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Navigating Your Child's Education: Ages 3-K

3 min read

Preschooler Boredom Busters

Apr 7, 2020 9:00 PM

It almost goes without saying, at this point, that we are living in unprecedented times. Even those of us who are accustomed to being "stay at home" parents are feeling the effects of mandatory stay-at-home orders. All of the (outside-the-home) activities that I enjoy doing with my children have been shut down. For many of us, this has undoubtedly created extra downtime and life space within our homes, for adults and littles alike.

I have to occasionally remind myself that boredom makes space for creativity, so it's okay to not entertain our kids every moment of every day. Letting them explore, make messes, and try something new greatly impacts there cognitive development, even if it's not explicitly "school" or academically-related. There are many everyday activities that, when we allow our kids to take part, will help them continue to develop those skills. Kids learn through playing and here are a few ways to help them learn in a fun way:

Lower School Boy

Carpenters in Training

Have a hammer, nails and piece of wood? Let the kids go to town (with supervision, of course)! Add some cardboard from one of the 56 amazon boxes you've gotten and they can make a bridge. Hammering is excellent for hand eye coordination and fine motor skills.

Two Kids with Hammer and Nails

Banana Bread for the Win

Did you accidentally order 10 bunches of banana from grocery pick up instead of 10 bananas? Have the kids make banana bread! Peeling the bananas, doing math while measuring, and team work are all great lessons learned while making a delicious snack. Let your littles help get out the ingredients to foster a since of independence and let them help clean up the mess while it's baking, too.
 
Two Kids Making Banana Bread
 
Edible Writing Practice 
 
Hummus and pudding make great learning tools. Spread some hummus on a plate and let your child draw or write letters and numbers with a carrot. It is a wonderful tactical way to encourage letter formation. The same works well with pudding, but we just use a finger instead of a carrot. Snacking between letters is allowed!
 
Kid Writing Hummus
 
Kid Writing in Pudding
 
Apple Volcano
 
Apples make a tasty snack and a fun volcano. An apple corer works best to remove the middle, but I don't have one so I (carefully!) used a fillet knife to make several cuts and eventually loosen the core. (Please use a cutting board to avoid cutting any fingers off.) Once the core is removed, grab a measuring cup of vinegar (I only had apple cider vinegar, but regular vinegar is normally used) and a second one of baking soda (approximately 1/4 cup of each should work). Put your apple in a bowl or a pan to contain the eruption. Pour baking soda into the middle and then pour some vinegar over the top. After you are finished erupting the volcano, rinse the apple very well to get all the baking soda off and slice it up to eat. Talk about the reaction between the two ingredients. 
Apple Volcano
 

Topics: Toddlers Kindergarten Readiness Parenting Fine Motor Skills Preschool

Emily Barnes
Written by Emily Barnes

Emily has worked with young children in various roles since 2000, from church childcare and babysitting to directing a full-time daycare. She now works as a full-time mom to her two young children. She is passionate about using her creativity with crafts and in the kitchen to help children learn and grow.

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