Do you have a very active preschool boy or girl that would rather dance, play, and sing than draw and color on paper?  So do I!  Are you looking for ways to enrich your preschooler's everyday experiences.  So am I, and I hope to share some of my enrichment ideas with you!  

This guide is intended to direct parents and other preschool care providers to resources and activities that I have found useful in my day-to-day activities with my 3-year old son.  A large portion of this content will be taken from my blog or will direct readers to my blog content on the subject.  (When viewing blog content, please be sure to also view posted comments made by other eBay members for more information.)  If you have any ideas that you would like to share with readers, please send me an e-mail or add comments to my blog.

This guide is just one part in my guide series "Preschool Enrichment". 

Please, also, see my guide Preschool Enrichment for Active Boys and Girls: Theory for some of the learning theory behind the enrichment activities I have outlined in my guides.

Please see my guide Preschool Enrichment Fine and Gross Motor Development for specific information on activities for development of fine (i.e. hand activities such as lacing) and gross motor skills.

The best thing about some of these activities is that they can be performed with simple products that can be found at home or on eBay!

DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE?

A friend of mine, who is well versed in child development, commented that many preschool "programs" and educational materials are not developmentally appropriate when it comes to the 3-year old preschooler.  Free play and activities that allow children to explore and move ARE developmentally appropriate for the 3-year old.  Paper and pencil work (like tracing letters and numbers) is not necessarily developmentally appropriate for the 3-year old preschooler.  Paper and pencil work should only be attempted if your child is showing an interest in that type of work or play. 

In my opinion, pushing a style of learning on a child that is not developmentally appropriate may hinder their learning rather than speed it along.  My son flees as quickly as he can whenever he sees workbook, but he comes running as fast as he can when he sees the playdough.  I'd rather see my child excited about education rather than dread it!  Excitement about learning is probably one of the BEST lessons you can teach your child at this age.

ENRICHMENT IDEAS

Hopefully, some of the activities below (even with modification) can help you and your child enrich your learning experience.  Remember to introduce some of these activities while your child is playing.  Allow them to begin with some free play time and then see if they are ready to explore these activities with you.            

Alphabet Action

Playdough

Playdough, playdough toys, and clay are awesome tools that help develop minds as well as fine motor skills.  I use playdough even as paper in my house.  My son writes (or etches) in it like he would on paper and we call this activity Playdough Alphabet. 

Alphabet Blocks

Most preschoolers love to build with blocks (or at least knock them down).  My son and I have created a great alphabet review game using alphabet blocks and his destructive genius.  We call this our Alphabet Block Smash.  It's a "hit" every time.  (Pardon the pun.)

Alphabet Books

My son's favorite Alphabet Book is Grover's Own Alphabet which is part of the Big Bird's Favorite Board Books series and is also in Little Golden Book format.  This book shows the fuzzy and blue Grover making the alphabet with his body and some props.  Although some of these alphabet letters require a contortionist to perform, this book has encouraged my son to make letters with his body in a similar way that the Village People's song "YMCA" encourages us to model the letters "YMCA" with our arms.  This book, however, gets the whole body involved. 

Letter Personality

My son has learned some of his letters when I helped him learn a description of them.  For instance, the letter "S" is "Squiggly S" and "Z" is "Zigzag Z".  This is similar to attributing a personality to the letters that help the child identify the letter shape with the sound.  Other examples would be "Kangaroo K" and "Bubbly B". 

Alphabet Puzzle

Puzzles have been favorite children's toys since I was a child.  Favorite types of puzzles seem to include wooden puzzles and foam puzzles with textures.  I purchased a foam alphabet puzzle for my son to play with.  It took a while for him to warm up to it, but after awhile he really started to enjoy it.  (The warming up period may have been because I purchased it for him too early developmentally.) 

Learning puzzles are most effective if the parent or guardian is present to guide and answer questions while the puzzle is being completed.  Without your input that a certain letter is "A" and a certain letter is "B", to a young one, puzzle pieces are simply shapes that need to find a home. 

Alphabet Songs and Rhythms

Almost every preschooler already knows the alphabet song...(next time won't you sing with me?).  There are several versions of this song and some newer versions, I believe, are better than the original.  The original seems to slur and run together several of the letters making them unrecognizable.  Any alphabet song with rhythm and good, slow, diction is better to use with your preschooler. 

Why rhythm?  Rhythm has been linked to recollection for quite a while.  Think of all the TV commercial jingles and TV theme songs you remember from being a kid.  (M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E)  Taking a concept and clapping or singing a rhythm to it can help your preschooler recall or recite that concept. 

