activities for preschoolers daycare

The Best Educational (and Fun!) Daycare Activities to Try

Playtime isn’t just about keeping kids busy — it plays an important role in a child’s overall development. Playing is how children learn key social skills, develop muscle dexterity, and practice imagination and creativity. 

Daycare providers can help the children in their care thrive by planning fun activities each day. This way, the kids in your care grow and discover new things daily while experiencing joy. Below, you’ll find ideas for daycare activities for all ages to support the core components of early childhood development. 

Fun and engaging child development-focused daycare activities

Plenty of ways to support kids’ development are tons of fun. If you need some inspiration for daycare activity ideas, here are some suggestions to help you get started. 

Focused daycare activities for fine motor skills

Little ones learn how to use the small muscles in their hands through playtime that focuses on fine motor movement and hand-eye coordination. Fine motor activities thus are important for kids of any age. These are the same skills used when six-month-olds learn to grab objects and when toddlers get a grasp on using sippy cups and spoons. 

Daycare activities such as painting, threading, or playdough sculpting are a great way for students to develop fine motor movement while using their imagination. Here are some fine motor activities to inspire your next lesson plan. 

• Paper plate crafts: You can find paper plate activities to fit just about any age group. Paint paper plate animals and make your own classroom zoo. If you’re reading a story, have the kids create masks as one of the main characters.
• Playdough activities: Give students the chance to practice shape recognition by making circles and squares with colorful playdough. The dough is also very easy to make yourself; one recipe only requires cornstarch and hair conditioner . Building a playdough castle or skyscraper is a great way to keep kids occupied on rainy days.
• Beading activities: Part of fine motor skills development is learning the pincher grasp motion, which is key to using pens and pencils. Threading beads into handmade jewelry teaches kids this motion, and they all get a fun prize to take home and wear with pride. Supervision is extra important with this activity, though, as you want to be aware of potential choking hazards. Beading may be best as an activity for preschool kids.

Daycare activities for gross motor skill development

While fine motor skills focus on small, delicate muscles, gross motor skills are all about using larger muscle groups. Gross motor activities thus help kids build the foundation for running, jumping, and other athletic movements. These games can also be a great way for kids to burn off extra energy in a controlled environment. 

• Indoor obstacle course: Let kids explore a world of your creation with an indoor obstacle course. You can use soft household objects such as pillows and stuffed animals to create a safe, fun indoor adventure. This is a great chance for kids to practice climbing movements.
• Dance party: Clear the floor, play some music, and let the kids go bananas. This is a great way to encourage self-expression while getting some healthy physical activity.  
• Simon Says: This classic kids’ game is a great way to get kids moving while they practice listening and following directions. The kids also get the chance to develop communication skills as they take turns playing Simon. 

Sensory introduction daycare activities

Creating sensory activities for kids lets them explore through touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound. Games that stimulate the senses contribute to a range of developmental achievements, including memory enhancement and creativity. It’s like creating a miniature science experiment that’s fun for kids — and through which they develop problem-solving abilities. 

• Water beads sensory bin: Use sight and touch with this fun, simple sensory activity that’s great for preschool kids. Water beads grow when you put them in water, which can be exciting for kids to watch as it happens. Once the beads are ready, place them in a small, tabletop plastic bin and let the kids squish them and play to their hearts’ desire. You can even add a few nautical-style toys and turn the activity into an ocean-themed adventure.
• Scented playdough: Molding playdough is already a great touch sensory activity. You can add additional sensory involvement and make scented playdough with a few drops of essential oils. Let kids flex their problem-solving muscles and make a scent-guessing game out of this activity.
• Sand sensory bin: Get some play sand or make your own toddler-safe sand with flour and vegetable oil (you can also substitute the flour for cornstarch). Once you fill the bin, kids can explore with their hands, or you can provide tools such as cups and funnels. When kids have the freedom to play around like this, they can observe and learn deductive reasoning. For instance, say they fill a bowl with sand and see that it spills out each time they turn it upside down. That’s a great first step in deductively learning about the concept of gravity. 

Other mentally-stimulating and fun daycare activities

The possibilities for fun kid activities are endless whether you’re hoping to entertain, teach, or all of the above. The below activities don’t require any arts and crafts, yet they’re a hit nonetheless.

• Scavenger hunt: Creating a scavenger hunt is a great way for kids to build observational skills as they search for each item. You can do this activity entirely inside your daycare center, making it a great activity for all days and times.
• Reading books: Storytime is a great activity for all ages. You can support language development by reading to children as young as four months old. Plus, there are plenty of opportunities to tie in whatever you're reading to another activity. Let’s say it’s Dr. Seuss week. You can follow a lesson about Bartholomew and the Oobleck by letting kids play with a homemade version of the slimy substance.
• Board games: Age-appropriate board games are a fantastic way to build problem-solving skills. Since kids have to wait their turn and cooperate, board games also help them develop important social skills. 

The best daycare activities help kids have fun, while also supporting their learning & development

If you want to teach children the basics of independent thinking, muscle control, and social cooperation, daycare activities are an important learning tool. As long as you choose age-appropriate activities that are safe, the sky’s the limit with finding great daycare activities for toddlers and preschoolers.

Looking for more fun and engaging daycare activity ideas to try? 

Continue exploring the Wonderschool blog to find tons of fun and educational activities for kids of all ages. You can also find resources for daycare providers to help plan and implement engaging activities for your children.

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56 Preschool Activities and Games for Learning and Fun

Simple and budget-friendly!

Preschoolers are all energy and curiosity, which is perfect because preschool is all about learning through movement and play. Here are our favorite preschool activities and games that will keep your preschoolers busy, engaged, and learning.

Preschool Activities for Reading

Reading in preschool is about exploring language, letters, and, eventually, words. Create opportunity for young readers and writers to explore on their own, as well as with you, every day.

(Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)

1. Read aloud every day

Read-alouds are perfect preschool activities you should do daily. Try reading aloud with the whole group, small groups, and one-on-one. Reading boosts students’ language and prepares them to learn to read and love it. Some of the best picture books were written with preschoolers in mind, including classics like The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats and Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson, and modern favorites like Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter and Boxitects by Kim Smith.

Here are our favorite books to read with preschoolers.

2. Create a letter parking lot

Create a parking lot with capital letters and write lowercase letters on cars. Students drive the cars to park so that the lowercase and capital letters match.

Learn more: ABC Parking Lot/Pre-K Pages

3. Make a book

Preschoolers will love to read books they write and illustrate. Start on the first day of school by having them make a book all about themselves. Then, record what they learn about anything and everything. At the end of the year, send the books home with students as a memento.

Learn more: Bookmaking/PreKinders

4. Play kick the cup

Write letters on cups, then have students use a ball to knock the cups over. This combination of gross motor and literacy skills is an activity that students can do during literacy centers or recess.

Learn more: Kick the Cup/Fun Learning for Kids

5. Do interactive writing

Use a writing prompt, which could be a question from a book or a general question that you want students to discuss. Then record students’ responses to create a bulletin board or book. Interactive writing—when you model writing students’ contributions—shows students how writing works and that they can be writers.

Learn more: Early Literacy Activities/Fun-a-Day

6. Play syllable Head and Shoulders

Help students practice breaking words into syllables by saying words and tapping their head, shoulders, knees, and toes for each syllable they hear. So, for the word banana, they would tap their head (ba), shoulders (na), and toes (na).

7. Practice rhyming with blocks

Rhyming is a cornerstone of phonemic awareness, a skill kids need to learn to read. Practice rhyming with activities like:

• Put rhyming words on blocks and have students stack the rhyming words together.
• Write rhyming words on the board or draw pictures of rhyming things on the board. You say one word and students use a fly swatter to swat the rhyming word or picture.
• Put images that rhyme in a row on the floor and have students walk along the row, saying the rhyming words as they go.

Learn more: Rhyming Activities/My Teaching Cupboard

8. Mail pretend letters

Provide students with paper, envelopes, and a mailbox and encourage them to write letters to you, each other, or characters they’ve read about.

Learn more: Mailbox Literacy Activity/No Time for Flash Cards

9. Explore an alphabet sensory bin

Fill a sensory bin with letters—form, magnet, paper—and other sensory items, like beans, beads, rice, or corn and have kids explore.

Learn more: Letter Sensory Bin/No Time for Flash Cards

10. Match magnetic letters

Put paper with letters on it on a cookie tray, then have students match letter magnets to the letters on the paper. When students have mastered matching letters, use paper with pictures on it and they can put the letter magnet of the first sound on each picture.

Buy it: Magnetic Letters at Amazon

Learn more: Magnetic Letter Activities/No Time for Flash Cards

Preschool Activities for Math

Preschoolers cover a lot of ground in math, including number sense, graphing, patterns. These activities give them important work in math foundations and let them work independently as mathematicians.

11. Match shapes and colors with blocks

Using the blocks in your block center, trace shapes onto butcher paper. Have students use blocks to match shapes and colors, and combine blocks into new shapes. Create patterns with the blocks and have students extend the patterns beyond the page.

Learn more: Block Shapes and Colors/Hands On As We Grow

12. Count patterns and numbers with bears

Counting bears are a must for every preschool classroom. Use them to teach for a number of preschool activities that focus on sorting, patterns, and number sense.

• Use counting bears (or any colored counters) to create and extend AB, AAB, and ABC patterns.
• With counting bears and number strips, students count out the number of bears to match the number on each card.
• Have students sort the bears by color, size, or another attribute they see.

Buy it: Bear Counters at Amazon

Get it: Number Strips at Fun Learning for Kids

Learn more: Bear Counter Activity/Teaching Mama

13. Sort pom-poms

Create space to sort by color, and have students sort pom-poms. Start with two colors and work up to six. Students are practicing basic classifying and fine motor skills.

Learn more: Pom-Pom Sorting/Teaching Mama

14. Use counting mats

Use play dough and a counting mat for students to practice making numbers and completing 10-frames. As they get more mature, students can use a marker to trace the number and complete the 10-frame.

Learn more: Free Dough Mats for Counting/Life Over C’s

15. Learn symmetry with LEGO bricks

A LEGO board and a pile of LEGO bricks are a great way to start teaching kids about symmetry. You can start them off with a pattern on one side and have them build the same pattern on the other side. Then have them create their own symmetrical sculptures.

Buy it: LEGO Building Board at Amazon

Learn more: LEGO Symmetry/Fun Learning for Kids

16. Practice geometry with Popsicle sticks

Put out a bin of Popsicle sticks and see what students will make—shapes, patterns, bridges. Point out the lines, angles, and other geometric features that they’re creating.

Learn more: Geometric Shapes/Little Bins for Little Hands

17. Teach numbers with mini eraser 10-frames

Ten-frames teach number sense, and mini erasers are fun. Use your favorite mini erasers or other counters (buttons, pom-poms, little LEGO bricks, Unifix cubes) to teach numbers starting with 0 to 10.

Buy it: Mini Erasers at Amazon

Learn more: Printable Ten-Frames/Fun-a-Day

18. Graph with dinosaurs

Using a graph and markers, students roll the dice 10 times and record which dinosaurs they get on a graph.

Learn more: Dinosaur Graphing Activity/Artsy Momma

Plus, get more graphing activities here .

19. Measure hands and feet

Trace students’ hands and feet, then have them measure them with Unifix cubes. Anything can be a unit of measurement in preschool, as long as it’s standardized. So, add Unifix cubes, Matchbox cars that are the same length, small Duplo blocks, and more to the measuring center.

