Activities for young children:

1. Play Dough with cookie cutters, rolling pin, play-dough related toys

2. Magnets: fun shapes, alphabet letters, etc. (The Dollar store often has alphabet letter magnets) Use on a refrigerator, file cabinet or (we like to use) cookie sheets

3. Sandpaper Pictures: Use cut pieces of colored yarn and pieces of sandpaper. The yarn will stick to the sandpaper. No glue required. When you get tired of one picture, just take the yarn off and start over!

4. Fun & Magical Letter Writing! Have your youngster dip a finger into a small cup of water and write a letter of the alphabet on the chalkboard. Once the letter is formed, have him/her say its name and sound. Let him/her watch how the letter fade and then do another letter. You could also place a pile of flash cards in a basket and let your child choose one randomly to know which letter to write! If too young for this, they can draw a picture of an animal.

5. Create Roy G. Biv: This acronym can be used to learn the color order of the rainbow. ROY G BIV stands for Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. Teach this to your child. Write the name at the top of a piece of large drawing paper. Tell them to make a rainbow at the top, putting the colors in the correct order. Then tell them to draw Roy G Biv how they think he might look. :) I bet he is pretty colorful!

6. Stickers! Lots of STICKERS. See how long they will just draw and then pull out the stickers! If you have themed stickers, draw a background and allow your child to make the scene using stickers (example: sea creature stickers: give blue paper, farm animals: draw a barn, etc.)

7. Play "I spy": Use flash cards and a book (large print) Let the child pick a flash card and then search the book for the letter (or number, etc.)

8. Books on Tape: If this is just to keep one child occupied, place your child in a chair near you. Use headphones and a walkman cassette player to play the tape. They can hold the book on their lap. Most kids really like wearing headphones. I keep a bin full of books with tapes so we can do many stories while they are out.

9. A stack of old magazines: I keep a pile of old Family Fun magazines. You could use any kid-friendly magazines (Nick Jr. Sesame Street, etc.) They love looking through them. If they are older they can tear pictures out and then glue them onto a piece of paper.

10. Sculpting the alphabet: Make large alphabet cards: Use 8 1/2 x 11" card stock paper and markers. Print one letter per sheet of paper from A-Z, filling the whole sheet with the letter. (You could also print these out from your computer). You will have 26 papers. Laminate the cards for repeated use. (If you do not laminate them, you will probably have to throw the papers away and make new next time.) Give the cards and a tub of play dough to your child. Have them press dough on to the card to form the letters, working through the alphabet. You can show them how to roll out strands of dough to lay onto the paper, too.

11. An assortment of pompoms in a container and a pair of children's tweezers: Have the child sort the pompoms by color or size using the tweezers.

12. Pipe cleaners: They can create and sculpt with pipe cleaners and you can just straighten them out for the next time or keep their created sculpture. (much easier to keep than a clay sculpture)

13. Noah's Ark Hunt: Take a paper bag and draw a simple outline of an ark using markers. Give your child the bag and ask him/her to search through the toys for animals. When found, have them place the animal in the bag until the bag is full. It's simple to clean up- just empty the bag back into the toy box!

14. Mr. and/or Mrs. Potato Head and pieces

15. Felt board and shapes (These can be bought at OrientalTrading.com or make your own. Cover a piece of sturdy cardboard with felt. Make shapes using cookie cutters as patterns.

16. Puppets: Start by reading a book to the child (The book should have characters that go with your puppets - then tell them to act out the story or play what happens next). You could also just let them play and come up with their own play!

17. Eyedropper and water: Use a ice cube tray, Styrofoam egg carton or muffin tin. Put a small amount of water in one section and allow the child to disperse the water into the other sections. Use colored water to make it more interesting. Demonstrate how to use the eyedropper both to fill and empty the cups. This whole thing can be contained inside a wash basin so if spills happen, no big deal!

18. Mini Treasure Hunt: fill a large basin or tub with corn meal, oatmeal, unpopped popcorn kernels or rice, etc, Add some small "treasures" within the rice like...individually wrapped candy, coins, small toys, game pieces, etc. Make a picture checklist with all the items to find! The children love this but make sure the items are age-appropriate.

19. Tub O'Bugs: We use a recycled baby wipes tub that we have filled with rubber/plastic bugs. They are fun to play with. The bugs/reptiles can be bought inexpensively at Wal-Mart and craft stores.

