classroom activities for kindergarten

200+ Free Kindergarten Activities and Printables

These kindergarten activities and printable activities for kindergarten will make learning fun and effective. Plus, they are easy to prep and will save you so much time!

Kindergarten Activities for Hands-On Learning

I know what's like to be a busy teacher who is short on time. Planning differentiated learning activities for your kindergarten students can be a daunting task.

I want to help. That's why I create engaging and effective printable activities for kindergarten that are differentiated, but also easy to prep.

If you are looking for kindergarten activities that are going to cover the skills you need to teach while also engaging your students with hands-on practice, then this list is for you!

Printable Activities for Kindergarten

This page contains hundreds of free kindergarten printables and activities for you to use right now! Isn't that awesome?

My hope is that you find lots of helpful resources that will save you time and make learning fun for your students!

Bookmark this page and come back as needed because I am always adding new resources to the page.

Kindergarten Activities for Literacy and Math Instruction

Everything from alphabet activities to sight word activities to number sense activities, addition activities , CVC word work , phonics instruction , and more!

I have put them all here for you so that you can quickly find what you need and then go have some time to yourself!

I even have lots of free digital resources for kindergarten that your students can use on both Google Slides and Seesaw.

Doesn't that sound amazing! 🙂

Keep scrolling to find all of the free kindergarten activities!

Differentiated Kindergarten Printables and Activities

Check out this huge list of fun, differentiated and effective activities for kindergarteners!

I am constantly adding new resources to the page, so bookmark it and come back as needed to find new and engaging printables to utilize in your classroom.

Many of them are editable and most are super easy to prep, so not only will you save time finding activities, you will also be able to differentiate them with great ease.

Check them all out below!

Blend Words Missing Sound Worksheets for Phonics Practice

Digraph Missing Sound Worksheets for Phonics Practice

Number Sense Worksheets – Number Activity Worksheets

Fish CVC Missing Sounds Task Cards

Summer Phoneme Segmentation Mats for Phonemic Awareness

Caterpillar Roll and Cover the Number Mats

Spring Butterfly & Bee Find and Color Sheets

Digraph Sounds Sort Cut & Paste

Ending Blend Missing Sounds Cards

Earth Day Find and Cover the Letter Mats

Beginning Blends Missing Sounds Cards

Ladybug CVC Clip Cards for Spring

Insect Decomposing Numbers Mat

Spring Caterpillar Find and Color the Letter Sheets

Spring Letter Tracing Task Cards

Simple Spring Science and STEAM Activities

Missing Final Sound CVC Word Mats Free Printable

Spring Flower Phonics Board Games

Easter Addition and Subtraction Mats

CVC Missing Letter Worksheets for Phonics Practice

Spring Flower Phoneme Segmentation Mats

Flower Missing Sounds Task Cards

Four Leaf Clover Find & Cover the Letter for St. Patrick’s Day

Digraph Clip Cards for Kindergarten and First Grade

Rainbow CVC Board Game Task Cards

St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow Find and Color the Letter Sheets

Missing Middle Sound CVC Word Mats Free Printable

Number Sense Search and Find Worksheets

Free Printable Heart CVC Clip Cards

CVC Word Sorting Worksheets

Heart Alphabet Game Task Cards

CVC Short Vowel Sounds Clip Cards

Letter Tracing Alphabet Task Cards

Number Find and Cover Worksheets

Alphabet Find and Cover the Letter Worksheets

Exciting Snowman Find and Color the Letter Mats Freebie

Snowball Rhyming Clip Strips

New Year’s Eve Color By Number Coloring Sheets

Snowman Adding Beginning Sounds Task Cards for Phonemic Awareness

Snow Globe Addition and Subtraction Mats

Winter Snow Globe Phoneme Segmentation Cards

Snow Globe CVC Words Clip Cards Free Printable

Christmas Color by Number Printable Worksheets

Snowman Alphabet Letter Tracing Task Cards

Gingerbread Making Ten Math Activity

Gingerbread CVC Word Building Cards

Gingerbread Alphabet Letter Recognition Task Cards

Gingerbread Alphabet Beginning Sounds Task Cards

Phonological Awareness Activities and Printables

Alphabet Letter Worksheets – Alphabet Activity Pages

Gingerbread Phoneme Segmentation Mats for Phonemic Awareness

Numbers Four in a Row Board Game

Alphabet Worksheets

Alphabet Four in a Row Board Game – Beginning Sounds Game

Fall Leaf Rhyming Task Cards

Alphabet Beginning Sounds Sorting Worksheets

Fall Leaf Missing Numbers Clip Cards Math Activity

Fall Leaf Beginning Sounds Task Cards

Colorful Crayon Rhyming Puzzles

Super Fun Alphabet Beginning Sounds Clip Strips for Kids

Pumpkin Alphabet Board Game Task Cards

Beginning Sounds Clip Cards with a Fall Candy Corn Theme!

Editable Pumpkin Theme BINGO Game

Candy Corn Find and Cover the Letter Mats for Kids

Pumpkin Counting Task Cards – Show the Number Math Activity

Alphabet Find and Trace the Letter Worksheets

Pumpkin Phoneme Segmentation Mats for Phonemic Awareness

Pumpkin Beginning Sounds Alphabet Task Cards

Fall Alphabet Activities

30 Fun Shape Activities For Kids to Learn Shapes

Fun Fall Pumpkin Rhyming Clip Strips

Number Play Dough Task Cards for Numbers 0-20

Alphabet Letter Tracing Task Cards

Search and Trace Number Worksheets 0-20 Free Printable

Apple Theme Beginning Sounds Task Cards Alphabet Find and Cover

Apple Theme Letter Recognition Task Cards – Alphabet Find and Cover

Salt Painting Activity for Kids

School Theme Tracing Strips for Pre-Writing Practice

Editable Apple Theme Bingo Game

Alphabet Letter Tracing Worksheets to Learn Letter Formation

Alphabet Letter Recognition Clip Strips

Alphabet Stew Letter Recognition Mats

All About Me Name Worksheets – Letters in My Name

Dot the Number Worksheets

Syllable Counting Clip Cards Free Printable

Alphabet Play Dough Cards Activity

Compound Word Clip Cards Free Printable

Number Activity Strips Free Printable

Missing Beginning Sound CVC Word Mats Free Printable

Printable Middle Sounds Phoneme Substitution Cards

Sun CVC Word Building Strips Free Printable

Ice Cream Beginning Sounds Clip Cards Free Printable

160+ Kindergarten Centers for the Whole Year

Beach Letter Sound Isolation Mats Free Printable

Fish CVC Word Building Cards Free Printable

Ocean Fish Rhyming Clip Strips Free Printable

Ocean CVC Word Mats – Roll, Build, & Write Printable

Editable Caterpillar Word Work Mats Free Printable

Dot Number Activity Mats Free Printable

Dot Letter Alphabet Mats Free Printable

Caterpillar Comparing Sets Clip Cards Free Printable

Spring Bee Roll and Cover Number Mats Free Printable

Butterfly Beginning Sounds Alphabet Clip Cards Free Printable

Frog CVC Word Building Strips Free Printable

Flower Comparing Sets Math Activity

Flower CVC Word Building Cards Free Printable

Fizzy Rainbow Science Experiment

Flower Alphabet Mats – Roll, Build and Write

Easter Egg Roll and Cover the Number Free Printable

Spring Theme Activities for Kids

Editable Easter Bunny Word Work Mats

Make Ten Math Activity Free Printable

Rainbow CVC Activity Roll, Build, Write Mats Free Printable

Free Editable Name Tracing Printable Worksheets for Name Practice

Rainbow Rhyming Clip Strips Free Printable

Free Alphabet Printables

Teen Number Matching Clip Cards Free Printable

2D Shapes Clip Cards Free Printable

Word Search CVC Worksheets Free Printable

Valentine’s Day Roll and Cover the Number Free Printable

Valentine’s Day Beginning Sounds Alphabet Clip Cards Free Printable

Number Tower Mats Free Printable

CVC Words Clip Cards Free Printable

Free Printable Number Matching Clip Cards

Penguin Comparing Sets Clip Cards Free Printable

Snowflake CVC Word Building Strips for Kindergarten

Snowman Number Spin & Build Mats Free Printable

Free Printable Snowman Beginning Sounds Mats

Gingerbread 100 and 120 Chart Find and Cover the Number Game

Christmas Cookie Beginning Sounds Clip Cards Free Printable

Christmas Tree Roll and Cover Number Printable Mats

Gingerbread Roll and Cover the Number Mats Free Printable

Fall Leaves CVC Clip Cards Free Printable

Fall Leaf Comparing Sets Clip Cards Free Printable

Printable Ending Sounds Phoneme Substitution Cards

Beginning Sounds Matching Clip Cards Free Printable

Free Printable Number Cover Up Mats

Free Printable Spider Word Work Mats

Pumpkin Numbers Spin & Build Mats Free Printable

Pumpkin CVC Words Spin & Build Mats Free Printable

Apple 100 and 120 Chart Find and Cover the Number Game

Pumpkin Roll and Cover Number Mats Free Printable

Editable Apple Spin & Build Mats

Free Printable Apple Roll and Cover Number Mats

Number Formation Cards Free Printable

Free Printable Apple Fine Motor Tracing Strips for Pre-Writing Practice

Free Printable Back to School Spin and Build Word Work Mats

Editable Back to School Four in a Row Printable Game

Free Printable Back to School Alphabet Activity Mats

Free Printable Back to School Number Tower Mats

Free Printable Back to School Letter Sound Mats

Printable Beginning Sounds Phoneme Substitution Cards

Printable Uppercase Snap Cube Alphabet Mats

Printable Lowercase Snap Cube Alphabet Mats

Printable Alphabet Letter Formation Cards for Kids

Printable Ocean Animal Spin and Cover Pattern Block Mats

Sun CVC Word Clip Cards Free Printable

Sun Number Towers Printable Math Activity

Editable Feed the Fish Spin and Build Mats Printable

Fish CVC Word Clip Cards Free Printable

Fish Find and Cover Free Printable Beginning Sounds Letter Mats

Fish Roll and Cover Number Mats Free Printable

Insect Letter Sounds Mats for Preschool and Kindergarten

Free Printable Butterfly Find and Cover Beginning Sounds Mats

Editable Flower Bump Game Printable for Word Work

Flower Number Towers Free Printable Math Activity

Flower CVC Word Building Strips for Kindergarten

Free Printable Easter Egg Number Towers Math Activity

Editable Frog Spin and Build Mats Word Work Printable

Digital Frog Feed Me Word Work Mats for Kindergarten

Frog Find and Cover Beginning Sounds Letter Mat Printable

Digital St. Patrick’s Day Feed Me Words Activity for Kindergarten

Editable Shamrock Spin and Build Mats Free Printable

Rainbow Number Towers Free Printable Math Activity

Free Printable Rainbow Beginning Sounds Mats

Editable Mailbox Spin and Build Mats Word Work Printable

Construction Number Towers Free Printable Math Activity

Community Helpers Printable CVC Word Building Strips

Community Helpers Free Printable Beginning Sounds Mats

Editable Valentine’s Day Spin and Build Word Work Mats

Digital Feed the Heart Words Activity for Kindergarten

Valentine’s Day Beginning Sound Find and Cover Letter Mats

Editable Valentine’s Day Four in a Row Printable Literacy Game

Groundhog Day Free Printable Editable Board Game

Free Digital Feed the Groundhog Words Activity

Editable Groundhog Spin and Build Word Work Mats

Editable Winter Bump Game Printable for Word Work

Snowman Count the Room Free Printable Math Activity

Editable Snowman Write the Room Printable Activity

Snowman Beginning Sounds Write the Room Alphabet Printable

Snowball Number Towers Free Printable Math Activity

Free Printable Winter Theme Letter Sounds Mats

Snowman 100 and 120 Chart Find and Cover Printable Number Mats

Editable Snowman Spin and Build Word Work Mats

Digital Feed the Snowman Words Activity for Kindergarten

Free Printable Snowman Comparing Sets Clip Cards

Gingerbread Number Towers Free Printable Math Activity

Editable Gingerbread Bump Game for Word Work Printable

Editable Gingerbread Spin and Build Word Work Mats Printable

Editable Christmas Tree Four in a Row Literacy Printable

Free Printable Christmas Editable Board Game

Gingerbread CVC Word Building Strips Free Printable

Gingerbread Free Printable Beginning Sound Mats

Turkey Find and Cover the Word Free Printable Mats

Editable Turkey Spin and Build Word Work Printable Mats

Fall Leaf Number Towers Free Printable Math Activity

Editable Scarecrow Spin and Build Word Work Printable Mats

Free Printable Fall Alphabet Activity Mats

Silly Monster CVC Clip Cards Free Printable

Silly Monster Number Towers Free Printable Math Activity

Spider Count the Room Free Printable Math Activity

Spider Find and Cover the Letter Free Printable Mats

Pumpkin Number Towers Free Printable Math Activity

Pumpkin Teen Numbers Bump Game Free Printable

Free Printable Pumpkin CVC Words Clip Cards

Pumpkin 100 & 120 Chart Printable Find and Cover Number Mats

Digital Pumpkin Feed Me Words Activity for Kindergarten

Pumpkin Find and Cover the Letter Mats Free Printable

Pumpkin Comparing Sets Clip Cards for Preschool and Kindergarten

Editable Pumpkin Bump Game for Word Work in Kindergarten

Apple Tree Find and Cover the Blends Free Printable Mats

Digital Apple Tree Making 10 Activity for Kindergarten

Apple CVC Matching Clip Cards Printable for Kindergarten

Apple Teen Numbers Bump Game Free Printable

Apple Number Towers Free Printable Math Activity

Apple Tree Find and Cover the Letter Printable Mats

Apple Tree Sight Word Find and Cover Printable for Kindergarten

Editable Apple Bump Game for Word Work in Kindergarten

Digital Apple Feed Me Word Work Activity

Blend Words Free Printable Board Game for Kindergarten

Digital Back to School Making 10 Math Activity

Back to School Count the Room Free Printable Math Activity

Editable Back to School Write the Room Free Printable

Digital Back to School Letter Sounds Matching Activity

Digital Back to School Teen Numbers Math Activity

Editable Pencil Bump Game for Word Work Printable

Digital Back to School Feed Me Words Activity

CVC Middle Vowel Sounds Board Game Printable

Free Printable Digraph Words Matching Mats for Kindergarten

Digital Digraph Words Matching Mats Literacy Activity

Blend Words Matching Mats Free Printable

Digital Blend Words Matching Mats for Kindergarten

Free Printable CVC Words Matching Mats

Digital CVC Words Matching Mats for Kindergarten

Free Printable Ending Digraph Clip Cards

Free Printable Beginning Digraph Clip Cards

Blend Words Clip Cards Free Printable

CVC Words Clip Cards Printables for Kindergarten

Free Printable Watermelon Addition and Subtraction Mats

Digital Treasure Hunt CVC Matching Activity

Palm Tree Find and Cover the Letter Mats for Preschool and Kindergarten

Editable Ocean Word Building Mats Free Printable

Digital Ocean CVC Word Building Literacy Activity

Digital Ocean Teen Numbers Activity

Digital Ocean Letter Sounds Matching Activity

Digital Ocean Missing Addends Math Activity

Digital Ocean Word Work Mats for Preschool and Kindergarten

Spring Bee Find and Cover the Letter Printable for Preschool

Digital Bee Beginning Sounds Sort Alphabet Activity

Editable Sight Word Worksheets – Editable Word Work Printables

Editable Space Theme Board Game Free Printable

Free Printable Insect Addition and Subtraction Mats

Digital Firefly Addition to 10 Math Activity

Digital Butterfly Word Building Mats for Preschool and Kindergarten

Digital Butterfly Letter Sounds Matching Alphabet Activity

Editable Insect Four in a Row Game Free Printable

Digital Flower CVC Word Building Literacy Activity

Editable Flower Word Building Printable Mats

Digital Flower Word Building Word Work Activity

Digital Flower Missing Addends Math Activity

I hope this list of kindergarten activities has been super helpful and saves you lots of time!

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25+ Amazing Activities for Kindergarten (Printables + Reels)

You might be surprised to know that kindergarten activities are the best to help your 5 to 10 years old kid for Holistic Development! Kindergarten is like a treasure chest full of fun and learning waiting to be unlocked.

From counting colorful blocks to exploring nature in the backyard, there’s always something new and exciting to discover. These activities aren’t just games; they’re the building blocks of skills like reading, writing, and problem-solving.

So, put on your explorer hat and get ready to start on a journey where every activity is a chance to learn, grow, and make unforgettable memories!

Table of Contents

Fascinating Kindergarten Activities

Letter recognition activities.

Kindergarten letter recognition activities focus on helping children identify and distinguish letters of the alphabet.

These activities often include letter sorting games, alphabet puzzles , and letter hunts, which engage children in hands-on learning to recognize and differentiate between letters, laying a solid foundation for literacy skills.

Graphing Activities

Graphing activities in kindergarten introduce children to basic data representation and analysis.

Kindergarteners engage in activities such as tallying and graphing favorite colors, animals, or snacks, which not only develop their understanding of organizing information but also foster early math skills like counting and comparing quantities.

Sequencing Activities

Kindergarten sequencing activities help children understand the concept of order and sequence.

Through activities such as sequencing story events, sequencing number or letter cards, and arranging picture cards in chronological order, kindergarteners develop important cognitive skills like logical thinking and comprehension.

Listening Activities for Kids

Kindergarten listening activities aim to enhance children’s auditory processing skills and comprehension.

These activities include listening to stories, following oral directions, and playing listening games like “Simon Says.” By practicing active listening, kindergarteners improve their attention span, language development, and ability to follow instructions.

Activities to Encourage Independence

Kindergarten activities focused on independence aim to foster self-reliance and autonomy in children. These activities may include organizing personal belongings, completing simple tasks without assistance, and making choices independently.

By promoting independence, kindergarteners develop confidence, problem-solving skills, and a sense of responsibility for their actions.

Drawing People Activities

Drawing people activities in kindergarten encourage children to explore human anatomy and express themselves creatively. These activities may involve drawing self-portraits, family portraits, or depicting different occupations.

By practicing drawing people, kindergarteners develop fine motor skills and spatial awareness while expressing their imagination and understanding of the world around them.

Position in Space Activities

Position in space activities for kindergarten introduce children to spatial concepts such as above, below, beside, and between.

These activities may include building with blocks to understand positional relationships, following directional cues in games, and arranging objects in different spatial arrangements.

By engaging in position in space activities , kindergarteners develop spatial reasoning skills essential for math and problem-solving.

Bilateral Coordination Activities

Bilateral coordination activities in kindergarten focus on developing coordination between the two sides of the body.

These activities may include cutting with scissors, threading beads, or completing puzzles. By practicing bilateral coordination, kindergarteners improve fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination , and the ability to perform tasks that require both hands to work together.

Drawing Activities

Drawing activities in kindergarten allow children to express their creativity and imagination through art. These activities may include free drawing, guided drawing lessons, or drawing from observation.

By engaging in drawing activities, kindergarteners enhance fine motor skills, visual-spatial awareness, and self-expression while gaining confidence in their artistic abilities.

Light Table Activities

Light table activities in kindergarten provide sensory exploration and hands-on learning experiences. Children engage in activities such as tracing shapes, experimenting with translucent materials, or exploring color mixing.

These activities promote creativity, fine motor skills, and scientific inquiry while captivating children’s interest in a unique and visually stimulating way.

Bubble Activities

Bubble activities in kindergarten offer playful experiences that engage children’s senses and promote motor skills development .