Learn more: Measuring Activity/Little Bins for Little Hands

20. Compare weights

Provide students with a bucket balance and different things to compare. Which weighs more, dried blueberries or fresh? Corn kernels or sunflower seeds? Toy animals or LEGO bricks?

Buy it: Bucket Balance at Amazon

Learn more: Bucket Balance/Little Bins for Little Hands

Plus, get more math games for preschool here .

Preschool Activities for Social-Emotional Learning

Preschoolers need lots of teaching and support to learn how to make and keep friends, solve problems, and manage the big feelings that come their way.

21. Play friend bingo

Since your preschoolers will come to school likely not knowing anyone, use bingo to help them learn names and routines. Create bingo cards using images from around the school, friends’ faces, and teachers’ faces. Then, play friend bingo by having students put cubes or buttons on the pictures when you name them.

Learn more: Friend Bingo/PreKinders

22. Use your cozy corner

When preschoolers are having big feelings or need a break, a classroom cozy corner is a space to calm down. Once a child is calm, you can talk to them about problem-solving and rejoining the class.

Learn more: Cozy Corner/Preschool Inspirations

23. Toss a get-to-know-you ball

Spend some time getting to know students and helping them learn about each other with a ball toss game. Using a soft ball, throw or roll the ball from student to student. When each child has the ball, they say their name and one favorite thing. Repeat this activity as necessary throughout the year.

Buy it: Soft Soccer Ball at Amazon

24. Make choices with green and red boards

Preschoolers are learning a lot about the impact they have on themselves and others. Reinforce good and bad choices with “red” and “green.” Teach which choices are appropriate and not appropriate for school, then when students have made a red choice, talk them through which green choice they could have done instead.

Learn more: Green and Red Choice Boards/Pocket of Preschool

Preschool Activities for Gross Motor Skills

Use these ideas to help preschoolers develop body awareness, strength, and flexibility, while working on following directions and, of course, having fun.

25. Play with parachutes

Parachute games and activities help preschool students learn how to cooperate and work together. Have students hold on to the parachute and all lift at the same time to create a mushroom. When they stand around the parachute edges and walk in a circle, they can make a merry-go-round. Practice listening by playing fruit salad; give everyone a fruit name (apple, banana, etc.). Then lift the parachute and call out a fruit. The students who are that fruit must run under the parachute to the other side.

Buy it: Parachute at Amazon

Learn more: Parachute Games/Kid Activities

26. Exercise with dice

Roll a number die and a die with an exercise assigned to each side. Have children do the exercise the number of times shown. For indoors, try toe touches, arm flaps, jumping jacks, side-to-side jumps, twists, and star jumps, or choose movements that fit the physical needs of your students.

Learn more: Exercise Dice/Education.com

27. Do body bridge poses

For a fun, core-strengthening, and cooperative task, ask some children to hold poses like hands-and-knees, plank, or Downward Dog while other children drive cars and trucks under the “bridges” those poses create.

Learn more: Body Bridges/The Inspired Tree House

28. Walk on a homemade balance beam

Challenge students to construct homemade balance beams using spare boards. For an indoor option, use large wooden blocks. Can they walk all the way across? Can they go backwards? For students who might find it difficult to balance on a raised surface, use masking tape lines on the carpet or cut pieces of cardboard boxes they can use to make a path.

Learn more: Balance Beams/Hands On As We Grow

29. Cross the river

Arrange floor spots in a line that snakes across your classroom. Invite children to be “ants” who have to cross a “river of hot chocolate” by stepping on “marshmallows.” Have them hold hands in a line and work together to get across. Vary the activity by moving some marshmallows closer or farther apart, so children have to use different tactics.

Buy it: Poly Spots and Adventure, Play, Peace by Nancy MacPhee Bower at Amazon

30. Spend time in Savasana

Yoga is a way for students to slow down, move their body in different ways, and stretch. Use videos like Cosmic Kids Yoga or books about yoga to lead students through yoga sequences.

Learn more: Toddler Yoga/Yo Re Mi Kids

31. Play Yogi Benders

Another yoga idea: Call out two body parts and tell students that only those two parts can touch the ground. Try “one foot and one hand,” “two knees and two elbows,” “one bottom and one finger,” or “two knees and one head.” For an adapted version, have two or three students share a large exercise ball and work together to try to hold the ball still using certain body parts.

Buy it: Yoga for Children by Lisa Flynn at Amazon

32. Play Hula-Hoop Islands

Place Hula-Hoops around your classroom. Play music and ask children to move around the hoops. When the music stops, they must stand inside a hoop. Take away a hoop each time you stop the music. In the end, how many preschoolers can fit inside one hoop?

Learn more: Hula-Hoop Islands/Outdoor Movement Project

33. Do Hula-Hoop movements

Set up a line of four to six Hula-Hoops across the floor of your classroom. Have students wait behind the first hoop, then call out directions for how to move through the hoops. Try bunny-hopping, giant-stepping, tiptoeing, or scurrying like mice. Play music with different tempos to encourage students to move at different speeds.

Learn more: Hula-Hoop Games/Learn Play Imagine

34. Play Land, Sea, and Air

Designate one area to be the “land” and one area to be the “sea” using your rug and floor tiles or masking tape. Students must hurry to the correct area when you call out “land!” or “sea!” and jump as high as they can when you call “air!” Keep students laughing with surprise commands like “earthquake!” and “tornado!”

Learn more: Land Sea Air Game/What Do We Do All Day?

35. Do indoor relay races

Stuck inside because of the weather? Set up an impromptu relay race. Ask students to carry bean bags or other objects on different body parts across the room. Or try this partner relay activity in which two children must work together to hold a ball between themselves.

