Activities

     • Water play: Let your child stand on a chair or step stool at the kitchen sink and “wash” plasticware, dolls or doll clothes—or play with plastic measuring cups and old shampoo bottles.

     • Rice/birdseed bin: This is a fun alternative to a sand box that can be used indoors or out by children who do not put things in their mouths. Fill a large, shallow plastic box ¼ of the way with rice or birdseed. It’s a good idea to keep an old sheet underneath, or put the whole box inside an old wading pool to keep the spills under control. Add spoons, funnels, measuring cups, a two-liter bottle, a metal strainer, etc. for play. Play figures and toy cars work well, too. Activities: stand the two liter bottle upright. Try to fill it up using the measuring cups, and then the funnel. Compare/learn math: See that two halves equal one cup, etc. Add a container of salt to the mix. Have the children use the strainer and see if they can separate the two. Just playing with the rice/birdseed is soothing to children and will engage them for a long time.

     • Play dough: Provide play dishes, rollers, and cookie cutters.

     • Art box: Include stickers, felt-tipped pens or colored pencils, stencils, rubber stamps, etc. Other activities that will engage a young child for a good period of time (but are a little more messy) are watercolors, coloring books with watercolors built in, collage with paper scraps, beans and macaroni, etc.

Finally, try to take on a new mindset. I’ve come to realize that interruptions will happen—they are inevitable. However, I’ve learned that interruptions can be a part of learning for my older children. Our interruptions teach us all patience, and the children learn how to do their schoolwork even when distractions are present. My older children have learned a lot about parenting, too. I know they will be confident parents someday.

Remember, this is but a short season of life. All too soon, new challenges will concern us. In the meantime, let’s enjoy our preschoolers and keep them busy with creative play. All too soon they will be grown, and we’ll wish they were little again! 

Susan Lemons and her husband have been married for 23 years, and have homeschooled their four children (ages 19, 15, 6 and 4) “from birth.” Susan has earned both Associate and Bachelor Degrees in Child Development, and serves the homeschooling community as a mentor, “first contact” for new homeschoolers, and conference speaker. You may contact her at mentormom@bak.rr.com if you have any questions about her column, or about preschool at home.

This article was originally published in the Mar/Apr ’08 issue of Home School Enrichment Magazine. For more information, visit http://HomeSchoolEnrichment.com