Whether you are a stay-at-home parent or a parent who is trying to navigate your “new normal,” having a busy preschooler can zap your mental energy! And every parent could use new, fun activities for their preschooler. With those two factors in mind, I designed these activities to require very little prep or forethought. 

Bonus: These activities are fun AND educational! I have included ideas at the end of each activity to encourage more fun. If your child is interested and enjoying the activity, then Keep It Going! If they don’t seem interested, try a different activity.

1. Make an Outdoor Stew

Make a list of items your child might find outside and create a recipe. Give your child directions to find the items. For example, find 3 big sticks, 4 little sticks, 2 handfuls of grass and 1 rock. Provide a bowl full of water and a large mixing spoon for your child to make a fun (and educational) outdoor stew. 

Keep It Going: Encourage sensory play by providing smaller bowls, measuring cups, and a variety of utensils. Let your child continue imagining as they play. Children learn best when they play!

2. Puzzle Sort

Is your child tired of their puzzles? Try this extreme puzzle sort! You can cater this activity toward your child’s age and abilities. Take several puzzles and dump them out in a pile in one corner of the room. Lay each of the puzzle boards on the opposite side of the room. Time your child as he or she runs across the room to grab puzzle pieces and then runs to find the correct puzzle. 

Keep It Going: Make it more extreme! Try putting the puzzle pieces in different rooms of your house. Continue to time them and shout encouragement. Have older children pretend to be a sportscaster, narrating the game!

3. Indoor Scavenger Hunt

Glue two cardboard toilet paper rolls together to create binoculars. Have your child decorate them with crayons, stickers and markers. Once they are finished decorating, take them on a scavenger hunt! This activity can be tailored to your child’s age and level of learning. If your child is learning colors, tell them to find different colors in the room. How many red things can you find? 

Keep It Going: Try looking for little things and big things. Ask them questions: Which is the smallest? Which item is the biggest? For older preschool children, make the game harder by asking them to find something that rhymes with _______. Introduce letter sounds. What can you find that starts with the letter M? The possibilities are endless!

4. Cotton Swab Art

Provide your child with small amounts of paint and cotton swabs. Have them enjoy free paint or turn it into a learning activity. Write letters on paper for your child to trace with the cotton swab. Introduce patterns: Use markers to make dots on paper to create a pattern. Have your child follow the pattern with the paint and cotton swabs. Can they continue the pattern?

Keep It Going: Your child doesn’t know it, but their fine-motor skills are hard at work! Ask them to make the tiniest dot they can. Now make the biggest! What can your child create just using dots? You won’t know until you try!

5. Hunt and Sort

Hide small items around your living room. Legos would be perfect for this! In the middle of the room, place colored construction paper on the floor. Time your child as they run to find the Legos and place them on the matching paper in the middle of the room. Once they are finished, help them count the Legos on each paper. Ask questions: Which color has the most? Which color has the least? 

Keep It Going: Make a simple graph on a large piece of paper or cardboard. Write the colors of the Legos at the top and draw lines between each color. Continue each line down to the bottom of the page. Now place each Lego under its corresponding color. Once all Legos are in place, ask your child to help you categorize the colors from most to least. 

Jennifer Edwards teaches 2 and 3 year olds at Second Presbyterian Preschool. A mom of two, she’s been in the classroom for 10 years and loves seeing that spark of excitement as her students learn a new concept or conquer a new milestone.