38+ At-Home Preschool Activities (3-5 Years Old)

I know it’s never simple to have a toddler at home; believe me, I understand. It can be difficult to come up with activities that would keep children occupied and teach them. Whatever your motivation for looking for activities for preschoolers at home, we have it covered!

The preschool activities that I am going to give you in this list can be made and done in any house, condo, or yard! In some circumstances, both your youngest and older children may adore these activities. This set of exercises offers both instructive and entertaining exercises.

At-Home Preschool Activities for Kids

Painting on Ice Activity

Painting on ice is an exciting activity that combines art and science. It allows children to explore colors and textures in a fun and sensory-rich way. This activity is perfect for a hot day and provides a cool and refreshing way to paint.

Materials: A large block of ice, watercolors, paintbrushes, and a tray.

How to Do:

1. Freeze a large block of ice overnight and place it on a tray.
2. Set up paints and paintbrushes around the ice block.
3. Encourage your child to paint on the ice and observe the color blending.
4. Discuss changes as the ice melts and let them continue until satisfied.

Letter Crab Matching Activity

The letter crab matching activity is a fun game that helps children learn and recognize uppercase and lowercase letters. This engaging activity promotes literacy skills and provides an enjoyable way for kids to practice matching letters.

Materials: Crab letter cards with both uppercase and lowercase letters, and a flat surface for playing.

How to Do:

1. Mix uppercase and lowercase crab letter cards on a flat surface.
2. Have your child pick an uppercase crab letter card.
3. Ask them to find the matching lowercase card.
4. Match all pairs and review the letters together.

Logical Activity

The logical activity is a fantastic way to enhance children’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills. By matching colored pom-poms to the correct spaces on a pattern sheet, kids can improve their logical reasoning and fine motor skills in a fun and interactive way.

Materials: Colored pom-poms, a pattern sheet with outlined shapes, and a flat surface for playing.

How to Do:

1. Draw various shapes like “U” and “C” on a sheet of paper, leaving space inside each shape.
2. Use colored pom-poms to indicate where each color should go by placing one inside each shape.
3. Gather a set of pom-poms that match the colors shown inside the shapes.
4. Place the sheet on a flat surface and have the child match each pom-pom to the correct shape by placing it in the corresponding space.

Tree Addition Activity

The tree addition activity is an educational way to help children learn basic addition. By using colorful pom-poms as apples on trees, kids can visualize and understand the concept of addition while enhancing their counting skills.

Materials: Construction paper cutouts of trees, colored pom-poms, number cards, and a flat surface for playing.

How to Do:

1. Spread tree cutouts and colored pom-poms on a flat surface.
2. Place pom-poms (apples) on each tree according to number cards.
3. Add pom-poms from both trees and place the sum on a third tree.
4. Review the addition problem together to reinforce understanding.

Feed the Monster Activity

The Feed the Monster activity is a fun way for children to practice number recognition and counting. By feeding the monster with numbered candies, kids can develop their math skills while enjoying a playful and engaging game.

Materials: A monster cutout with an open mouth, numbered candy cutouts, and a flat surface for playing.

How to Do:

1. Place the monster cutout and numbered candy around it.
2. Help your child pick a numbered candy and identify the number.
3. Feed the monster by placing candies in its mouth, saying the number aloud.
4. Repeat with other candies to practice number recognition and counting.

Word Game Activity

The word game activity is an educational way to help children develop their spelling and reading skills. By matching letter cards to form words, kids can enhance their vocabulary and enjoy the process of learning new words.

Materials: Picture cards with corresponding words, letter cards, and a flat surface for playing.

How to Do:

1. Lay out picture and letter cards on a flat surface.
2. Show a picture card and read the word aloud.
3. Have your child find matching letter cards to spell the word.
4. Help them arrange the letters correctly under the picture card.

Watermelon Seeds Counting Activity

The watermelon seeds counting activity is a lovely way to help children practice their counting skills. By counting and marking the seeds on each watermelon slice, kids can develop their number recognition and counting abilities in a fun and engaging manner.

Materials: Watermelon slice cards with numbers, a marker, and a flat playing surface.

How to Do:

1. Place watermelon slice cards on a flat surface.
2. Show your child a card, read the number.
3. Have them draw the correct number of seeds on the slice.
4. Repeat with all cards, ensuring accurate counting.