Children may participate in blowing bubbles, chasing bubbles, or creating bubble art. These activities encourage experimentation, observation, and imaginative play while fostering social interaction and joyous laughter.

Art Activities

Art activities in kindergarten encompass a wide range of creative expressions, including drawing, painting, collage, and sculpture. Children explore different mediums, techniques, and themes to create unique artworks.

These activities encourage self-expression, fine motor development, and appreciation for aesthetics while nurturing children’s confidence and imagination.

Water Table Activities

Water table activities in kindergarten provide opportunities for sensory exploration, experimentation, and cooperative play.

Kids will engage in pouring, scooping, or floating objects in the water table. These activities promote scientific inquiry, mathematical concepts, and social skills development while offering refreshing and enjoyable sensory experiences.

Outdoor Art Activities

Outdoor art activities in kindergarten take learning beyond the classroom walls and into nature’s inspiring canvas. Children may engage in nature-inspired art projects, land art, or plein air painting.

These activities foster a connection to the natural world, stimulate creativity, and encourage observation and appreciation for the environment.

January Activities

January activities in kindergarten mark the beginning of a new year with opportunities for reflection, goal-setting, and winter-themed fun.

Kids may engage in snowflake crafts, New Year’s resolutions, or learning about winter animals. These activities foster a sense of renewal, curiosity, and resilience as children start on a new chapter.

February Activities

February activities in kindergarten celebrate love, friendship, and diversity through engaging thematic lessons and festive crafts.

Kids will participate in Valentine’s Day card-making, Black History Month projects, or exploring winter sports. These activities promote empathy, cultural awareness, and creative expression while fostering a sense of community and belonging.

March Activities

March activities in kindergarten welcome the arrival of spring with lively explorations of nature, weather, and seasonal traditions.

Children may engage in planting seeds, learning about St. Patrick’s Day, or exploring the changing landscape outdoors.

These activities inspire curiosity, environmental stewardship, and a sense of wonder as children observe the signs of spring’s emergence.

April Activities

April activities in kindergarten embrace the beauty of spring with nature-inspired adventures, Earth Day projects, and opportunities for outdoor exploration. Children may participate in gardening, recycling initiatives, or learning about Earth’s ecosystems.

These activities promote environmental awareness, sustainability, and appreciation for the natural world’s wonders.

May Activities

May activities in kindergarten celebrate growth, creativity, and the approaching end of the school year with joyful festivities and meaningful projects. Kids will engage in spring concerts, Mother’s Day crafts, or outdoor play.

These activities foster a sense of accomplishment, connection, and anticipation as children reflect on their achievements and look forward to summer adventures.

June Activities

June activities in kindergarten celebrate the arrival of summer and offer opportunities for seasonal learning and exploration. Kids can participate in gardening, outdoor play, or end-of-year celebrations.

These activities promote outdoor engagement, social connection, and reflection on the past school year while welcoming the joys of summertime.

July Activities

July activities in kindergarten embrace the warmth of summer with engaging outdoor adventures and seasonal celebrations.

Kids can do Fourth of July festivities, nature walks, or picnics in the park. These activities encourage exploration, socialization, and appreciation for the summer season’s delights.

August Activities

August activities in kindergarten welcome the return to school with excitement, anticipation, and opportunities for new beginnings. Children may participate in back-to-school preparations, community-building activities, or exploring classroom routines.

These activities promote a positive transition to the new school year, social connection, and a sense of belonging in the classroom community.

September Activities

September activities in kindergarten mark the beginning of the academic year with opportunities for establishing routines, building friendships, and exploring new learning adventures.

Children will engage in getting-to-know-you games, classroom scavenger hunts, or fall-themed crafts. These activities promote a smooth transition into the school year, socialization, and excitement for learning.

Drawing People

Drawing people activities in kindergarten encourage children to develop their artistic skills and explore human anatomy. Kids will draw self-portraits, family members, or characters from stories.

These activities foster fine motor skills, observation, and self-expression, allowing children to depict the diversity of human forms and emotions.

Gross Motor Toys

Gross motor toys in kindergarten provide children with opportunities for active play and physical development . Children may engage in riding tricycles, playing with balls, or climbing structures.

These toys promote coordination, balance, and strength while encouraging social interaction, teamwork, and outdoor exploration.

Benefits of Sandplay

Sandplay activities in kindergarten offer children a sensory-rich experience that promotes creativity, emotional expression, and problem-solving skills. Kids will engage in building sandcastles, digging trenches, or exploring sensory bins filled with sand.

These activities foster imagination, relaxation, and self-regulation while providing opportunities for symbolic play and exploring natural materials.

In summary, kindergarten activities are vital for children’s growth. They learn letters, numbers, and how to play with friends. Whether they’re drawing, playing outside, or building with blocks, these activities help kids learn and have fun at the same time.

By doing these activities, kids become smarter and happier, getting ready for the big world ahead.

I’m a former teacher (and mother of Two Childs) with a background in child development. Here to help you with play-based learning activities for kids. ( Check my  Next startup  Cledemy.Com )

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Kindergarten activities and learning games

by: The GreatSchools Editorial Team | Updated: October 27, 2022

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Looking for some fun games and activities for kindergarten students to keep little ones occupied — and learning — at home? Check these out!

Fun learning games and activities for kindergarten

Create a personalized placemat, sorting beans, amazing bubbles, telling tales, making hieroglyphics, letters in clay, create a name book, make a personalized bookmark, make music in a kitchen band, counting coins, make a story map, the “scents” of smell, letter collage, word family flip book, make your own wrapping paper, fruit fractions, make a storytelling board, living things and nonliving objects, name puzzle, homes nearby.

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20 Basics of a Kindergarten Classroom

In the Classroom | 9 comments

Setting up a kindergarten classroom at the beginning of the year can be an exciting, yet overwhelming.

Whether you are a student teacher, or this is your last year teaching elementary school, I’m here to share my favorite things that have been helpful over the years.

Beginning of the Year

As a teacher, you probably know the importance of creating a classroom setting to increase academic performance.

The best way to prepare for the little kids is to familiarize yourself with the kindergarten curriculum.

Choose engaging early childhood academic activities, integrate some of your favorite things that will make you a happier teacher.

Also, learn as much as you can about kindergarten classroom management.

• Get to know curriculum
• Create a balance of engagement and down time for the kids
• Integrate your favorite things to make you a happier teacher
• Learn as much as you can about classroom management
• Set a daily kindergarten schedule – but be flexible for change.

Creating positive experiences for kindergarten students doesn’t have to be hard – just well thought out. Any K teacher will tell you there is a central goal – for the sake of early child development, keep learning fun in the early years.

The first kindergarten day will be all about learning routines.

You will be teaching transitions, social skills, teaching them about the designated areas for carpet time, small groups, independent work, play areas, and building classroom community. 

First, and foremost, don’t stress yourself out. I promise even if your classroom isn’t perfect on the first day of school, your young students will still have fun learning.

The beginning of the year, regardless of grade level, is exciting, scary, and overwhelming.

If you are a new kindergarten teacher, take a deep breath. Focus on your plan to build relationships with the kids, their families, and your coworkers.

20 Basics for Academic Performance in a Kindergarten Classroom

1. calendar.

Usually held as a large group activity at the start of the day, calendar time gives the kids an understanding of time – reviewing the date, day of the week, month of the year, yesterday/today/tomorrow.

When the kids have a clear visual of the daily schedule , they are not surprised at transitional time, which will lead to less disruptions and melt downs. 

There are tons of cute calendar displays for you to choose from, or you can create your own. 

2.  Counting the Days of School

Also during morning meetings, we count the days of school. Celebrating the 100th day of school is a BIG deal in kindergarten, and you have to be ready for it! 

You can grab this printable resource HERE or on TPT .  

3.  Kindergarten Math Talks 

This is it, friends…this is one of my favorite Kindergarten must-haves!

Daily number talks will build mental math, computation, and student discourse. 

With these Daily Math Talk Cards, you will present open-ended questions, tasks, problems, and questions that the kids will LOVE!

Get your Kindergarten Math Talks for the entire year (Digital and Printable) HERE.

4. Educational Apps

Most likely your kids will have access to tablets or computers.

Choosing the right educational apps is just as important as planning for weekly lessons.  One of my favorite FREE math apps for kids is Boddle. 

Transforming math with engagement,  Boddle is a K-6 math game that makes learning fun and personalized. Their goal is to help students unlock their confidence to learn through fun games that support their academic growth.

Boddle uses AI to adapt and tailor practice and learning content to the right level for each student using gamification.

Teachers and parents can create a free account.  Boddle is available on the web, iOS app store, and the Google Play Store.

5.  Nursery Rhymes for Kids

Nursery Rhymes for kids lay the foundation to early language and reading skills. 

In the book, Reading Magic , the brilliant Australian author, Mem Fox, states “Experts in literacy and child development have discovered that  if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they’re four years old, they’re usually among the best readers by the time they’re eight.”  

Check out these Popular Nursery Rhymes for Kids .

6.  100’s Chart

Everyday, you will be counting aloud with the kiddos. Rote counting is an important kindergarten math standard, and can be easily implemented in your daily routine.

Along with recording their rote counting skills, I did daily activities using the 100’s pocket chart in my kindergarten classroom. 

I created the printable 100’s charts and rote counting assessment to help build number sense and record the students growth throughout the year.

7.  Question of the Day

The question of the day activity builds expressive and receptive language skills, serves as kindergarten journal writing prompts, and can be easily integrated into a math lesson.

8.  I Can Statements (Kindergarten Standards)

Typically, elementary school administrators will expect teachers to post the kindergarten standards in a way that little kids can understand. 

In other words, you will rewrite, and post, the common core academic standards of your lesson plans in an “I can” format. 

For example, you can use these Kindergarten I Can Statements to simplify the state standards into kid-friendly language, such as  “I can say the letter sounds.”  

District officials will appreciate your effort to relay the expectations of the kids’ academic performance.

9.  Alphabet and Number Printables

When setting up a kindergarten classroom, you will want both alphabet and number printables.  

A daily review is a great way to bridge the kids into your planned leaning activities.  The Alphabet and Number Daily Review pages are included in the Kindergarten Bundle .

10.  Songs and Movement 

There wasn’t a single day that went by that we didn’t sing a song or incorporate music and movement in our kindergarten classroom. 

Studies have shown that music produces several positive effects on a human’s body and brain.

Music activates both the left and right brain at the same time, and the activation of both hemispheres can maximize learning and improve memory. 

Here are 18 transition songs for the classroom.

11. Playdoh

Yes, it’s true!  Playdoh is a must have item in a kindergarten classroom.  

You can allow kids to have a small collection of objects for free exploration, or have fun playdoh mats for them to practice specific skills.

Inside the Kindergarten Bundle , you will find playdoh mats for letters, shapes, and numbers to 20. 

12.  Sight Words and CVC Word Family Resources

Depending on your curriculum, sight words can be taught as early as the first quarter in kindergarten. 

You’ll want several sets of Sight Words cards and printable activities to keep throughout your room. 

Check to see if you are using Dolch Sight Words or Fry Sight Words.

The kindergarten sight word superstars (seen below) are included in the Kindergarten Classroom Bundle .

As a kindergarten teacher, I focused heavily on cvc words, phoneme segmentation, and word families during second half of the school year.

I created CVC word family printable resources , and CVC word games, as a supplemental to our weekly word family instruction and assessments. 

13. Writing Center

Teaching kindergarten students how to write isn’t always as easy as you’d think. 

The best advice I can give is to make writing fun by creating a writing center that inspires them to write and/or draw from day one!

This area is a great way to encourage positive experiences with writing – not for correcting their mistakes.

Supplies for a Fun Writing Center:

• Seasonal Illustrated Vocabulary Words
• Colored Paper
• Lined Paper for Kindergarten Writing
• Smelly Markers
• Glue Sticks
• Child appropriate magazines
• Blank notebooks
• Colored Pencils

The monthly Making Words writing centers (seen below) are included in the Kindergarten Classroom Bundle . 

14.  Classroom Library

Classroom libraries can be extensive, or kept simple.  My simplified classroom library entailed a front-facing bookshelf with approximately 15-30 books related to the theme we were currently learning about. 

A couple bean bag chairs, a small carpet, throw pillows, and stuffed animals made it a cozy place for them to want to hang out and read books.

15. Anchor Charts

As much as you would love to think the kids will have their eyes on you while teaching…they won’t.

They are 5-year olds and six-year olds, and their little minds and eyes wonder all over the place.

As they drift off, it’s important to have visuals around the room to help them connect the learning. This is why I love having anchor charts, of all sizes, hung around the room. 

16. Alphabet and Number Flashcards

There are endless opportunities to use alphabet cards in a kindergarten classroom.

• letter identification
• letter and sound assessments
• writing centers
• building sight words
• making words
• name building activities
• matching lowercase to uppercase
• filling in a 100’s chart
• sequential order
• missing number
• beginning sounds activities

Number flashcards are great for number identification, number assessments, counting sets and matching numbers, ordering or sequencing numbers, missing number games on a pocket chart, a number line, 100’s chart, in a math center, or to put on a small binder ring and keep on the board for parent volunteers to review with the kids.

17.  Dramatic Play

I can’t stress this enough!  Play is a natural part of childhood development.  Kids learn through play. 

As kindergarten teachers, can’t take that away from them. Set up a dramatic play area that promotes imagination and social skills.

A great way to get started at the beginning of the year is to put out a dress-up box.

Favorite Dress-Up Sets for Kindergarten:

• Construction worker, baker, gardener
• Fireman, police, and doctor
• Superhero Capes

18.  Family Photo Display 

At the start of the year, I send home a parent letter requesting a family photo . 

Photos trickle in over the following week, and I quickly have an adorable family photo display for the classroom.

The kids love talking about their family, and explaining who everyone is in the photo.  It’s a great ice breaker activity for kindergarten. 

19.   Poetry Notebooks

Poems for kids lay the foundation to early language and reading skills.

Children who are frequently read and sang to early on, are much more likely to develop strong reading skills. 

Poems for kids help with:

• memory skills
• cognitive development
• increase vocabulary
• capacity to engage socially
• imagination
• rhyming skills
• receptive and expressive language skills

20. Sensory Bins

When setting up your kindergarten classroom, be sure to designate an area for sensory bins!

Some teachers have sensory tables, while other create sensory bins using buckets with lids.  Whichever you choose, you can keep it simple with seasonal filler and skill cards.  

I love using sensory bins with the Monthly Mat Mats .  All you have to do is change out the filler and mats at the start of each month. 

Classroom Environment

The classroom environment is, in my opinion, just as important as the full-day kindergarten curriculum.

You will want to create an environment that is warm and welcoming, like home. This is where the students will be spending the majority of the time throughout the day.

As you consider the classroom setting, you will need to think about where your going to store classroom supplies, setting up a classroom library, the layout for student tables, a teacher desk, large group time, and areas for small groups.

When you look around the room, imagine a place to display student work, kindergarten “I Can Statement”, and where you can display a collection of family photos. I call this area the “classroom family” spot.

During the first week of school, I send home a parent letter asking parents to send in a family photo .

As they come in, the kids get an opportunity to tell the class about their family photo, then we hang it up in a designated area.

Favorite Things for Your Teacher Desk

You may be wondering how a teacher desk is related to the education of young children. But, trust me, easy access to your favorite things will make your days smoother than those who are not organized and prepared. 

Even if you don’t have a teacher desk, you will want to create an area for the basics.

I recently polled thousands of teachers inside FB groups asking what their desk must-haves are.

Here are some of the favorite things to keep in/on your teacher desk:

• Lotion (it can often be the miracle cure for those kids who have excessive mystery “boo-boos”. You know, the 5 and 6-year olds that come to you all day long with “this hurts”.
• Band-aids (I stock up at the Dollar Tree)
• Colorful Flair Pens
• Frixion Erasable Pens
• Blank note cards to send thank you notes
• Desktop calendar
• Clear packing tape
• Change of clothes (throw up happens)
• Lined post-it note pads (These are bigger than the traditional sizes, and are lined, which makes writing those quick last minute notes home a breeze)
• Chocolate or snack stash for the days when you have little time but need a pick-me-up.
• 3 Drawer container : to copy, to file, to pass out
• Stickers, stamps and stamp-pad
• Personal items for back-up (floss, advil, deodorant, hair bands)
• Tape dispenser
• Lesson Plan book
• Extra name tags
• Umbrella for dismissal
• Flavored Chapstick

Kindergarten Classroom Bundle

From alphabet posters and student bins, to daily math talks and Build-a-Poems, there are many important factors to consider when setting up your kindergarten classroom.

If you are interested in getting all of the printable resources listed above (plus additional printables, such as classroom labels, birthday tags, and table numbers) at a discounted rate, then you can check out the Basics of a Kindergarten Classroom Bundle .

 Before you go, here are a few blog posts you may enjoy:

130 Kindergarten Journal Prompts

20 Tips for Teaching Concepts of Print

Kindergarten I Can Statements

Kindergarten Classroom

How do you clean the facial pads? Everytime I wash them they have dry erase marker still on them

The pads that the kids use for just erasing usually get pretty clean after a regular wash (I put them in a lingerie bag to keep them from getting stuck anywhere). I d o have kids who like to write on the eraser, though, and that ink doesn't come out usually.

These can be found and purchased on the dollar tree website ��

They have them at dollar tree they are make up removers

I cannot find those erasers at any Dollar Tree near me. Lexington SC 🙁

Ugh, Kelli…that stinks 🙂 I haven't tried, but maybe Dollar General or Five Below carry them. Or, you could always try going to Dollartree.com – they may have them online! Good luck!

Hi Melanie. I found them at the Dollar Tree 🙂

What dollar store did you find the facial pads?

Dollar Tree

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We encourage play, nature, and learning for kids (PreK-1st). Click here to learn more about me.

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15 of the Best Free Learning Games for Kindergarteners

Finding free learning games for kindergartners that are age-appropriate and that meet essential objectives can be tough. While there are thousands of websites that claim to offer quality educational games for free, this is not always the case. 

It can be very frustrating as a parent (and homeschooling mom) to try to find additional resources for your child that check all of the boxes. So that’s why I created this list of free learning games for kindergarteners. 

No more scouring through endless Google searches again because these are both teacher and mom-approved! 

Free Learning Games for Kindergarteners

Education.com.

This website offers tons of resources (aligned with current Common Core Standards) for students of all ages that include games, worksheets, and lesson plans for most subjects. Simply choose your child’s grade level and create an account to get started! 

Education.com allows 3 monthly downloads for free, but if you want unlimited access to all of their resources they offer an affordable monthly membership . If you are a homeschooling parent , they offer additional discounts to make the monthly fee even more affordable.

Cool Kindergarten

Cool Kindergarten is designed specifically for 5 and 6-year-olds to practice math and reading skills. This resource is always free and a great alternative to other paid memberships, such as ABC Mouse. 

They also offer online audiobook videos and games that would be lots of fun if your child had some free time to play age-appropriate games. The website is perfect for young learners because they can navigate independently without you having to worry about them landing on other websites by accident.

If your child enjoys watching their favorite shows on PBS, they will love these free learning games! Your preschoolers and kindergarteners will recognize familiar faces, which will increase their engagement and make learning even more fun! PBS Kids offers learning games for reading , math, science , engineering, as well as other interesting topics. 

Turtle Diary 

This website offers tons of free learning games for kindergarteners up to fifth grade. Above each game, you will find a small intro and learning objective. They even offer games to teach typing and geography along with the other core subjects.