20. Building with Popsicle sticks. Glue is needed here! This is even neater if you have colored sticks. This is great for eye hand coordination and small motor building not to mention creativity. You could put the glue in a small plastic cup or on a paper plate and have child apply it with a cotton swab to avoid "excessive" mess. This is an activity for ages 3 and up. (2 yr. olds would need assistance.)

21. Texture Hunt: Crayon Rubbings. Get a piece of paper, a crayon and coins. Show your child how to make a crayon rubbing by placing the coins under the paper and rubbing the crayon on top of the paper where the coins were placed. Put the coins away and instruct your child to look for item with texture from around the house, to bring the items back to the table and make a crayon rubbing of them.

22. Etch-a-sketch: Make up a few slips of papers with drawing suggestions on them. Let the child pick a slip of paper and read to them what they picked to draw. This makes it more fun!

23. Follow the line. Parent: Using masking tape, (or painters tape if you are worried about furniture or walls) run tape all around your house or room. Run it over furniture or under chairs up the walls, etc. Once you created the path, bring your child into the room. Have the child follow the path going over and under when possible. Then let them take a stuffed toy along the path or a car, etc.

24. A fort: Drape a sheet over a table and allow your child to play under it with a few favorite toys.

25. Flashlight: Kids LOVE flashlights, at least mine do! Nothing else is needed -except maybe new batteries!

26. Sewing cards: Store bought or make your own. A FUN suggestion: Print out photos of family members, etc. Laminate and punch holes around the person, object. Add string and you have fun homemade sewing cards! Great for hand and eye coordination!

27: Dress-up box: Have a box with some dress-up items. Buying reduced costumes after Halloween is great for this. Hats, aprons, etc. work well in here too.

28: Outside play: If the weather is dry but cold you could still bundle up and go outside. Allow the young one to swing or play in a sandbox, or bike, etc. while you work with other children on a school lesson close by!

29. Ask a grandparent (or other family/friend) ahead of time if you can call at a certain time specifically for your child to talk with them for a little while.

30. Let your child look through your family photo album. They love seeing pictures of people they know and love! (Then have them draw a picture of a family member or something from the photo album)

31. Realistic Store: If you have a little storage space, save boxes from food items for about a week. Whatever you cook, keep the box, pull out anything inside and tape the opened flap closed. Save these boxes and once you have a large bag full, arrange them and let your child play store. They will love playing with the real thing instead of plastic fake looking food. Add a play cash register if you have one.

32. View-master and viewing reels: They do make some educational reels but even the others are fun. To add more to this activity, you could draw a large circle on a piece of paper and divide it into sections. Let your child draw a different scene in each section to create his/her own reel.

33. Container of musical instruments: (This may get a little noisy so make sure it is a good time for a little noise.)

34. Chalk drawing on black construction paper! If they can't think of something to draw- give them suggestions, a self-portrait, a nighttime scene, etc.

35. Put a child's hanging shoe holder to interesting use with this suggestion. Drop a letter cutout into each pocket of the shoe holder. Have children take turns selecting a pocket, reaching into it, feeling the letter, and naming it or its sound

36. Wooden blocks or Lincoln logs

37. Legos (Mega Block size) Allow child to build and create with the Lego pieces. Another activity would be to give the child containers marked for certain colors. Have the child sort the Legos by color, placing them into the correct colored bin.

38. Large sheet of paper (poster board or banner): Just let them create a masterpiece.

39. LeapPad or Fisher Price PowerTouch Interactive Storybook, etc. are wonderful. They are worth it in my opinion and if you keep your eyes out for them, you can often find great deals- especially AFTER Christmas.

40. Bring a box along home from the grocery store. Allow the child to decorate the box and then play in it!

41. Color Wonder: Great for preschoolers as the markers only work on the Color Wonder paper. They think it is magic.

42. Snowman Collage: A great homemade winter decoration! Use a piece of poster board and cut out the shape of a large snowman. While you do this have your child start tearing a piece of white paper into pieces. Once they have a lot of paper pieces, have them glue the pieces onto the snowman shape in a collage-like manner. Add a brown cutout hat and some black circles (buttons, pompoms, etc) and you have a really great decoration your child will be proud of. Hang it on the front door or his/her bedroom door!

43. Small cars: add a car mat (homemade or bought) or a basin of rice to run the cars through. Bulldozers are great in a thin layer of rice!

44. Educational CD-Rom: Older preschoolers could work on an educational computer program. Reader Rabbit, Sesame Street, Jump Start and many other companies have programs specifically for toddlers, preschoolers, etc.