Shape Sorting Activity

The shape sorting activity is an engaging way to help children learn about different shapes and improve their cognitive and fine motor skills. By matching shapes to their corresponding slots, kids can enhance their shape recognition and problem-solving abilities.

Materials: Shape cutouts (circle, square, triangle), a shape sorting board with corresponding slots, a flat playing surface, glue, and scissors.

How to Do:

1. Place the shape sorting board on a flat surface.
2. Demonstrate how to identify and match each shape cutout to its slot.
3. Guide your child to place each shape in the correct slot.
4. Review and discuss the shapes’ names and features once sorted.

Colorful Ball Sorting Activity

The colorful ball sorting activity is an enjoyable way for children to learn about colors and sorting. By matching colorful ball cutouts to their corresponding color categories, kids can enhance their color recognition and sorting skills in a playful manner.

Materials: Colorful ball cutouts (blue, red, green), a sorting board with color categories, and a flat surface for playing.

How to Do:

1. Place the sorting board on a flat surface and scatter ball cutouts around it.
2. Teach your child to identify each ball’s color.
3. Guide them to sort each ball into its color category on the board (blue, red, green).
4. Complete sorting of all balls on the board.

Skip Counting Activity

The skip counting activity is an effective way to help children learn the concept of skip counting. By arranging numbers in specific sequences, kids can improve their counting skills and understand mathematical patterns in a playful manner.

Materials: Number cards with skip counting sequences and a flat surface for playing.

How to Do:

1. Place number cards randomly on a flat surface.
2. Explain skip counting and its concept (e.g., counting by 2s, 3s, 5s).
3. Start with a chosen skip counting sequence (e.g., counting by 2s).
4. Have your child arrange cards in order for each sequence, repeat with others (e.g., counting by 3s, 5s, 10s).

Alphabet Clip Cards Activity

The alphabet clip cards activity is a fun way for children to learn and reinforce their letter recognition and beginning sounds. By matching the correct clothespin to the corresponding letter card, kids can enhance their literacy skills in a playful and engaging manner.

Materials: Alphabet clip cards with pictures and letters, clothespins, and a flat surface for playing.

How to Do:

1. Lay out alphabet clip cards on a flat surface.
2. Scatter clothespins near the cards.
3. Demonstrate how to match clothespins to pictures that start with the letter sound (e.g., “A is for Apple”).
4. Have your child clip clothespins onto matching pictures on each card.

X-Ray Science Experiment

The X-ray science experiment is a fascinating activity that helps children understand the basics of human anatomy and how X-rays work. By creating a simple X-ray image, kids can learn about the skeletal system in a hands-on and engaging way.

Materials: A printed picture of a person, black construction paper, a Q-tip, scissors, and glue.

How to Do:

1. Lay the printed person’s picture flat.
2. Cut a black construction paper rectangle for the torso.
3. Arrange q-tips as a skeleton on the black paper for an X-ray effect.
4. Discuss how X-rays work with your child.

Word Families Activity

The word families activity is a fantastic way to help children learn about phonics and improve their reading skills. By matching pictures to their corresponding word families, kids can understand how different words share common endings and sounds, making reading easier and more fun.

Materials: Word family cards with picture cutouts, scissors, glue, and a flat playing surface.

How to Do:

1. Lay out word family cards on a flat surface.
2. Identify word family endings (e.g., “en”) with your child.
3. Match pictures to the correct word family endings.
4. Practice with different word families to reinforce learning.

Hands-On Number Recognition Activity

The hands-on number recognition activity is an interactive way for children to learn about numbers and counting. By using colorful rings on cut-out hand shapes, kids can practice number recognition and fine motor skills in an engaging and tactile way.

Materials: Cut-out hand shapes from colored paper or cardboard, colored rings, and a flat surface or stand to hold the hands upright.

How to Do:

1. Place cut-out hand shapes on a flat surface or stand.
2. Give your child colored rings to use.
3. Show them to place rings on fingers, starting with one on the thumb.
4. Encourage counting aloud and practice with different numbers.

Addition with DIY Board

The addition with DIY board activity is a creative way to help children learn basic addition. Using a homemade board with tubes and pom-poms, kids can visualize and practice adding numbers in a fun and interactive way.

Materials: A cardboard box or board, two cardboard tubes, colored pom-poms, dice, glue, and a marker.

