Kid Stuff

As I am wrapping up my in-home-preschool career, I am finding myself giving things away. Not that I don't want to keep everything. Not that I don't want little Hadley to be able to come over and play with all the cool, wooden, educational toys, and not that I don't look dreamily into the future about ten or fifteen years and think that I might have GRANDCHIDLREN for heaven's sake that might want to play with wooden educational toys, but I am realistic enough to know that kids don't want OLD stuff to play with and also that my house is barely 1600 square feet and has a severe storage deficiency. So a lot of stuff is going away in the next two months.

In this line of thought, I thought I would share a few activities that you that I have found to be highly popular with my cute little preschoolers, and that are easy and cheap to have around. (Just not at my house for very much longer)

The Dice Game

This is so darn easy to make and really requires no expense if you have a Yahtzee game lying around, and can steal one of the dice (dices?) (dies?) to use here. If you want, you can go to the school-supply store and buy a big wooden one, or a colorful one. Truly, though, the kids don't care much.

Using a word document program, make a line with 6 squares and type in numbers 1-6 on them.
Print seven million sheets of these because they will get used. I promise.
Put them in a little box with two markers and the dice. (Die?)

Take turns rolling the die, and circling the number on your number strip as you roll it. If you roll a number you have already circled, the other person takes their turn and you have to wait. This simple game teaches:

1. Small motor skills--circling the numbers (some kids like to draw a big X through the number instead) and learning to roll the die. This is trickier than you might think for a young preschooler

2. Counting skills--the kids learn to count, and then after a while, recognize immediately, the number of dots on the sides of the dice.

3. Patience--they simply cannot stand when they roll a number they have already circled, and will try their best to cheat their way into another roll.

Water Animals

So darn easy. Buy a tub at the dollar store. Buy a package of plastic sea animals at the dollar store (or Michaels, or Hobby Lobby). Find a rock in your back yard. Fill a little water in the tub and watch your preschooler play until the cows come home, or until his chubby little fingers are so soggy they alarm you.

Scooping and Pouring

This is a nice Montessori trick that is easy and fun for the kiddos. Collect a zillion different little cups, saucers, bowls, measuring spoons and scoopers. (Again, the dollar store is your best friend, although you can hit a thrift store and find 'fancy' cups and mini pitchers) Go to the bulk section of WinCo and buy little baggies of dried beans, corn, or even rice (if you're brave and have a good vacuum) and anything that looks interesting. You will be surprised at how many hours of creativity and fine motor skill practice this provides. Change the apparatus and bean/corn/rice stuff around often. The kids also love it when water is used in the biggest bowl/pourer rather than dry items.