Unfortunately, the major downside to this resource is the ads. I am NOT a fan of websites for children that have pop up ads because they can be misleading to your child and cause them to be redirected from the platform. 

If you do decide to use Turtle Diary, I would suggest either being seated with your child while he/she is playing (so you can make sure they are staying on the actual website) or purchasing the premium option, which removes the ads and has the added bonus of allowing you to track your student’s progress. 

Fun Brain Jr. 

Fun Brain Jr. is a fantastic place for children, ages 2 to 6, to play games and learn. You will find printable downloads and stickers that kids earn as they progress thru the games. While you won’t find as many games on Fun Brain Jr. as other websites, the fact that everything is free makes it well worth your time to check out! And if you’re specifically looking for math and reading learning games , this is the place to be.

Splash Learn 

With over 61 free math games, your kindergartener will never be bored. All of the resources that Splash Learn offers align with Common Core Standards. Their website contains math materials only and there is no subscription required! You don’t have to worry about ads either, which will keep your student on track without being distracted. 

Nick Jr. 

Another learning library similar to PBS Kids, your students will go bananas when they get to play along with their favorite characters. While this website’s games don’t align with Common Core State Standards specifically, your child will still be learning and practicing important skills along with their favorite characters from Nick Jr. And remember, the key to keeping kids engaged during learning is excitement! 

Cool Math 4 Kids

Here’s another free learning resource catered towards all things math! This website actually offers games for ages 5-12, which is perfect if you have multiple kids on tech time at once. Your kids will be able to access games covering a variety of essential math concepts. As an added bonus, Cool Math 4 Kids also has a sister site, CoolMath.com , which is rated for kids 13 and up. 

Time for Kids 

Coming straight from Time Magazine, Time for Kids is packed with articles and photos covering the environment, current events, health, sports, and more! Although this website is not as interactive or colorful as compared to the other resources listed, it’s a fantastic way to let kids see the news from an age-appropriate perspective. 

Fun Brain 

Once your kids visit this site, you will definitely want to bookmark it! Fun Brain offers games, reading resources, videos, and a math zone for kids from preschool to 8th grade! The site is straightforward when it comes to navigation, and you can filter the learning games so that only those for kindergarten populate to make it easier for your child. 

Highlights Kids 

Highlights magazine always makes me nostalgic because it was the first “real” magazine subscription designed specifically for kids. I remember finding them in every waiting room I visited and seeing them in the library at school. 

They’ve definitely come a long way since then with four different versions from babies to school-aged children as well as bilingual options! They even have an online space where your child can find tons of activities and free learning games for kindergarteners that would be great to incorporate into family time. You will also find ideas for crafts and kid-friendly recipes! 

Jump Start 

These kindergarten activities include printables and online learning games. You will find math, reading, and science resources ! The site is super organized and ad-free even without a subscription. Jump Start is a great tool for homeschooling parents and classroom teachers! 

Khan Academy 

Looking for high-quality content? Khan Academy offers amazing content for learners up to the college level! While you have to make an account to access everything, the account is completely free…so no worries. You will find content for just about any topic imaginable and a wealth of resources for all of the core subjects. It’s also super-simple to track your child’s progress with their reports! 

From personal experience, I can tell you that Khan Academy is our go-to resource whenever they need a little more help on a particular concept from Algebra and Geometry to History! It’s truly a fantastic resource, and that is why I had to include it on this list of free learning games for kindergarteners.

National Geographic Kids 

The videos and images that National Geographic Kids have in their magazines and on their websites are out of this world! Their content is very reliable and engaging no matter what your student likes learning. They have every topic imaginable ranging from animals to space…and just so you know, the quiz games are so much fun! 

Cookie 

Cookie.com offers hundreds of free learning activities including games created around language, math, and science! And be sure to check out their printable worksheet section if you are a classroom teacher, homeschooling family, or you just want your child to have some extra activities at home! 

HOMER  

The Homer app offers a free 30 day trial for students between the ages of 2 and 8. This app was developed by experts and has been shown to increase reading scores by as much as 74%.

Kids love the fact that the app is specialized to their interests while parents appreciate the fact that their kids are reading, exploring math concepts, and improving their thinking skills in unique and creative ways.

Remember, learning doesn’t have to be boring! Because kids of all ages love interactive websites and apps, I can guarantee that these are going to be a hit. Whether you are thinking about incorporating them into your daily classroom routine, your homeschool schedule , or your summer rhythms, I know your kids are going to love these free learning games for kindergartners.

More Helpful Kindergarten Resources: 

• The Ultimate Guide to Kindergarten Homeschool
• The Best Kindergarten Letter Activities
• Your Complete Guide to Kindergarten Sight Words
• How to Learn Counting the Fun Way
• 10 Ordinal Number Activities
• The Best STEM Activities for Kindergarten
• How To Make a Kindergarten Homeschool Schedule

Jennifer is a former elementary school teacher (M. Ed.) turned literacy interventionist, blogger, podcaster, TpT author, and homeschooling mom. When she's not with her husband & boys, she's sharing her love for Jesus, designing websites, helping other teachers pursue online businesses, organizing ALL THE THINGS, or watching New Girl. Read More >>

Kindergarten Educational Learning Games

Enjoy a fun-filled learning experience with our online kindergarten educational games in math and ELA, carefully designed by experienced teachers. Our platform offers diverse interactive kindergarten games aligned with the curriculum, helping kids master counting, basic addition and subtraction, sorting, shap ... Read more es, letter names and sounds, letter tracing, sight words, motor skills, and more. Kids, parents, and school teachers love these vibrant learning games! Start now for free!

CONTENT TYPE

• Lesson Plans
• Number Sense (176)
• Number Recognition (30)
• Number Recognition Within 5 (12)
• Number Recognition Within 10 (12)
• Number Recognition Within 20 (6)
• Number Tracing (20)
• Number Tracing Within 5 (5)
• Number Tracing Within 10 (5)
• Number Tracing Within 20 (10)
• Number Sequence (48)
• Counting (110)
• Counting Objects Within 5 (35)
• Counting Objects Within 10 (36)
• Counting Objects Within 20 (6)
• Compare Numbers (17)
• Compare Objects (6)
• Order Numbers (1)
• Place Value (2)
• Teen Numbers (2)
• Addition (122)
• Add With Pictures (33)
• Addition Strategies (76)
• Compose And Decompose Numbers (47)
• Number Bonds (9)
• Count All To Add (9)
• Subtraction (66)
• Subtract With Pictures (27)
• Subtraction Strategies (23)
• Geometry (43)
• Positional Words (5)
• Shapes (38)
• 2D Shapes (32)
• Attributes Of 2D Shapes (13)
• 3D Shapes (5)
• Data Handling (9)
• Sorting Objects (7)
• Measurement (13)
• Comparing Lengths (5)
• Word Problems (27)
• Addition Word Problems (11)
• Addition Word Problems Within 20 (11)
• Subtraction Word Problems (16)
• Subtraction Word Problems Within 20 (16)
• ELA (1,055)
• Reading (1,035)
• Phonics (1,035)
• Alphabet (144)
• Letter Recognition (144)
• Letter A (5)
• Letter B (5)
• Letter C (5)
• Letter D (5)
• Letter E (5)
• Letter F (5)
• Letter G (5)
• Letter H (5)
• Letter I (5)
• Letter J (5)
• Letter K (5)
• Letter L (5)
• Letter M (5)
• Letter N (5)
• Letter O (5)
• Letter P (5)
• Letter Q (5)
• Letter R (5)
• Letter S (5)
• Letter T (5)
• Letter U (5)
• Letter V (5)
• Letter W (5)
• Letter X (5)
• Letter Y (5)
• Letter Z (5)
• Lowercase Letters (26)
• Uppercase Letters (26)
• Matching Lowercase And Uppercase Letters (45)
• Letter Sounds (130)
• Vowels (81)
• Short Vowel Sounds (81)
• Short Vowel A Sound (59)
• Short Vowel E Sound (26)
• Short Vowel I Sound (59)
• Short Vowel O Sound (44)
• Short Vowel U Sound (24)
• Blending (358)
• Ccvc Words (19)
• Cvc Words (271)
• Cvcc Words (34)
• Consonant Digraphs (8)
• Digraph Ch (3)
• Digraph Ph (2)
• Digraph Sh (3)
• Digraph Th (2)
• Digraph Wh (2)
• Double Consonants (8)
• Rhyming Words (18)
• Sight Words (395)
• Dolch Sight Words (324)
• Fry Sight Words (237)
• Writing (46)
• Handwriting (46)
• Letter Tracing (46)
• Letter Tracing A (3)
• Letter Tracing B (3)
• Letter Tracing C (3)
• Letter Tracing D (3)
• Letter Tracing E (3)
• Letter Tracing F (3)
• Letter Tracing G (3)
• Letter Tracing H (3)
• Letter Tracing I (3)
• Letter Tracing J (3)
• Letter Tracing K (3)
• Letter Tracing L (3)
• Letter Tracing M (3)
• Letter Tracing N (3)
• Letter Tracing O (3)
• Letter Tracing P (3)
• Letter Tracing Q (3)
• Letter Tracing R (3)
• Letter Tracing S (3)
• Letter Tracing T (3)
• Letter Tracing U (3)
• Letter Tracing V (3)
• Letter Tracing W (3)
• Letter Tracing X (3)
• Letter Tracing Y (3)
• Letter Tracing Z (3)
• General Knowledge (293)
• Vegetables (19)
• Fruits (24)
• Animals (58)
• Seasonal (28)
• Christmas (12)
• Kitchen (11)
• Musical Instruments (30)
• Art & Creativity (235)
• Coloring (181)
• Animals (32)
• Rhymes (25)
• Stories (10)
• Logic & Thinking (11)
• Motor Skills (15)

Number Sense Games

Count to 5 Game

Dive deep into the world of counting with our fun 'Count to 5' game.

Count back and Complete the Sequence Game

Practice the superpower of number sense by learning how to count back and complete the sequence.

Counting Sequence from 1 to 5 Game

Help your little one practice the counting sequence from 1 to 5.

Trace the Number One Game

Sharpen your number skills by tracing the number one.

Addition Games

Compose Numbers to make 10 Game

Begin the exciting journey of becoming a math wizard by learning how to compose numbers to make 10.

Model to Add Numbers Game

Dive deep into the world of math by modeling to add numbers.

Match the Correct Sum Game

Apply your knowledge of addition to match the correct sum.

Build the Model to Add Numbers Game

Enjoy the marvel of mathematics by exploring how to build the model to add numbers.

Subtraction Games

Complete the Related Subtraction Facts Game

Unearth the wisdom of mathematics by learning how to complete related subtraction facts.

Find Missing Numbers in Subtraction Sentences Game

Find out the missing numbers in the given subtraction sentences.

Remove and Match the Number Game

Enjoy the marvel of math-multiverse by exploring how to remove and match the number.

Take Away to Match the Number Game

Apply your knowledge of subtraction to take away to match the number.

Geometry Games

Sort Real-World Shapes Game

Add more arrows to your child’s math quiver by sorting real-world shapes.

Counting Objects Above and Below Game

Begin the exciting journey of becoming a math wizard by counting objects 'above' and 'below'.

• Identify Objects Above and Below Game

Learn to solve problems by identifying objects 'above' and 'below'.

Sort Flat and Solid Shapes Game

Learn to solve math problems by sorting flat and solid shapes.

Data Handling Games

Sort Objects by their Name Game

Have your own math-themed party by learning how to sort objects by their name.

Sort Objects by Color Game

Dive deep into the world of measurement by sorting objects by color.

Identify Objects by their Name Game

Take a deep dive into the world of math by identifying objects by their names.

Identify Objects by Color Game

Sharpen your skills by identifying objects by their colors.

Measurement Games

Identify the Object with Shorter Length Game

Use your measurement skills to identify the object with the shorter length.

Identify the Object with Shorter Height Game

Shine bright in the math world by learning how to identify the object with the shorter height.

Compare Weights of Objects Game

Enjoy the marvel of mathematics by exploring how to compare weights of objects.

Select the Right Unit Game

Learn to solve math problems by selecting the right unit.

Word Problems Games

Adding Within 5 by Making a Model Game

Add more arrows to your child’s math quiver by adding within 5 by making a model.

Subtraction Scenario Game

Take a look at subtraction scenarios with this game.

Take Away Scenario Game

Use your subtraction skills to solve 'Take Away' scenarios.

Adding One by Making a Model Game

Treat yourself to an immersive learning experience with our 'Adding One by Making a Model' game.

Reading Games

Find the Letters A, B, C & D Game

Put your language skills to the test by finding the letters A, B, C & D.

Match Big and Small A Game

Put your language skills to the test by learning to match big and small A.

Can You Find the Uppercase Letter A? Game

To play this game, find the uppercase letter A.

Can You Find the Lowercase Letter a? Game

To play this game, find the lowercase letter a.

Writing Games

Tracing Small Letters With Standing & Curvy Lines - a, d & q Game

Practice tracing small letters with standing and curvy lines - a, d and q.

Tracing Big Letters With Standing & Curvy Lines - B, D, & P Game

Practice tracing big letters with standing & curvy lines - B, D, & P.

Learn to Trace the Letter A Game

Introduce your child to writing by learning to trace the letter A.

Tracing Big Letters With Sleeping & Slanting Lines - A, V, W, X, Y & Z Game

Practice tracing big letters with sleeping & slanting lines - A, V, W, X, Y & Z.

Cookie: Chef Yum Yum Game

Step into the kitchen and bake mouthwatering cookies.

Banana: Tropical Coloring Adventure Game

Dive into a fruity adventure and paint vibrant bananas.

Vibrant Bell Pepper Coloring Adventure Game

Explore the world of fruits and vegetables and paint colorful bell peppers in this interactive coloring game.

Cheese-Themed Coloring Fun Game

Paint delicious blocks of cheese with vibrant colors.

Animals Games

Iguana: Picture Perfect Game

Dive into the world of reptiles and paint picture-perfect iguanas in this engaging game.

Dive into the Turtle Picture Game

Embrace your artistic side and create a beautiful picture of an adorable turtle in this engaging game.

Allosaurus: Dinosaur Coloring Adventure Game

Travel back in time and paint fierce allosaurs with vibrant colors.

Dive into Clownfish Coloring Game

Dive into an underwater adventure and paint vibrant clownfish swimming amidst coral reefs in this game.

Seasonal Games

Bat Coloring Adventure Game

Paint enchanting bats with a burst of colors in this coloring adventure game.

Ringing Bells Coloring Adventure Game

Jingle all the way with colorful bells in this exciting coloring adventure game.

Christmas Pudding Coloring Magic Game

Celebrate the holidays with a burst of colors in this coloring adventure game.

Mysterious Black Cat Coloring Adventure Game

Bring mischievous black cats to life with vibrant colors.

Kitchen Games

Kitchenware Coloring Game: The Fork

Explore the beauty of everyday objects and paint detailed illustrations of forks in this coloring adventure game.

Shiny Glass Coloring Adventure Game

Unleash your creativity and paint intricate glass objects in this immersive coloring adventure game.

Knife Coloring Game Adventure

Discover the art of illustration and paint detailed depictions of knives in this engaging coloring adventure game.

Donut: Chef Yum Yum Game

Step into the kitchen and create mouthwatering donuts.

Musical Instruments Games

Groovy Guitar Coloring Adventure Game

Strum your artistic skills and paint rocking guitars in this coloring adventure game.

Maracas Shake Up Your Coloring Skills Game

Paint vibrant maracas and bring the rhythm to life in this coloring adventure game.

Drum Beat Coloring Fun Game

Let your creativity beat to the rhythm and paint vibrant drums.

Musical Flute Coloring Fun Game

Paint melodious flutes with a burst of colors in this coloring adventure game.

Birds Games

Albatross: Picture Perfect Game

Soar through the skies with vibrant albatrosses in this picture perfect game.

Dive into Colors with Ducks Game

Dive into a pond of colors with ducks in this picture perfect game.

Eagle: Picture Perfect Game

Spread your wings and paint majestic eagles in this picture perfect game.

Chicken: Picture Perfect Game

Paint charming chickens in this picture perfect game.

Space Games

Balloon Pop - Unknown Flying Object:UFO: Toss Up Game

Test your tossing skills and pop balloons to reveal unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in this exciting game.

Space Hunt: Peek A Boo Game

Embark on a space-themed adventure and search for hidden objects in this interactive game.

Coloring Games

Cupcake Coloring Fun Game

Decorate delightful cupcakes with a splash of colors.

Airplane: Sky-high Coloring Adventure Game

Embark on an artistic journey and paint dynamic airplanes taking flight in this coloring adventure game.

4th of July: Creative Coloring Adventure Game

Paint a festive scene filled with red, white, and blue to commemorate the 4th of July in this coloring adventure game.

Ape: Jungle Coloring Adventure Game

Embark on a coloring adventure with playful apes.

Music Games

Play Baba Black Sheep Band Jam Game

Join the band and play the popular song "Baba Baba Black Sheep" in this interactive game.

Dive into Mulberry Bush Band Jam Game

Join the band and play the classic song "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush" in this interactive game.

Enjoy the All of Me Juke Box Game

Show off your singing skills and perform the popular song "All of Me" in this interactive game.

Experience Down They Go Juke Box Game

Sing along and perform the catchy song "Down They Go" in this interactive game.

Stories Games

Dive into Busy Body Sleep Solution Juke Box Game

Listen to calming tunes and relax your body for a peaceful sleep in this interactive game.

Explore Little Turtle's Dream Juke Box Game

Join Little Turtle on a musical adventure and explore his dream world in this interactive game.

Enjoy Dream Vacation Juke Box Game

Take a musical journey to your dream vacation destination in this immersive game.

Enjoy Going Batty Juke Box Game

Sing and groove to the catchy tune of "Going Batty" in this interactive jukebox game.

All Games Games

Quickly Tell the Number of Things up to 10 Game

Have your own math-themed party by learning how to quickly tell the number of things up to 10.

Identify the Addition Sentence Game

Enjoy the marvel of math-multiverse by identifying the addition sentence.

Solve Subtraction Sentences Game

Enjoy the marvel of math-multiverse by exploring how to solve subtraction sentences.

Read the Data Game

Begin the exciting journey of becoming a math wizard by learning how to read data.

Pizza: Chef Yum Yum Game

Become a master pizza chef and create delicious pizzas.

Buffalo: Picture Perfect Game

Explore the world of buffalos in this picture perfect game.

Kettle Game: Steaming Coloring Fun

Paint charming kettles with a burst of colors in this coloring adventure game.

Alien: Space Coloring Adventure Game

Let your imagination run wild and paint unique and colorful aliens in this adventure-packed coloring game.

Buzzing Bee Coloring Adventure Game

Buzz with creativity and paint adorable bees with a palette of colors.

Autumn Fall: Seasonal Coloring Adventure Game

Paint a picturesque autumn scene and immerse yourself in the beauty of fall in this coloring adventure game.

Astronaut: Space Coloring Adventure Game

Embark on a cosmic coloring adventure and paint a vibrant astronaut in this game.

Experience Colosseum Coloring Game

Travel back in time and color the magnificent Colosseum with vibrant hues.

Ball: Bouncy Coloring Adventure Game

Paint bouncy balls with a burst of colors and bring them to life.

Delightful Daisy Coloring Game

Paint vibrant daisies and bring the beauty of flowers to life.

Bakery: Delicious Coloring Game

Step into a sweet world and color delicious treats in this coloring adventure game.

Blue: Sneaky Shapes Game

Sharpen your observation skills and spot hidden blue shapes in this engaging game.