Learn more: Wacky Relay/The Inspired Treehouse

36. Play indoor tennis

Get some wiggles out and spark some laughs by setting up this “tennis” game with balloons and fly swatters. Students can try to pass balloons back and forth or work together to swat balloons into a bin, cardboard box, or across a masking tape line. For an adapted version, use large traffic cones as stands for the balloons.

Learn more: Balloon Tennis Activity/Little Bins for Little Hands

Preschool Activities for Fine Motor Skills

Preschool is all about working those pincer fingers, the small muscles in the hands that kids will use to write later on. This means activities are more about squeezing, pinching, grasping, and releasing than holding a pencil and writing.

37. Paint with pom-poms

At the painting station, pom-poms make a great tool. Have students pick them up with their fingers and paint, or create a pom-pom brush by using a clothespin or tweezers to pick up a pom-pom and dab it around. Let students make their own painting or give them tracing pages to “trace” with paint.

Learn more: Paint With Pom-Poms/Fantastic Fun and Learning

38. Squeeze tweezers

Tweezers or tongs are a staple in many early childhood classrooms. They’re great for strengthening pincer muscles, and they’re versatile. You can get them in any size, from large tongs to small tweezers, which works for all kinds of hands. Some ways to use tweezers:

• Sort objects into piles or bins by color (pom-poms, beads, etc.).
• Give students a pile of seeds or beans and have them sort them by type.
• Have students use tweezers to place objects (pom-poms, marshmallows, cotton balls) on a line or letter.
• Put a pile of yarn in a bin (not tangled) and have students pull out the “spaghetti” piece by piece.
• Have students use tongs and colored beads or pom-poms to cover designs.
• Using a Connect 4 game, have students play or fill the game using tongs.

Buy it: Learning Tongs at Amazon

Learn more: Ways To Play With Tongs/Mama OT

39. Write with shaving cream

A tray and shaving cream are all you need. Put a dab of shaving cream on each tray and have students spread it out. Then, they can write letters, numbers, and shapes and “erase” it each time. Add food coloring to the shaving cream to match a theme or mix it up.

Learn more: Shaving Cream Writing/Gift of Curiosity

40. Pinch water droppers

Water droppers (or pipettes) are another way for kids to use their pincer grasp and strengthen eye-hand coordination as they pick up the water and transfer it from one place to another. One center idea: Put out a cup of water, a water dropper, and a bunch of bottle caps. Students transfer the water from the cup to the bottle caps.

Buy it: Water Droppers at Amazon

Learn more: Water Play With Eye Droppers/Learning 4 Kids

41. Cut and cook

Preschoolers love to learn how to do everyday activities with real tools. Teach students how to safely use a knife to cut up soft, manageable fruit, like bananas. Then, use the bananas for snack time or a recipe.

Here’s a recipe for banana pudding.

Learn more: Slicing Skills/PreKinders

42. Make a mosaic

Cut-up squares of paper and a blank paper canvas provide another versatile way for students to practice pincer grasp and get creative. Provide cut-up paper squares for students to use to make a mosaic design, or have students cut paper into squares before they make their mosaic. Give students ideas for how to craft their mosaic, or let them do their own thing.

Learn more: Mosaic Pattern Art/Hands On As We Grow

43. Cut and Paste

Being able to use scissors is a skill that will serve kids well when they’re in kindergarten and beyond. Give your preschoolers lots of practice using scissors with tasks that ask them simply to cut, not necessarily on a line or with precision. For example, put pages from a magazine at a center and have students cut them any way they choose. They may cut out images or just cut the pages to shreds. For students who are learning to use scissors, loop scissors are a good starting place.

Buy it: Safety Scissors and Loop Scissors at Amazon

44. Try finger plays

Finger plays are beneficial for so many reasons. Once you have a favorite finger play, change it up so that students are using their thumbs, forefingers, and pinkies to act it out. Here’s a favorite finger play:

45. Hide-and-find items in modeling clay

Add small items to your modeling-clay station to encourage hide-and-find exploration. All that squeezing and pushing is great for fine motor development, as well as persistence.

Learn more: Play Dough Activity/What Do We Do All Day?

46. Add water beads to the sensory table

Mix up the water play table with water beads. Playing with animal toys and other fine motor toys in the water beads adds a sensory experience. (Note: Do not use water beads if any students still put things in their mouths as these should not be eaten.)

Buy it: Water Beads at Amazon

Learn more: What To Do With Water Beads/Artful Parent

47. Play finger soccer

Have pairs or small groups play “finger soccer” on the rug, using only their index and middle fingers as “feet” to move a small ball. You can even make felt jerseys!

Learn more: Finger Soccer/Your Kids OT

48. Feed a monster

Create a “monster mouth” out of a flip-top container and ask students to use clothespins or large tweezers to pick up puffballs or other small items to “feed” the monster. They won’t want to get their fingers nibbled!

Learn more: Feed a Monster/Therapy Fun Zone

49. Hang the laundry

String up a clothesline in your pretend play area and have students use clothespins to hang a doll’s laundry to “dry.” If you’re short on space, set up a tray clothesline like the one illustrated above.

Learn more: Hang Laundry Activity/PreKinders

50. Make snowballs or peas in a bowl with clay

These two preschool activities are perfect for mixing pretend play with fine motor skills practice. First, gather a collection of plastic animals and tell students they are preparing for a BIG snowball fight. Then show students how to roll small balls of modeling clay in between their thumbs, middle fingers, and index fingers and make a stockpile for each animal. Or set out a bowl and spoon and ask students to roll “peas” to make a bowl of pea soup.

Learn more: Playdough Snowball Fight/OT Mom Learning Activities

Preschool Activities for Science

Preschoolers are curious about the world and how it works. Science activities teach them how to ask questions, what happens in a process, and how to form and test hypotheses.

Check out these preschool science experiments .

