Good morning! It’s going to be another warm day today. Here are three invitations for engaging preschoolers today.
Fine Motor Invitation: Making roads with tape or sidewalk chalk
You can set up this invitation inside with painter’s tape, or outside with sidewalk chalk. In either case you will also need some small cars, people or animals to travel the roads your child creates. They might also want to make some stop signs or other accessories for their trail/road/path system.
This invitation incorporates planning, motor skills, and dramatic play.
Art Invitation: Collage
This invitation requires small pieces of paper, ribbon, etc., some form of glue, and a piece of thick paper or cardboard. Invite your child to see what they can create from the small pieces. While Eric Carle is probably the best-known collage artist in children’s experience, you could also share some of the work of these artists. The Seattle Public Library also has a list of 27 children’s books illustrated with collage.
Collage is an interesting medium for creative expression that also builds small motor skills and sensory schema.
Sensory/Outdoor Invitation: Exploring ice forms
During a warm part of the day, take the ice form your started yesterday out of the freezer. How does it look? You can invite your child to help unwrap it, or do it yourself. Remove the tape from the top and the rocks from the center. If the container in the middle does not come out easily, you can put a little warm water in it. Do the same on the outside until the ice form is free. Put it on a tray or an outdoor table. You can fill it with water, ice cubes, or something else like a shaker of salt. Invite your child to explore the form. What will happen to it outside on such a warm day? What will happen if they fill it with water? What if they fill it with ice? What happens if they sprinkle it with a little salt?