Balloon Pop: Toss Up Game

Enjoy popping balloons in this exciting toss up game.

Cooking Adventure Game

Get ready for a cooking adventure and satisfy hungry customers.

Toss Up Game

Challenge your accuracy and toss objects to hit various targets.

Magic Canvas Color Your Imagination Game

Let your imagination soar and create enchanting art on a magical canvas.

Discover The Dancing Jungle Game

Shake, groove, and dance with the animals in the vibrant jungle.

Dive into The Origami Aquarium Game

Dive into the world of origami with this aquarium game.

Picture Perfect Game

Paint, draw, and express your artistic skills in this picture perfect game.

Number Ninja: Fun Math Arcade Game

Become a number ninja and slice through math challenges.

Peek A Boo Game

Peek-a-boo! Have fun and uncover surprises in this engaging game.

Challenge the City Stacker Game

Build a magnificent city by stacking colorful buildings.

Ball Dunk: Toss Up Game

Test your skills and dunk balls in this toss up game.

Identify Embedded Numbers Game

Help your child take flight by learning how to identify embedded numbers.

Identify the Expression Game

Unearth the wisdom of mathematics by learning how to identify the expression.

Choose the Correct Expression Game

Have your own math-themed party by learning how to choose the correct expression.

Compare the Data Game

Take the first step towards building your math castle by practicing how to compare data.

Smoothie: Chef Yum Yum Game

Mix and match ingredients to create tasty smoothies.

Cat: Picture Perfect Game

Bring cats to life with colors in this picture perfect game.

Birthday Party Coloring Adventure Game

Use your artistic skills to paint a vibrant birthday party scene and join the fun in this coloring adventure game.

Explore Coloring Fun in the Toaster Game

Create a toasty masterpiece by painting colorful toasters.

Online Games for Kindergarten Kids

Effective teaching for kindergarteners involves engaging methods to capture their limited attention spans. Interactive online games make learning enjoyable, covering alphabet adventures and number skills, nurturing essential abilities. SplashLearn's Kindergarten games offer diverse activities fostering math, reading, and critical thinking, fostering an exciting learning journey.

These interactive online games enhance academic growth, not just entertaining but making numbers captivating. As kids progress, they grasp number recognition, counting, and comprehension. The math topics they explore span number sense, addition, subtraction, geometry, and word problems.

Similarly, educational games aid in ELA development. Through activities like tracing, sight words, and rhyming, classroom games introduce letters and sounds. Reading, writing, phonics, and letter tracing games infuse ELA learning with excitement, contributing to a holistic learning experience.

Types of Kindergarten Educational Games

Let’s take an overview of types of games for Kindergarten kids based on the kindergarten curriculum.

Kindergarten Math Games  

Kindergarten ela games  , kindergarten general knowledge games  , kindergarten art and creativity games  , kindergarten logic and thinking games.

Kindergarten Logic and Thinking Games have a variety of fun word puzzles, number challenges, memory games, etc. which will promote critical thinking and problem solving skills. These games not only entertain but also foster their cognitive development.

Kindergarten Motor Skills Games

Discover Kindergarten Motor Skill Games , designed to enhance coordination, balance, and dexterity while ensuring maximum fun. These games help kids develop physical abilities through enjoyable activities, setting the stage for healthy growth and active learning.

Features of Kindergarten Games

• Play on multiple devices : You can play games with kindergarteners online on multiple devices.
• Engaging and rewarding games : Children can purchase assets for their characters and more through the coins they win through practice.
• Easy Connect for Parents : Parents can be instantly notified about their child’s progress in kindergarten games online.
• Offline access : Kindergarten online games can also be played offline through apps for an interruption-free experience.

Benefits of Online Games for Kindergarten Learning

• Enhanced Learning and Skill Development : Online learning games for kindergarten students offer more than conceptual knowledge, fostering fine motor, creative, critical thinking, and emotional skills.
• Decision Making and Problem-Solving : Kindergarten online games encourage decision-making and a problem-solving attitude, refining abilities through repeated practice, resulting in increased speed and clarity.
• Early Computer Literacy : Kindergarten online learning games foster computer literacy from a young age, providing positive digital interaction and fluency in today's digital era. 

What Are the 5 Best Kindergarten Games and Activities?

SplashLearn offers a variety of interactive games for kindergarten. Here are a few fun and interactive online kindergarten games by SplashLearn:

• Subtraction Symbol Game
• Christmas Coloring Extravaganza Game
• Beautiful Butterfly Coloring Adventure Game
• Ice Cream Chef Yum Yum Game

How do you help kids practice Kindergarten learning?

• Offer printable Kindergarten Math worksheets and ELA worksheets to kids for structured and hands-on practice.
• Engage kids in effective online kindergarten games for engaging learning experience.
• Practice math and ELA skills seamlessly through daily tasks like counting toys, reading labels during grocery shopping, and drawing in a journal. Turn routine moments into valuable learning opportunities!

Are there any free trial options to test out these Kindergarten learning games?

SplashLearn online Kindergarten learning games are totally free for teachers. Parents can sign up for a 7-day trial period to try SplashLearn’s Kindergarten learning resources .

How can parents integrate these educational games for kindergarteners into their children’s daily routine?

• Learning Breaks : Use game breaks between daily activities to reinforce concepts without overwhelming the child.
• Storytime Play : Combine ELA games with bedtime stories, making language learning interactive and enjoyable.
• Weekend Enrichment : Dedicate weekend time to longer game sessions, fostering deeper engagement and learning exploration.

Which age group are these Kindergarten games suitable for?

These fun learning games for kindergarteners are designed for children typically around 4 to 6 years old, the age group that typically attends kindergarten.

How do you make teaching Kindergarten fun?

• Interactive Activities : Use online games, worksheets , crafts, stories, and group activities to keep learning lively and interactive.
• Visual Learning : Align lessons with themes, pictures, and visual aids that excite kids, making learning relatable and enjoyable.

Your one stop solution for all grade learning needs.

18 Kindergarten Classroom Games To Help Kiddos Burn That Energy

Looking to entertain some kindergarten-aged kiddos ? Maybe you’re a teacher with a kindergarten class stuck inside on a snow day or a mama about to embark on homeschooling a kindergartener during the pandemic. Or, perhaps, you’re just looking for ways to entertain your 5 to 7 year olds at home. You need some kindergarten classroom games. That’s for sure.

Let’s not get it twisted: Kindergarten is important. By the time our kids finish kindergarten, they’ll know how to identify and write all 26 alphabet letters, make their sounds, and read simple sight words. They’ll also learn to count to about 30 and be able to add and subtract numbers less than ten. One very big part of kindergarten, though, is learning to socialize — to share, converse, and play together. The best teachers can foster those skills by playing games in their kindergarten classroom. Kindergarten teachers know what’s up. They can educate and entertain little ones better than anyone else. So, when looking for ways to appease bored kiddos, look no further than kindergarten classroom games like the ones below.

1. Simple Charades

Smaller children may not be ready for miming “Where The Red Fern Grows.” They can, however, play a version that’s on their level. Instead of writing down ideas, use things like animal, number or letter flashcards that they can draw out of a hat. Can they make that number or letter by contorting their bodies or just holding that number of fingers up? Can they do a good impersonation of an elephant? If their team can guess what they’re doing, they get a point.

2. Hot Potato Game

Do you remember playing Hot Potato as a kid? Sure. Do you remember exactly how it’s played? We don’t! Once you get the hang of it , though, this game’s sense of excitement and urgency is a great way to shake out the post-lunch haze.

3. Four Corners

Start by labeling each corner of your room with a number. Have “It” stand in the middle of the room, close their eyes, and count to ten. While “It” is counting, have everyone else scramble to the corner of their choice. When they’re done counting, “It” will call out a the number or name of one of the corners — “Corner 2,” for instance. Anyone in that corner must return to their desk. “It” will count, again and your kids should continue to scramble to different corners. Each time “It” calls a new corner, the numbers will dwindle until only one player remains. That player becomes the new “It” and everyone can start over, again.

4. Pass The Drawing

This is an especially great game to play in small teams (like at each table in your kindergarten classroom). Give one person at the table 15 seconds to draw something on a piece of paper. Afterward, they should pass it to another person on their team to add to the drawing. Keep passing every 10-15 seconds until everyone at the table or in the team has had a chance to add to the drawing. Collect the drawings. From here, you could simply have other teams guess what each table drew, guess who drew it, or let everyone vote on their favorite.

Limbo is such a great way to get out some energy and make everyone laugh. You can play the limbo song, but really any music will do.

6. Duck, Duck, Goose

Who doesn’t remember how to play duck, duck, goose?

7. Jump The Line

This is a great way to review the day or week’s lessons. Put down a piece of painter’s tape on the floor and have your kids line up on the tape. Assign one side as true and the other as false. Give them information they should know and let them decide if they should jump to the true side or the false side. If they choose wrong, they’re out. (Example: “Two plus two is five.” Anyone who jumped to the “true” side will be out.)

8. Freeze Dance

Need some time to get out those wiggles? Cue up some music on your phone and let your kiddos get wild. When you’re ready, hit “pause” and make them freeze. Anyone still dancing (or the last person dancing) is out.

9. Simon Says

Simon says this game is a classic for a reason: It’s fun and teaches kids to follow directions.

10. Musical Chairs

You’ll probably need to set some ground rules so no one violates anyone’s personal bubble. But, this game is a classic and oh-so-fun.

11. Crazy Train

Have your little buddies line up in one long “train.” Starting off, you be the leader and steer the train in circles, over chairs, and around obstacles. After a while, consider letting someone else lead.

12. Red Light, Green Light

Green means “Go!” And red means “Stop!” We’re pretty sure you know how to play this, right?

13. What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf?

This super silly listening game is very similar to Red Light, Green Light. The biggest difference? It incorporates a bit of “tag.”

14. Please, Mr. Crocodile

Man, these animals are bossy! Mr. Crocodile takes Mr. Wolf’s impending doom and amps it up with a bit of totalitarian favoritism. Confused? Perfect.

15. Row Your Boat

Seasoned educators at the Whitby School recommend using this game as a way to teach movement control and teamwork to kindergarteners. They suggest pairing two kids up and sitting them on the floor with their knees up to their chest as they hold each other’s hands and rock back and forth while singing or listening to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” This game may feel simple but actually teaches kids coordination with others.

16. Build An Obstacle Course

This activity has great teamwork and body movement elements in it, making it a perfect game to encourage discussion and communication as well as physical activity. Have the kids use cones, smaller hula hoops, and steps to build their obstacle course before taking turns running through them.

17. GoNoodle

Need something super-easy? Look no further than GoNoodle . This free website offers tons of movement-and-mindfulness-based videos designed to engage kids. And since each video is just a few minutes long, you can mix and match to create the perfect indoor recess for your kiddos.

18. “Bluebird, Bluebird”

Even if you never played the game, you’ve probably heard this classic childhood song. “Bluebird, bluebird in and out my window/Bluebird, bluebird in and out my window/Bluebird, bluebird in and out my window/Oh Johnny, I’m so tired!/Take a friend and tap them on the shoulder/Take a friend and tap them on the shoulder/Take a friend and tap them on the shoulder/Oh Johnny, I’m so tired!”

So, how do you play the game? Pick one child to be the bluebird, then have the rest stand in a circle holding hands. Have them raise their clasped hands high to form “windows.” As everyone sings the chorus, the bluebird weaves in and out of the windows. When the song reaches “Oh Johnny,” the bluebird stops. Then lightly tap on the shoulders of the student they’re standing behind, who leaves the circle to hold the bluebird’s hand and follow them in and out of windows. Keep repeating this sequence until there are only two kids left — those two will be the bridge for “London Bridge Is Falling Down.” The bluebird leads everyone through the “bridge.” The student who gets caught when the bridge collapses (on “my fair lady”) gets to be the bluebird the next time you play.

This article was originally published on June 22, 2020

22 Winter-Themed Activities for the Kindergarten Classroom

When it’s time to come back from winter break or Christmas break – it’s time to hit the ground running in kindergarten. There is explosive growth that happens from now until the spring in both reading and math.

Let’s capitalize on that learning-growth spurt and plan some great winter kindergarten activities .

Here are winter-themed math, science, and literacy-based activities, along with some art projects, crafts, and a set of free worksheets that I have found.

I hope they can be helpful to you as you make your January and February lesson plans.

Math activities

Here are two math resources that help you pick up where you left off in December and grow your learners.

Winter bump

Grab this free winter-themed math addition game for kindergarten. Your kinders will play “bump” using dice and linking cubes (or another manipulative) and work on adding numbers.

You’ll love that this game includes multiple levels so it’s already differentiated for you.

Frozen composing teens

Practice composing numbers 11-19 with this fun, Frozen-themed game . Students play on a printable game board, moving characters like Sven and Olaf after they make numbers using groups of tens and ones.

First one to the snow-capped village wins!

If you have a class that loves Frozen movies, you may just want to use this entire Frozen unit for the month of January.

Winter estimation

As students are learning larger numbers in the second semester, capitalize on seeing such numbers with this simple estimation activity .

All you need are fingerprints and cotton balls! So fun and perfect for winter.

I think it’d be a great tie in to using ten frames to predict how many and record their findings.

If you want to differentiate – just use the polar bear template laminated and use marshmallows to estimate. [Use mini-marshmallows for students who can count up to 100, regular-sized marshmallows for students working with numbers to 30, and jumbo marshmallows for students who can count to 20.]

Science activities

Let’s dig into science with simple, standards-based activities.

Expanding snowman

When the snow hits your area (or grab a bag of ice at Sonic or ice cubes and grind them in a blender) then you’re ready to make an expanding snowman .

You can easily make this as a class, or the supplies are cheap enough for everyone to do the activity. Use brand-name freezer storage bags for best results.

Students watch Alka-seltzer interact with snow and you can observe and discuss what changes take place.

Did you know you could make this?

I think this super-strong snow slime recipe would make for the coolest writing springboard…

Let each kinder have a turn to create a scene – snap a photo and print it out for them to use as a book front cover or writing prompt illustration.

Go from science to writing in one awesome afternoon.

Here is a great alternative snow slime recipe that doesn’t require hard-to-find ingredients.

Igloo STEM challenge

Students plan and design how to make an igloo in small groups using simple supplies. Then they test out their plan by using the simple materials.

Grab some marshmallows, frosting, and use the empty frosting container – this could be fun!

Turn this into an individual STEM challenge by substituting mini marshmallows and a condiment cup or styrofoam cup as a base.

How do penguins stay dry experiment

Explore how penguin feathers help them to stay dry in the Antarctic waters.

I like this idea since it is really simple and uses materials that are easy to produce in the classroom. Each student can do this activity.

Another good activity that explores how arctic animals (including some penguins) stay warm is to make a blubber mitt . We did this every year as a whole group experience.

An alternative idea is to crease the paper down the middle and only color on one half of the penguin. That way students can see what would happen if the oily residue didn’t exist on the penguins feathers.

Literacy-based activities

Let’s connect reading skills to all things winter.

The Mitten easy reader

This is a free printable emergent reader that comes in four different levels. You can make a set to keep in your classroom or make one for students to take home.

This is based on the popular book, The Mitten.

Here are a few more resources and activities you my like based on The Mitten for kindergarten:

• 50-page free “The Mitten” unit
• Retell “The Mitten” to ‘The Farmer in the Dell’
• Symmetrical mitten art project

Sneezy the Snowman

Enjoy exploring these 5 clever Sneezy the Snowman kindergarten activities – they are awesome!

This story is hot on most kindergarten teachers’ lists. It’s a cute read aloud and these activities make it super simple to extend the story.

January kindergarten read-alouds

Read books! January is a great time to fit in extra read-alouds.

Here is a list of great read-alouds for January to go along with the winter theme (and many of these resources on this list).

Art activities

These art activities turn out beautiful. Each project focuses on the creative process and each kinder’s creation turns out unique.

Winter mittens art – warm and cold colors

These tissue paper mittens turn out beautiful. The warm and cold color contrast turns makes these stand out as a beautiful display.

Here’s how to make it:

• Cut warm colors of tissue paper and glue it onto a mitten outline . Cover it completely and past the edges.
• Cover it with Modge Podge to make it shiny and everything lay flat.
• While it’s drying, paint a background piece of paper by dabbing on blue and white paint – mixing the colors with a sponge.
• Add white snowflakes (maybe stickers, stamps, confetti or die cuts) on the blue background.
• Cut out the dry mitten.
• When everything is dry, glue (or hot-glue) a clothespin on to hang the mitten in front.

Pull-off polar bear paint project

Oh my goodness. I love this pull-off painting project with winter colors ! Although – you could totally do it with any shape if you didn’t want to do a polar bear…

Use a combination of strong fingerpaint paper, tempera paints in blue and white, and an artic animal cut from a piece of newsprint paper.

The process is rather simple, a little messy and the final product turns out awesome.

Oil pastel and watercolor snowflakes

We did this and I loved it! {okay, my students loved it too}

Investigate how the shapes of snowflakes are unique (using your favorite books and videos) and then create a snowflake masterpiece .

Students will draw a snowflake using a pattern, outline it with white or gray oil pastels. Then by painting a background in shades of blue and purple watercolors, the final product is just as unique as each snowflake!

Snow crafts

Here are some snow-related crafts that are just right for the kindergarten classroom.

Snowman craft

Cut some simple shapes to make this snowman craft . The perspective of the snowman looking up to the sky is what makes this uber-cute.

You’ll need construction paper, scissors and crayons or markers to make this one happen.

Planning for a sub this month? Stash this project away for them to work on with your class.

Snowman directed drawing

This turns out so sweet! A snowman directed drawing art activity with step by step directions so everyone can do it

Sponge-painted snowflakes

Cut a large, simple snowflake shape from blue construction paper to make these sponge-painted snowflakes .

Make splotches of blue and white paint and then dab to begin blending the colors together. Finish off with some glitter. Beautiful!

Other winter resources

Here are a few more worthwhile-mentions of winter-themed resources I didn’t want you to leave without seeing.

Paper plate snowman

Snap a quick cute photo with this easy paper plate snowman craft . You can also skip the popsicle stick and print an enlarged photo of your students face in the hole.

This would make a great display piece to accompany a writing prompt of “if I were a snowman.”

Winter worksheets

Oh man, you know that I loathe worksheets , right? But, I also know that a time comes when you need to pull one out or find one you like and want to use it in your centers as a rinse-off overhead .

So, if you need some worksheets to stash in your substitute folder for January – this printable worksheet set is just right for kindergarten standards.

Let’s wrap it up

There you have it – winter activities for a kindergarten classroom that are fun and hands-on.

I hope these can help you save time as you plan your lessons.

Need more for January? You might like these  17 Kindergarten Videos for January – Read, Move and Learn!

Woah, wait. Are you about to hit the 100th day of school? So many schools have their 100th day of school fall in January and February.

You may just want to read How to Plan a Not-So-Crazy 100th Day of School (or Any Minor Holiday) so you can use the daily classroom routine you’ve built to your advantage.

And here are 13 Free 100th Day of School Ideas and Activities for Kindergarten so you can pull off a fun, themed day with learning at the forefront.

More Themed Activities for Kindergarten

• 73 Cool Pete the Cat Freebies and Teaching Resources
• 51 Groovy Pete the Cat Lesson Plans and Freebies
• 12 Free Dr. Seuss Activities for Kindergarten
• 14 St. Patrick’s Day Freebies for Kindergarten

If you like what I do here on KindergartenWorks, then be sure to subscribe today. I look forward to sharing ideas with you weekly.