How to Do:

1. Attach two cardboard tubes vertically on the board.
2. Draw a plus sign between them and an equals sign below.
3. Give your child pom-poms and number dice.
4. Roll the dice, place pom-poms in each tube, and count the total for the sum.

Rainbow Rice Letter Hunt

The rainbow rice letter hunt is a sensory-rich activity that helps children learn letter recognition and improve their fine motor skills. By searching for letters hidden in colorful rice, kids can enjoy a tactile and visual experience while learning.

Materials: A tray or bin filled with colored rice, plastic letters, and a flat surface for playing.

How to Do:

1. Fill a tray with colored rice.
2. Hide plastic letters in the rice.
3. Show your child the tray and explain to them that they need to find and identify the letters.
4. Encourage them to dig and place each letter on a letter board as they’re found.

Fill the Colour with Code Activity

The fill the color with code activity is an enjoyable way for children to learn about vowels and practice their coloring skills. By using a color code, kids can match each vowel to its corresponding color and fill in a picture, enhancing their letter recognition and fine motor skills.

Materials: A printable coloring sheet with a picture and coded vowels, colored pencils, and a flat surface for coloring.

How to Do:

1. Give your child a printable coloring sheet with letters and a color code.
2. Explain vowels (a, e, i, o, u) match specific colors.
3. Show how to find a letter, match it to the code, and color correctly.
4. Encourage coloring using the code, and review vowels and colors afterward.

Playing with Feelings Puppets

Playing with feelings puppets is a creative way to help children understand and express their emotions. By using puppets that represent different feelings, kids can learn to recognize and talk about their emotions in a fun and interactive manner.

Materials: Craft popsicle sticks, printable emotion faces, black construction paper, scissors, and glue.

How to Do:

1. Print emotional faces and cut them out.
2. Attach faces to craft sticks to make puppets.
3. Show and discuss each puppet’s emotion.
4. Use puppets to express feelings and role-play to understand emotions better.

Popsicle Stick Stem Project

The popsicle stick STEM project is a fantastic way to engage children in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning. By building structures with popsicle sticks, kids can explore basic engineering concepts and develop their problem-solving skills in a fun and hands-on way.

Materials: Colored popsicle sticks, glue, and a flat surface for building.

How to Do:

1. Gather colored popsicle sticks on a flat surface.
2. Demonstrate arranging sticks into structures like bridges or towers.
3. Encourage using glue to connect sticks for building.
4. Discuss engineering principles like balance and stability as they construct.

Caterpillar Sight Words Activity

The caterpillar sight words activity is a fun way to help children learn and recognize common sight words. By building caterpillars with letter circles, kids can improve their reading skills and gain confidence in identifying sight words.

Materials: Caterpillar body cards with incomplete sight words, letter circles, and a flat playing surface.

How to Do:

1. Lay caterpillar body cards with partial sight words on a flat surface.
2. Spread letter circles around the caterpillar cards.
3. Guide your child to identify and complete each sight word.
4. Repeat with other cards until all sight words are finished; review and reinforce word recognition.

Cotton Buds Painting Activity

The cotton buds painting activity is a creative way for children to explore art and improve their fine motor skills. By using cotton buds as painting tools, kids can create beautiful dot paintings and develop their artistic abilities in a fun and simple way.

Materials: Cotton buds (Q-tips), paints in various colors, paper, and a flat surface for painting.

How to Do:

1. Prepare a flat surface with cotton buds, paints, and paper.
2. Place small amounts of paint in different colors on a palette.
3. Demonstrate dipping a cotton bud in paint to create dots on the paper.
4. Encourage your child to make patterns and shapes, guiding their exploration.

Pasta Lacing with Color Code Activity

The pasta lacing with color code activity is an engaging way to help children improve their fine motor skills and color recognition. By threading colored pasta through matching colored circles, kids can develop hand-eye coordination and learn to follow color patterns.

Materials: Pasta, colored paper with cut-out circles, string or yarn, and a flat surface for playing.

How to Do:

1. Arrange colored paper with matching circles on a flat surface.
2. Glue pasta on each circle.
3. Tie string or yarn to pasta as a stopper.
4. Help your child lace pasta through matching colored circles, reinforcing color recognition and fine motor skills.

