Helpful Tips for Parents

• Simple is better. The most educational activities for preschoolers — blocks, sand, water, paint, books — are also the most affordable.

• Set out activity materials before you invite your child to play — a prepared space is more inviting and leads to longer, deeper engagement.

• Follow your child's lead. If they transform the planned activity into something else entirely, that redirect shows creative thinking — go with it.

• Outdoor activities should be a daily priority year-round. Research consistently links outdoor time to better attention, mood, and sleep in preschoolers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What activities are best for a preschooler with high energy?

High-energy preschoolers benefit most from activities that have a physical component: outdoor obstacle courses, dancing, chalk activities, nature scavenger hunts, and water play. When indoor time is required, use the whole body: yoga poses, freeze dance, and rolling/throwing activities in a hallway. Matching the activity intensity to the child's energy level prevents meltdowns far better than expecting stillness.

Related reading: See also our chalk activities and our pretend play guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🖐️ Fine Motor Skills — Manipulating small objects, tools, and materials during hands-on activities builds the hand strength and finger dexterity children need for writing and self-care.
• 🌈 Sensory Exploration — Safe exploration of varied textures, temperatures, and materials helps children build a rich sensory map of the world and supports self-regulation in children with sensory processing differences.
• 😌 Emotional Self-Regulation — Managing the feelings that arise during activities — frustration when something doesn't work, excitement, disappointment at the end — builds the self-regulation foundation that distinguishes emotionally ready kindergarteners.
• 🧠 Executive Function — Planning an activity, following multi-step directions, and seeing a project through to completion builds the executive function skills — working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control — that are the strongest predictors of school success.

It's that time of year again when all of the end-of-the-year holidays are fast-approaching. To keep your sanity through these busy times -- as well as your child's -- here are a few ways to ways to survive the holidays with the right preschool activities whether you are planning a get together or simply invited to one.

Keep Your Child Entertained While Away

The key for those gatherings where children are welcome but there's not a whole lot for them to do is not to let your preschooler get bored. You may want to find out ahead of time whether other children will be in attendance, that way you will know if your child has someone to play with or if s/he will need some activities with which to keep busy.

Stop by a discount store and pick up some crayons, markers and coloring books, as well as regular books and other small toys. Be sure to tell your child that these preschool activities are just for when they visit others over the holidays and when s/he gets home, the toys get put away until next time. Put the preschool activities in a special backpack or other tote bag and make sure to put your child's name on the bag and any items you don't want lost or mistakenly taken home by another child.

Some other small preschool activities include beading kits, sewing cards, paper dolls, small cars and Legos. Remember, you don't want to bring items that are easily broken or lost, create a large mess or requires a lot of assistance from adults. You need to be able to keep your child entertained so you can enjoy yourself. Find an area of the house where your child can be comfortable but still be a part of the festivities. If all else fails, bring one or two of your preschooler's favorite holiday movies to pop in and watch. You'd be surprised at how many adults will enjoy watching these movies too.

Get Your Preschooler Involved On The Homefront

Finding and doing preschool activities while your child is at home is much easier since everything is close-by and familiar. Preschool Activities your child can do to help prepare for a festivity include Setting The Thanksgiving Table or

Let your child help you prepare part of the food you are cooking for your guests. Preschoolers love to crack eggs or stir just about anything. This will not only make your child feel proud for participating, but it also keeps them busy. Your preschooler can also help decorate the house (both inside and out). Make a game out of it by seeing if they remember where certain decoratios go from the previous year. Also, give him/her some of the decorations (or help make some) to turn their bedroom into a wonderful holiday wonderland.

If you are expecting company with children, help your child prepare some preschool activities ahead of time and have them ready to go. Some of these can include Indoor Preschool Picnic, making a Name Frame, decorating holiday cookies or even making some S'mores Kabobs.

Plan Your Time Accordingly

If your child is invited to y