Preschool Activities for All-round Learning

Effective preschool activities have to appeal to children, make good use of all their talents and promote all around learning.

The years before school are an incredible time of growth and knowledge acquisition. Children in the age group from three through to five, love to:

  • Talk about anything and everything. They are fast becoming experts at using language as their speech development progresses.
  • Move around a lot. They need space, opportunities and freedom of choice to learn to their full potential.

Preschoolers are active learners and learn best through play as they become increasingly more adept at more complex actions.

This is why learning activities in preschools are organised around a variety of themes which appeal to preschoolers and their interests and imaginations.

Some Themes Preschoolers Love

Some favourite themes that inspire preschool activities over a school year include:

  • About Me
  • My Family
  • Pets
  • Wild Animals
  • Farm Animals
  • Dinosaurs
  • Our Environment
  • On the Beach
  • In the Sky
  • On the Sea and Under the Sea

Themes give children opportunities to investigate, explore and gather information about interesting topics through the years before school.

Active Learning

Preschool activities based on topics children enjoy reinforce language acquisition, early literacy, early maths and early science skills. They encourage children to:

  • Become word-smart, develop interesting vocabulary, communicate and boost speech and language development
  • Think smart and discover interesting new facts about the world around them
  • Become number-smart to discover numbers, shapes, colours and patterns in the world around them
  • Become nature-smart, observing changes in seasons, growing seeds, observing insects
  • Become avid readers, enjoying books on a variety of themes and topics

Creative Activities

Creative activities, such as drawing, painting, pasting, using writing utensils, and making lovely artwork, are about the process rather than the end result. Children’s drawings tell us a lot about their development.

It is really about using fine muscles, arm muscles and having fun. It is also about using their abilities to brainstorm, plan and create something from a blank sheet of paper: the foundations good writing skills in future.

All Around Learning

It is important to ensure that preschoolers make good use of all their talents in all the areas of  development. Children in the age group from three through to five can become a bit over-focused on their favourite activity – the one they enjoy the most. We need to observe closely:

  • If children like to be on the go most of the time. Think of an enticing activity that will tempt them to sit and focus on a task for a little bit longer.
  • If children prefer to sit and play quietly most of the time. Think of an exciting movement activity – run like a cheetah, hop like a kangaroo – to tempt them to get active.
  • If children spend a lot of time sitting in front of the television or a computer screen. Limit the time, join in and think of exciting spin-off activities to encourage youngsters to engage in exploratory and active play.

Gordon, C., & Huggins-Cooper, L. (2012). Smarter than you Think: Assessing and Promoting your Child’s Multiple Intelligences. London: Carroll & Brown Limited.

Bennet-Armistead, S. V., (2009). Literacy-Building Play in Preschool: Lit Kits, Prop boxes, and Other Easy-to-make Tools to Boost Emergent Reading and Writing Skills Through Dramatic Play. Scholastic.

Pica, R., (2006). A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity and Free Time Create a Successful Child. New York, Marlowe and Company.

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