Spring into Learning: Fun and Educational Activities for Kids

 

Cultivating an engaging teaching plan for preschoolers can be somewhat challenging, especially with antsy children who have been cooped up inside all winter. Keeping them involved and hands-on will really help to keep them engaged and ready to learn. The aim is to strengthen gross and fine motor skills and promote strong cognitive and behavioral development. At Weston Schools, we strongly believe that these skills play a very important role in a child’s overall development, so implementing them into our preschool learning activities is extremely beneficial. We try to tap in to each child’s individual needs and see where we can help the child grow in their abilities. We also believe in child-led, hands-on learning, which promotes the learning of self help skills, independence and creativity, leading to long-term success and advanced development. 

Creating the Perfect Activity for Preschoolers

Reasons We Believe in Hands-On Learning at Weston Schools

• Enhanced quality of the topic being learned

It is one thing to tell a child how to do something and it is another to show them how to do it and to let them play an active role. An article by Goodwin University states that hands-on learning is beneficial because it stimulates growth in both sides of the brain. 

• Development of fine and gross motor skills

Unfortunately, motor skills do not come predeveloped, therefore making sure that children start working on strengthening them as early as possible is crucial. Something as simple as buttoning a shirt or holding a pencil utilizes these skills, making them extremely important in the long run. 

• Improved critical thinking skills and problem solving abilities 

Letting a child play an active role in their own learning allows them to think critically and learn problem solving skills that will play a very important role throughout their life. 

• Increased creativity and love for learning

Hands-on learning is a catalyst for active engagement in the classroom. It introduces the idea of independent thinking and increases excitement towards learning. This is not only important for lifelong learning, but creates positive memories associated with learning that will stick with the child, and impact how they see education in the future. 

What Activities Does Weston Schools Offer to its Preschoolers? 

Here are some of the fun and hands-on activities we use that help encourage learning and development, but also keep the children immersed and excited. Most of these can be done with household items, so feel free to try them at home with your little ones:

• Carrot Counting Activity

Tools you will need for this activity:

• Orange and green construction paper
• Scissors 
• Glue 
• Marker or pen

For this activity, you will start by cutting the orange paper into carrot-shaped triangles. After cutting them to the desired size and shape, number each triangle from 1 through 10. Next, using the green construction paper, cut thin strips, resembling the stems of the carrots. Finally, give each child a glue stick, some of the green strips and a few carrots. Have them glue the correct number of “stems” onto each “carrot.”

Skills utilized during this activity include:

• Fine motor skills
• Number recognition 
• Following directions

 

• Flower Letter Matching Activity

Tools you will need for this activity: 

• Scissors
• Colored construction paper
• Poster board
• Marker or pen

Using a marker or pen, draw flowers on your poster board and label them with the capital letters of the alphabet. Using the colored construction paper, cut out flowers of the same size and shape as the ones drawn and label them with the lowercase letters of the alphabet. Have the children match the correct lowercase flower to the corresponding capital flower drawn on the poster board. 

Skills utilized during this activity include:

• Fine and gross motor skills
• Matching 
• Letter recognition

 

• Outside Color Matching Activity

Tools you will need for this activity:

• Paper
• Colored markers
• Glue

Starting with the blank piece of paper, use your colored markers to make small dashes in the color sequence of a rainbow lining the left side of the page. Give one page and a glue stick to each child and let them go outside and explore. Instruct them to glue items of the same color that they find outside in nature to the page next to the corresponding color. 

Skills utilized during this activity include: 

• Color recognition and matching
• Gross motor skills 
• Fine motor skills 
• Sensory exploration
• Creativity

 

• Fork Flowers Art Activity

Tools you will need for this activity: 

• Piece of paper
• Fork 
• Paint 
• Green construction paper
• Scissors 
• Glue 

To prepare for this activity, draw multiple lines representing stems on your blank piece of paper. Then, using the green construction paper, cut out multiple leaf-shaped pieces. Give each child a piece of paper, multiple of the leaf-shaped pieces. a fork and some paint. Instruct them to create flowers using the paint and fork at the end of the stem, and glue the leaves to the stem. 

Skills utilized during this activity include: 

• Fine motor skills
• Creativity 
• Following directions 

• Flower Garden Sensory Bin

  Tools you will need for this activity: 

• Small plastic bin
• Soil or rice
• Fake flowers
• Small hand shovel (or spoon) 

Place soil or rice into the plastic bin. Give the child the fake flowers and the shovel or spoon. Instruct the child on how to plant the flower using the shovel or spoon and then encourage independent play. For extra fun, bury some fake bugs in the soil and have the child dig them out and place them into a separate bin. 

Skills utilized during this activity include: 

• Fine motor skills
• Creativity 
• Sensory exploration
• Gross motor skills

Learning is not linear. Outside learning is a great way to promote independence and fine-tune gross motor skills. Enjoy the elements and also try these outside learning activities this spring and summer:

• Chalk Alphabet Recognition Activity

Tools you will need for this activity: 

• Chalk 
• Magnetic alphabet letters 

For this activity, start by writing the alphabet with chalk. Once finished, give your child the magnetic letters and have them match each letter to the corresponding one. This is a simple and easy way to help your child learn to recognize the letters of the alphabet!

Skills utilized during this activity include: 

• Gross motor skills
• Letter recognition

 

• Color/Shape Hop Activity

Tools you will need for this activity: 

• Colored chalk 

This one is super easy! Just draw colored shaped on the ground and say the different names of each for your child to step on. 

Skills utilized during this activity include: 

• Gross motor skills
• Color recognition
• Shape recognition

 

• Bubble Art Activity

Tools you will need for this activity: 

• Bubble solution (pro tip: you can also just mix soap and water!) 
• Bowls
• Bubble wands 
• Construction or cardstock paper (The thicker the paper, the better!) 

For this activity, mix up your bubble solution and pour it in a bowl. Mix in 2 drops of food coloring into the bowl. Give the child a bubble wand and a piece of paper, instruct them to blow the bubble towards the paper, and watch their eyes light up! 

Skills utilized during this activity include: 

• Strengthening oral motor skills
• Promoting creativity and expression

Remember: While we ensure your little ones are occupied with fun preschool activities in Indiana, it’s vital for the learning to extend beyond the classroom!