Sometimes, the preschool fun needs to happen indoors: It’s raining. It’s freezing. You have lots to catch up on and need to stay inside (holiday prep, anyone?) So when you’ve exhausted your go-to ideas, or you just want to try something a little different, we have 12 awesome indoor preschool activities that are creative, engaging, giggle-inducing, and maybe even tantrum-preventing. Let’s go!
1. Tape Shapes
Use masking tape or colorful painter’s tape to outline shapes on the floor. Then, start by asking your child to name the shapes. Next, get him moving by calling out commands like, “Jump to the rectangle,” “Skip to the square,” “Dance to the circle.” If you make the shapes large enough, he can walk the outline like a tightrope to practice his balance. He can practice his numbers, too, when you say, “Jump inside the circle seven times.” You can even let him use the tape to make his own shapes on the floor. Preschool activities like this one are fun and educational.
2. Shades of Color
Teach your child that there are varying shades of her favorite colors using a glass of water and food coloring. Add a drop of food coloring to the water and stir. Ask her what color it is. Then add another drop. Ask, “Is it still green?” When she says yes, say, “It sure is, but now it’s a little darker.” Continue to add one drop at a time, and reinforce that the color is getting darker. For teaching her that colors can grow lighter, start with a color in water and add more water. Throughout the day, compare different things around the house that have the same color. Ask her which one is darker and which one is lighter.
3. Contact Paper Collage
Child plus glue equals big mess! Instead, use contact paper and pre-cut collage materials from junk mail, feathers, leaves, and colored paper. Have your little ones create their own masterpieces by placing items on the sticky side of clear contact paper. Place another piece of contact paper over the collage, cut into rectangles, and send handmade bookmarks to Grandma.
4. Sock Puppets
Stop hoping your dryer will cough up those missing socks and instead put those lonely ones to good use! Pull out the washable markers and googly eyes for this childhood staple. All you need is fabric glue (just because it sticks a little better) and fabric (old clothes work!). Cut out eyes, nose, ears, mouth, mustache, and any other facial features you fancy. Use pipe cleaners for an elephant trunk or deer antlers. Try pompom balls for a bunny’s tail or mouse ears. Or help your child learn to name emotions by creating “happy,” “sad,” and “mad” faces on their puppets. Have them retell their favorite story using their puppets. (And if you don’t have fabric glue, use regular glue or even tape!)
5. Bottle Spin
Place puzzles, board books, or favorite toys in a circle. Put a half-full water bottle in the center. Have your child spin the bottle. Then read or play with the toy or book the bottle points to. The true fun of this activity is in the spinning, so don’t be surprised if your little one wants to hurry up and spin again. You can also make a circle of tiny treats, with some healthier foods mixed in.
6. Seek-and-Find Soda Bottle
Cut a slit in an empty 2-liter soda bottle and insert several small items like toy cars, blocks, or plastic food. (Be sure to keep a list of all of the items so you’ll know when he’s found everything.) Then fill it with birdseed and tape the hole closed. Enjoy watching your child move and shake the bottle to find all of the items. To make it a little harder for your older preschoolers, set a timer and see if they can find everything before the buzzer goes off! Recycle for another round by emptying contents into a bowl, fishing out the items from the birdseed, adding new items to the soda bottle, and pouring the birdseed back in.
7. Bag of Tickles
Sit with your little one and flip through old magazines that you’ve picked up from the library. Help her tear out the pages with pictures of arms, feet, legs, necks, and tummies. Cut them out and glue them to a sturdier material, like cardstock. Place the cards in a bag or bowl. Take turns pulling out a card and tickling each other! If you pull out an elbow card, tickle her elbow. If her card shows toes, get ready to be tickled. Your child will enjoy the chance to make you laugh while practicing naming body parts.
8. Little Kid Twister
Cut two sets of shapes out of poster board—one large set (8″ or so) and one small set (2″ or so). Tape the larger set of shapes just a few inches apart from each other on the floor, spread out just enough so your child can stretch to touch one with his foot and one with his hand at the same time. Put the smaller set of shapes in a bowl or bag. Have him pull a little shape from the bowl and put a hand or foot on the matching big shape. See how many additional poses he can manage before he falls over.
9. Fishing Game
Tie a long piece of yarn to the end of a small wooden dowel or stick from the yard. Attach a small magnet to the tip of the dangling yarn piece. Cut fish out of construction paper and attach a small paper clip to each. For the illusion of water, tape blue construction paper to the floor. Have your child stand on the shoreline and catch the fish that are “floating” in the water. Kids love interactive, imaginative preschool activities like this.
10. Dinosaur Excavation
Stash toy dinosaurs in couch cushions, in the bottom of a hamper full of clothes, in a canister of dry noodles, in a sock drawer, or peeking out of a stack of books. The idea is to get your kids digging and hunting. Younger children may need some help, so leave a trail of pebbles or cereal from one stop to the next to keep them engaged. Dinosaurs can be replaced with any other treasure your child will be eager to find: jewelry, cars, seashells, rocks, or wrapped candy. Just make sure to keep any choking hazards out of reach of little hands.
11. Obstacle Course
Make this as long as you can to expend excess energy before naptime. Some ideas: Create a tunnel by placing couch cushions between two rows of chairs, then let your preschooler crab-crawl through. Get out your exercise ball and let your child roll it down the hall and back. For the next station on the course, have them do ten jumping jacks. Make a line on the floor with tape, and have them jump over the line in a zig-zag from one end to the other. Hold one pillow in each hand and have them run through the pillows. Somersault from one doorway to the next. Throw a ball into a basket. Run in place or twirl while singing the ABC song. Stack books to build a book tower. Make sure they have a finish line to cross at the end!
12. Pudding Paint
When your indoor day is winding down, this is one of the best preschool activities for bath time. Make a couple of boxes of instant vanilla pudding according to package directions. Separate it into three or four plastic bowls. Add food coloring to each and stir. Put your child in the bathtub, and now it’s time to paint! Any surface is game because the pudding paint will all wash away in a matter of minutes. You can also let your child paint his very own edible masterpiece on a sheet pan.
Which idea do you like best?