51. Make bubbles

Are you looking for preschool activities for kids who love bubbles? Try making your own bubbles using dish soap and water and see how big you can make the bubbles, or how long bubbles will last before they pop.

Learn more: Make Giant Bubbles/Make and Takes

52. Do a penny boat challenge

One way to teach creating hypotheses is to build aluminum foil boats and test which sink and which float. Which boats do students think will float? How many pennies will it take to sink each ship?

53. Color flowers

Study how plants work with a classic experiment. Put white flowers (carnations, roses, and tulips all work) into cups, each filled with a different food coloring and water. Over the next few days, watch how the flowers change. Be sure to leave one cup without food coloring as a comparison.

Learn more: Color-Changing Flowers/Fun Learning for Kids

54. Make a water wall

Use everything from plastic bottles to toilet paper rolls along an outside wall or any vertical surface to create a water wall.

Learn more: Water Wall/Happy Hooligans

55. Make a rain cloud in a jar

During your unit on weather, or any time you want a cool experiment, create a cloud in a jar.

56. Raise and release butterflies

There so many different butterfly activities that are perfect for preschool students. In the spring, read about butterflies and raise your own. Then plan a party to release them.

Buy it: Butterfly Kit at Amazon

Get even more ideas with Tips and Tricks for Teaching Preschool.

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75 Awesome Preschool Activities

When planning learning activities for preschoolers, it isn’t one size fits all! Preschool teachers and parents like yourself need to have preschool activities for lesson plans that are easy for young students to understand, many who are not yet reading, and are FUN! Here are some simple and playful preschool activities your preschoolers will love!

How To Make Preschool Fun

Your time is limited, so your preschool activities for the school year and beyond must be easy to set up and provide valuable learning experiences for the youngest students.

Create a lifelong love of learning with these simple preschool learning activities! We have made it easy for you and divided the activities into STEM, including science and math, art, and literacy. Plus, you’ll find plenty of sensory-rich experiences.

Making preschool fun for kids involves engaging their curiosity, creativity, and natural desire to learn through play and exploration. Here are some easy tips to make preschool a delightful and enjoyable experience for young children:

1. Create a Colorful Environment

Use bright and cheerful colors in the classroom. Decorate walls with educational posters, art, and children’s work to create an inviting atmosphere. Colorful preschool art is fun to display!

2. Hands-On Activities

Incorporate hands-on activities like painting, crafting, building with blocks, playing with playdough, simple science activities or engineering projects, and sensory bins. These activities stimulate creativity and fine motor skills.

4. Thematic Learning

Plan lessons around fun themes like animals, seasons, outer space, or community helpers. This approach keeps children engaged and excited about learning.

5. Read Books

Regularly read aloud to kids. Use expressive voices and props to bring stories to life. Add books to different thematic units. Check out these preschool book activities.

6. Outdoor Play

Outdoor playtime is essential. Set up a safe and stimulating outdoor play area where children can run, jump, and explore nature. This helps develop gross motor skills and a connection to the environment. See our fun exercises for preschoolers.

What Is Playful Learning?

We have found many fun ways for kids to play and learn together! Playful learning is about creating joy, wonder, and curiosity. Developing this sense of joy and wonder starts at a young age, and adults are a big part of that.

Set up invitations to discover and explore!

• This fosters a huge sense of success in young learners when they make a new discovery. Undoubtedly, they will want to show it to you repeatedly.
• Many early foundations in literacy, science, and mathematics can be achieved through play instead of worksheets.
• Learning activities improve social skills and aid language development.

Set up preschool Science Centers for different themes and let the kids explore a new theme every 1-2 weeks! We have printable packs to help you get started.

Kids love to share what they are doing with you. If you listen and ask questions, they will too! If you encourage them to think about an idea, you will be amazed at what they can develop.

Questions you can ask…

• What do you think will happen if…
• What is happening…
• What do you see, hear, smell, feel…
• What else can we test or explore?

75 Hands-on Preschool Activities

Never run out of ideas for fun preschool activities at home or in the classroom. What do preschoolers learn? They learn about the world around them!

Sensory Bins

Sensory bins are a popular choice for sensory play in preschool! You can easily pair them with different themes or books to create a sensory-rich learning experience. Try one of these sensory bin ideas or create your own!

You can learn how to assemble a sensory bin, the best sensory bin fillers, including non-food fillers, and how to clean up the mess with our How to Sensory Bin Guide.

• Pumpkin Sensory Bin
• Apple Sensory Bin
• Tropical Summer Sensory Bin
• Dinosaur Sensory Bin
• Butterfly Sensory Bin
• Ocean Sensory Bin
• Dr Seuss Sensory Bin
• Spring Sensory Bin
• Garden Sensory Bin
• Rainbow Sensory Bin
• Space Sensory Bin
• Winter Sensory Bin

Sensory Activities

Besides sensory bins, kids can also explore a variety of tactile play materials and sensory play recipes that are on the messier side!

• Rainbow Spaghetti
• Kinetic Sand
• Cloud Dough

Playdough Activities

Engage your preschoolers in learning with our free printable playdough mats you can download! From weather, rainbows, flowers, bugs, and more, playdough mats are an excellent activity for improving fine motor skills, language development, as well as awesome sensory play for young kids.

Make up a batch of our favorite no cook playdough , or try one of these fun playdough recipes ! Kool-aid playdough, Jello playdough, fairy dough, super soft dough and more. Then pair it with one of these playdough mats below!

• Bug Playdough Mat
• Shape Playdough Mat
• Rainbow Playdough Mat
• Recycling Playdough Mat
• In the Garden Playdough Mats
• Weather Playdough Mats
• Flower Playdough Mat

Science Activities

We love playful hands-on science activities around here. Preschool science offers room for play and exploration without adult-led directions. Kids will naturally start to pick up the simple science concepts presented just by having fun conversations with you!

