100 Activities to Do With

Your Preschool Child

Whether You Want to Homeschool Them or Just Give Them a
Great Start for School

by Heidi Johnson
www.homeschool-how-to.com

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

Its a shame I even have to put this in here, but here is the legal stuff:

Copyright Notice:
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Limits of Liability:
This ebook is designed to provide helpful and useful advice regarding the
subject matters covered. However, it is understood that the author does
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author and distributors of this ebook make no representations, warranties
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author of this ebook.

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

Let me start out by saying that the best thing you can do for your child is
read to them. I suggest reading children's picture books to preschoolers
for 20-30 minutes a day or longer depending on their attention span. For a
great list of books you can choose from check http://www.homeschool-how-
to.com/homeschool-social-studies.html and http://www.homeschool-how-
to.com/homeschool-science.html

When you do the activities in this book with your children, you can include
reading time before or after this activity time.

Here is a list of the supplies you will need to complete most of the
activities in this book:

Map or globe
Children's and adult scissors
Scrap paper of all kinds construction, tracing, or any kind of paper
Colored chalk
Playdough
Uno card game
Deck of cards
M&Ms or raisins
Marshmallows or raisins
Jars
Clothespins
Cookie sheet
Bubbles
Measuring tape
Toothpicks
Cotton balls
Washable paint
Popsicle sticks
Balloons
Eggs
Salt
United States puzzle
Masking tape

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

Optional supplies:
Magnifying glass
Old magazines
Different kinds of dry pasta
Computer with printer

101 Activities!

1. Calendar Get out a calendar and talk about the days of the week and months of
the year. Mark off today, find the child's birthday and other family birthdays.
Show them where Christmas, Easter, and Independence Day fall in the year. Keep
referring to the calendar at least once a week and talk about what day it is each
day.
2. Cut out circles, squares and triangles Use any kind of variety of paper you like.
You can get stencils or objects that you can use to trace these shapes or you can
just cut out your own.
3. Pick a flower Count the number of petals and leaves on the flower. If you have a
magnifying glass, you can look at all the parts of the flower very closely. Look at
whether the petals and leaves are jagged around the edges or smooth.
4. Mix cornstarch and water You can use a lot or a little. When you get the right
consistency it will be a rubbery blob. You can shape it around in any way you want.
I would suggest doing this at a table. Make shapes, letters, numbers, animals, or
any creation you like. If your child is learning how to read or learning their
alphabet, this is a great time to make little letter shapes and words.
5. Do a somersault Teach your child how to do a somersault. If they already know
that, then teach them how to do a back bend or cartwheel.
6. Draw with colored chalk If it's warm outside, find a piece of cement and start
drawing. You can draw their name or the names of family members. You can draw
shapes, animals or numbers too. For an indoor activity, draw with chalk on dark
colored construction paper.
7. Cut open fruits Get some different fruits that are in season and cut them open
from different angles. The apple is the most fun because if you cut it crosswise,
you will see a star in the middle. Always look for the seeds and talk about how
those seeds help make another tree or bush that will grow that fruit. Experiment
with cutting fruits in different shapes and sizes and see which way you like to eat

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

 them the best.
8. Take them to the post office, bank or local city office. Call ahead and see if
one of the clerks would be willing to take you behind the counter and show you
around for a few minutes to get an idea of what goes on behind the scenes.
9. Find Japan and China on a map or globe. Talk about how far they are away from
where you live. Talk about what time it is in those countries right now. If your
child wants to know more, you can get a reference book from the library or search
for information online.
10. Go for a walk around the block and talk about what you see. If the weather is
too cold, go to a mall and do the same there. If you're outside you can talk about
the trees, leaves, grass, houses, sky, clouds, cars, etc. Just make observations
about what you see and encourage your child to do the same. If they have
questions you can't answer, make some notes to look up the answers when you get
home.
11. Show them how to cook a fried or scrambled egg. They will think they are
amazing to be able to really make a meal. If they already know how to cook an egg,
you can move on to french toast or grilled cheese.
12. Watch a sunset or sunrise depending on what works out better for your
schedule. Talk about the colors, the position of the sun and the earth, how many
hours in a day, and how some days of the year are longer or shorter than others.
13. Draw a map of your city or town Get out all that paper and writing utensils
and make a sketch of the major roads, city buildings, major landmarks, and, of
course, where your house is on the map.
14. Play the hotter/colder game Either you or your child (or take turns) can hide
an object in a room. It can be a stuffed animal, cup, sock, whatever you choose.
Once the item is hidden, the finder comes in the room and tries to find it. The
hider tells the finder whether he is getting hotter (closer) or colder (further
away) from the item he is trying to find. They will probably want to play this game
SEVERAL times.
15. Make a recording together Get a microphone or use some type of recording
device to record your voices. You can read a book, sing a song or recite a poem. It
will be fun to hear your own voices played back.
16. Play with playdough Kids love playing with this stuff! Make sure you include
making some letters or numbers or count the items that you make. You can use
plastic knives, cookie cutters and rolling pins to help make fun creations. Here is
the recipe I use for homemade playdough: Mix: 1 c flour, c salt, and 2 t cream
of tartar. Then slowly add 1 c water and then 1 T cooking oil. You can add food

