20 Fun and Simple Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

How would you feel if I told you not every activity we prepare for our littles has to be extravagant and beautiful and costly. We don’t have to spend tons of money on Amazon or time on Pinterest. We can create simple, fun, engaging, and educational activities with a few items you have at your home.

Worried you can’t do the same projects and activities with both your toddler group and your preschool group.

You totally can!

One group may go more in depth or be engaged for longer. One group may do the activity how you intend and the other may go a completely different direction.

Guess what…

It’s all okay!

It’s all awesome!

It’s all FUN!!

I encourage you to try some of these fun and simple activities for toddlers and preschoolers out with the group in your care.

Color Sorting

Supplies: Colored Paper, Small objects like blocks, crayons, buttons, pompoms etc

Instructions: Place the colored papers on the floor. Have the children sort the objects by color, placing them on the colored paper they match.

Tips:

• Repeat the color names constantly during the activity.
• Ask opened ended questions like, “What color is this?” or “Can you find something yellow?”
• Start simple for little learners, begin with primary colors (red, blue, yellow) and slowly introduce secondary colors (green, orange, purple).

Talking about the colors and objects can expand vocabulary and language development.

Shape Hunt

Supplies: Paper, Markers

Instructions: Draw different shapes on the paper. Hide the shape cutouts around the room. Have the children find and match the shapes.

Tips:

• Variation 1- Have children find the shape and bring it back to you when they do
• Variation 2- Give each child a paper with the shapes drawn on, have them circle or trace the shape when they find its match.

Take the activity outside and find shapes in nature like round rocks or heart shaped leaves.

Egg Carton Caterpillars

Supplies: Egg cartons, paint, googly eyes, pipe cleaners

Instructions: Cut an egg carton into sections. Let children paint them and add googly eyes and pipe cleaners to create caterpillars.

Tips:

• Discuss the life cycle of a butterfly.
  • Egg
  • Larva (caterpillar)
  • Pupa (chrysalis)
  • Butterfly

Encourage creativity by setting out different colors of paint and decorations.

Planting Seeds

Supplies: Small pots or cups, soil, seeds

Instructions: Let children plant seeds in small pots or cups. Teach them to water and care for the plants.

Tips:

• Discuss the parts of a plant.
  • Roots
  • Stems
  • Leaves
• Discuss what plants need to grow
  • Water
  • Light
  • Soil
• Choose fast growing seeds that sprout quickly

Caring for plants helps children learn responsibility and the importance of taking care of living things

DIY Puzzles

Supplies: Cardboard, markers or crayons, scissors

Instructions: Draw a picture on a piece of cardboard and cut it into simple puzzle pieces. Have the children put it back together.

Tips:

• Let the children decorate the picture before turning it into a puzzle
• Try creating a puzzle out of a photo of the child, FUN!

Start with fewer, larger pieces for younger children.

Sensory Bins

Supplies: Container with sides, rice or beans, small toys or scoops and bowls

Instructions: Fill a container with rice or beans and hide small toys inside or simply add scoops and bowls. Let the children dig and find the toys, pour and transfer the filler. Whatever they decide in that moment.

Tips:

• Take your sensory bin to the floor for less mess.
• Keep it simple!!
• Have children help with the clean up process

Scooping, pouring, and manipulating small objects improves hand eye coordination and dexterity!

Ready to get started with Sensory Bins? We’ve got you covered!

Balloon Tennis

Supplies: Balloons, paper plates, large popsicle sticks

Instructions: Attach a popsicle stick to a paper plate to create a paddle. Use the paddle to hit a balloon back and forth.

Tips:

• Have the kids decorate their plate and popsicle stick first for another added activity
• Try setting up a simple obstacle course the children have to navigate while keeping the balloon in the air

This is a great way to encourage teamwork if playing in a group

Nature Collage

Supplies: Glue, paper, items found in nature such as leaves, flowers or small twigs

Instructions: Collect items you find in your yard, at the park, or on a nature walk. Glue them onto paper to create a collage.

Tips:

• Discuss the different textures and types of items collected.
• Ask the children to tell you about what they created.

Ask children what drew them to certain objects that they collected. (For example, my son has a collection of leaves that look like hearts)

Ice Cube Painting

Supplies: Ice cube tray, food coloring or liquid watercolors, popsicle sticks, plastic wrap,  paper

Instructions: Freeze water with a  few drops of food coloring or liquid watercolor in an ice cube tray. Prior to freezing, cover with plastic wrap and create a small hole in the center of each ice cube section large enough for a popsicle stick. Freeze. Use the colored ice cubes to paint on paper.

Tips:

• This works best with watercolor paper as it can handle more water without tearing.
• If you are comfortable with it, let the children touch the ice cube to begin and discuss what is feels like, cold, smooth etc

This is a great way to introduce simple science concepts like melting and the effect of temperature on the ice.

Alphabet Matching

Supplies: Alphabet printable x2 , shallow container, rice or sand, paint brush

Instructions: Place one alphabet printable at the bottom of your shallow container, cover with rice or sand. Using the paintbrush, uncover a letter then mark on your second alphabet printable

Tips:

• Try cutting out the letters to match on your printout
• If you have foam or magnetic letters, try hiding them in your sand or rice for another way to find the letters

As the children match each letter, encourage them to say the letter name and its sound.

