SIX GAMES & ACTIVITIES YOU’LL LOVE TO PLAY WITH YOUR PRESCHOOLER

If it weren’t for this pandemic business I would probably be searching for a part-time preschool program for our three-year-old. As it is, he’s home with me and I’m trying to keep him entertained and educate him a bit as well. This post is a list of fun games and activities you’ll love to play with your preschooler!

*This page contains affiliate links. At no cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking my links.  For more information see my full Disclosure Statement.*

NOT A GOOD TIME TO START FORMAL PRESCHOOL, SO I’M GOING TO WORK WITH HIM AT HOME FOR NOW

These are some of the things I plan to do in lieu of preschool this fall. Some of them we have already started, and some I plan to implement soon.

I’ve read good things about the Charlotte Mason teaching method and plan to do some more research on that. The greater emphasis is on outdoor play and exploration as well as rich literature.

The goal is to help him develop fine motor skills (which is a bit of a concern with his left hand and previous injury) and encourage his critical thinking as well.

We have our one year post-op followup with the surgeon coming up soon. The scar does seem to be a bit tight, so it may need to be snipped. This is definitely something in my prayers right now.

PLAY COUNT YOUR CHICKENS WITH YOUR PRESCHOOLER

This is a cooperative learning game my sister gifted him for Christmas a year ago. He is really into it! The goal is to get all the baby chicks back to the coop.

It really emphasizes counting as you count the spaces you move and then have to move that many baby chicks to the coop. He’s really good at counting out loud, but this actually helps visually as well.

PLAYSKOOL FLASHCARDS

I put a couple of sets of these fun cards in his stocking last Christmas, and they’ve really come in handy lately! We are just covering shapes, colors, and counting right now.

We play Uno and Go Fish with our second grader quite a bit and he loves the fact that he has his own cards to get out and play with as well.

BABY ANIMALS MATCHING CARDS ARE FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY TO PLAY WITH YOUR PRESCHOOLER

My in-laws brought the kids new games last time they babysat. Elijah has this adorable matching card game he loves to play. The whole family can play or he is able to just play with his sister and not have difficulty.

It’s more of a memory game, and it is quite enjoyable to watch his little mind work when he picks up a card and just knows where the match is. Getting him to only pick up two cards in a turn is… a work in progress, but still fun!

RAINBOW PEBBLES

I believe I first saw this brilliant set recommended by a homeschool mom on YouTube. It looks so interesting! It emphasizes color and spatial reasoning as well as critical thinking skills.

The best thing about this set is that there are so many different difficulty levels that it will take quite a bit of time for a child to outgrow this set. I plan to order this set next month.

This is a great learning tool and should be a fun way to play with your preschooler. The set comes with different mats. Each mat has a picture or scene with spaces for specific pebbles.

Difficulty goes from color matching all the way up to stacking and building with the pebbles. I have a feeling our seven-year-old will love this as well.

PLAY HIDE & SEEK WITH YOUR PRESCHOOLER

The kids love playing this game, and it’s quite comical watching our three year old play. Some days he refuses to seek and only wants to hide.

Then there are the days he wants to hide in the same place every time. It certainly helps to pass some screen-free time for the kids! And, it is pretty entertaining for the adults watching as well.

Sometimes I get asked where he should hide, but most of the time Elijah picks out his own spots. The major advantage to being so small is that you can fit in some pretty tight hiding spots!

READ TO YOUR PRESCHOOLER!

Our little guy loves being read to; our daughter will read to him, he loves looking at his books by himself and talking about the pictures, pointing out what he sees, and having mommy or daddy read to him.

And you can’t just read one book. We recently got our first Imagination Library book in the mail and really look forward to seeing what we get next month!

Reading to your preschooler can help set them up to be better readers themselves, and is just a great bonding experience. And what could be better than a free program introducing you to a new book each month?

I love it because it exposes us to things we wouldn’t necessarily be drawn to at the library or bookstore. He gravitates toward trains and monster trucks and big construction vehicles, but was very engrossed in the story of the book we were sent.

We also haven’t been to the library much at all this year, so this is a great alternative!

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO PLAY WITH YOUR PRESCHOOLER?

I’m not sure when we’ll actually start an actual preschool program outside of the house, so if you have any great suggestions I’m definitely open to them!

Anything to keep his mind engaged for a bit and teach him new skills without turning the TV on is a win in my book! I also don’t plan to invest much money into our informal home preschool.

I don’t think it’s necessary at this point and certainly not very conducive to our budget. I’d rather pay for opportunities that allow socialization when we feel it is safe to do so rather than a formal curriculum for a three-year-old.

Stay tuned for updates on how it goes through the fall as well as reviews on the additional products we purchase and use! I’ll be back Thursday with a new YouTube video and have a new post for you on Friday as usual!

Until next time, stay frugal and have some fun my friends!

Sharing is caring!