Leslie is the teacher behind KindergartenWorks . She believes in teaching kinders how to be pretty incredible along with teaching them to read, write and think for themselves. She enjoys drinking hot tea, making mud pies with her four kids and sharing what she's learned with teachers.

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• BookWidgets Teacher Blog

40 Digital, Fun, and Interactive Lesson Activities for Kindergarten

Are you on the lookout for engaging and interactive lesson activities for kindergarten students and younger learners? Then, you’re at the right spot. In this comprehensive guide, I’ve curated 40 digital and interactive lesson plans tailored specifically for kindergarteners. With the digital landscape rapidly evolving, it’s essential to integrate technology into educational practices, ensuring a dynamic learning experience. These activities are designed to captivate young minds while fostering crucial developmental skills. Join us on this educational journey as we explore the limitless possibilities of technology-enhanced kindergarten lesson plans. Let’s empower our young learners to thrive in an increasingly digital world!

In this blog post, I will share digital learning activities for young children, like engaging games, worksheets, and crafts for various kindergarten classroom categories:

Digital counting and math activities for kindergarten

Digital language activities for kindergarten, digital discovery activities for kindergarten, digital crafting activities for kindergarten, digital energizer activities for kindergarten, digital theme activities for kindergarten, digital rules and organization activities for kindergarten.

💡 Before we begin: All the activities are made with BookWidgets. You can use them for free or design new, fun kindergarten lesson ideas yourself. Click this group link , log into your BookWidgetsaccount (or create one), and you’ll find all the activities listed in the group. After duplicating, you can make changes to the activity, customizing it for your students. If you are new to BookWidgets, BookWidgets is a content creation and evaluation tool for all teachers (kindergarten, elementary, high school, adult education,…). You can use it to create your own digital content or activities for young learners. We provide the tools to support your students’ learning process from beginning to end with customizable templates (aka widgets) for creating activities and a reporting dashboard to track your students’ progress. When you share these preschool activities from your BookWidgets account, you can share through a link, QR codes, or shortcodes.

In preschool, young learners already get in touch with the basics of mathematics and counting. I’m sharing fun 4 activities for early childhood education students to complete. This can be in a 1-to-1 classroom setup, as well as in a 1-to-many setup. In both cases, the teacher has an important role in explaining the activities.

1. Counting until 10 with our hands

The first stage of counting to ten always happens with our fingers! This pair-matching activity is just that. Let your students pick a hand card and let them discover the number by counting it on their own hands. Now, they need to connect the hand card with the right number card.

💡 Pro tip : Add text-to-speech so the numbers can be read out loud. This way, your students can recognize the numbers and also know how they sound. When you’re doing this classically, the teacher can just read them out loud and ask the students to name a number they see or repeat the number.

2. Count the animals

“How many animals do you see?” This is probably the question every teacher asks their early childhood students. I created a fun, auto-graded activity in which your preschoolers need to count the animals and write down the number.

💡 Pro tip : Use a worksheet widget and choose the “ Annotate Picture ” question to create fun counting worksheets that are automatically graded! You can find many fun visuals like the one I used on Canva .

3. Counting to 10

This activity has the same principle but is a bit easier. Your kindergarten students don’t need to write down the number as it’s already given. They need to drag and drop the number in the right box.

💡 Pro tip : Choose a worksheet widget and pick the “Picture Drag and Drop” question. This is an advanced use of this question type. Here’s a video tutorial on how to get this BookWidgets question type as you see it.

4. What makes 10?

This is one of the first arithmetic activities for preschoolers. They can use their hands to count and find the matching pairs. Which two numbers make 10?

💡 Pro tip : Add audio instructions when you’re not around so your students still know what to do, or you can organize some corner work with different counting activities. With these math and counting activities, you can already create multiple areas for cornerwork!

5. Paint by numbers

6. Addition and subtraction arithmetic

The Arithmetic widget for preschool students makes it easy for young learners to practice mathematical skills like addition and subtraction. Students solve the problems to reveal a reward word. If this is still a bit too hard for your young learners, you can share this activity on the big screen. For each arithmetic, ask your students to use their hands to count and find the solution.

Letter recognition, learning to write their name, and first sight words are all engaging language activities for kindergarten students. These activities are a good addition to your other kindergarten curriculum resources, but you might need to make some changes depending on where you’re from, as the kindergarten curriculum will have some changes from country to country.

7. Recognize new words

This activity focuses on recognizing words from sounds. This is a great activity for teaching new words and sounds to your younger learners, even before they learn the alphabet.

💡 Pro tip : Use audio (by using the voice recorder in BookWidgets) and images (by uploading them from the built-in Pixabay library). Students can zoom in on the images if needed by clicking on them.

8. Learning the alphabet

Learning the alphabet and recognizing the letters is a big goal when your students move on to the first grade. This Video Quiz activity is perfect for learning the alphabet and knowing how the letters sound and look like.

💡 Pro tip : A Video Quiz is perfect for visual learning. Include audio so students can practice this activity individually as often as they like or need to. The activity is auto-graded, so the teacher doesn’t need to check every student. It’s also fun to do this activity in a group and let your students repeat the letters out loud!

9. Letter recognition - Letters in my name

This is probably the first “name” activity for early childhood education. Once your students recognize the letters of the alphabet, they learn to recognize the letters in their names. The next step, obviously, is to teach them to write the letters in their name.

💡 Pro tip : Add a background image to a whiteboard widget so your students can draw on it. You can do any letter recognition activity if the image shows the alphabet. Ask them to circle the letters that appear in different words. Start with sight words like sun, dog, cat, etc. Just change the title, and you will have a new activity!

11. Emoji sight words flashcards

This sight words activity is fun and useful as emojis are easy to include in activities and represent easy words most of the time. Students see the emoji and say what they see. They flip the card and listen to the pronunciation of the word.

💡 Pro tip : BookWidgets flashcards have a text-to-speech optionality. Enable it for the words so students can recognize the letters and listen to them.

12. Sight words crossword

After practicing the words with the flashcards, your students can try to write the words down in the crossword. They learn to spell the short and easy words. This activity might be a bit too hard for younger learners. So, take the lead and share the crossword on the big screen. When they name an emoji, ask them which letter is in the words and where they should put the letters.

💡 Pro tip : Adding emoji’s to your activities is 10x faster then looking for images to upload. Right-click your mouse and choose “Emoji & symbols”. That’s it!

13. New words pair matching

A pair-matching game is perfect for teaching new words and vocabulary to kindergarten students. In this activity, your learners need to match an image with the sound of the words. This one is about the face, but the same goes for words in different themes: the body, the weather, the garden, the forest, the house, the room, animals, and much more. I’ll share some more activities below in the section about teaching with “ themes ” in kindergarten. For subjects and words your learners can see, ask them to point them out. In this example, ask them to point out their nose, eyes, cheeks, etc.

💡 Pro tip : All BookWidgets activities that come in pairs are really easy to transform into a new activity. Think about quizzes with pair-matching question types, flashcards, memory games, crossword puzzles, and word search puzzles… Check out this article to find out how to use the same content in different activities with just a few clicks.

14. Dress like an animal!

Teach new words with a fun twist. This activity is all about that! First, ask your students to come to school dressed like animals. It’s fun as they will learn all about animals. Every animal has its own characteristics your students will recognize. They only have to shout out the animals the kids in the pictures are dressed in. This is a group activity. When flipping the cards, ask your students to listen to the word, repeat it, and… make the animal sound! This activity is designed by Bart Natens.

15. Get funky with sounds!

💡 Pro tip : A BookWidgets hotspot image activity is perfect for creating digital discovery posters on which students have to click, read, and listen.

16. Drawing dictation - The house

This is one of my favorite kindergarten classroom activities created by a Dutch Kindergarten teacher, Virginie Lauwers. This is a listening activity but also shows the words your students learned so they can recognize them.

💡 Pro tip : Use a Split Whiteboard activity and add audio, text, and images so students can already learn to recognize words. Students can easily pause and resume the audio.

Embarking on the journey of digital discovery activities with young learners can be both exciting and daunting. In this part, I will show you some engaging kindergarten resources designed to foster exploration, fine motor skills, learning, and creativity in the digital realm.

17. Senses in the garden

This activity teaches kindergarten students to be aware of their surroundings and about the senses. Let them walk on the playground and visit the forest, park, or garden so they can draw things they can see, hear, smell, and touch.

💡 Pro tip : In this BookWidgets whiteboard activity, you can also enable your learners to upload an image/ take a picture instead of only drawing on the whiteboard.

18. Recognize shapes worksheet

This is probably the first geometry activity early childhood students will get. Let your students drag and drop familiar icons or images with the right shape to the right box.

💡 Pro tip : Choose a worksheet widget and pick the “Picture drag and drop” question type. If you can’t find the right images using the Pixabay integration, use “ The noun project ” for all the icons you need. It’s my favorite icon go-to website.

19. Recognize shapes in objects - Photo Search

This activity follows the previous one. Here, your students need to walk around in their classroom, school, and playground and recognize the different shapes in the objects in their daily lives. They need to take a picture and add it as an answer to their question. This activity is very engaging for young learners and perfect for small student groups using tablets.

💡 Pro tip : The photo question in a BookWidgets quiz or worksheet is perfect for discovery activities like this one. Duplicate the widget and change the question to a new discovery activity for kindergarten.

20. Building with color blocks

This activity teaches your young learners lots of different things: they build their motor skills, learn to recognize colors and get a sense of spatial awareness.

💡 Pro tip : If you also want to incorporate the skill “learning to play with others”, add another wheel to this BookWidgets randomness activity with the same images. Let one student build the first block tower and the other the second. When done, your students can switch positions and check each other’s work.

21. Old MacDonald had a farm…

As this is the only music activity I’m sharing, it needed to go under this blog post’s “discovery” section. But, when you’re teaching with themes, and “farm or animals” is probably a theme, make sure to include this one too. This piano activity works best when you have tablets available. Your students can listen to the song and try to replicate it using the piano keyboard below. I know they will make countless mistakes, but it can be the first introduction to musical instruments in a playful, fun way.

💡 Pro tip : You can teach the song with its lyrics so students can sing along!

22. The weather memory game

Of course, we’re teaching our kindergarten kids new vocabulary, and it can be part of a “weather-themed lesson series”, but I’m showing this activity here because students learn to look outside and discover the weather. This is a fun memory game for a 1-to-many classroom setup. I made sure students could shout the number of the cards so the teacher could flip the two cards they indicated. Can your students remember where the matching cards are?

💡 Pro tip : The Memory Game widget can be used to practice newly learned concepts and words. When finished, ask your students a follow-up question so they think about what they’ve learned and trigger their knowledge immediately after. In this example, I ask them to look outside and tell me the weather for that day. You can do this using text and audio. This digital preschool resource is designed by Bart Natens.

23. Bingo playground

Create a bingo sheet that’s different for every young learner and add familiar images. Now, your students can scan the bingo QR code you provide using their tablet and walk around the playground, the park, the forest, you name it. Whenever they encounter something that represents one of the images on their bingo sheet, they can tap it. The students that find all the activities first win!

💡 Pro tip : Duplicate this bingo card and add more images that represent your school’s playground. If you add an “alt text” to the images, you can even read out loud what’s on the images by enabling the text-to-speech option.

Enter the world of imagination and creativity with this part on digital crafting activities for kindergarteners. In this digital age, fostering artistic expression goes beyond traditional mediums, offering a vibrant canvas for young minds to explore. Join us as we explore a variety of innovative lesson plans and techniques tailored to inspire your little artists in the kindergarten classroom.

24. Heartfelt creations

Crafting and creativity are important activities in kindergarten as they will improve your students’ motor skills. They learn fine motor skills by drawing and using glue and scissors. This activity is just about that! You can do the activity around Valentine’s Day or when you focus on the theme “ Friendship and Kindness ”. It’s always a good idea to add the different steps of the creation process in a BookWidgets quiz. Make sure to share it on the big screen as your students follow along with all the steps. You also have to show the steps by crafting yourself.

💡 Pro tip : By adding a photo question to your craft quiz, you can assign some homework during the holidays, a school break, or remote teaching. This way, the parents have a ready-to-use activity, and your students can upload their crafts to you. Now, you can print them out and decorate your classroom, and your learners will find their artwork when they come back to school.

25. Emoji artwork

This activity is all about bringing your toddlers’ fantasies and creating thinking alive. This is a creative assignment best given when you have tablets available. Your students need to spin the wheels, and 3 emojis will pop up. Now, they have to draw an artwork using the whiteboard on the other side with those 3 emojis. They can use the digital whiteboard tools or draw on paper. When they are done, they can upload a picture of their paper artwork and add it to the whiteboard. Not everything needs to be digital all the way. Practicing drawing on paper will refine your preschoolers’ motor skills.

💡 Pro tip : Use a “ Split Whiteboard ” widget to combine widgets and create fun activities. I first created a “ Randomness ” widget in the example above and shared that link in a Split Whiteboard widget.

26. Cotton ball launcher

This creative Video Quiz STEM activity is so much fun. It can be a classroom project or, again, homework to do with the child’s parents. In both cases, the adult plays an important role when it comes to providing instructions. We already give them in the Video Quiz activity, step by step, but you’ll have to read them out loud and make sure your younger learners understand.

💡 Pro tip : Adding multiple photo questions to your Video Quiz lets you follow up on your student’s learning process and see where things went wrong.

Keeping kindergarten students engaged and energized is key to a successful learning experience. In this part, I will unveil 2 dynamic digital energizer activities designed to inject excitement and vitality into the classroom. From interactive learning games to lively movement breaks, discover how technology can be used to spark joy in your kindergartners’ educational journey. If you like these early childhood energizers, make sure to check out this blog post with many more energizers for students of all ages .

27. Get on that chair!

This activity is so much fun and teaches your preschoolers all about the chronological order of the alphabet and numbers. Make a line with chairs, and a student stands up straight on each chair. Spin the wheel and ask your students to collaborate and switch positions (without touching the ground) based on the assignment on the wheel. This assignment is text-based, so you’ll have to explain. They will probably also need your help and instructions. Guide them by asking the right questions.

💡 Pro tip : Duplicate this activity into your BookWidgets account and add other assignment instructions. You can adapt the activities to your student’s age and skills. You can also add icons and images instead of text.

28. Movement energizers

I also used the fun “Randomness” widget for this activity, but I added 4 wheels with images instead of 1 with text. As you can see in both examples, the possibilities of this spinner activity are endless! Share this activity with your students on the big screen 2 to 3 times a day, and ask a student to come forward and spin the wheel. That student shows the activity the others must do. They explain and show it to the others. It teaches your learners to give clear instructions to other students using their voice and body language. And…it’s a fun kindergarten energizer!

Step into the captivating realm of digital-themed activities tailored specifically for kindergarten classrooms. In this blog post section, I unveil a treasure trove of innovative kindergarten lesson ideas designed to ignite curiosity and foster learning through technology. These themed classroom activities will enrich the educational experience for young learners. Of course, you can tailor all these free resources to your classroom themes or build new digital kindergarten activities from scratch .

29. Animals

I’m sharing 3 activities about animals you can use right away. Remember these three other fun activities I already shared above? 👉 flashcards activity “Dress like an animal” , “ Count the animals ”, and “ Paint by numbers ”. They fit right in here, too.

Spring animals memory game

In this animal-themed kindergarten lesson idea, children are presented with a grid of cards featuring various springtime animals, such as bunnies, chicks, and butterflies, each paired with an identical match. The objective is for students to flip over the cards, one at a time, to find matching pairs by remembering the placement of each animal. This activity not only enhances memory and concentration skills but also introduces young learners to the vibrant world of springtime fauna in an interactive and entertaining manner. This kindergarten widget is designed by Bart Natens.

💡 Pro tip : Enable the “ add numbers ” option so your students can pick cards to turn over by saying the numbers.

Farm animals spot the difference game

This farm-themed digital activity is designed for kindergarten students to sharpen their observation skills. In this game, children are presented with two images of farm scenes featuring various animals. Their task is to identify and click on the differences between the two pictures. This engaging activity enhances visual discrimination abilities and introduces young learners to the diversity of farm animals in a fun and interactive way.

💡 Pro tip : Instead of just highlighting the differences, you can mention what’s different too by adding a short explanation in the configuration. You can also ask students a specific question for each difference. It will engage them more with the learning subject.

Forest animals discovery poster

This innovative Valentine’s Day teaching strategy showcases various animals in their natural habitats, each decorated with a Valentine’s theme. You can see this activity fits in perfectly with both themes: animals and Valentine’s Day. This Hotspot Image activity reveals a fun fact about each animal, such as their habitats, diet, or unique characteristics. This interactive poster image is designed to engage and benefit learners of all ages. With a particular emphasis on its effectiveness for young learners, it supports the students’ learning and provides valuable additional support for emerging readers.

💡 Pro tip : Edit your background image in a way students know where to click. You can also make the hotspots visible. Combine audio, text, and an image to create a fun and rich learning experience for your students.

30. Transportation and vehicles

I created 3 digital learning games for preschoolers you can use to practice vocabulary and understand the different ways of transportation or vehicles. You can add more fun activities on this theme that are not digital. A fun color plate is always good to refine your student’s motor skills.

Spot the difference - Train activity

This activity focuses on spotting the differences between two train images. The differences are colors, so it teaches your students the differences in color.

Jigsaw puzzle

A digital jigsaw puzzle is the perfect introduction activity for any theme. When your students complete the jigsaw puzzle, you can ask them a follow-up question related to the lesson subject.

💡 Pro tip : Young learners can click the “?” icon to get a hint of the completed jigsaw puzzle. You can disable showing this hint for older students. You can also play with the amount of puzzle pieces to make this activity harder or easier.

Transportation BINGO!

Let your students open this bingo sheet by sharing a link/QR code or shortcode. This activity works best on tablets. If you don’t have tablets for all your students, don’t worry. You can create smaller groups for 1 tablet. For this activity, the teacher explains the means of transportation without mentioning the name. For example, “ I reach my destination by traveling on hot air. I let the wind guide me, and I float high above the ground ”. Your students shout out what it is, “ A hot air balloon! ” and click the image. The bingo sheets are all arranged differently. This ensures some groups will have 3 in a row quicker than others as they won’t have the same images on their sheet. The ultimate goal is for a group to have BINGO! when they tapped all the images.

31. Friendship & Love

These digital kindergarten lessons are all about love, friendship, kindness, appreciation, and acceptance. You can address this subject around Valentine’s Day, as the themes fit right in. Remember, the craft activity, “Heartfelt creations” and the “ Wildlife wonders ” discovery poster all fit in this theme.

Be a good friend BINGO!

During the week, your students must complete 1 classroom bingo by checking every card on the sheet. They can do most of them in school, but being a good friend doesn’t stop there. Some of the things they can do at home.

💡 Pro tip : If you don’t have many tablets or devices available, you can use the bingo game in a one-to-many classroom setup and make it a group effort to check all the cards on the Bingo sheet.

Random acts of kindness

Share this random spinner every morning of the week to choose a random act of kindness your young learners need to complete

Heart pairs

Practice colors with this love pair matching game. Your preschoolers listen to the color and need to match it with the right colored heart.

💡 Pro tip : Include audio in your pairs for younger learners and use text instead of audio for older learners.

Letter recognition

This is a letter recognition activity I already shared above but with a Valentine’s Day twist. Let your students circle the letters that appear in the word “Valentine’s Day”. Duplicate the activity and make several versions, or delete the title. This way, you can reuse this activity. Write down your “love” words on the blackboard so they know which letters to circle. Think of “love, friendship, kindness, appreciation, and acceptation”. When they complete the activity, ask them to explain what the words mean to them and click the dustbin icon to start over and move on to the next word.

