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Inside Activities for Preschoolers

Preschoolers are at an age when they are developing important mental, physical and social skills. In preschool, children engage in cooperative play and develop relationships with their peers. They learn how to distinguish colors, pronounce words, listen to stories, sing songs and move their bodies. Both parents and teachers can engage in indoor activities with preschoolers. While a preschooler can do some activities alone with an adult, other activities involve the child's interaction with peers.

Circle Time
- Circle Time is an activity where preschoolers interact with their teacher and peers. Have a group of preschoolers sit in a circle. Cut out rectangular strips from a piece of tag board using scissors and then write a child's name using a marker on each strip. One at a time, hold up a strip and read the name that is on it to the children. Ask the children questions about the person on the strip, such as if the child is in the circle and what letter of the alphabet the child's name begins with.
Creative Art
- Let preschoolers create their own imaginative art. Cover a table with newspaper and provide a preschooler with a piece of paper and washable, nontoxic watercolor paints. A child can put drops of paint on a piece of paper using a paintbrush and then gently blow through a straw to move the paint around on the paper to create her own art. Alternatively, coat the preschooler's hands or feet with finger paint using a paintbrush. Have her press her painted hands or feet on a blank piece of paper to make handprint or footprint designs.
Music and Movement
- Teach children different rhythms by letting them play percussion instruments, such as maracas, tambourines, drums or rhythm sticks. Pass out an instrument to each child and turn on a music CD. Show the preschoolers how to play their instruments in time to the rhythmic music beats. Alternatively, instead of playing instruments, let children dance or move barefoot on thick carpet or an exercise mat. They can freely move their bodies by jumping, rolling or clapping their hands.
Other Games
- Set an alarm clock to buzz in five minutes and hide the clock somewhere in the room. Ask the children to search for the clock when it buzzes. Once they find it, discuss with them which of their senses they used to locate the clock. Alternatively, ask two children to step into a pillowcase and pull it up to their stomachs. Mark a start-finish line on the floor using a piece of tape. When you say "Go," the two children must hop like bunnies in their pillowcases across the room and back to the finish line.

Kids Games