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

 coloring or a package of Koolaid for color. Cook and stir constantly for 3 minutes
until it forms a ball. Remove from heat. Knead immediately (with rubber gloves on)
until smooth. If the dough is too sticky, just add some more flour. My children
always had hours of fun making all kinds of different things with playdough.
17. What's missing Get a tray and put several toys, food items, or any set of items
that fit on the tray. Have your child study what is on the tray. Then have them
close their eyes and take one item away. When they open their eyes, have them
guess which item you took away. Keep taking things away one at a time guessing
which item is missing. Your child will probably want to quiz you on this one too.
18. Go outside for a while and study the clouds. You can lay on a blanket with your
child or just look up at the sky for a while. If you want to count some of the
clouds, that would help reinforce their counting skills. You might want to look at
some books about clouds before you go out, but you can just look at the clouds for
fun.
19. Play grocery store- Save some empty packages like cereal boxes, cracker boxes,
noodle boxes, egg cartons etc. You can even use some full cans of food too. Set up
your pretend grocery store somewhere in your house and take turns being the
cashier and the shopper. Get some play money or make your own. You can price
your items and add up the total and pay with your money. Or you can just pick out
a few items and pretend that you have enough money to cover your purchases.
20. Plant seeds Get some potting soil, an egg carton (preferably a clear one), and
seeds. Put the potting soil in the egg tray and plant one seed per spot. Water your
seeds at least once every day and make sure they get enough light. If you have a
clear tray, then you can close the lid and hold the moisture in better, like a little
greenhouse.
21. Play the game Uno together. It will help your child learn his colors and numbers
(plus maybe a little reading too).
22. Look at coins - Use a magnifying glass if you have one. Pay attention not only to
their value, but their size in relation to each other, the rim around the edge and
all the little letters and numbers.
23. Find Russia and India on a globe or map - Talk about how far they are away
from where you live. Talk about what time it is in those countries right now. If
your child wants to know more, you can get a reference book from the library or
search for information online. Look at the rivers in the countries and whether
there are any oceans nearby.
24. Glue pasta to paper Get different shapes of pasta if you like, and let your child
glue them to colored paper. You can place the glue for the child and let them lay

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

 the pasta down, or you can let them handle the glue too. If you're really brave you
can let them paint the pasta after the glue has dried a bit.
25. Act out a story You can choose a story from a child's picture book, from the
Bible or any story that your child has heard recently. If you don't have lots of
people in your house you might need to use some stuffed animals for characters.
26. Play the asprin game Take an asprin or small tablet (maybe a child's vitamin if
you're worried about them ingesting the asprin) and lay it somewhere in a
designated room. You can play this with one child but it's a bit more fun with more
people. Once the asprin is placed in plain view somewhere in the room, tell
everyone they can go back into the room to look for it. When they find the asprin,
they leave the room without saying anything. The last person in the room to find
the asprin gets to hide it the next time.
27. One letter to a page Print each of the letters of your child's name on a sheet
of paper that is at least 8 1/2 x 11 in size. Use the whole sheet to form the
letter. Let the child color or decorate them any way they like. Put the papers on
the floor in order and let them jump from letter to letter calling the name of the
letter out loud. Later, you can mix up the letters and have your child put them in
the right order.
28. Make a book or art journal Get several sheets of paper all the same size. Fold
them in half and put a ribbon around the fold to hold the pages together like a
book. Your child can decorate the outside and then draw, paint, or glue whatever
kind of art or letters that they want to put in their journal.
29. Play Go Fish with a deck of cards. Deal 5 or 7 cards to each player. When a
player has 2 cards that are the same, they can lay them down in front of them.
Each player takes a turn and asks the other player if they have a certain card
that will give them a match. If the player that was asked, doesn't have the card,
then they say Go Fish. The game ends when one person gets rid of all the cards
in their hand.
30. Lacing Beads or Cereal Get some big beads (or cereal) and yarn. Lace the
beads (or cereal) onto the yarn. This will help them develop their eye-hand
coordination.
31. Make your own music Get a collection of glass jars. They can be different sizes.
Canning jars work well for this. Put different amounts of water in each jar and use
a spoon to tap on each jar. Pay attention to the different sounds that come from
each jar. You can even try to arrange them in order from lowest to highest sound.
32. Practice setting the table At the preschool stage, children still want to help
their parents. Use unbreakable dishes to practice setting everything where it