Easter is always fun as the Easter Bunny comes around, and your students can go on an egg hunt! Here are some fun Easter themed activities for your preschoolers and kindergarten students.

Easter puzzle series

This fun planner activity has 4 fun Easter themed jigsaw puzzles with different difficulty lessons. Perfect for differentiating your kindergarten lessons. Your students start with 2 easy jigsaw puzzles. When done, they check off the activities and add 2 more activities using the “+” icon. This awesome kindergarten planner activity is created by Virginie Lauwers.

💡 Pro tip : Play with the puzzle pieces quantity to make harder and easier jigsaw puzzles.

Easter bunny candidates

Egg hunt spot-the-difference game

This spot-the-difference game for kindergarten fits right into the Easter theme. Can your students find all the differences?

33. Pirates

This fun kindergarten classroom activity triggers your students’ imagination. Let them invent fun pirate, adventure, and treasure hunt stories based on the images that come up in the randomness widget. This fun preschool activity is created by Bart Natens.

In this part of the blog post, I want to share some activities that can help you with the all-day classroom management of a kindergarten classroom. And besides sharing activities, I’m also highlighting 2 amazing virtual learning tools for kindergarten. These educational apps for kindergarten classrooms will help you manage, organize, and set goals.

34. Classroom rules discovery poster

This interactive poster explains your kindergarten classroom rules. Create a visual using tools like Canva or Adobe Express and make it interactive with the BookWidgets hotspot image widget. Add audio so students can listen to the classroom rules.

35. Classroom rules pair matching game

Discuss your kindergarten classroom rules with your students at the beginning of the school year by giving them this interactive pair-matching game. This makes rules fun and engages your students with them as well.

36. Pee break!

It’s not always easy managing a classroom full of kindergarten students during a bathroom break. This fun pair-matching activity can be used to teach your young learners what to do when they go to the bathroom. Let them find the matching pairs and tell what the images represent. You will see… your students will bring in some funny bathroom stories you didn’t ask for… 😅 Make sure they use this information when they actually go to the bathroom. This creative bathroom etiquette pair matching game is created by Bart Natens.

37. Random student picker

Add the names or, even better, headshot pictures of your students to create a random name picker like the one below. Duplicate the activity and replace the given names with your students’ names. Use your random student picker when you need a volunteer or hand out chores or tasks. Let a student spin the wheel when handing out the tasks.

38. Random group generator

As for the student picker, the same goes for generating random student groups. Use a randomness widget with multiple wheels to create random groups.

39. Digital dice

Dices are small, go missing all the time, and can be dangerous for young learners. Introducing… the digital dice. Use the activity below for any activity that requires a dice.

💡 Pro tip : Create a randomness widget with two wheels. This gives you a double dice. You can use it for counting activities.

40. Smart Symbols

Smart Symbols is supportive software for early childhood education. They provide actionable insights into the daily activities of toddlers in crowded classrooms by collecting data from both teachers and children. Smart Symbols translates theory (teacher schedule) into practice by providing digital activity boards for toddlers. Letting toddlers interact with their tools by choosing activities, giving feedback, and sharing their emotions enables teachers to obtain deeper insights about emotions, interest, social interaction, and much more.

41. i3LEARNHUB

With all the inspirational examples given, I’d like to mention the BookWidgets integration with the i3LEARNHUB. The i3LEARNHUB is online, device indepent softwaretool to create interactive lesson plans. Teachers can create and choose BookWidgets activities directly from the I3LEARNHUB and share them with students in both a single device (I3 touchscreen) or a 1-on-1 device classroom. If you want to know more about this integration, make sure to watch the webinar recording and find out how you can effortlessly create, share, and integrate BookWidgets’ interactive content.

That’s it! I hope this collection of 40 online lesson activities for young learners inspired you to digitize parts of your lessons and engage your younger learners. From interactive learning games for young learners and immersive storytelling to hands-on exercises, these activities are designed to spark curiosity and foster a love for learning. With this comprehensive kindergarten resource, you’ll be well-equipped to create dynamic and memorable educational experiences for your young students. Here’s to a classroom filled with joy, creativity, and endless discovery!

Remember to navigate to this BookWidgets group to find all the free kindergarten lessons I just shared.

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BookWidgets enables teachers to create fun and interactive lessons for tablets, smartphones, and computers.

20 Super Fun ESL Kindergarten Games

Playing ESL Kindergarten games is the best way for kids to learn English. Students learn best when they are having fun, and at Games4esl we love creating fun and engaging educational games for kids. Below you’ll find a collection of our best fun ESL games for kindergarten students . All these activities are absolutely FREE and require little to no preparation. Let’s get started.

Related: 10 Fun 100th Day Of School Games

ESL Games For Kindergarten Students

Game 1: alphabet games.

One of the best ways for kindergarten students to learn the alphabet and the alphabet sounds is through playing games. The above activity is a fun alphabet game in which students must guess the word beginning with a particular letter of the alphabet. Students will see an outline of an object and then have five seconds to guess the word. This game is available for all letters of the alphabet from A to Z on our Phonics Alphabet Games page here .

Game 2: Hidden Picture Games

Kindergarten students love playing the ‘Hidden Picture Game’ and it’s a great way to review vocabulary they have learned in the lesson. The Hidden picture game is a fun PowerPoint game in which there is a picture hidden behind some colored shapes. The teacher should click on the shapes which makes them disappear and reveal the picture beneath. Then the students should try to guess what the picture is of. You can find a blank template to make your own, and over 35 ready to use games on various topics for kids on our Hidden Picture PowerPoint Games Page here .

Game 3: Touch Your Nose, Please (Simon Says Game)

Simon Says is a classic classroom game which young learners absolutely love. And the best part is it doesn’t require any preparation from the teacher. If you’re not familiar with Simon Says, the rules of the game are simple. The teacher should give instructions to the students and if the teacher says “Simon Says..” before the instruction, then the students should do what the teacher said. If the teacher does not say “Simon Says…’ first, then the students should not follow the instructions.

A great alternative to the classic version of Simon Says is to replace “Simon Says..” with “…please.” So, for example, if the teacher says “Touch your nose, please.” then the students should touch their nose. But if the teacher doesn’t say “please” then the students shouldn’t follow the instruction. This variation of Simon Says is super fun and a great way to teach manners to kindergarten students at the same time.

Game 4: Colors Guessing Game

Another common topic that ESL kindergarten students learn is colors. This fun colors guessing game is a fantastic way to review the names of colors in English. In this game, students will see a black and white picture and are then asked “What color is it?”. Students will then see two names of colors and must guess what color the object is. Students have a 50/50 chance of guessing correctly. Kindergarten students really love this game, especially when they guess correctly.

Game 5: What’s Missing?

To play this fun ESL kindergarten classroom game, all you need are some flashcards . Place 6-8 flashcards on the board and then say each word aloud and ask students to repeat after you. Then, tell students they have 10 seconds to try to memorize the words. After 10 seconds, tell students to close their eyes and then remove one of the flashcards from the board. Next, tell students to open their eyes and ask them ‘What’s missing?’. If a student guesses correctly, invite that student up to the front of the class to choose the next card.

Game 6: What Time Is It Mr. Wolf?

This next kindergarten game is best played outside or in a room with lots of space for the kids to run around. To play this game, choose one student to be the ‘wolf’. The ‘wolf’ must face away from the other students and close their eyes. The rest of the class should stand at the other end of the classroom / playground. Next, the students should shout out ‘What time is it Mr. Wolf?’ and the wolf should answer with a time between 1 and 12 o’clock. The students should then take steps forward corresponding to the time that the wolf answered. For example, if the wolf said “It’s three o’clock.”, then students should move forward 3 steps.

Next, the students should ask again “What time is it Mr. Wolf?” and then take steps forward after the wolf has answered. Once the students are close to the wolf, the wolf can answer ‘It’s dinner time!” and then turn around and chase the students. If the wolf catches one of the students, then that student becomes the new wolf and the game can start again.

Game 7: Weather Guessing Game

Another common topic that ESL kindergarten students learn is the weather. This fun game asks students ‘How’s the weather?’ and then shows them two possible answers. Students should choose one answer. They have a 50/50 chance of guessing correctly and if they guess the weather correctly, they get a point. Students can show their answer in many different ways. They can either raise their hand, move to one side of the classroom, or write down their answer.

Game 8: Let’s Dance Game

One thing kindergarten students absolutely love is dancing and being silly. This next activity is a great game to play to get students up and active and dancing around. To play, first visit our Let’s Dance PPT Game page and download a blank template or one of the ready to use games on many topics. Next, show the PPT in class. On the PPT there are 30 squares and each square has a word/number on it. Students will take turns reading the words/numbers in the squares. Each time, the student will have a choice. They can either read 1 word, 2 words, or a maximum of 3 words. The student who says the last word must dance. Alternatively, if you want the whole class to dance, the student who says the last word doesn’t have to dance, but the rest of the class do.

Game 9: The Phonics Train

This next game is great for kindergarten students to review phonics and letter sounds. To play this game, simply show the video in class. Students will see a train go by with phonics flashcards on. Then, students will see the train go by again, but this time with a card missing. Students must try to remember which word is missing. You can find the 6 Phonics Train games for initial sounds A to Z, plus CVC words on our Phonics Train Game Page .

Game 10: Find Something Blue

This next game for kindergarten students is super fun and great for reviewing colors in English. To begin, have students all sit down in the middle of the class. Tell the children that when you say ‘Go’ they should stand up and find something blue and bring it back to the middle of the class and sit down. For safety, be sure to tell students not to run or push other students. Once students have found something and sat back down, invite each student to share what they found. The teacher can ask ‘What is it?’ and students can answer “It’s a blue ball.”, “It’s a blue pencil.”, etc. Next, ask students to put their items back and then play again with a different color.

Game 11: Clothes Guessing Game

This fun guessing game is a great way to review the names of clothes in English with kindergarten students. In this game, there are 10 rounds and each round will show students a drawing of an outline of an item of clothing. The children should then try to guess what item of clothing it is before the time runs out. You can find more guessing game ideas on our guessing games for kids post.

Game 12: Matching Game

Test your kindergarten students’ memories with this fun matching game. There are 12 squares and behind each square is a picture. Students should try to find the matching pictures by choosing 2 squares at a time. Once students have chosen the numbers, the teacher can click on the number to show the picture. If the pictures are matching, the students get a point. If they are different, the teacher can click on the red circle to hide the image again. After a few turns, the students will start to remember where the pictures were and the game becomes really fun. Download a blank template and many ready to use games on different topics from our Memory Game Page .

Game 13: Four Corners Game

This simple classroom game for kindergarten students is incredibly fun and requires very little preparation. To play, first give a name to the four corners of the classroom. The names you give can be the words the children learned during the lesson. For example, if they are learning about numbers, you can name the corners 1,2,3, and 4, or if they are learning about animals, you can name the corners cat, dog, bird, and fish, etc. Next, write down one of the corner names and don’t show the students. Then, give students 5 seconds to move one of the corners of the classroom.

Once students have chosen their corner, show students the corner name you wrote down and the students in that corner are out. Then, play again and repeat until there is only 1 student left. That students is the winner.

Game 14: Meet In The Middle

To play this game, place 6 to 8 flashcards in a line on the floor. Next, place one student at one end of the line of flashcards and another student at the other end of the line. The kids should then jump forward and land on the first flashcard and say that word out loud. Next, the two students should jump forward again and land on the next flashcard and say that word out loud.

The two students should continue doing that until they meet in the middle of the line of flashcards. When they meet, the two children should play rock, scissors, paper. The winning student gets to stay where they are. The losing student must sit down, and a new student then comes and stands at the end of the line of flashcards.

Then the game continues. Each student should jump forward to the next flashcard and then say the word out loud. When they meet, they should play rock, scissors, paper and losing student should sit down. The aim of the game is to get to the other end of the line. This game is super fun and kindergarten students really love playing it.

Game 15: Animals Guessing Game

This next ESL game for kindergarten students is great for learning the names of animals in English. Students will see an outline of an animal and must guess the animal name before the time runs out. There are 10 rounds.

Game 16: Prepositions Game

One topic that ESL kindergarten students learn is prepositions of place such as on, in, and under. This fun prepositions game is great for teaching prepositions of place to kids. Students will see a scene for five seconds and must try to remember where the objects are. Next, the scene will disappear, and students will be asked a question, such as “Where is the teddy bear?”. Then, students must say the correct answer using the correct preposition of place.

Game 17: I Spy With My Little Eye

The game ‘I Spy’ is a super game to play with ESL kindergarten students to review vocabulary they have learned. If you’re not familiar with the game ‘I Spy’, the rules are simple. The teacher or a student should look around the classroom and choose an object without telling the rest of the class.

Then, the teacher/student should give a clue to what object they are thinking of by saying telling them the first letter of the word by saying ‘I spy with my little eye something beginning with b .” Next, the rest of the class looks around the classroom and tries to guess what object they are thinking of. The student who guesses correctly gets to choose the next object.

Game 18: Fruits and Vegetables Guessing Game

This ESL kindergarten game is great for teaching fruit and vegetables vocabulary in English. Students will see an outline of a fruit or vegetable and must guess what it is before the time runs out. Each fruit or vegetable word is in the plural form, so this game is also great for reviewing plural nouns.

Game 19: Duck Duck Goose

Duck Duck Goose is another fun game that kindergarten students love. This classic game can be easily adapted for ESL kindergarten classes to review vocabulary. In the classic game of Duck Duck Goose, students should sit in a circle and one student is ‘it’. The student who is ‘it’ should walk around the circle and touch each student on the head and say ‘duck’. At some point, the student who is ‘it’ can say ‘goose’ at which point the ‘goose’ should jump up and try to run around the circle and sit back down before the other student takes their seat.

To adapt this game for ESL kindergarten classes, simply replace the words ‘Duck Duck Goose’ with the target language from the lesson. For example, if you’re teaching about fruit, you can change the words to ‘Apple Apple Banana’.

Game 20: Feelings And Emotions Game

A common topic that ESL kindergarten students learn is ‘feelings and emotions’. This fun game asks students to guess the feeling/emotion. Students will see a blank emoticon and will be asked ‘Are you happy ?”. Students must then choose either ‘Yes, I am.’ or ‘No, I am not.’ Next, the feeling/emotion will be revealed. If the students guessed correctly, they get a point.

Thanks for reading. I hope you found some inspiration for your next ESL kindergarten classroom game. Before you go, don’t forget to check out our free resources for teaching English including Activity Videos , PPT Games , PowerPoint Lessons , ESL Worksheets , and Printables .

ESL Activities

ESL Games, Activities, Lesson Plans, Jobs & More

in Icebreakers + Warm-Ups · Listening · Reading · Speaking · Writing

ESL Activities for Kindergarten: Fun ESL Kindergarten Activities

If you teach English to kindergarten kids, you don’t need me to tell you that it can a little bit challenging. Seriously, I’ve been there and it was tough, really tough. However, I discovered that with some solid activities in my lesson plan, things went far more smoothly. That’s why I’m sharing my favourite English games for kindergartners. Try them out and I’m sure you’ll have a great time in your classes.

ESL activities and games for kindergarten kids

Need some help with ESL for toddlers? Look no further! Let’s get into the top ESL kindergarten activities and games to try out in your classes. Your students will love them!

Kindergarten ESL Activities and Games

Here are some of my top picks for ESL activities and games for Kindergarten Kids. The good news is that Hangman isn’t on the list. And the better news is that all of these activities have some sort of educational value! Happy students, happy teachers, and perhaps most importantly, happy parents.

#1: ESL Flashcard Games for Kindergarten

Most ESL textbooks for kids have an optional set of flashcards with all the vocabulary words that you can buy. At the most basic level, you can use them to teach colours . Whatever you do, try to get your hands on them. They’ll be some ESL teaching gold and you can do a million and one things with them.

To see what I do with flashcards and kindy kids, check out this article:

Flashcard Sentences

ESL flashcard games all the way! Trust me on this one. They’ll definitely make your life easier and if there’s one thing I don’t walk into a kindy class without, it’s a set of these things. Flashcards also make an ideal ESL preschool activity for even younger learners.

• Amazon Kindle Edition
• Bolen, Jackie (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 75 Pages - 07/12/2015 (Publication Date)

#2 ESL Games for Kindergarten: Concentration Matching Game

This is a challenging, but fun game that kindergarten kids love playing. You make cards that are in pairs. What can be on each card depends on the level of the student. However, with kindy kids, it may be quite simple pictures and words. For example, cat, dog, blue, red, etc.

Then, you place the cards facedown and the first student has to pick two cards. Turn them over, and if they’re a match, they get to keep them. If not, turn them over in the same spot and the next student goes.

This memory game is an excellent way to review vocabulary. Learn more about it here:

Concentration Memory Game

ESL kindergarten activities and games

#3 Warmup Activities for Kids: Videos in the ESL Classroom

There a ton of reasons why you might want to use videos in your ESL kindy classroom. Taking a break (for the teacher) isn’t really one of them. There are so many educational things you can do that it’d be crazy not to use them! Here are some ways that you can get the best value out of them:

Using Video for TEFL Teachers

• 81 Pages - 08/26/2021 (Publication Date)

#4 ESL Activities for Kindergarten: Picture Prompt

Kids love fun pictures (and adults too!). Kindy kids, of course are no exception. A single interesting picture put up on the PowerPoint can elicit a ton of language. It’s the ideal warmer activity so try it out with your kids today:

Picture Prompt ESL Warmer

It’s certainly one of my favourite English games for kindergartners, preschool, and toddlers.

#5: ESL Speaking Bingo

What kid doesn’t love bingo, right? Adults seem to like it as well and it’s kind of a staple in most English classrooms. However, you can make it a bit more educational by including a speaking aspect with it. Instead of just saying the word, you describe it to your students.

It also turns it from strictly a vocabulary recognition activity into a bit more of listening one.

Find out more here about one of the most fun games for kindergarten class:

ESL/EFL Speaking Bingo

• 50 Pages - 01/21/2016 (Publication Date)

#6: Discussion Starters for Kindergarten Kids

If you teach more advanced, or slightly older kindy kids, you may want to try some of these discussion starters. They cover things like food , family (more ideas here: ESL Family Activities ), school, etc.

Check them out here:

Discussion Starters for Kids

ESL games and activities for kindergarten

#7: Total Physical Response (TPR)

TPR, when done with kids usually involves things like:

• Touch your left leg!
• Touch something blue
• Life two hands into the air

This can be a fun warm-up activity and can bring some energy back into the classroom if you have sleepy students. Kids also never seem to get tired of this thing. It’s actually one of the best kindergarten listening activities out there so give it a try for yourself. And of course, let us know how it goes!

This is one of the best things you can do for ESL for toddlers and it’s one of the best ESL preschool activities.

#8: Mystery Box, a Fun ESL Kindy Game

If you want to have some serious fun with your ESL kindergarten students, then you’re going to need to make yourself a mystery box. It’s ideal for student who know some adjectives.

Find out more here:

Mystery Box ESL Activity

#9 Kindergarten Icebreaker: Ball Toss

Like mystery box, ball toss is a super fun one that you can try out with your kindy kids. However, be warned that you should really only attempt it with smaller classes, and a beach ball with this age group. The way it works is that you write questions on the ball. Toss the ball to a student who has to answer a question that’s under their right thumb.

