Educational play from an early age is vital for equipping children with the skills that they will carry through to the later stages of their education but there is no reason why learning can’t also be fun! Take a look at these fun pre-school activities that also serve an important educational purpose.
1. Interactive Storytelling
Interactive storytelling is a fun and engaging activity, encouraging young learners to use their imagination while also teaching them the importance of listening skills. To really bring storytelling to life, incorporate puppets and encourage children to use these to act out the story as you tell it. This is a fun way of getting them to engage with the story while also helping them to develop their listening skills.
2. Counting & Sorting
There’s no reason why learning important skills like numeracy and literacy can’t also be fun. Using colourful resources and interesting games will encourage children to naturally master this essential skills. To make counting and sorting fun, use themed counters like this dino sorting set to facilitate engaging activities.
3.Construction
Whether it’s building blocks, gears, or planks, construction activities are always a hit with children. While they are busy building their fierce fortress and creating a whole world of their own, they are also improving their dexterity skills and learning how to master fine motor skills necessary for handwriting.
4. Music
Musical activities are often more fun for young learners than they are for whoever is organising them but they are an enriching activity nonetheless. Children love to explore the different instruments and discover the wonderful sounds they each make. While they are exploring new instruments, children are also improving their fine motor skills and coordination, and can even improve their language development through pre-school music activities centred around learning songs and melodies.
5. Decoupage
Decoupage – and really any kind of art and craft activity – is always a hit with pre-school children. Although it can easily get messy, that’s part of the fun! Aside from creating a mess for the grown-ups to clean up, decoupage encourages children to play independently, which is an important part of their development. You can also use decoupage to support other fun and educational activities. For example, you can create a theme for the decoupage, encouraging children to develop their selecting and decision making skills.
6. Potion Making
With plenty of fun, mess, and vibrant colours at play, potion making really is a magical messy play activity for pre-school children. Combining a number of different elements, potion making activities can be used to introduce young learners to the concept of measuring, and how certain materials interact with each other.
7. Light Exploration
Light exploration is a fun way to engage children of pre-school age in sensory development activities. Use a lightbox to explore different colours and shapes, and how everyday items can appear differently under certain lighting conditions.
8. Pattern Making
Pattern making utilises blocks of various colours, shapes, and sizes, and it’s a great way of introducing pre-schoolers to the concept of patterns and sequencing. Being able to recognise patterns and sequences will help children with their maths skills later on in their education. For a fun pattern making activity, why not ask children to recreate familiar objects using the pattern blocks provided – such as a flower – before introducing them to more complex patterns.