Looking for ways to engage your preschoolers or toddlers while you homeschool? Maybe you’ve wondered how to have more intentional time with your little kids amidst a busy homeschool schedule. Here are some budget friendly easy activities for preschoolers you can do right away for hours of fun and engagement!
Today I am excited to share some fun activities for preschoolers we are currently loving in our home to keep our younger children engaged, learning and entertained! These are easy to put together and budget friendly.
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I have always homeschooled with a baby, toddler or both! Currently, I have a newborn, 3 year old and 5 year old needing my attention and engagement while also trying to teach my other 6 children. Over the years I have realized having some intentional time with the little guys first thing in the morning sets us up better for the rest of the day. Even during busier seasons, like the current one with a newborn, we still aim to get an activity in a couple times a week. My boys seem to really enjoy this and it fills up their tanks. They are learning and developing skills, we are sharing an experience together, plus it takes that need to get into something messy down a bit, too! Hehe
My 5 and 7 year olds also love these activities and it motivates them to finish up their assignments so they can have a turn at the activity as well. Sometimes even my older kiddos want to join in!
I have listed below some of our new favorite easy activities on rotation currently. Once I find an activity that is easy, budget friendly and the kiddos enjoy, I repeat it for a month or so. I like to change it up to keep them engaged.
Our favorite activities for preschoolers that are easy and fun!
These activities are budget friendly and most of these items you will already have in your house. These are geared more for preschool and kindergarten aged kiddos, but with adult supervision, toddlers can have fun with these, too! These activities are just messy enough to keep your little ones engaged but also pretty easy to contain and clean up quickly.
Jump directly to the activities
To get started, here is a list of supplies to keep handy for a quick sensory activity on the fly.
Supply list to have on hand for these easy activities for preschoolers
- Jelly roll pan or plastic trays– keeps the messes contained
- Food coloring- whichever type you prefer. I prefer the liquid drops.
- Small bowls and saucers
- Scoopers, ladles and spoons
- Eye dropper or medicine dropper
- Nasal ball syringe
- Recycled plastic egg containers
Colorful mixing
This activity is very popular with my 3 year old and keeps him engaged and entertained awhile!
Supplies: Food colors, nasal ball syringe, or medicine dropper, recycled plastic egg carton bottom, tray or pan for containment.
Instructions: Fill 1 row of the carton with water. Put one drop of a different color in each individual section. Ask the child if they can suck up a bit from one section to a new section and see what colors appear.
Teaches: Color mixing and recognition, fine moor skills, coordination, dexterity.
Fluffy soap “muffins”
Firstly, please use caution when using a hand mixer around young children. Use your own discretion if you want to have them “help” or not.
Secondly, this is a messier activity. However, the soap included makes cleanup easy. This one will excite your kiddos! It is so fun for them to scoop and smooth the frothy “batter”!
Supplies: 1/8 cup of gentle dishwasher liquid, 1-2 cups of water, food coloring, medium to large bowl, hand mixer, plastic recycled egg carton, muffin scoop, tray for containment.
Instructions: Poor the water, coloring and soap into a large bowl. Let the adult mix the soap with the hand beater until very fluffy. Ask the child to scoop some “muffins” into the tin. You can add more water and a bit more soap to the bowl to do again for another child. It’s fun to add a different color as well and watch the colors mix and change.
Teaches: Color mixing, fine motor skills, measuring, scooping, mixing.
Fizzy experiments
This is one of our favorite activities for preschoolers and usually my older kids want to join in the fun, too! They love mixing and watching the bubbles. Just make sure everything stays on the tray or pan for easy cleannup and containment.
Supplies: Water, food coloring, small bowls, baking soda, vinegar, eye dropper or nasal syringe, small scooper or spoon, tray for containment
Instructions: Place some water with food coloring in a bowl, vinegar in another and soda in another. Leave a bowl or 2 empty and ask the child to mix some of each component and see what happens.
Teaches: Cause and effect, strategizing, coordination, problem solving.
Watch the video here on my Youtube channel
I hope you try some of these and have some fun engagement together! If you do, leave me a comment below and let me know which one you enjoyed!
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