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

 needs to go. You can start this activity by getting a large piece of paper and
outlining each piece. Then take the items off and practice setting the pieces
where they are supposed to go.
33. Make your own placemats Use legal size paper and have your child draw
anything on the paper that your child would like. They could put each of their
family's names on the place mats or just make one for themselves. In the fall it is
fun to go out and collect leaves and put them in between sheets of wax paper. Use
a warm iron to seal the leaves in and then use the sheet for a fun Fall place mat.
34. Dropping clothespins Use the jars from #31 and place them on the floor (with
no water in them). Stand above the jar with a clothespins and try to drop a
clothespin in each jar. This will help build their eye-hand coordination too.
35. Play Mother May I Take turns being the mother. Ask the mother if you
can do something like walk across the room or jump up and down. The mother
answers yes, you may or no, you may not. It's fun to switch roles with this
game. This helps develop their ability to listen and follow instructions.
36. Finger paint with pudding This one can get a little messy, but can be very fun
and educational. You can either put the pudding onto a cookie sheet or paint on
the cookie sheet with pudding after you have dipped it out of a bowl. Encourage
your child to make letters or copy the letters that you make with the pudding.
Have them write their name, Mom, Dad, Grandma, etc.
37. M&M Math There is a book called the M&M Counting Book that you can get, but
you don't have to have it for this activity if you don't want to get it. Lay out a
selection of M&Ms (at least 10-20). You can sort the M&Ms by color helping your
child learn their colors. Then talk about adding one or two M&Ms together and
figuring out how many you have then. Keep playing with adding different selections
of M&Ms. Then the fun part comes when you talk about subtracting. If I have 5
M&Ms and I eat one, how many do I have left?:) If you don't want to use M&Ms,
you can easily use raisins instead.
38. My favorite things If you have some old magazines laying around you can use
them for this activity. Get a large sheet of paper or poster board and have your
child make a collage of their favorite things. These can be toys, food items or
anything else that they think of. If you have magazines, then you can cut pictures
out of them and glue them to your paper. If you don't have magazines, then your
child can draw their favorite things.
39. Paint the door or house If it's warm enough outside, get a bucket of water and
a clean paint brush. Find a door or side of a house, garage, or barn and let them
paint the area. If the building is dark, the water will show up more. They will

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

 have an endless canvas because the water will evaporate and they can start over
again.
40. Make pasta necklaces Get some yarn and string different kinds of pasta on the
yarn. You can make necklaces or just long strings. You can make different
patterns with the pasta by doing 2 of one kind and then 3 of another kind, and so
on.
41. Print out paper dolls, houses, or cars at different websites. This one has some
really fun printable toys http://www.thetoymaker.com/2Toys.html
42. Pose and have your picture drawn by your child, or have your child pose and draw
their picture.
43. Puzzles Do any kind of puzzles you can find. These are so easy to get at garage
sales or thrift stores. When your child outgrows them, you can pass them on to
someone else. I suggest you do puzzles with your child at least once a week if you
can.
44. Sort laundry This might not sound like fun to you anymore, but preschoolers
can really get a kick out of putting different articles of clothing into piles by
color. This will help them learn their colors. Think of other mundane chores you do
that your child can do right alongside of you. They love spending time with you!
45. Get boxes and build a fort If you ever come across a big box that held a
major appliance, make sure you grab it! Let your children color it and decorate it
to their hearts content. Add pillows, blankets, books and stuffed animals. They
will have a great time and think you are the best mom ever.
46. Find the Letter Go to my website at http://www.homeschool-how-to.com/free-
homeschool-worksheets.html and print off the Find the Letter page there. Put a
letter of your choice in the box at the top right. Your child then needs to find
that letter on the page and circle each letter that matches the letter you put in
the box. You can either keep printing off this page, or put the paper in a sheet
protector and use a vis a vis marker that can be wiped off with a damp cloth after
each use.
47. Follow the Dots Go to the same website as above and print out the Follow the
Dots page. This will help your child develop early reading and writing skill by
moving across the page from left to right. You can either keep printing off this
page, just follow along with your finger, or put the paper in a sheet protector and
use a vis a vis marker that can be wiped off with a damp cloth after each use.
48. Make bread or rolls Find a good yeast bread or roll recipe that you can make
with your child. This will take a few minutes over the course of several hours. It's
really fun to talk about yeast and what effect it has on the dough. Then it's fun

