Creative Activities With Littles

Having days filled with peaceful rhythms is a lofty goal, and a plan needs to be in place to achieve it. One way that younger children enjoy being entertained is through hands-on activities. Many families find that keeping some special activities ready for their preschool and under crowd can help lesson time carry on with fewer interruptions. Here are some fun ideas for easy to create hands-on activities. 

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Basic tips for sensory bins and hands-on activities.

A standard model in education is I do, we do, you do. With the types of activities introduced here, this is a great approach.

When you set up a new bin or activity, review the house rules for that space (e.g. we clean up our messes, we use tools correctly, we keep everything in this space, we only eat food).

After that, model the activity. Show the child what the tools are for and how to use everything.

Next, invite them to join you. They can take over a part of it for you.

Finally, pass the baton; have the child take over and enjoy their space.

Be consistent and remove the bin or resource when the child shows they cannot follow the guidelines for them. This will help them care for the items and follow the expectations, which will maximize learning and enjoyment. 

Alphabet/Phonics Bin

This one is a bonafide learning-themed bin. Some bins are all about the experience, but this one is chock full of both fun and learning.

Get your filler (fillers can be any small item you have lots of; black beans, rice, barley, fake paper grass, etc.) and some wooden or magnetic letters. Choose one letter you are currently focusing on and toss a couple into the bin with the filler. Next, add some small items that use the same phoneme. Examples:

  • A/a – apple, ant, alligator, animal

  • C/c – cotton, candy, cat, couch (think dollhouse size), cabin, colors

  • B/b- ball, baby doll, brush, banana, blanket, bird

Provide some tongs, a spoon or two, and some bowls. Teach your child the phoneme and then let them have at it! They can find the small items with tongs or spoons and place them in the bowls with the letters. They can say the names of what they find.

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Counting Bin

Using basic supplies in your home, you can easily create counting practice in an interesting manner for your littles.

Save an egg carton and either write numbers inside or use wooden or magnetic numbers and place them in the egg carton.

Next, fill the bin with a filler. After that, choose what the child will count. It can be the filler itself or something else. In the past, we have used cotton balls, mini apples, small erasers, etc. Strew the items throughout the bin and provide some play utensils like tongs and spoons so the child can pick up the items and place them into the egg carton while counting. 

Name Match or Sight Word Bin

This bin is nice for multiple ages and older siblings can help little ones.

Mix some wooden or magnetic letters into a bin with your filler. Provide the child with a neatly printed card with their name or sight words on it.

Challenge the child to find and match the letters to their name or sight words. For an extra challenge, you can provide a blindfold. Older children love this version. Using only their hands, encourage them to feel for the letters to spell their own name. Do they recognize the shape of the letters?

Pond Soup

This one is an eternal favorite in our home. It works great with The Peaceful Press Freshwater Guide. There are so many printables and stories in that guide to complement a bin like this one. Using water beads and glass aquarium stones, layer the bottom of a bin.

Gather several small toad and frog toys, some floating lily pads, and any other pond-type elements (the aquarium section at Dollar Tree has great options for plants and such you could add).

Once everything is available and you have layered the bottom section of a bin with the water beads and aquarium stones, have your little one join in and pour the water over the beads. It is lots of fun for them to observe the process of the beads expanding. If you have a frog life cycle toy, they are wonderful for this bin. 

To keep these activities fresh and engaging, I suggest putting them away each day after they play with them. Pulling them down during a dedicated time when you want them engaged, will help them want to play with it. 

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Sensory Bin Supplies

Many sensory bins can be created with items around the house, and an eco-friendly alternative to plastic parts would be using a large metal bowl or deep roasting pan instead of plastic tubs. You can, however, buy complete sensory bin kits if you are in a hurry.

If you are looking for more creative activities for preschool and kindergarten, check out the Nature Guides. It’s a year of learning with units that are full of hands-on activity ideas.

Guest post by Sarah Ruth Owens.

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