Pasta Threading

Supplies: Playdough, uncooked spaghetti, cheerios or other cereal with an open center

Instructions: Make a playdough dome on your workspace and stick a piece of uncooked spaghetti in the center. Have your child carefully stack cereal pieces one on top of the next without breaking the spaghetti noodle.

Tips:

• Break your pasta noodle in half for younger children if they are having a tough time.
• For a child who is really struggling, consider finding a thick piece of wire that will not break or bend until they get a hang of the activity

This is a great way to practice patience. It may take a few times for the littles to place their cereal pieces on the spaghetti without it breaking.

Mirror Drawing

Supplies: Mirror, dry erase markers, optional printable

Instructions: While looking in the mirror, have your littles draw on the mirror with dry erase markers. Make silly hair or different facial expressions.

Tips:

• Use this activity to discuss emotions. Show the children an emotion card and have them draw themselves with that emotion.
• Pass around the mirrors after the kiddos draw and have each child look at their reflection with a different drawing.

Don’t leave out the littlest of learners who may not understand drawing a smile or hair, let them experience this new way to create while they look at themselves in the mirror.

Bubble Wrap Stomp

Supplies: Bubble Wrap

Instructions: Lay bubble wrap on the floor and have children stomp on it.

Tips:

• Discuss the sound it makes when it pop pop pops!
• Demonstrate different ways to make this bubble wrap pop, use hands, feet, hop, stomp, dance, twist etc.

Add some music to your stomping. Try doing a freeze dance game or silly poses.

Musical Instruments

Supplies: Empty containers, dried beans or rice, tape or hot glue

Instructions: Fill empty containers with dried beans or rice and tape or glue them shut to create shakers. Fill them at different amounts to see if the sound changes.

Tips:

• Use funnels and allow the children to create their own instruments.
• Explore different rhythms and have a marching band!

If you have an ‘Alexa’, turn on Toddler Time and have the kids play their new instruments with the music.

Obstacle Course

Supplies: Pillows, chairs, indoor slides, etc etc

Instructions: Use what you have to create a fun engaging obstacle course for your littles. Use pillows to climb over, chairs to sneak under, slides, steppingstones, tunnels.

Tips:

• Give simple instructions to follow the course.
• Use any items you have on hand and be creative! No steppingstones? How about paper plates.

Take this activity outdoors with chalk. Create an obstacle course of prompts down your driveway or sidewalk

• Hopscotch
• Draw lilly pads “hop like a frog”
• Draw a board and sharks to the sides “Walk the plank”

Shaving Cream Writing

Supplies: Shaving cream, a tray, optional food coloring

Instructions: Spread shaving cream on the tray and let the children draw shapes and letters with their fingers. Add a couple drops of food coloring and first have the children stir it up to create one consistent color

Tips:

• This is a great sensory activity that also helps with pre-writing skills.
• Laminate your letter or shape cards if you are using prompts

Create a washing station, one tub of colored shaving cream, one tub of water. Place small toys in the shaving cream and have your little wash them in the water.

Paper Tear Collage

Supplies: Scraps of colored construction paper,glue, plain paper or outline printable

Instructions: Have your child tear pieces of construction paper then glue them using the outline printable or their own pattern on a blank sheet of paper.

Tips:

• Break this up into two activities, first we tear the paper, then we glue.
• Use a small bowl with glue and a qtip for younger children to add glue to their project

Let children create their own outline first with pencil, then a black marker. Finally have them add the colored torn paper to have their drawing come to life!

Dance Party

Supplies: Music, space to dance, optional props like scarves, ribbons, or glow sticks

Instructions: Tuen on songs like ‘head shoulders knees and toes’, ‘freeze dance’, etc to get kids dancing and following the musical prompts

Tips:

• Remember there is no right or wrong way to danced! If you’re turning on the hokey pokey and they don’t want to turn themselves about…that’s okay!
•  

Dancing helps with gross motor skills, balance, and coordination.

Roll and Count

Supplies: Small items like beans, jewels, etc. Cups, Dice (1 or 2)

Instructions: Roll the dice, count the dots, then sort that many of the object of your choice into a small cup.

Tips:

• Add another element by having your child use a spoon or scoop to transfer one item at a time from cup to cup
• No dice? Use playing cards or create your own.

Don’t forget the littlest of learners! Even if they aren’t at the point of counting, give them all the same materials to explore.

Sponge Stamp Art

Supplies: Sponges, paint, paper

Instructions: Cut sponges into various shapes, dip them in paint, and stamp them on paper

Tips:

• Talk about the shapes and patterns they are creating
• Ask them if the shapes they are using can create new shapes (two squares make a rectangle)
• Turn this into a game to create patterns

This project may get messy! Keep your clean up items handy!!

Try it out!

How’s that for some fun and simple activities for toddlers and preschoolers?!

I hope you will try out some of these activities, remember simple doesn’t mean boring. Sometimes the simplest things are the best things!

Not a fan of messy art with little learners or want to try it out but you’re a little nervous to get started? Be sure to grab my guide with tips on how to take the stress out of messy art with toddlers. These tips will work with your preschool group too!