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

 to come back and see how much it has changed your dough, and then the final
product. If you have a mixer with a dough hook, then the job becomes even easier.
49. Pepper experiment Fill a cup or bowl with water. Sprinkle some pepper on top.
Put some soap on the tip of your finger and touch the top of the water where the
pepper is. See the pepper run away from your finger. Talk to children about how
the soap repels the pepper.
50. Map find Find England, France, Germany, Italy, and the Mediterranean Sea on a
map or globe. Talk about how far they are away from where you live. Talk about
what time it is in those countries right now. If your child wants to know more, you
can get a reference book out of the library or search for information online.
51. Visit a farm or local place of business Visiting a dairy farm at milking time can
be fun to watch. If you have already been to a farm or live on a farm, then pick
another business in your area that your child might like to see such as a florist,
grocery store, restaurant, etc. Call ahead and ask if they will take a few minutes
to give your child a little tour of the behind-the-scenes workings of their
business.
52. Graham cracker houses Get a box of graham crackers, a small spatula, and a
can of frosting (store bought works best) and have fun making some houses. You
can make small or large houses of different designs.
53. Moving raisins If you happen to have some clear carbonated soda water handy,
drop some raisins into a glass with the soda water. Watch how the raisins rise and
fall because of the air bubbles.
54. Sun fading Trace some objects on dark colored construction paper and cut
them out. Save the original paper and put the cut outs out in the sun for a few
hours. Then compare the sun faded cutouts with the original paper and see how
much the color changed.
55. Draw a picture Sometimes young children don't want to take the time to make
a drawing, but if you give them the idea to send it to a distant relative, they might
be more motivated. Pick a relative and some special paper and create away. Then
help them find the address and put it on an envelope with a stamp and their
special picture inside and take it to the post office.
56. Chemistry in the Sink My son absolutely LOVES doing this. He's 9 and still
loves doing this activity. Go to any sink or bathtub in your house. Pour about to 1
cup of baking soda on the drain. Take a bottle of vinegar and pour it over the
baking soda and watch the reaction. This is really fun to watch and cleans your
drain at the same time. You can keep pouring vinegar in the drain until all the
baking soda is dissolved. Wait at least 15 minutes before running water down the