45. Bean Bag Toss: Place buckets, dishpans, baskets, etc. on the floor, spread out around the room. Gather some beanbags or small stuffed toys. (Beanie babies work well for this) Place them on the sofa or a chair etc. Have your child stand right in front of the sofa or chair. Instruct him/her to take one beanbag at a time and throw it trying to get it in to one of the containers. If you stick different numbers on each container, they can tally their points and add them up. (if they are able to do simple math, etc.)

46. Caring for Bear: Place a bear and some doll clothing (that fit the bear), a small blanket, bandage (or band-aids), comb, toothbrush, etc. in a box. Have the child take care of the bear. Fix any "boo-boos", dress the bear, comb hair and brush teeth, wrap in a blanket, sing it a lullaby or play with it, etc.

47. Tea Party/Picnic for stuffed Animals. Put a blanket on the floor or set-up a child-size table.

48. Wash dishes. Allow the child to wash a few plastic dishes and cups with water. Fill a basin with just a little water.

49. Tracing: Take simple drawings (like coloring book pictures) lay a sheet of tracing paper on top of the simple line drawing. Place in a clipboard and let your child "draw" the picture by tracing it. This is a little different than just coloring and so it is fun! It helps fine motor skills!

50. No-spill bubbles. This is a great new invention. You can buy these at Wal-Mart, etc. The container does not spill the bubble liquid when turned upside down, etc.!

51. Play some classical or symphony music and let your child dance! (Have your camcorder nearby, as this may be very cute to videotape!)

52. Coloring books: (Suggestion: Place a plastic tablecloth on the floor where you are. Let the child color with a small box of crayons on top of the tablecloth. They can sit or lay, If they go off the page it will just hit the plastic tablecloth and not mark up the floor!)

53. Post-it Notes of Love!: Give your child a small stack of post-it notes. Have them draw a picture on each sheet. Add a simple note to some of them like I love you!, You are the best daddy!, etc. Let the child place the finished notes all over the house for daddy to find when he gets home! I have found a large stack of post-it type notes at The Dollar Store! This keeps your toddler busy and adds some love & fun to daddy’s day!

54. Circle Ribbon Wands: Use round plastic circles. (Often used with curtains or macramé, etc.) Tie some long pieces of thick ribbon onto the circle. Child can easily hold onto the ring and move around watching the ribbon dance in the wind! Great for fun and exercise! Make different ones for different colors to reinforce colors recognition.

55. Allow your child to brush/comb your hair. While working with your other children on a lesson or to keep the toddler close at story time, allow him/her to "fix" your hair. Give the child a brush or comb, whichever you prefer. You may also want to give them a spray bottle filled with a little water. Set it to a mist or light spray. They will love this extra gadget.

56. Noodle Doodles: Cooked pasta and black construction paper create some really neat pictures! Boil pasta (spaghetti noodles are best but other varieties are fun too.) Cook until soft but not mushy. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle. Allow the kids to put the noodles onto the paper shaping them to create pictures or designs. If you want to keep a picture instead of just recreating, cover it with waxed paper and place a heavy book on top. This will keep it from curling while it dries and the pasta will adhere to the paper.

57. Sorting Cups (also good for counting): We have the Lego blocks with cups. You can find any solid color cup and find items that are that exact color. Set up the cups. Place all the pieces (nothing too small of course- with choking hazards) on the floor or table and let them sort!

58. Color Hunt (indoor or outdoor): Paint the bottoms of an egg carton. Paint each bottom a different color: one should be red, one orange, yellow, green, blue, etc. Allow to dry. Then give your child the painted empty carton. The search is on for something to match each color. When it is found, they put it in that colored cup. This can be done inside and then do another hunt outside!

59. File Folder Games: These can be home-made. There are many websites on this. Easy matching games on colors, number, etc. for preschoolers. You can also make more challenging games for older children.

60. Animal Rescue: I keep a hamper full of animal stuffed animals. We also have two cheap stethoscopes and a white scarf with it. My little ones like to play animal rescue. They rescue and mend the animals. They can also just play animal store!

61. Once in awhile: Pack up the kids and their schoolbooks- go to a fast food place that has a play place. Sit near the play area. The older kids can work on some schoolwork before playing. The toddler can play, play, play. Then grab a quick bite to eat and the toddler may even fall asleep on the ride home!

62. Paper Dolls: Boys can have boy dolls or Bears, etc. Do an online search and you will find many- even historical figures! You could even make them magnetic.