Brain Buster Activity

The brain buster activity is a challenging way to help children improve their cognitive skills and hand-eye coordination. By following patterns and sequences, kids can develop their problem-solving abilities and enjoy a stimulating mental workout.

Materials: Printed activity sheets with patterns and hand shapes, along with a flat playing surface.

How to Do:

1. Place activity sheets with patterns and hand shapes on a flat surface.
2. Explain how to follow the pattern or sequence.
3. Trace patterns with fingers or match hand positions.
4. Use specific fingers or hands for added challenge, improving coordination.

Bee Crumple Art

The bee crumple art activity is a creative way for children to explore art and enhance their fine motor skills. By crumpling and gluing pieces of paper to create a bee, kids can enjoy a hands-on crafting experience while developing their artistic abilities.

Materials: A printable bee template, construction paper, glue, and a flat crafting surface.

How to Do:

1. Print and place the bee template on a flat surface.
2. Tear construction paper into small pieces.
3. Show your child how to crumple each piece into balls.
4. Glue and press crumpled paper onto the template, following the color pattern.

Cup Stacking

The cup stacking activity is a fun way for children to improve their hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and cognitive abilities. By stacking cups into various structures, kids can enjoy a playful challenge while developing important skills.

Materials: Plastic or paper cups and a flat surface for stacking.

How to Do:

1. Gather plastic or paper cups on a flat surface.
2. Start stacking cups in a pyramid shape, beginning with a base of four or five cups.
3. Continue building layers, reducing cups per layer as you go up.
4. Challenge your child to stack and unstack the cups quickly.

Beginning Sound Stickers Activity

The beginning sound stickers activity is a fun way to help children learn and recognize the beginning sounds of words. By matching stickers to their corresponding sounds, kids can improve their phonemic awareness and early reading skills.

Materials: Star-shaped stickers with uppercase letters, circular stickers with lowercase letters, a sheet of construction paper, and a flat surface for playing.

How to Do:

1. Arrange star-shaped letter stickers on construction paper.
2. Place circular letter stickers nearby.
3. Match circular stickers to the correct star sounds.
4. Review and discuss letters and words for learning.

Lacing Activity

The lacing activity is a great way for children to develop their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and learn about left and right. By lacing through pre-punched holes on a shoe template, kids can practice threading and improve their dexterity.

Materials: Printable shoe templates with pre-punched holes, shoelaces or yarn, and a flat working surface.

How to Do:

1. Place shoe templates with pre-punched holes on a flat surface.
2. Give your child a shoelace or yarn with a taped end.
3. Show them how to start lacing from the bottom, threading through each hole.
4. Discuss left and right using labeled templates; let them tie a knot or bow at the end.

Finger Craft Activity

The finger craft activity is a colorful way for children to explore their creativity and improve their fine motor skills. By using their fingers to paint, kids can create beautiful artwork and enjoy a sensory experience.

Materials: Construction paper, markers, paints, and a flat surface for painting.

How to Do:

1. Cut out rainbow shapes from construction paper.
2. Put finger paint in different colors on a palette.
3. Guide your child to dip fingers in paint and press onto the template to make dots.
4. Encourage using various colors to fill the rainbow with vibrant fingerprints.

Origami Making Activity

The origami making activity is an engaging way for children to develop their fine motor skills and learn about shapes and geometry. By folding paper into different shapes, kids can create fun and unique designs while exploring the art of origami.

Materials: Colorful origami paper, markers, and a flat surface for folding.

How to Do:

1. Choose origami paper or cut construction paper into a square.
2. Start with simple designs like a dog, frog, or bird.
3. Guide your child through step-by-step folding instructions.
4. Encourage precise folds and decorate with markers or crayons when done.

Decode the Words Activity

The decode the words activity is an educational way to help children improve their spelling and reading skills. By unscrambling letters to form words, kids can enhance their vocabulary and cognitive abilities while enjoying a playful challenge.

Materials: Printable word cards with scrambled letters and pictures, a pencil, and a flat surface for writing.

How to Do:

1. Lay out word cards with pictures and scrambled letters.
2. Explain that your child must unscramble letters to match each picture.
3. Encourage them to think about the word and rearrange letters.
4. Have your child write the correct word below the scrambled letters.

Pillow Walk Activity

The pillow walk activity is a simple way for children to develop their balance and coordination. By walking on a path of pillows, kids can enjoy a playful challenge that also enhances their motor skills.