(A wonderful music therapist, Bongo Barry, travels the library circuit setting books and phrases to music.  He encourages parents and children to use percussion instruments (drumming, etc.) as a learning tool.  Mr. Bernstein has also produced a CD called Sound Learning containing songs which tackle everything from the "ABCs" to hand washing.)

Alphabet Software 

One of my most favorite pieces of software for teaching preschoolers the alphabet is "Dr. Seuss's ABC" by Encore Software and Living Books.  This software brings to life the book by Dr. Seuss and makes it extremely interactive.  You and your child can choose to have the story read to you or can choose to "play" with the book by clicking on pictures, letters and words.  Different surprises appear whenever any object is clicked.  My son and I have been playing with this for over a year and we still see new surprises everytime we play.  He loves it!  

We actually purchased this software in a pack of four educational CD ROMs, which also contained Reader Rabbit software.  Reader Rabbit is also wonderful educational software that is available for different developmental stages.  Concepts include art, music, math, reading, shapes, etc. 

Multiple Intelligence Math

Many of the learning ideas shown above for the alphabet, can also be used for counting and math.  For example, the activity using playdough for writing letters could be adapted for writing numbers.  I do have some specific activities that lend themselves to math that I will "recount" here. 

Yummy Math 

Pretzels and other clean and healthy foods can easily be used for counting lessons and Yummy Math.

Bowling For Numbers  

Sports games (such as bowling) can be used for counting exercizes once play has begun.  Start with all of the bowling pins in proper formation and then count the lucky survivors after each ball is rolled.  As your child becomes familiar with this process, you can start adding phrases such as "6 minus 4 = 2".        

Reading to Kids

Reading to your child is one of the best things you can do to invest in your child's future.  This activity will foster a love of reading and will add to their vocabulary.  Books with colorful pictures and even textures will stimulate their imagination and brain.  There are thousands of children's books available immediately on eBay at affordable prices. 

Please see my blog post For Love of Books to view or post favorite children's books.

Creating A Theme

Creating a theme day or a theme week to teach an overall concept can be fun and extremely powerful in promoting concepts.  My son and I have done this on several occasions.  We had Bean Day to teach about growth and that some things have many uses.  We've also had Pirate Day which was used for teaching letters and numbers. 

Anyway you spin it, creativity always enhances learning.  The more directions you take to approach a subject, the more likely you are to choose a path that actually reaches your child's brain.

Using A Favorite Medium to Teach Multiple Subjects

My son LOVES dinosaurs!  I try to use dinosaurs in as many teaching activities as possible....from language to science and mathematics.  A set of plastic dinos and few dino books can really highlight various concepts for children.

Liven up your lessons with dinosaurs or other favorite toys in the following ways:

• Set up several dinos as props for counting.
• Use dinosaur names to learn beginning letters and sounds "Dinosaur starts with "D"".
• Teaching about dinosaur diets (veggies and meats) may help a preschooler begin a love for biology or even nutrition.
• Specialized dinosaur skeletons and toys can begin a love of anatomy and archeology.
• Use dinosaur toys to start a learning session with free play and then work in learning concepts during play. 

A Word About My First Leap Pad

My First Leap Pad and similar educational toys are very popular purchases for youngsters today.  Many people have had mixed success with these products, though, as shown in the following blog post My First Leap Pad - Any Experience?.

Get Up, Get Out and Go!

Many of us live in areas that are full of parks, museums, libraries and other places chock-full of enriching activities and experiences for our preschoolers.  When I'm feeling down or in a rut with the at-home grind, I often try to get out of the house with my son and Enjoy The Outdoors or at least enjoy something indoors that our house doesn't offer.

A Nature Park Adventure is always a great activity for the young and the old, the meek, and the bold.  Make sure that you lay down some rules before you hit the path, though.  No tree beating, snake hugging, or mud slinging (that type of thing).    

My son loves hand-on adventures at the local children's museums.  There are many things to experience and explore like digging up your own Egyptian artifacts and pretending they are dinosaur bones!

Don't forget to get the little tykes with others their age at the park, mall or at a friend's house.  Kids need the chance to socialize and learn people skills.  The park is also a great place to burn carbs, develop muscles and stretch the imagination! 

Parenting Preschooler Resources 

I recommend the following awesome books for additional ideas and information on raising preschoolers and young children in enriching and happy environments:

Make Your Own Preschool Games by Sally Goldberg

The Secret of Happy Children by Steve Biddulph and Allan Stomann

Rainy Day Activities by Dr. Jean Feldman

Your Three Year Old:  Friend or Enemy by Louise Bates Ames

Your Four Year Old:  Wild and Wonderful by Louise Bates Ames

I'll be back with more content.  I have to attend to my preschooler!  Have a great day!

If you found this guide to be helpful in any way, please click "Yes" below.

Copyright 2006 Angela Vawter (hugawayfromhome)