Blog: PreK

It’s Wednesday! Today the weather will be pretty warm in the afternoon, so it might be a nice day for some water play. Here are some ideas for invitations for preschool aged children.

Fine Motor Invitation: Cut patterns with scissors

Invite your child to use scissors by first drawing patterns on paper then cutting on the lines they make. Children can also spend a long time cutting out shapes from old magazines, newspapers, and advertising circulars. You can recycle the pieces, or save them for collage work. Ask what kind of patterns they would like to make: zig zag, swirls, a mix of both?

The intent for this is that this is a pretty simple way to work fine motor muscles, and have fun drawing patterns. We have observed preschoolers love our wacky scissors that cut patterns into paper in our art area.

Soap & Water

Invite your child to play with dish soap or baby soap and water in the sink, in a bin or outside. Ask your child what items you can use to make bubbles? Could it be a stick, your hands, or a spoon? Hand crank egg beaters and whisks are also interesting ways to make bubbles. Perhaps your child would like to add plastic toys to pretend play with.

In the past we have put soap, water and plastic toys into our sensory bin and preschoolers have “washed” the animals with sponges to take care of them!

Outdoor/Movement Invitation: Springtime animal watch/move like an animal

What animal’s do you see outside? Can you walk like that animal? Make noises like that animal?

This invitation connects children with the natural world in a very physical way. Being in and connecting with nature increases levels of seratonin, dopamine and endorphins.

It’s another warm spring day in Durham! Here are some invitations for you to consider setting up today.

Fine Motor Invitation: Map/blueprint making

Invite the child to draw a map of their room, the house, the outside or the neighborhood. You can ask: Where are the hallways, door ways, roads and intersections? How would you walk to your home? The grocery store? A friend’s house?

The intent for this is to connect the nature walk and reflect on what they observed and how they choose to express that world. In the past we have had preschoolers look at maps of where they live, travel and the surrounding area of Lakewood.

Sensory Invitation: Sensory bags

Invite your child to create and play with sensory bags. This requires plastic sandwich bags, you can fill them with what you like. Examples of this may be finger paint, sprinkles, cotton balls etc. Below is a link to a family who used hair gel! What the materials feel like in the bag? What happens when you squish, poke or high five the bag?

Easy Hair Gel Sensory Bags

The intent of this activity is to excite the sense of touch. It connects to a sensory schema a child might be exploring about squishy, soft things.

Art Invitation: Crayons on foil

Invite your child to draw on material that isn’t paper. Ask your child what drawing on foil feels like? How is it different from paper? Does the foil have to be flat to be drawn on?

The intent of this is to work with different mediums for expression. Much like the cotton balls, how can a child discover joy and create something they love with new materials?

Outdoor Invitation: Sidewalk Chalk

Invite your child to play with chalk. If you don’t have a sidewalk, perhaps a wood fence or chalk board?

The intent of playing with chalk is to offer a big body exercise that also is expressive! We have had kids draw, roll and stomp on chalk!

It looks like the wonderful spring weather will continue today. We hope you can open some windows or go outside for a while today. Here are a few invitations for you to consider. These were designed with children aged 3-5 years in mind, but appeal to children of many ages. Some materials may need to be modified for children younger than three years.

Fine Motor Invitation: String, yarn, or ribbon play

Invite your child to create with string, yarn, or ribbon. Ask your child what can you create? What does the string remind you of? What can we do with it?

The intent for this invitation is to have the child create something by weaving, tying or anything else they can imagine. This way they are finding ways to use the item creatively, problem solving all while giving those fine motor muscles a work out!

Sensory Invitation: senses collection

Invite your child to collect things from around the house or outside. Using touch, sight, and smell, what can we observe about the objects? Perhaps your child notices they have many objects that are smooth, can they find more objects that are similar? How about different?

The intent of this activity is to have the child focus on what their senses are telling them and in turn relaying those thoughts to us. We have always noticed an interest in textures playing with objects that feel wildly different.

Art Invitation: Paint with cotton balls

Invite your child to paint with not a paint brush, but with some cotton balls. Ask your child how might you use them to make art? Will they use the cotton balls to solely paint, or will they become part of the painting?

The intent of this is to give the child freedom over how they want to use a certain medium. In the classroom we have put out cotton balls, craft sticks, and leaves to paint with and it is always wonderful to observe and hear about the choices they make.

Music/Movement Invitation: Freeze Dance

Play your favorite song and dance. Pause the music any time to stop dancing. 

The intent for this is to just get moving and have fun. We often sing, play music during times of transition to engage our bodies in a safe and constructive way.

Outdoor Invitation: Nature Walk

Take a walk anywhere around your home! During a nature walk ask what you notice about the sky, the trees, and ground. What are the signs of Spring?

The intent of this activity is to mirror the adventure walks children in the LACS preschool class go on around the neighborhood. Sometimes the walk is more important than the destination because it is where we observe the most.