorate
4. Let Dry
5. When Dry Spray with (adult) clear acrilyic paint
6. Poke holes in cap with nail and hammer (adult)

Enjoy Watering your garden with your child!!

My kids love to get mail!! I am always dividing up the junk mail so they can each get their own letters!  The other day in continuing our paper plate craft series we made a Paper Plate Mailbox.  The kids loved it because we then wrote letters to eachother and delivered them.  You could add to this writing their names on it.  We hung them on the kids doors.

Supplies

• Stapler
• Two Paper plates
• Scissors
• Crayons/Markers
• Hole Puncher
• Sting/rope/ribbon

Steps

1. Cut one plate in half
2. Decorate plates with crayons, markers, stickers etc
3. Staple half plate to bigger plate on bottom
4. Punch hole in top of bigger plate
5. Tie Rope through hole to hang on door

Write Cards to eachother.  Kids can practice signing their name.  If you write their names on the mailbox you can help them learn which ones theirs by looking at their name.

Here is another of my Fun Activities for Toddlers !  This shaving creme craft will bring lots of joy, giggles and fun!!  My kids love doing this!!  It’s messy-but a fun and easy activity !  It can be done with kids old enough that they won’t eat it!  You know your child and if they will put it in their mouth.  My kids by 2 were fine with this type of activity.  This activity is really good for kids 2-7 (some kids older would like it too!).

Kids love to get their hands messy and feel fun textures!!  They also learn by doing things in different types of mediums!! This is a fun activity that let’s kids practice their letters while enjoying getting to play in shaving creme!!

Supplies:

• Some type of board, cardboard, chalkboard, white board (plastic plate works too!)
• Shaving Creme
• Smock, Apron
• Wipes or paper towels

Steps:

1. Put Smock or Apron on your child
2. Put a little bit of shaving creme on your board
3. Let your child spread it all out- They will love this!!
4. Show them how they can draw a letter in it with their pointer finger
5. Then erase it by wiping your hand over it
6. Let them try
7. They can do letters or draw shapes what ever you want
8. Be there to show them how to draw a letter or shape and they can try it next.  You can also help move their hand as they get the feel for it.

Depending on the age of your child you can help them write words, letters, shapes.  They can make pictures or whatever they want.  At the end you can even have them help you clean up the boards in the sink.  Have fun!!  Keep on the look out for more fun activities for toddlers!!