Games for Preschool Age

Games with Magazines

• Using magazines offers a creative outlet for children. Using safety scissors and adult supervision encourage children to cut out pictures based on a theme, color, or letter of the alphabet. Some of the many benefits include the ability to teach the child how to group similar objects and the development of hand and eye coordination. When basing the cutouts on the alphabet, children will learn sound associations and take the first step toward learning how to read.

Blankets and Boxes

• Blankets and boxes transform easily into tents and forts that can entertain children for hours. Smaller blankets become capes so that children can play superheroes. Blankets and boxes encourage imagination. Boxes become cars and beds for stuffed animals.

Dot-to-Dot Activities

• Children fine tune their motor skills at different rates. Activities such as dot-to-dot or connect-the-dots help strengthen the fine motors skills required for handwriting. The sooner that a child starts these types of activities the sooner he will master necessary skills to write. Dot-to-dot activities encourage children by teaching them to hold the pencil correctly while drawing shapes and objects that they can easily recognize.

Food

• Allowing a preschool child to help in the kitchen teaches her skills including following instructions, measuring and reading. Of course no child this age should be in the kitchen without adult supervision. Helping to mix ingredients and decorate cookies and cakes will allow her to use her fine motor skills. Using cookie cutters to cut sandwiches into fun shapes and sizes will make his lunchtime meal more enjoyable.

Bath Time

• Bath time does not have to only happen in the evening. Preschool aged children love the water and playing in the tub provides entertainment and also promotes cleanliness. Bathtub paints and crayons provide hours of bathtub enjoyment. Preschool aged children enjoy having foam letters and other toys to play with. For households that include two or more preschool aged children, putting them into the tub together results in twice the fun and perhaps a much needed rest for the caregiver. However, young children should not be left unsupervised in the tub.