63. Puzzles!

64. Home-made greeting cards. Fold a stack of paper (in half and half again) to form a card. Let the child decorate or color the front. Add a note and mail to a family friend or relative who will really love it more because of the child’s artwork!

65. Make the family some placemats. Tell the toddler that they are for suppertime. They get to make a placemat for every member of the family. I use the large sheets of construction paper and write the person’s name on the page. Then the toddler can draw or TEAR and paste (w/ kid-friendly magazines and a washable glue stick). You may find you need to laminate these. Some toddlers may get upset if their pretty placemat gets messed up from food!

66. Shipwrecked on an island: Give your toddler an empty backpack. Tell him/her that he is going to an island and they need to pack the things into their backpack that they will want on their island trip. Lay out a blanket (within your view) and explain to your child that that blanket is the island and all around it is water (like an island.) You could show them a picture or drawing of an island. Tell them that they will be at the island for 20-30 minutes and they need to get their things done while there. (You may want to pack a neat snack -like a baggie of cheerios) and a no-spill drink cup. To extend the time (when they may want to get up) give them some materials like twigs or popsicle sticks, pieces of yarn or ribbon, some paper, a scarf, etc. Tell them that these are materials from their crashed ship and ask them to make something from them.

67. This is a variation to #66. Create a special place: Turn an umbrella up-side-down (opened) and hang from a ceiling hook. Clip some shimmery, sheer, or fun material around the umbrella (leaving one spot free of material- an opening) Place a bean bag chair under it or even an empty clean baby pool filled with pillows. Explain to them that this is THEIR special spot- just for them! Give them some books, music, activities they like to accompany them with visiting their special spot

68. Different colors of yarn in different lengths are great with the sandpaper too. They will stick to it and make different designs

69. Draw a shape (triangle) and let them fill it in with stickers Small, even tiny stickers. It takes MUCH longer to fill it up this way! This is a great way to introduce or reinforce shapes too. Each day, make a new shape! They can then put them together and make a book.

70. Lite-Brite: We have the old-style one from the 80s. It is big but my children like it better. Place a pattern on and let them make the scene. They can them have it on for naptime or at bedtime!

71. Floam: Floam is a newer modeling compound. My children love it. It is safe and non-toxic.

72. Make pictures with cotton balls. For Fall: On blue paper, let your child make a green or brown horizon line and color from that line down. Then give them leaf stickers to stick all over the ground area. Draw large cloud shapes at the top of the page. Let the child glue (stick) all over the inside of a cloud (one cloud at a time) then stick cotton balls on to make fluffy clouds.

For Winter: Snowman: (A lot like #42 in this list but use cotton balls instead of paper.)

For Spring: Lamb: Cut child’s handprint out of black construction paper. Turn their fingers down (These will be the 4 lamb legs and the thumb is its head. Glue white cotton balls on the palm part of the handprint and as easy as that you have a cute little lamb!

Easter Egg: Draw a large oval on a paper for the child. Let them glue on colored cotton balls (These pastel cotton balls can be found at drug stores and Wal-Mart in the Spring season.)

Summer: Make a beach scene and add full fluffy clouds above

73. Kid K`NEX: another great building toy

74: Preschool level lap books: This takes more of your time but the pages for in the lap book often can be worked on by the child independently giving mom some free moments of time. They can color or make things with some extra paper for when the actual lap book project is complete, they can move onto the secondary drawing, etc.

75. Moon Sand: Another new modeling product! It never dries out! 

76. Press Flowers ~ Pick flowers and press between two paper towels and place a few heavy books on top for several days or until they dry.  Help your child make a greeting card to send to Grandma and Grandpa!

77. Button Scene: Allow your child to make a scene on a piece of paper using buttons: different colors and sizes, etc. The pictures turn out so cute. They can dump the buttons and start over again and again or they can glue the buttons in place to hang the picture for display! (Be sire the child is old enough that they would not put the buttons in to their mouth. Buttons could be a choking hazard!)

78. Encourage your child to "read" a book to you, by using the pictures and book's illustrations to help them tell a story!

79. Sidewalk chalk: If the weather is nice, go outside with sidewalk and create a masterpiece, practice writing letters or make a Welcome Home sign for Daddy. If the weather is cooler (yet you have a garage) allow your child to chalk a picture on the garage floor.

If you have any other good preschool activities, please let me a comment to share them. I will add them to my list to try with my little ones! (Thanks!)