Hobbies And Interests
A Game of Quest
A quest requires preschoolers to find and think of a series of clues which lead them to a hidden object. The hidden object can be a doll or a stuffed animal of the child's choosing. Make up a story to explain the disappearance of the toy. For example, you might say that puppy disappeared on a big orange pirate boat. The child will know to go to the toy orange boat to find the next clue. The next clue might be a picture of the puppy eating yogurt, eggs, or milk. The child will than go to the refrigerator to find the next clue. The last clue will lead the child to the puppy. Children love it when they find the hidden object and it is doing something, such as preparing to take a bath or reading a book.
A Hidden Object for a Beautiful Day
This is a great game for a birthday party with a theme. As preparation, hide objects related to the theme of your party out in the yard. For example, if the theme of the party is fairies, hide toy fairies around the yard. Tell the kids a story of what the fairies did that day, and make sure to include all the spots in which you hid fairies. For example, you might say that one fairy got so scared by a cat that she climbed the apple tree. Follow this activity with arts and crafts in which the children can use what they found --- for example, build a fairy house out of natural materials for the found fairies.
A Game of Camouflage
Tell children that many animals are experts at hiding to keep safe. Show them photos of white bears or snowshoe hares blending with their snowy environment. You may read books on the topic, such as "How to Hide a Polar Bear and Other Mammals" or "How to Hide a Butterfly and Other Insects." For the game, collect several T-shirts of different colors, such as red, yellow, green and brown. Have each of the kids wear a different colored shirt, and play hide-and-seek. To add adventure to the game, tell the kids they are camouflaged butterflies, and play in a natural area. It is important to set specific boundaries for the hiding area and have a couple of adults to monitor the hiding kids and help them hide. After playing, see which colors were easiest to find.
Musical Hot and Cold Game
Children love this game because it allows them both to investigate and make noise. Give each child a simple musical instrument, such as drums, sticks, bells or bricks. Select two children from the group. One child covers ears and eyes and will be the seeker. The second child hides an object in the room. A small bean bag works well for this game. When the seeker is ready, the children start playing their instruments loudly to indicate when the seeker is close to the object, and softly when the child is far away from the object. Make sure each child has the opportunity to hide the object and to seek it.