Want to check out one of my favourite ESL kindergarten games? Learn more here:

Ball Toss ESL Activity

It’s also one of the best kindergarten get to know you games if you write the student’s names on the ball. Then, the name they touch, they have to throw the ball to.

#10: Odd One Out ESL Warm-Up

If your kindergarten kids know a decent amount of vocabulary, you can try odd one out. You can do this by speaking (and then it becomes a listening activity) or by writing, if they know how to read.

Say or write 4 things. For example: apple, banana, orange, chair.

Which one doesn’t belong? A chair. More advanced level students can say why (it’s not a fruit).

Learn more about this activity here:

Odd One Out ESL Warmer

• Smith, Jennifer Booker (Author)
• 72 Pages - 12/24/2015 (Publication Date)

#11: ESL Yes and No Question Activities

The be verb in the present simple is often the first grammar that students learn when they’re learning English. It’s easy enough, but question forms can be a little bit tricky. If you want to have some fun with this, while helping your students perfect them, then you’ll need to check this out:

Yes or No Question Games for ESL .

#12: ESL Whiteboard Games

Students of any age LOVE to write on the whiteboard and kindy kids go crazy for it. There are a ton of fun whiteboard games and activities for ESL students that you can try out. Seriously, just try it out and your students will keep coming back for more!

Find out some of our top picks right here: ESL Whiteboard Games .

#13: Dialogue Substitution 

#14: Number Games for Kindergarten Class

Teaching kindergarten kids number is always a win! It’s simple, easy to understand vocabulary and you can do a ton of stuff with it.

There are lots of fun games and activities you can do with numbers, math and counting. Check out some of my top picks here: ESL Number Games .

#14: Kindergarten ESL Activities for Food

Who doesn’t like food, right? It’s one of the most common topics in ESL/EFL textbooks, including ones for kindergarten kids. The best part about this unit is that there are so many things you can do with it. Here are some of my top picks: ESL Food Activities .

#15: Preposition of Place Games for Kindergarten Class

Prepositions are another one of those fun topics that lend themselves well to teaching young children. You can have lots of fun with things like in/on/between/next to, etc. Flashcards, whiteboard games, secret games, etc. all work well with this unit.

Do you want some ideas to get started? You’ll need to check this out then: ESL Preposition of Place Activities .

#16: Songs and Chants for Kindergarten ESL

I love to use songs and chants when teaching young children. One of my favourite things is when I catch my students singing some of these songs outside of the class! Even if you’re not musical (like me), it’s still possible to do this with the help of YouTube!

#17: English Vocabulary Quiz for Very Young Learners

#18: Mixed up Sentences

A fun way to review simple English grammar for ESL kindergarten is to mix up some sentences in terms of word order. Then, students have to unscramble the words to make good sentences. For example:

• goes he school to = He goes to school.
• Mom likes my pizza = My Mom likes pizza.

Find out more about is here: Mixed Up Sentences ESL Activity .

#19: ESL Halloween Games and Activities

What kid doesn’t love Halloween, right? I love to have some party days for major holidays in my home country of Canada. The good news is that there are a ton of fun and exciting things you can do in TEFL classes for this popular holiday. Here are some of the best ideas:

ESL Halloween Games .

#20: ESL Clothing Activities

Clothing is one of the first things that young children learn when beginning with English. The vocabulary is something very familiar to young kids and the concept is also concrete enough for their developing brains. Check out some of my recommendations for this popular unit in ESL textbooks:

Clothing ESL Activities .

#21: Word Challenge

If your students know how to read and write basic words, then consider this whiteboard listening and spelling game. The way it works is that you say a word out loud and two (or three) students race to write the correct word on the board.

Want to give it a try with your students? You can check it out here: ESL Word Challenge .

#22: Me Too!

Try out this simple ESL activity that requires nothing in the way of preparation or materials. The way it works is that students take turns saying a fact about themselves that they think they’ll have in common with some, but not all of the other students.

Then the students that can agree say, “Me too!” Want to try it out with your young learners? Find out all the information here: Me Too!

#23: Is that Sentence Correct?

A simple way to test grammar knowledge for your kindy students who can read is to write some sentences on the board. Some are correct but others are not. For example:

• He are tall.
• She is tall.

Students have to tell you if a sentence is correct or not. If incorrect, they have to tell you what changes to make. Find out more here:

Sentence Correction ESL Activity.

#24: Hot Potato Game

#25: Chain Spelling Activity

If you’re teaching your students how to read then you may want to consider playing this spelling game. The way it works is that all the students stand up. Then, you say a word and students take turns spelling it out letter by letter. If someone doesn’t get the correct letter, they are “out.”

#26: More Ideas for Teaching Young Learners

#27: a to z review game.

Do you have kindergarten students that know how to read and write basics things in English? Then you’ll definitely want to try out the A-Z game or activity. For kids this young, I’d probably do it together as a class on the whiteboard. Or, if your students are a bit older, you can put them in groups of 2-3 and turn this into a game.

The way it works is that you choose a certain topic. Animals or jobs for example. Then, students have to come up with one of them that starts with each letter. For example:

A=Alligator

Etc. They try to get as many as possible in the allotted time, but I only allow one per letter. Do you want to try out one of the best ESL activities for kindergarten? Learn more here: A-Z ESL Game .

#28: Use an ESL Warm-Up

#29: ESL Feeling and Emotion Activities

It’s always worthwhile to teach kids how to express some basic emotions. Here are some of the best ideas for how to do that:

Feelings ESL Activities .

#30: Last Day of School Activities

There are a ton of fun things you can do with kindy kids on the last day. Have a look here for some of my favourite options:

What to do on the last day of school?  

#31: All About Me Lesson Plan Ideas

Here are some fun ways for students to introduce themselves and get to know their classmates:

ESL All About Me. 

#32: Easy Animal Quiz for TEFL

#33: There Is There Are Activities

There is and there are: We use them all the time in English! They are a beginner concept that can get a wee bit tricky, even for higher-level learners. Here are some of my favourite options for giving students a lot of practice with them:

There is there are activities .

#34: Guessing Games for Kids

There are a number of fun things to do in class that involve guessing! Have a look here for some of my favourite ideas:

Guessing Games for Kids

#35: Fill in the Blank Activities

A nice option for beginners is to use some fill-in-the-blank activities or worksheets. Here are some of the best recommendations:

Fill in the Blank Activities .

#36: The Lineup Game

I love this simple activity because it requires nothing in the way of preparation or materials. It’s ideal if you have a few minutes at the end of class with nothing to do. Try it out:

Lineup Game .

#37: Shape Names in English

Learning the basic shapes is a nice option for very young learners. Check out this article for all the details:

Shape names in English with pictures .

#38: Animal Sounds in English

Kids love learning the noises that animals make in English. Here are some of the most common ones:

Animal noises in text.

ESL Kindergarten Class FAQs

There are a number of common questions that people have about teaching ESL to kindy kids. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.

How do I Teach Kindergarten ESL?

Here are some of the top tips for teaching ESL to kindergarten students:

• Use hands-on activities that get students moving around the classroom
• Avoid talking and lecturing for long periods
• Use lots of interaction
• Review always
• Give gentle correction of errors
• Explore many different topics
• Use lots of praise
• Reinforce positive behaviour

How Do I Teach my 3-Year-Old English?

To teach a three year old English, here are a few tips:

• Short and simple is best (only 5-10 minutes)
• Introduce only a few new words at a time
• Use visuals
• Mix things up
• Repeat and review frequently
• Have realistic goals

What Age is Best to Learn a Second Language?

Opinions vary but the general consensus is that the best age to learn a second language is before puberty. Some experts say the peak language acquisition stage happens around the age of 6 or 7, while others say that the window goes until puberty.

What is ESL?

ESL stands for English as a Second Language. It can be used to refer to ESL learners, or someone who is learning English. It can also refer to ESL teachers, or someone who is teaching English.

How can I teach ESL Kids New Words?

Kindergarten Get to Know You Activities

Here are some of my favourite get-to-know-you activities and games for very young learners.

Self-Portrait

Provide the children with paper and art supplies and ask them to draw a picture of themselves. This not only helps you get to know them but also provides an opportunity for self-expression.

All About Me Collage

Give the kids magazines, scissors, and glue. Ask them to cut out pictures of things they like and create a collage that represents themselves. They can then share their collages with the class.

“Me in a Bag” Show and Tell

Ask the students to bring a small item from home that’s important to them (e.g., a toy, a book, a photo). Have each child share their item with the class, explaining why it’s special.

Favorite Color Graph

Create a chart with different colors and ask the kids to place a sticker or draw a mark next to their favorite color. You can then count and discuss the results.

Feelings Chart

Introduce a feelings chart with different faces depicting various emotions. Discuss how they feel on the first day and encourage them to share their feelings with the group.

Family Photo Sharing

Ask the children to bring a family photo and briefly talk about their family. This helps create a sense of belonging and understanding among the kids.

Classroom Scavenger Hunt

Create a simple scavenger hunt with pictures or clues for the children to find things around the classroom. This activity helps them get familiar with their environment and classmates.

Tips for Teaching ESL to Very Young Learners

Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to very young learners can be a rewarding but challenging experience. Here are some tips to effectively teach ESL to young children

Use visuals and realia

Young children are highly visual learners. Utilize pictures, flashcards, props, and real objects to introduce and reinforce vocabulary. Visual aids help them make connections between words and their meanings.

Include movement and gestures

Young children have a lot of energy and benefit from activities that involve movement. Incorporate actions, gestures, and physical responses into your lessons to make them interactive and dynamic.

Provide a language-rich environment

Create an English-rich environment in the classroom by labeling objects, displaying vocabulary charts, and using English consistently during instruction. This helps children immerse themselves in the language and develop their listening and speaking skills.

Use games and hands-on activities

Young children learn best through play and hands-on activities. Integrate games, puzzles, crafts, and interactive tasks that encourage active participation and reinforce language concepts.

Keep instructions simple and clear

Use short, simple sentences when giving instructions to ensure understanding. Use gestures and visuals to support your instructions, especially if the children have limited English proficiency.

Repeat and reinforce

Young children need repetition to internalize language structures and vocabulary. Review previously learned material regularly and provide ample opportunities for practice through games, songs, and activities.

Encourage participation and interaction

Create a safe and supportive environment where children feel comfortable participating and expressing themselves in English. Use pair work, group activities, and role-plays to encourage interaction and communication.

Use storytelling and picture books

Storytelling and picture books capture children’s imagination and develop their listening and comprehension skills. Use age-appropriate stories and books with colorful illustrations to engage children in the language and promote vocabulary development.

Be patient, positive, and enthusiastic

Young learners thrive in a positive and encouraging atmosphere. Be patient with their progress, praise their efforts, and maintain a positive attitude. Your enthusiasm and genuine interest in their learning will motivate them to engage and enjoy the lessons.

ESL Kindergarten Lessons

If you want a ready-made ESL kindergarten lesson plan, then you should check out some of our favourite resources right here:

Education.com

English 4 Kids

Teachers Pay Teachers

Or, just use some of the basic ESL textbooks for kids (New Parade for example) that usually have ready-made lessons that make it very easy to teach. This will usually be your best option if you teach very young learners.

Kindergarten English Worksheets

There are a number of excellent websites that can save a ton of time when lesson planning. Here are some of the best English kindy worksheets:

ESL Kids Stuff

ISL Collective

ESL Kids Lab

Did you Like these ESL Games for Kindergarten? 

• 134 Pages - 03/31/2016 (Publication Date)

Yes? Thought so. Then you’re going to love this book over on Amazon: 101 ESL Activities for Kids . It’s one of the best ESL resources for kindergarten. The key to better English classes for young learners is a wide variety of interesting, engaging, and student-centred games and activities. This book will help you get there in style.

You can find the book in a variety of formats. Keep a copy of the print book on the bookshelf in your office to use as a handy reference guide. Or, take the digital version with you to your favourite coffee shop for some serious lesson planning on the go. Finally, consider the audio version with you for some inspiration on your morning commute.

Whatever the case, get ready for some ESL teaching awesome in your life. You can find the best ESL resource for teaching kindergarten right here:

Have your say about ESL Kindergarten Activities

Do you have any tips or tricks for teaching ESL to kindy kids? Any games or activities that you love to use with your students, or have you tried one of them from this list? Please leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

Also be sure to give this article a share on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. It’ll help other people like yourself find this useful resource.

ESL Activities for Kindy Students

Last update on 2022-07-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

About Jackie

Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 15 years to students in South Korea and Canada. She's taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.

Jackie is the author of more than 60 books for English teachers and English learners, including Business English Vocabulary Builder and 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities for Teenagers and Adults . She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world.

You can find her on social media at: YouTube Facebook Pinterest TikTok LinkedIn Instagram

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More ESL Activities and Games

ESL Vocabulary Activities and Games | Fun TEFL Vocabulary Games

Dictogloss ESL Listening Game

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Top 30 Ways to Respond to “What Are You Doing?” in English

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Best-selling author and English teacher Jackie Bolen has been talking ESL activities and games since 2015. The goal is to bring you the best ideas, lesson plans, and activity recommendations for your TEFL classes.

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Top 30 Quick Games to Play in the Classroom

If you need a fast, low-prep game you can play with your whole class, you're in the right place! These 30+ quick games to play in the classroom are fast, easy, and so much fun!

30 Quick Games to Play in the Classroom

The best classroom games require little set-up or equipment and are a great way to test your students' knowledge or help them bond as a community. 

They're great for quick brain breaks when everyone needs to let off some steam!

1. This or That

This is one of the simplest games, but kids absolutely love it! Announce two categories or opinions. Students will go to one side or the other, depending on their preference. Such a good conversation starter!

2. Four Corners

Like This or That, you'll assign each of the four corners in your classroom an answer. After you read off the prompt or question, students must run to a corner to make a choice.

This could be the best season, favourite snacks, the best classes, etc. It's quick and the best way to get some energy out while learning!

3. Copy Cats

The whole class stands in a large circle. As one student waits out of sight, another student silently leads the class to move in a certain way (clapping, stomping, swaying, etc.). 

The student waiting out of sight returns to figure out who the leader is. As the leader changes the movement, the rest of the class must follow along discretely without giving them away.

This is a great, quiet game that really helps younger children become aware of body language and get the wiggles out! 

4. Connect Four

I love using this popular game to practice identifying CVC words, long vowels, and other literacy skills! Students can play alone or with a partner to see who can get four words in a row. 

Get this game here.

5. Simon Says

Kids still love this classic game, and it's quick! Whether you're stuck in a long line or need to kill 5 minutes, pull out this old stand-by.

6. Jeopardy

Although this one may take a little more prep on your part, you can easily create your own Jeopardy game and come back to it again and again! 

It's great for a quick review game before a big test or to rehearse classroom norms and expectations. 

You could play with the students against the teacher instead of dividing the students into teams, especially if you're still working on building positive student relationships.

7. My take on Uno

This classic card game is a great way to teach specific literacy skills, like identifying long vowel sounds and more! 

The goal is to have just one card remaining in your hand and you can't help but get into it!

Bingo is still such a fun classroom activity! You can play endless varieties of Bingo, and I love incorporating math skills whenever possible! 

Depending on the age of your students, you can go for four corners, blackout, and more variations.

You can use Bingo to help your kindergarten students practice their phonological awareness skills in this fun game !

This two-digit number bingo game is great for small groups, too.

9. Charades

Charades is always such a riot, especially in primary grades! Have a bowl of ideas to choose from to keep the game moving quickly. 

The first kid to get the correct answer gets to go next, and you can play just one round or stretch it out during indoor recess days!

10. Tic Tac Toe

All you need is a simple sheet of paper for this simple game! Play it with your whole class by pitting the students against the teacher. This builds camaraderie among your students as they all work together to reach a shared goal

Make this game educational by hunting for CVC or CVCC CCVC words !

11. Heads Up Seven Up

There's a good chance you grew up with this fun game! Seven students will try to secretly choose seven students, who will try to guess who selected them and take their place. 

Heads Up Seven Up is fast enough for a quick brain break but also makes a great game to play once your kids get all their brownie points!

12. Snakes & Ladders

I've adapted this game to practice key phonics skills like identifying digraphs and more! If students land on a square with a snake, they go back one square, and if they land on a ladder, they follow it up the game board. 

Once they reach the finish line, the game ends!

13. Hangman

If you ever have a random 5-10 minute and need something to fill the time, this is a good way to do it! The concept is a little dark, so feel free to adapt it into something else (maybe decorating a gingerbread man or building a teddy bear). 

I usually play this with the teacher as the one running the game to ensure the words are all appropriate and correctly spelled.

14. Duck Duck Goose

Younger students love Duck Duck Goose, and it's a fun way to get some energy out. 

All students sit in a circle, with one student walking around the group, tapping each person on the head and saying, "duck." They'll choose one person to call, "goose," who will get up and chase the picker around the circle, trying to return to their seat. 

The first person to return to the goose's spot stays seated, and the person standing becomes the picker.

This is the best game for the lower grades! The leader says, "I spy something..." and states a colour or texture. The rest of the class tries to guess what they're looking at. The person who gets it right first gets to be the leader.

I've also created printable versions of I Spy you can use to reinforce phonics skills, like this one that requires students to identify CVC, CVCC, and CCVC words! 

16. Higher or Lower

Have a little fun while building number sense! In this game, one student waits outside the classroom while the rest of the class solves a math problem. After you go over the problem to find the answer, you'll bring in the guesser, who will need to figure out which number was the answer.  

As the guesser comes back in to stand in the front of the class, tell them the class has chosen a number between 0 and 100 (adapt as needed), but the only way they can help them find the right answer is to say "higher" or "lower!" 

Once the student reaches the number, the class cheers, and the guesser picks their replacement.

If you're looking for more math games, look at these differentiated elementary math games for K-2!

17. Where the Wind Blows

This is a great option for building positive student relationships! 

The entire class stands in a large circle. The leader says, "The window blows for people who like _____." Any student who likes what they mentioned moves to a different point across the circle. 

Students will naturally erupt in conversation about what they like or don't like, and they'll quickly see which people have the same interests.

Make your own custom IKEA spinner to determine who gets to be the leader first -- or to play some other fun number or phonics warm up games!

18. Human Knot

There are several different ways to play this game , but you tie all your bodies into a big knot! 

This is one of the best team-building games since you must work together to get everyone untangled!

19. Musical Chairs

For this classic game, turn on some fun music and have students walk in a circle around a row of chairs that is one short. 

As the music stops, everyone scrambles to a chair. The last person left standing is out. Take out another chair each round until the group gets smaller and smaller. 

The last one in a chair wins!

20. Silent Ball

This is one of the best classroom games because it's quiet, and everyone likes to play! 

The goal is for students to toss the ball to each other silently. If they talk or drop the ball, they're out. 

20. Two Truths and Lie

This classic ice-breaker can be a fun way to fill a gap in your lesson plans! Invite a few students to share two truths and lie, and try to figure out which is which.

21. Telephone

As students sit in a circle, one person whispers a message to their neighbour, who then whispers it to the next neighbour, and so on, until it travels around the circle. 

At the end, the last student reveals the message they heard.

The message almost always becomes distorted as it travels around the room. To help teach your students to listen more closely to each other, challenge them to pass the message accurately the whole way around!

22. Scavenger Hunt

Hide things around the classroom or school and have students track them down! This is a great way to change up your math routine, too. 

Blow up the problems on your math assignment, print them out, and spread them around the room. Have your students work on their answers on a separate piece of paper. 

They'll love moving around and working with others, which is excellent for a late-afternoon math class.

