Fun Learning Activities for Preschooler

I like Baby Days, and it has some activities for toddlers and preschoolers, too. Even some of the baby activities, like my favorite, the oatmeal sandbox (2 big cartons of oatmeal in a med-size cardboard box) might be a hit :)

Have you ever looked at Discovery Toys? We are an educational toy company with something for every age group. Go to www.toycubby.com and have a look. There is an option to search within her age group so you don't have to look through the whole catalog if you don't want to. I would recommend a game called Playful Patterns or our Think It Through book set for 4 and 5 year old kids. I'm heading out today for our annual convention, but if you find something you would like me to explain or have any other questions give me a call on my cell ###-###-####.

J.

familyfun.com

parentcenter.com

There really are a lot of web site out there for this age group. Just put preschool activities or activities fr preschoolers in your search engine.

http://www.timberdoodle.com/ is a great source of educational materials. They're in the homeschool supply business and they provide extensive reviews of every product. I've bought some geography puzzles from them that are top notch, and the customer service is excellent. I have a 2-year-old and some pre-school-age nephews. The Preschooler's Busy Book is also a good collection of ideas.

My kids are smart too, and my daughter was especially precocious and able to concentrate early. I read a LOT to her. We also listened to music and danced around. She learned to play the violin early, and is now spending this summer at Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Symphony. And I had alphabet cards, and she liked to line them all up in the order of the alphabet. Since she had good fine motor skills, she was learning to write her letters at four.
Playing with your kid--board games, building with blocks, fantasy play--is also very educational.

A.,

I have used just about every resource previously listed and when my oldest son went through each of them in no time at all, we opted to go to our local library and work our way through their early childhood books. There were more there than I could get through.

We also took advantage of a nature center, times at the pool, playing with friends, long walks in the country, visiting playgrounds he wasn't familiar with, material from Parents as Teachers and books from WalMart. I also made sure he was busy with odd jobs, lots to learn from them too!

K.

This website has some cute art activities.
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/

Does she use the computer. My daughter is very smart too, she loves to play computer games. We have some of the Jumpstart computer CD's, they go from Toddler to like 6th grade-I would recommend getting one a bit older than she is-my 4 year old has nearly mastered the Kindergarten one. It has lots and lots of games and different diffuculty levels, also progress reports etc. for parents. You could also look for the Brain Quest flash cards and workbooks-I normally can find them at Sam's Club for a few dollars cheaper than a bookstore. Cooking can also provide lots of learning opportunities and my kids LOVE to cook with me-of course their favorite is brownies but we cook other things too. Also A.-don't forget doing things just for fun! Playing in the sprinkler, going to the park (on cooler days)and a day at Chuck-e-cheese are good for her too!

Try the Brighter Vision Learning Adventure Books. My mom subscribed to them for my kids when they were little. It was Great! It starts with preschool (2-3yr olds). We would get a book every month and an activity or game or some craft to make. It would teach colors, numbers, alphabet, etc. and it would grow with your child. Every month would be something diff. One month would be about the diff. seasons. Another would be about music or diff. cultures, the rain forest, body parts, etc., etc. Once my kids started school, we would keep all the books and even use them for projects. Check it out and hope you enjoy them as much as we did. T.