Below is a list of fantastic preschool activities and themes introducing chemistry, physics, earth science, and biology!

• Explore Shadows and Light
• Friction and Forces
• Bridge Building and Community Helpers
• Nature Exploration
• All About Me Collage
• 5 Senses Sensory Station
• 5 Senses What’s Inside Game
• 5 Senses Taste Test
• Baking Soda Science
• Seeds and Plants
• Weather Fun
• Sink or Float
• Dinosaur Fossils
• Is It Magnetic?
• Four Seasons Activities

Math Activities

Preschool math focuses on introducing young children to fundamental mathematical concepts in a playful and hands-on manner. The goal is to build a strong foundation for later mathematical learning by making math engaging, relatable, and fun.

Early math skills start with lots of playful opportunities that don’t have to be extensively planned ahead of time. Check out these simple preschool activity ideas using everyday items.

Read more about Preschool Math Concepts and Activities here. Our Preschool “I Can Explore Math” pack is done for you!

• Counting 1-10
• Snap cubes number recognition
• Transportation number mats and game
• Number pattern blocks
• Art with shapes
• Gingerbread I Spy Number Mats

Printable Math Games

Our printable board game pack is a fantastic opportunity to give it a try! Add a single die to the game. When kids roll and count spaces, they are having fun working on counting and one-to-one correspondence (as well as turn-taking).

Try a free Roll a Reptile game to get started (add your own die for math play).

Art Projects

Preschoolers need the freedom to explore and experiment. Art allows children to practice a wide range of skills that are useful not only for life but also for learning.

• Blow Painting with Straws
• Bubble Painting
• Cinnamon Salt Dough
• Corn Painting
• Finger Painting
• Fly Swatter Painting
• Edible Paint
• Handprint Flowers
• Ice Cube Art
• Magnet Painting
• Painting with Marbles
• Rainbow In A Bag
• Salt Painting
• Splatter Painting

Looking for more fun and easy preschool art ideas? Check out our process art activities , famous artists for kids as well as these easy homemade paint recipes .

Printable Preschool STEM Pack

Get ready to explore this year with our growing Preschool STEM Bundle !

What’s Included:

There are 12 fun preschool themes to get you started. This is an ” I can explore” series! This is also a growing bundle. Buy it now and receive all future updates!

Includes: Math, science, shapes, 5 senses, all about me, fall, apples, pumpkins, farm, winter, and more!

Each unit contains approximately 15 activities, with instructions and templates  as needed. Hands-on activities are provided to keep it fun and exciting. This includes sensory bins, experiments, games, and more! Easy supplies keep it low cost, and book suggestions add to the learning time. 

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100+ Spring Activities for Preschoolers

If you’re looking for engaging spring activities for preschoolers , you’ve come to the right place! We’re big fans of fun and meaningful learning activities here at Fun-A-Day .

And these spring ideas definitely fit that bill. You’ll find spring-themed art, crafts, math, science, sensory, literacy, and more below. There are definitely more than enough for all of your lesson planning needs.

All of the spring fun on this page has been used with preschool and kindergarten kids. I like to say they’re kid-tested, teacher-approved. Plus, you can differentiate the spring activities based on the needs and interests of your students!

Related: Holiday Activities for Preschoolers

All of the links shared below are from Fun-A-Day. I’ll be updating it as I add even more spring activities! So be sure to save this post for future reference.

Table of Contents

Spring Activities for Preschoolers

I’ve broken the preschool spring ideas up into a few different categories. For now, the activities have been divided into different subject areas so you can find what you’re looking for. I might change that up in the future if I find a better way to organize everything for you.

Because this post houses all of Fun-A-Day’s spring activities, you’ll find a multitude of links listed. The links are underlined and blue. Find the ideas you’re interested in and click on the links to read more about each of the individual ideas.

Spring Arts and Crafts

Let’s kick things off with creative spring activities for preschoolers. Lots of spring art and craft ideas your students will love!

• Spring Shaving Cream Art
• Coffee Filter Flowers
• Mother’s Day Handprint Art
• Tissue Paper Stained Glass
• Beaded Shamrock
• Butterfly Life Cycle Necklace
• Tissue Paper Rainbow Collage
• Easter Egg Art
• Easter Egg Sculpture
• Easter Egg Handprint Art
• Easter Bunny Bag Craft
• Egg Carton Easter Basket
• Easy Easter Art

In addition to the individual spring ideas above, here are some creative collections with even more possibilities:

• Spring Art Projects
• Butterfly Crafts for Preschoolers
• Spring Crafts
• St. Patrick’s Day Preschool Crafts
• Spring Tree Crafts
• Spring Process Art

Spring Math

Now let’s touch on spring activities for preschoolers who love math! You’ll find ideas related to number identification, counting, one-to-one correspondence shapes, and more.

• Sunflower Calendar Numbers
• Flower Shape Mats
• Bunny Shape Mats
• Spring Math Game
• Easter Calendar Numbers
• Spring Calendar Numbers
• Rainbow Abacus
• St. Patrick’s Day Calendar Numbers
• Earth Day Math

And here are a few collections with even more spring math ideas:

• Earth Day Math Activities for Preschoolers
• Spring Math Activities for Preschool
• St. Patrick’s Day Math Activities for Preschoolers

Spring Activities for Preschoolers Science

Next up are spring-themed science activities your preschoolers will get a kick out of. Your students explore chemical reactions, nature, life cycles, and using their senses to make observations.

• Color Changing Flowers
• Easter Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment
• Peeps Slime
• Rainbow Science
• Butterfly Life Cycle for Kids
• Hatching Chicks with Preschoolers

And I have a few collections of spring science ideas:

• Spring Science Activities for Preschoolers
• Insect Science Activities for Preschoolers
• Rainbow Science Activities for Preschoolers

Preschool Spring Literacy Activities

The spring activities for preschoolers below are all centered on literacy concepts. You can use these ideas to explore book skills, letter identification, fine motor skills, high frequency words, letter formation, and more.