23. Freeze Dance

You can play this game with or without music, but the goal is to get your students moving and dancing as much as possible until you shout freeze!

There are even YouTube videos that guide your class through this game.

24. Hot Potato

This is a simple game, but it works! As you play music, students toss a ball or toy around the circle like a hot potato. 

When the music stops, whoever has the bean bag is out!

This dice game is a little noisy but so much fun! It's also great for teaching pattern recognition and practicing multi-digit addition! Learn how to play Farkle here. 

You can order a set of 6 cups on Amazon and have six groups playing at once! It's a wonderful treat for Fun Friday or a special occasion!

This is one of the best classroom math games for kids! Basically, you'll ask your kids to count by one. If someone reaches a multiple of 7, they say "buzz!" 

If they don't say buzz or take too long, they're out, and the group keeps going. 

This is perfect for teaching multiples, and you can adapt the number to make it easier or harder.

Want to help your kids learn their math facts? These no-prep digital interactive math warm-up games will get your kids playing right away!

27. Pictionary

Although the actual game has rules and guidelines, keep it simple. Have one student draw a picture, then have the rest of the class guess what it is. 

I prefer to do this within a category like food or animals to make it easier. Whoever gets it right first becomes the new artist. 

This one is great on Zoom if you ever do remote learning!

28. Marco Polo

If it's a nice day outside, divide students into partners, and take your whole class outside. Ask each pair to come up with a unique two-word phrase. 

Once everyone has a phrase, send them all to opposite ends of the space. Have them close their eyes and carefully try to find each other, with one partner saying the first part of the phrase and the other person saying the second part. 

This is a great way to practice social skills and careful listening. Plus, it's active, creative, and just plain fun!

29. Bananagrams

Like Scrabble, kids use tiles to build words but don't need a gameboard! 

The goal is to use all of your tiles to create words, building off of other words as needed. 

You can play as a whole class or have students work with partners or small groups. Students will practice quick thinking and spelling words! 

30. Would You Rather

This is a great game to learn more about your students! Ask silly questions for fun, like "Would you rather lick a slug or eat a raw egg?" 

You can also use it to dip into deeper conversations and ask questions, like "Would you rather be five years younger or ten years older?" 

50 Activities for Kindergarten

Hands-on ideas to engage digital learners in meeting standards and learning goals.

Fifty ideas for using a digital approach to help kindergarten students meet standards and learning goals.

1. Go on a shape hunt

Read a book like The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by Dr. Seuss. Then have students walk around school or their home and find shapes, like rectangles, triangles, or even cylinders and spheres.

Than, have students use their devices to capture the shapes they find and label or add narration to identify them.

Seeing Shapes lesson plan with literature connections, samples, and more

2. Create a digital greeting

Have your students create or add original artwork to a digital creativity tool and then record their voices to create a multimedia message. Copy the URL or export the file and send via email or text.

3. Scratch for self-expression

Remember scratch art? Wixie has a collection of digital scratch art pages with a variety of backgrounds students can "scratch" using an eraser tool.

4. Make a Mondrian

Dutch painter Piet Mondrian is best known for his work that used primary colors and shapes. Visit the Tate Museum's page about Mondrian with your child to learn about this artist and his work.

Have students use a paint bucket tool to fill a Mondrian Coloring page with color.

5. Sort and label a nature walk

Walk around outside and collect rocks, flowers, sticks etc. Find a place to sort them into categories any way you like - shape, color, texture, type.

Add the picture to a digital tool, like Wixie , and add text or voice narration to label objects and explain sorting.

6. Color to design a school backpack

Ask students to color a school backpack with a design that shows off their unique personalities.

Encourage students to use their device's microphone or video camera to record an explanation of their design.

7. Write names with letter sound pictures

As students learn their letter sounds, ask them to find images of objects that have the same initial sounds as the letters in their name.

Help students spell their name across the top of a blank page and add clip art images to match the initial sound of each letter in their name.

8. Design a hibernation hotel

As students begin considering what living and nonliving objects need, have them design a hotel for a hibernating animal that contains everything it needs to stay safe, warm, and fed over the winter.

Explore a Hibernation Hotel lesson plan

9. Explore antonyms

Explore antonyms with your students. Read Dr. Seuss's The Foot Book and create a list of antonyms. You can start them off with things like hot/cold or high/low.

Students can use a creativity and productivity tool, like Wixie , to create illustrations of an antonym pair. Students can use the microphone tool to record their explanations.

10. Celebrate a community helper

Community helpers are essential to the health and success of our world. Have students celebrate how a community helper is essential to a community by combining words, pictures, and even narration in a digital sentence strip.

11. Create a collage

Have students use a digital tool to represent themselves with a collage of images. Digital tools like Wixie make it easy to add images and move them around.

Students can use this same process to represent events in a story or things they see during a particular season.

Explore a Me: A Visual Essay lesson plan

12. Survey peers

Survey your friends, family members, and neighbors about a favorite book, sport, food, game, or at-home activity. Project a question or use a tally sheet on your white board to collect student responses.

13. Write a sight word story

Have your emerging readers practice sight words by writing an " I go... I see " sight word story.

Have each student finish the sentences and illustrate the page. Print and combine into a class book students can read in your library.

14. Describe your family

Have students use a paint program to paint a picture of their family and use their device's microphone to name each person and describe them. Have students add text labels with each family member's name or a trait they used for this person in their description.

15. Make a map of your neighborhood

Have students create a map of important places in their neighborhood. Have students start with a plain page or use digital grid paper. Then, ask students to draw locations or capture photos with their devices.

16. Become the masked reader

Take a clue from the Masked Singer television show to make reading fluency practice less stressful and way more fun.

This is especially helpful for ELLs and struggling readers since they can practice, record, delete, and try again to produce their best work. Their work can also remain completely private if the reader is not unmasked.

17. Showcase the seasons

The changing seasons are a scientific phenomenon that students can easily see. Ask students to draw or collect clip art images of objects they see during a specific time of year.

18. Make a coin caterpillar

Coins are a great manipulative to represent value and provide a real world context for counting and addition practice. But since physical coins are a great way to spread germs, take advantage of digital versions.

To make work with coins fun, ask students to create coin caterpillars . Then, ask them to count the number of each coin and calculate the total "value" of the caterpillar.

19. Share a virtual high five

It's never too early to teach gratitude. Ask students to show their appreciation for others with a virtual high-five.

Trace their hand on paper and take a photo or find a digital hand image and add images and voice narration to tell someone their actions are amazing.

20. The 13 Days of Halloween

Practice counting skills with a 13 days of Halloween project that contains pages for the numbers 1-13, indicating how much of each object "my goblin gave to me." Combine pages together to create a class book (or two).

Explore a 13 Days of Halloween lesson plan

21. Fashion a family flag

The symbols for a country represent its history and values. Ask students to apply what they have learned about symbols to fashion a flag to represent their family.

Explore a Fashion a Family Flag lesson plan

22. Go on a letter hunt

Walk around your classroom or school and hunt for objects that begin with a specific letter, such as a clock for the letter c .

Students can use a device to capture images and label what they find or use a creativity tool, like Wixie, to add or draw pictures that begin with each letter sound.

23. Explore emotions with the color monster

Expressing and understanding emotions is hard for a kindergartner. Read The Color Monster by Anna Llenas to your learners and discuss the different emotions of the monster.

Have students choose one emotion, like happy, calm, or angry, and use a digital tool to illustrate what causes that emotion for them. Then, have them record an appropriate action they can take when they feel this way.

24. Share your favorite book

To build foundations for argument writing, primary learners start by stating opinions. Ask your kindergarten students to use paint tools to draw a picture of their favorite book and use their device's microphone to record why.

25. Play with patterns

Learning how to identify and create patterns helps build foundations for future math, even algebra! Digital art tools make it easy to paint patterns or add images to make ABA, ABBA and other repeating patterns.

26. Describe a book character

Have students recall, retell, and share text, images, and voice narration about a character's physical traits, feelings, and actions on a trait cluster .

27. Inform others

Even the youngest learners can inform others about the topics they are learning. Instead of struggling with writing or typing, have students use a digital tool to add an image and record their voice to share information. Perfect for ELLs.

28. Balloons Over Broadway

Read Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet to let students know about Tony Sarg and the balloons he created for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Then, ask them to use a paint program to design their own Thanksgiving Day parade balloon. Have students use their device's microphone to share a story about seeing it in the parade.

29. Showcase a habitat

Celebrate your budding scientists by having them apply their knowledge to showcase the plants and animals in their favorite habitat.

With tools like Wixie , it is easy for students to find a background and add clip art stickers to show what they know.

30. Share a symbol story

Read Norman Pearl's The Great Seal of the United States to have students hear from Ben Franklin about the process used to create the Great Seal. Then, ask them to create a story about another US symbol.

Explore a Symbol Story lesson plan

31. Count to design

While most kindergarten students will do rote counting to please their teacher, there are many ways to make counting fun. Add in an element of creativity and design thinking by asking them to count to design. For example, add food to a garden, animals to a safari park , or creatures to a spooky scene.

32. Record your positive actions

What actions do your students take to improve their community? Have students draw a picture, write a sentence and record their efforts!

33. Write a 5 senses poem

In addition to reinforcing scientific observation, engaging the five senses is a great way to help young learners add descriptions to their writing and practice vocabulary.

If your learners would benefit from a little direction, provide a specific topic for their poem.

Explore a 5 Senses Poetry lesson plan

34. Tell a tangram tale

After students have tried to solve tangram puzzles, read Ann Tompert's Grandfather Tang's Story where the main character rearranges tangram shapes to represent the characters and events as he tells a story.

Ask students to use tangram shapes to create an object using the tangram shapes and tell a story about it. Combine into a class book!

35. What if you could be going places?

Call or video chat with someone who lives far away or read about a new place to learn about the weather and culture in that location. Use a digital tool, like Wixie , to show the weather, what they would pack to wear, and what they would do in that location.

36. Use shapes to create a Mother's Day bouquet

Combine common clip art shapes to create a vase filled with flowers for Mother's Day.

37. Adapt a pattern story

To support your budding authors, ask them to give a twist to a story they know by adding or replacing nouns and verbs.

Explore a list of books perfect for student adaptation

38. Record a favorite memory

Have students reflect and create a favorite memory from the school year.

39. Create your own pet show

Read Pet Show! by Ezra Jack Keats. Have students use paint tools to draw a picture of their pet and add a superlative describing the award their pet won .

40. Plan a class party

Planning the details for a party, including needed space (measurement) and a budget (calculations), requires students to practice and apply math and argument skills to a real-life scenario.

Explore a Plan an Event lesson plan

41. Create a digital word wall

Digital tools make adding thoughts to a personal word wall easy. Ask each student to add words they do not know from the books they are reading. Have students look up the meaning in a dictionary or ask a parent or teacher to help them define and add a picture and even voice recording.

42. Build foundations for scientific thinking

Encourage your student's budding inquiry by using a modified approach to the scientific method .

Have students begin with observation and hypotheses and then progress to thinking about how they can test their ideas and then analyze the results.

43. Publish student writing

Motivate emerging writers by publishing their stories. Use a tool like Wixie to have students write or record a story and create their own illustrations.

Share a URL or export their work to PDF to easily share to family phones and tablets.

44. Tell a cycle story

After learning about the life cycle of a frog or butterfly, have students retell it as a cycle story.

Explore a Cycle Story lesson plan

45. Create a classroom tour

It can be a little scary to come to a new class with new rules. Once your students have learned and settled into your classroom routine, ask them to apply their knowledge of locations and rules to design a classroom tour.

Using a digital tool makes it easy to share the finished tour with new students, as well as students joining the class the following year.

Explore a Classroom Tour lesson plan

46. Write about your favorite relative

Practice opinion writing through a favorite relative project. Give structure to your emerging writers by using an O-R-E-O Opinion template which asks them to state their opinion, share 2-3 reasons why, and finish with a concluding statement.

Share students' work with their favorite relative.

Explore a Favorite Relative lesson plan

47. Watch the weather

Spend time each day during morning meeting identifying the weather . Choose a specific day to ask students to record their observations using pictures and new terminology to create strong foundations for the scientific method.

48. Get creative with five and ten frames

Digital tools make it easy to get creative with five and ten frame counting projects. In October, count pumpkins in a ten frame farm garden. In summer, count beach balls and suns to design a beach towel pattern .

49. Construct with virtual blocks

Play with math is an opportunity to use math vocabulary and concepts while having fun. Find a game, like Wixie's Build with Blocks , for activities that let students build and create with shapes and digital manipulatives. If you have physical blocks at school or home, ask students to try to recreate their design with real blocks.

50. Write word problems

Have students use a paint or image program, like Wixie , to draw models that help the viewer (and themselves) visualize quantities and relationships in word problems.

Once they have experience with digital projects, let students choose the product or way they will demonstrate understanding… simply make them argue their case before they begin. No matter what you or they choose, transfer as much responsibility as possible to students to motivate and empower them to control their own learning.

by Melinda Kolk

Melinda Kolk ( @melindak ) is the Editor of Creative Educator and the author of Teaching with Clay Animation . She has been helping educators implement project-based learning and creative technologies like clay animation into classroom teaching and learning for the past 15 years.

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30 Fun Indoor Recess Games for Preschoolers

Need some indoor recess games and activities? Tired of musical chairs? You’re in the right place!

When rain, heat, smoke, or cold weather keep your preschoolers indoors, it’s important to have a plan in place for providing engaging and fun indoor games and activities. These games and activities are great for keeping active preschoolers entertained indoors while having fun.

Instead of dreading indoor recess, here are more than 30 fun indoor activities and games your kids will love.

Fun Indoor Recess Group Games

Indoor recess is the perfect opportunity to introduce hands-on activities that encourage teamwork, improve fine motor skills, enhance listening skills, and boost social interactions among young learners. This list includes various games and activities that preschoolers can play indoors. The goal is to ensure that they have fun and enjoy their playtime to the fullest.

Many of these indoor recess games also help develop important gross motor and social skills – yes, please!

Duck Duck Goose – This classic game is a great way to get in a little exercise. It also helps children develop self-regulation skills and pay attention.

Popcorn! Parachute Game – This whole group game is perfect for students to learn how to work together. It’s also a great game for developing important gross motor skills.

Bluebird, Bluebird Through the Window – The video will help you learn this classic song and movement game. Kids love moving and singing along with this fun game.

Chicken Dance – Who doesn’t love the chicken dance? Watch the video to learn how to do this super silly and fun dance that promotes listening and sequencing skills.

Limbo – An oldie but a goody! This video explains how to play this classic game.

Huckle Buckle Beanstalk – Watch the video to learn how to play this 19th century game that still packs a powerful punch today.

Indoor Recess Games to Improve Physical Activity

Freeze Dance – Everybody loves playing freeze dance! Choose a favorite kid-friendly song to play. When the music plays, children dance around the room, and when the music stops, they must freeze in place.

Freeze Dance is a fun game to play indoors during recess. It helps kids stay active, practice listening skills – by stopping when the music stops.

Use a variety of musical styles and tempos to encourage different types of dance and movement. Use your smartphone and a bluetooth speaker so you can pause the music without tipping off the kids.

Indoor Recess Ideas That Promote Listening and Cooperation

Silent Beanbag – Silent Beanbag is a quiet game ideal for indoor play. This game encourages children to stand in a circle and gently toss a beanbag to each other without speaking. The goal is to quietly catch the beanbag. As kids play this game they’re improving focus, hand-eye coordination, and understanding non-verbal signals.

Simon Says – A classic game that never loses its charm, Simon Says is perfect for indoor recess. The teacher or a child leads the game, giving commands that players should only follow if preceded by “Simon says.” This game helps preschoolers improve listening skills because kids must pay close attention to the instructions. It also encourages physical activity in a fun and controlled manner.

There are 2 different versions of Simon Says here for you to choose from: — Snowman Listening Game — Bunny Listening Game

Do your kids need a little extra help listening and following directions? Then you need these simple Simon Says movement games in your life!

What Time is it Mr. Fox? – The perfect fun game for developing important listening and self-regulation skills.

Red Light, Green Light – Students can work on their executive function skills with this preschool game.

Hot Potato – Your kids will have a blast with this fun, classic game while working on their listening and self-regulation skills.

Fun Indoor Recess Games

Zoo Animal Movement Game – This is a fun game that encourages physical activity, listening, and movement. Children imitate various animals’ movements, such as hopping like a frog or galloping like a horse, around the classroom.

London Bridge – This one never gets old! Watch the video to learn how to play this classic preschool game.

Farmer in the Dell – This one is fun to sing and easy to teach. Watch the video to learn how to play this classic preschooler game.

Bowling with Plastic Bottles – Save those plastic bottles for a fun bowling game!

Paper Plate Ring Toss – Recycle some paper plates and make your own ring toss game!

Musical Chairs – This classic game helps kids learn to wait and be active at the same time. It also teaches them how to handle frustration, which is an important skill for life.

Ring Around the Rosy – Watch the video to refresh your memory of how to play this classic memory game!

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes – Preschoolers love playing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. Watch the video in case you need a refresher of how to play this preschool game.

Hokey Pokey – Your preschoolers will have fun with this classic simple song.

Indoor Music, Songs and Dance Activities

Cool Bear Hunt Movement Song – Students will learn work on their social skills and oral language skills as they go on a cool bear hunt.

Dr. Jean’s Banana Dance – Kids of all ages love joining in with the movements of this song!

What’s Missing? – Your students will love this game and it’s easy to set up. This game works well for toddlers at a restaurant too!

Glow Stick Hide and Seek – Did somebody say glow sticks? Grab some glow sticks and play this super fun version of hide and seek.

XO Hop – If you have a small space, but your preschoolers have lots of energy then your kids are sure to love this activity.

Animal Hide and Seek – This is the perfect rainy day activity!

Indoor Recess Games for Preschoolers

Jump the Candlestick – Move like Jack in the nursery rhyme or think of other ways to move over or around the candlestick.

Dinosaur Movement Game – Incorporate a favorite interest as preschoolers roll and move like dinosaurs.

Weather Movement Game – Can’t go outside? Talk about types of weather in this movement game.

Swatting Game – I guarantee your preschoolers will love swatting letters, colors, numbers, or whatever you choose in this DIY game.

Uno Movement Game – Use cards from a favorite card game to move around the room. Don’t have the game? You could easily create these color and number cards or adapt any type of number cards to use.

Dumpster Diving Game – No, don’t bring a dumpster inside. Fill a large box with recycled materials and a few toys. Kids will love searching for the “hidden” items in the box.

Block Basketball – Easily adaptable for younger or older preschoolers. Use materials on hand to create a fun adaption of basketball for preschoolers.

Indoor recess for preschoolers can be fun for kids, and easy to implement for adults. Young children can have a productive and enjoyable time indoors even if the weather outside is not the best.

These games and activities can keep children engaged and active while they are indoors. They provide a fun and stimulating way for children to spend their time during indoor recess.

Additionally, incorporating these games and activities into the daily routine can help children develop important skills and socialize with their peers. From hands-on activities that foster teamwork to quiet games that enhance listening skills. What are your favorite indoor recess games and activities?

3 thoughts on “30 Fun Indoor Recess Games for Preschoolers”

This is a great list, Vanessa. I always end of playing the same games, so this will add variety. Thanks! PS- I love the look of your new website and your cute picture!

Thanks for stopping by Shelli, I’m so glad you like the ideas on the list! You are too sweet 🙂

Thanks for sharing these fun game ideas! They’ll definitely come in handy during cold winter months but I know we can enjoy them year ’round!

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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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