Jul. 30, 2007 - Keeping Preschoolers Busy
Last year, I got lots of things ready for Little Monkey and Peanut to try to keep them busy as I concentrated on Big Mans studies. Little Monkey was far more interested in learning everything under the sun, so it was mostly Peanut who played (and cried . . . loudly). Peanut is a year older now, so I'm hoping that these things will hold his attention longer. Here are the items that we have in our school area I will be pulling out to keep Peanut busy, and hopefully happy.
File folder games. I always have a few folders I haven't completed, but I have a good number at the moment. Color matching, letter recognition, shape matching, number recognition. Even if he isn't matching them, he enjoys the ripping sound the velcro makes. My favorite site for games is http://www.preschoolprintables.com/filefolder/filefolder.shtml
Puzzles. Oodles of puzzles. Wooden ones, foam ones, paper ones.
Tangrams. I have a wooden set that everyone likes to play with. My mother-in-law found one for some other grandkids that have foam shapes. I really like that since the shapes don't slide around the board as easily. We also have a magnetic set. It's fun for Peanut to watch the pieces stick when he turns it upside down.
A magnetic tray, a mini chalkboard, lots of paper. A pencil box full of crayons, chalk, stickers, and letter & number magnets.
Shape stackers. We have a couple different ones made by Melissa & Doug. One is more difficult than the other, so if he's feeling frustrated I give him the easier one.
Blocks. I found a set of blocks with a hole drilled thru them so you can stack the blocks, or you can thread them with a shoelace.
Sewing cards. Yes, I have boys. This is still a great fine motor skill toy.
Index cards & poker chips. No I'm not teaching them to gamble. I found a set of large red, white, & blue poker chips at the store. I then used marker to make red & blue dots on index cards, and used a pen to make a outline circle to represent the white chips. On the back of the index card I write the number of dots on the front of the card. These cards can be used for color sequencing, or number skills (counting the dots, then number recognition on the back).
Aqua Doodle/Magna Doodle.
Pegboard from Lauri.
Books on tape, recorded in my voice. I enjoyed watching Peanuts face the first time I used this. How is mommy reading me this story while she's sitting in front of me talking to my brothers? Just watch that the little hands don't find the volume control if he's using headphones.
Memory game. He didn't really understand this last year, but he still enjoyed flipping the pieces over to see what picture was hiding under there.
Legos.
Wooden train set. This was first Little Monkeys passion, but Peanut has a great time with these as well. This year he's happier with this toy, since he's learning how the pieces fit together.
Rice in a bin with scoops & such. Yeah, right. This lasted two times before mommy couldn't take it. Peanut was determined to see how much he could throw before mommy had a fit.
Leapster. He didn't care if he wasn't actually doing anything with it. He just liked the fact that he was able to make noise with it.
Books. I keep a milk crate on the bottom shelf filled with picture books. This is one of his favorite places.
Play-doh. He has fun with this, but it's a bit more mommy-intensive than I would like. (I am trying to keep him occupied so I can teach after all!)
Paint with water books. The kind of books where you just need a wet Q-tip to rub on the page, and colors "magically appear"! I have trouble finding these, but they are a hit when I pull them out.
Coins in a container with a slit in its lid. The only problem with this is the screeches of laughter. He can be pretty loud!
Videos/Reader Rabbit Playtime for Baby computer game. Yes, I'm a horrible mommy. I can live with that as long as Peanut is entertained when I'm desperate.
Well, that's my list of things I use to keep my preschooler busy. With all of this, you would think that he has so much he would never bother me. HA I say!!! It seems as though he is either in the mood to be entertained with any of the above, or nothing will make him happy except having mommy's undivided attention. So goes the life of a homeschool mom.
Comments
Jul. 31, 2007 - Girl Scouts?
Posted by kcmyworld
I applaud you! You seem really prepared for the reality of dealing with your pre-schooler! Were you a girl scout once upon a time? (Is their motto "Be Prepared?") Praying for you as you plan and prepare.
Robin
Aug. 3, 2007 - question
Posted by Beth/Mom2TwoVikings
If you don't mind me asking, how old is Peanut? I'm thinking about doing some "school work" with my 3 yr old this fall but need some things for my soon-to-be 2 yr old to him keep busy.
Aug. 4, 2007 - Sorry
Posted by barrellfullofmonkeys
I try to specify in each post how old each boy is, but I neglected to do that in this one, sorry! Peanut is currently 2 1/2. Little Monkey had just turned 4 last year when I put many of these things together.
Aug. 9, 2007 - Wonderful
Posted by Anonymous
Wonderful resources! Thank you for such a nice compilation.
The link you posted for folder games is really fun to visit! I'd not considered making matching games with velcro, but love the idea. :-)
HowToMe
http://www.howtome.com
Aug. 11, 2007 - I love the paint with water books.
Posted by jabbabean
I have found them at Miller Pads and Paper. And maybe Rainbow resources?
Jen in IL
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