Materials: Several pillows or cushions in a safe and open space.

How to Do:

1. Gather pillows or cushions from around your home.
2. Arrange them in a line or path close enough for safe stepping.
3. Explain to your child to walk on the pillows without touching the floor.
4. Encourage slow, balanced steps and add patterns or challenges for fun.

Hide and Seek Game

Hide and Seek is a classic game that children love. It encourages them to use their creativity, think strategically, and stay active. It’s perfect for playdates, parties, or just a fun afternoon at home or in the park.

Need: A group of children in a safe, open space with plenty of hiding spots (indoors or outdoors).

How to Do:

1. Choose one player as the seeker who counts to a set number.
2. Other players hide while the seeker counts.
3. Seeker says, “Ready or not, here I come!” and looks for hidden players.
4. Seeker calls out names and hiding spots when players are found.

Balloon Game

The Balloon Game is an exciting outdoor activity that kids will love. It’s perfect for a sunny day at the park or in the backyard. This game helps children improve their coordination and keeps them active and entertained.

Materials: Balloons and an open space.

How to Do:

1. Inflate and tie balloons securely.
2. Explain the game: keep the balloon airborne without letting it touch the ground.
3. Take turns hitting the balloon up or play in teams to keep it up longer.
4. Encourage using hands, feet, and heads to keep the balloon in play.

Board Games

Playing board games is a wonderful way for kids to learn and have fun at the same time. These games encourage strategic thinking, patience, and social skills. Whether it’s a rainy day indoors or a family game night, board games are always a hit.

Materials: A board game of your choice, a flat surface to play on, and players.

How to Do:

1. Arrange the board game as instructed with all pieces ready.
2. Explain game rules to players to ensure understanding.
3. Take turns playing, following rules and taking required actions.
4. Continue until the game objective is met, like reaching a score or completing a journey.

Earth Sensory Play Activity

The Earth Sensory Play Activity is an engaging way for kids to explore different textures and objects. This activity encourages sensory development and imaginative play. It’s perfect for indoor playtime and can keep children entertained for hours.

Materials: A large container or sensory bin filled with rice or sand, along with plastic insects or animals, and scoops, spoons, or tweezers for handling the objects.

How to Do:

1. Fill a large container with rice or sand.
2. Bury plastic insects or animals in the rice or sand.
3. Provide scoops, spoons, or tweezers for digging.
4. Encourage exploration and storytelling with the found objects.

Rainbow Fish Playdough Activity

The Rainbow Fish Playdough Activity is a colorful way for kids to develop their fine motor skills and artistic abilities. Children can express their creativity while learning about colors and textures by molding and shaping playdough into a beautiful rainbow fish.

Materials: Different colors of playdough and a flat surface to work on.

How to Do:

1. Give your child various colors of playdough.
2. Demonstrate rolling and shaping for the fish’s body, fins, and tail.
3. Encourage layering colors for a rainbow effect on the fish’s body.

Chalk Painting Activity

Chalk Painting Activity is a colorful outdoor activity for kids. It allows them to express their creativity while enjoying fresh air and sunshine. This activity is perfect for driveways, sidewalks, or any other paved area where kids can safely draw.

Materials: Sidewalk chalk in various colors and a flat paved surface.

How to Do:

1. Give your child sidewalk chalk in various colors.
2. Find a safe, flat, paved area for drawing.
3. Let your child draw flowers, animals, or abstract designs freely.
4. Encourage creativity and exploration with chalk.

Lego Play

Lego Play is an engaging activity for kids of all ages. It helps in developing fine motor skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. Children can build anything their imagination can create, from simple structures to complex models.

Materials: Lego bricks in various shapes and sizes, along with a flat surface or a Lego baseplate.

How to Do:

1. Give your child a variety of Lego bricks.
2. Set up a flat surface or Lego baseplate for building.
3. Let them build free houses, cars, animals, or cities.
4. Join us for a fun, collaborative building session.

Conclusion

I found that my son had a lot of fun doing these simple, hands-on activities that also helped him to develop his motor skills as well as mental ability. I am sure your kids will also benefit from these activities.

I hope you enjoyed reading the list of activities so you can spend 😊 some happy time with your kids. And apart from all of this thing, if you have anything to suggest, please let me know in the comment box 📦.