• Spring Read It Build It Write It
• Counting Flowers Printable Book
• Spring Cutting Strips
• Earth Day Sensory Bin
• Spring Printable Book
• Five Green and Speckled Frogs Printable
• Ladybug Letters
• Ladybug Printable Books
• Butterfly Name Activities
• Butterfly Life Cycle Printable Book
• Easter Cutting Strips
• Counting Eggs Printable Book
• Easter Beginning Sounds
• Easter Alphabet Printable
• St. Patrick’s Day Beginning Sounds
• Gold Coin Alphabet Activities
• St. Patrick’s Day Tracing Printable
• I See a Rainbow Book

Here are two collections with even more literacy ideas to try this spring:

• Spring Literacy Activities for Preschoolers
• Easter Literacy Activities

Spring Sensory Activities

And finally, let’s touch on spring activities for preschoolers that incorporate sensory exploration! We have sensory bins, messy sensory play, sensory bottles, play dough and more. Ready for little hands to get into!

• Butterfly Playdough Mats
• Bee Sensory Bottle
• Butterfly Sensory Bin
• Insect Sensory Bottle
• Butterfly Life Cycle Sensory Bottles
• Insect Small World Play
• Garden Messy Play
• Frog Sensory Bag
• Spring Sensory Bin
• Pond Sensory Bin
• Seed Sound Matching Game
• Frog Sensory Bin
• Easter Sensory Bin
• Easter Messy Play
• Rabbit Sensory Bin
• Easter Playdough Mats
• Carrot Garden Sensory Bin
• Chicken Sensory Bin
• Rainbow Yarn Sensory Bin
• Rainbow Messy Play
• Rainbow Corn Sensory Bin
• St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin
• Rainbow Sensory Bin
• Rainbow Sensory Writing Tray
• Bee Sensory Bin

Of course I have a few (well, more than a few) collections that have even more sensory ideas for your spring plans:

• Flower Sensory Bottles
• Rainbow Sensory Bottles
• Bug Sensory Bottles
• St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bottles
• Easter Sensory Bottles
• Butterfly Sensory Activities
• Easter Sensory Activities

Well, now that you’ve seen ALL of Fun-A-Day’s spring activities for preschoolers, you’ve got a tough choice! Which of these ideas are you going to start with? And remember to save this post. I’ll be adding to it as I share more spring-themed ideas.

Even More Spring Activities for Preschoolers

If you want even more spring ideas, I’ve got you covered! Here are collections of ideas that would fit perfectly into your spring plans:

• Spring Printables
• Butterfly Activities for Preschoolers
• Spring Messy Play Ideas
• Rainbow Activities

Spring Lesson Plans

Let Preschool Teacher 101 save you a ton of time with hundreds of done-for-you early childhood resources. We have lesson plans, dramatic play packs, circle time songs, STEM challenges, classroom management guides, math and literacy activities, and so much more. Members of The Pack , our membership site for preschool and kindergarten teachers, have access to our materials at a steep price.

Click on the image below to get our spring lesson plans. The pack contains a weekly overview, detailed daily lesson plans, whole group activities, small group lessons, center ideas, book suggestions, and related printables.

You can also find us on Teachers Pay Teachers .

Materials for Your Preschool Spring Activities

As always, I recommend checking what you already have in your supply stash first. Then pick and choose activities from the list based on what you have on-hand. That being said, if you’re looking for an excuse to head to the craft store, I’m happy to provide that, too! Here are some items that would be handy for many of our favorite spring activities for preschoolers (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):

• Mini erasers
• Dry erase markers
• Kid-friendly tweezers
• Eye droppers
• Liquid watercolors
• Plastic eggs
• Baking soda

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Easy Play to Learn Activities and Printables for Little Learners

200+ Best Preschool Activities for Fun Learning

ACTIVITIES , ALPHABET , ALPHABET , FREE PRINTABLES , INDOOR PLAY , MATH , MATH , PRESCHOOL , PRESCHOOL , TOP ACTIVITIES We use affiliate links and may earn commission from purchases made through those links.

