When choosing ways to spend the day with your preschool-aged child, remember that a new school year is just around the corner. The following activities are ideal for learning and growth, and will keep your kids in the learning mode during this time away from the classroom.
Reading and Literacy
• visit the library
• read signs while going on a walk
• practice writing the child’s name with chalk
• write a letter and mail it to someone you love
• label items around the house
• write in a journal
• look at family photos and tell a story
• sing silly songs
• write the child’s name on a piece of paper then cut into puzzle pieces
• make puppets from lunch bags or socks
• practice letters by writing them in pudding or shaving cream
• write a story together of fun things you did this summer
• let your child “read” you a book by describing the pictures
• make a book together
• cut items out of store ads for a colorful grocery list
Small-Motor Skills
• cut pictures from magazines
• paint with water outside
• drop clothespins into jars
• make a Fruit Loops or Cheerios necklace
• sort small items into muffin tins using tongs
• practice zipping, buttoning and snapping
• get creative with play dough
Science
• look at the stars
• plant flowers
• cut flowers out of paper and glue to a popsicle stick
• put shaving cream on the bathtub wall for clean finger painting
• visit the zoo and talk about the animals you see
• dig for worms with an old spoon
• adopt a pet rock
• observe an anthill
• make a nature collage
• create a bug collection
Math
• sort laundry into colors
• cut straws into different lengths and line them up by size
• make cookies together by reading the recipe and measuring
• sort and count different kinds of pasta
• use a bag of M&M’s and sort by color
• look for numbers in the neighborhood (on mailboxes, houses, license plates)
• make pancakes in the shape of numbers
• count the number of windows in your house
Karen Woodman is the family literacy manager for Capital Area Community Services Head Start.