Table of Contents

200+ Best Preschool Activities for Fun Learning 

Preschool activities are so much fun , the preschool years are a perfect time to incorporate educational activities that involve art activities, little bins, fine motor activities and more , they don’t have to contain many worksheets and a very exclusive set of activities , preschool learning folder pdf, an easy preschool activity can be as simple as a sensory base + a toy., sometimes you can even add a bit of water within a bin., then, add a drop or two of food coloring and some pouring cups , easy peasy , these kind of activities make for a fun sensory experience , we love simple printable activities to go along with a simple preschool curriculum. , another fun way to bring about easy and fun preschool lesson plans are to: , make learning fun with epic science experiments , scavenger hunts are a great way to include the benefits of gross motor skills  , letter recognition activities made simple, easy duple legos kids activity , dramatic play made fun, activities that work on fine motor development , a powerful tool to bring forth to make for some of our favorite activities for the whole family is an easy process art activity , you can never go wrong with a low prep set of hand-eye coordination and sensory exploration ideas to bring forth for your early learners. , free printable bug preschool theme: , great activity ideas for a rainy day , rainy days call for different ways to bring about preschool play for little hands. , here are some of our favorite things to bring forth if its too rainy for a nature walk: , fire truck and construction sensory bin, toddler approved sensory bottle, fine motor skill development ideas, a simple craft for a busy toddler, kindergarten activities , free sight words for preschool , fun learning ideas for preschool teachers, what are some creative ways you can bring forth a great time to young children , you can mix in learning to bring forth the learning through play activities specific to preschoolers. , here are some of the basic skills preschoolers are learning: , alphabet letters, letter sounds, literacy skills, preschool math, basic shapes, different color activities, color mixing, big and small, name activities, science activities , nursery rhymes, left and right, same and different, and more.. , these ideas are a perfect way to make all learning full bloom for preschoolers  , looking for year round preschool them e check these out: , these are some of the basic skills preschoolers are learning about , i will be sharing over 200+ play to learn activities for preschoolers in the following categories: , activities for preschoolers at home, preschool activity ideas teachers can use, printable preschool activities, easy activities for preschoolers, preschool crafts at home, and, if you’d like to check out our other preschool early learning activities, go here: , alphabet activities for preschoolers and for kids, math activities for preschoolers and for kids, shape and color activities for preschoolers and for kids, related: looking for a learning activity for preschoolers check out our preschool activity binder , free printable letter formation for preschool, fun preschool activities , whether you are setting up preschool learning activities within preschool classrooms or trying out homeschool preschool, here are some of the basic craft supplies we love to use: , tissue paper, paint brushes, cookie sheet, old magazines, and more , favorite book ideas for preschoolers : , free printable preschool worksheets, young kids will enjoy free preschool activities that are just plain fun. here are some ideas: , sight words for preschool, solar system preschool lesson plans, number match, fine motor strength freebie , literacy activities , ideas for kid activities at home : , what are some activities for preschoolers , there are many fun ideas you can try for learning through play for preschoolers whether at home, distance learning or in a school setting. , alongside the 200+ preschool activities i will share, here are some of our past preschool activities: , easy rubber band fine motor activity for toddlers and preschool, easy shape sorting activity for toddlers and preschoolers, apples sorting activity for preschoolers, our best busy book pdf bundle : , what activities are good for 4 year olds , activities that are wonderful for 4 year olds are ones that incorporate: , fine motor skills, hand eye coordination, sensory play, arts and crafts, early learning, these are just some ideas i can think of that are wonderful for keeping a 4 year old busy and learning through play , 100+ free preschool printables:  , how do you introduce activities for preschoolers , introducing activities to your preschooler doesn’t have to be hard. , it can be as easy as setting up a simple game out of a cardboard cutout , i will be delving more into how you can incorporate fun activities for preschoolers below. , related: looking for back to school activities for preschoolers check them out here , shape activities freebie below: , what are some activities for children , on top of sharing over 200 preschool fun activities below i will also share some wonderful activities we have tried in the past that my littles have enjoyed. here they are: , rock match activity , loose parts preschool activity , easy alphabet sensory bag , small items sensory bin, a creative way to make a mess free painting, now onto the best part.., let’s get into the fun pre k activities, shall we , 70+ play to learn preschool activities below , activities for preschoolers at home , apple sorting activity for preschoolers – active littles, easy dot sticker color match activity – active littles, rain cloud counting activity – active littles, montessori preschool learning box – active littles, zipper activity – active littles, loose parts preschool activity – active littles, post it note emotions – active littles, easy letter board sorting activity – active littles, montessori activity at home – active littles, preschool activity ideas teachers can use , shape sorting activity – active littles, easy rubber band fine motor activity – active littles, diy alphabet fine motor activity – active littles, preschool bug sensory bin – active littles, caterpillar pattern match – active littles, diy learning box for preschoolers – active littles, color matching activity – active littles, paper plate counting jellyfish – active littles, alphabet pasta sensory bottle – active littles, ice cream popsicle color activity – active littles, easy pipe cleaner magnetic play – active littles, shape sensory bag – active littles, blooming paper flower experiment – active littles, letter matching activity – active littles, magic paper towel experiment – active littles, water play using water droppers – active littles, fine motor activity using pom poms – active littles, paper roll activity for kids – active littles, printable preschool activities , construction task box printable – active littles, winter preschool task box printable – active littles, shape printable freebie – active littles, rainbow mats printable – active littles, early years basic skills learning binder – active littles, easy alphabet sorting letter activity + free printable – active littles, easy alphabet magnetic letters match + free printable – active littles, ping pong alphabet – active littles, rainbow color free printable – active littles, 110 color matching file folder game – active littles, easy activities for preschoolers , duck and pond sensory play – active littles, preschool name activity – active littles, color match activity – active littles, big and small activity – active littles, flower match activity – active littles, alphabet sensory bag – active littles, diy chickpeas sensory base – active littles, easy literacy activity – active littles, simple shaving cream letters – active littles, apple tree number matching – active littles, feather color sorting – active littles, lima bean letters – active littles, rainbow sprinkle writing tray – active littles, diy kinetic sand slime – active littles, alphabet diy letter match – active littles, ocean sensory bottle – active littles, paper plate sticker seek and find – active littles, garden sensory bin – active littles, mega blok color match – active littles, frog sensory bag – active littles, recycled color matching toy – active littles, rain cloud in a jar – active littles, insect fine motor sensory bin – active littles, preschool crafts at home , ice painting – active littles, simple apple craft – active littles, rainbow fish craft – active littles, simple sun craft fork painting – active littles, simple fish craft – active littles, diy color match crafts – active littles, cupcake liner craft – active littles, shaving marbling craft for kids – active littles, flower craft for kids – active littles, the very hungry caterpillar learning activity – active littles, rainbow craft using marshmallows – active littles, diy cardboard puzzle – active littles, related: looking for preschool interactive activities, check out our preschool busy book, thank you for being here 🙂 here is one of our fall free printables below:, related products, looking for free printables and activities.

Need a simple and effective set of hands-on, low prep printables? Here is one of my Early Learning Freebies just for you!

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March 23, 2022 at 11:21 am

This post is very Helpfull!!! Thank you

March 30, 2022 at 1:35 am

Thanks so much!

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