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

 drain in order to let the reaction work the best. If you want even more science
activity ideas, you can get books like Science in Seconds with Kids. You can make a
volcano out of playdough with baking soda and red food coloring inside. Pour
vinegar inside and see the eruption.
57. Calisthenics -Teach your child how to do jumping jacks, run in place, and step
from side to side. Turn on some music and set a time and have a little exercise
time each day if you like.
58. Sweet Potato plant Purchase a sweet potato and put 4-5 toothpicks in it around
it's middle. Take a glass jar or cup that is wide enough for the sweet potato to fit
in, but narrow enough for the toothpicks to rest on it's rim. Have your child pour
water into the jar covering at least a couple of inches of the bottom of the sweet
potato. Put the jar in a nice sunny place and watch it grow over the next couple of
weeks. Your potato should grow roots out of the bottom and leaves and then vines
from the top. You should transplant the potato into a pot or the ground covering
the whole potato with soil. Your child will now have their own sweet potato plant.
59. Changing of the Moon Take a sheet of paper and draw 7 boxes across and 4
boxes down for a total of 28 boxes. Find out when the full moon occurs. That
night, go outside and look at the moon with your child. Have them draw a circle in
the first box. Then go out each night and look at the moon and draw what you see.
Your child will learn that the phases of the moon change during this 28 day cycle.
60. Map finder Get out your map or globe and find the continents of Africa and
Australia, and the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Talk about how far they are away
from where you live. Talk about what time it is in those countries right now. If
your child wants to know more, you can get a reference book from the library or
search for information online.
61. Popcorn experiment Mix 2 tablespoons baking soda in a small glass filled about
full with water. Add 10-15 popcorn kernels and 1 or 2 drops of food coloring. Add
a few drops of vinegar and after a minute or two the popcorn kernels should move
around.
62. Make paper airplanes Make your planes in various shapes and sizes and see
which designs and sizes fly the best. There are lots of good paper airplane books
you can use if you need help.
63. Teaching Left/Right and Colors Your child doesn't have to do 50 workbook
pages on colors and knowing their left from their right to be able to learn these
facts. They just need parents who will talk to them! When your child is reaching
for something or asks you where something is, just tell them to look to the
right/left or tell them that the item is in a right or left hand drawer. When they

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

 ask you for a cup or a bowl, ask them if they want the green one or the red one.
They will quickly learn which color is which. In this natural interaction with you
bringing up colors and the concept of left and right, they should be able to master
the concepts pretty easily. Some children will take longer than others, but if you
keep working at it slowly and without pressure, they will follow your lead
eventually.
64. Disappearing Ink Give your child a piece of paper, a cotton swab, and a small
bowl of lemon juice. Let your child dip the cotton swab in the lemon juice and
write anything they want on the white paper. Once it is dry, take the paper and
hold it up to a light bulb until the writing turns brown.
65. Play I Spy - You can play this game just about anywhere. The parent says I
spy something (and then say a certain color). The child needs to guess what the
parent sees that is that color. It's fun to take turns with this game.
66. Writing Tray Spread cornmeal or rice in on a cookie sheet or tray with sides on
it. Have your child draw pictures, draw ABCs, or spell different words that he
knows how to spell. This might be a good time to teach the names of friends or
family members.
67. Easy Fort Arrange 2 kitchen chairs with their backs to each other standing
about four or five feet apart. Drape a blanket over the chairs and allow your child
to play inside the new fort. Using 4 or 6 chairs would make the fort even bigger
and more fun. If you have a card table, you can throw a blanket over that instead.
68. Bubbles I think all children like blowing bubbles. All you need is one jar,
although you can get much more elaborate than that. Blow lots of bubbles and
have fun chasing them around the yard.
69. Measure It Get a cloth or plastic measuring tape and show your child what the
numbers mean and how to use the tape. Then let your child choose different
things that he/she would like to measure around the house. You can even have a
piece of paper handy and write down how long each item measured and then
compare the numbers.
70. Toothpick Drawings Fold a bath towel and lay it on a table with a piece of paper
on top of it. Give your child a toothpick and let them poke holes in the paper to
make a design. You can also draw a shape on the paper in dark marker and let your
child poke the toothpick along the line to make the shape.
71. Spray away Preschool children often like to use spray bottles. If you have a
sliding glass door, low windows or mirrors, give your child a spray bottle with
water in it and a dry cloth or paper towel. Let them spray and wipe. The surface
might not look spotless when they are done, but it will be teaching them eye hand

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

 coordination and beginning cleaning skills.
72. Mailboxes Use any type of box you have around the house and make a mailbox
out of it. You can tape it up and make a slit for letters or leave one end open. Let
your child decorate it however he/she likes. You can save your junk mail and put a
few pieces in the mailbox each day or have you and your spouse write little notes
to your child and put them in the mailbox too.
73. Marshmallow Letters- While sitting at a table or at a flat surface give your child
some marshmallows or raisins and see how many letters of the alphabet they can
make.
74. Cook from Books Anytime you are reading a children's picture book like
Everybody Serves Soup, Cranberry Thanksgiving, or Thunder Cake, make sure you
take the time to make the recipe included in the book with your child.
75. Sing every chance you get. Children learn so much from music. They can learn
anything from the alphabet, Bible verses, addition and multiplication facts, states
and capitals, and much more. My teenagers still sing the states and capitals songs
to help them remember them for tests.
76. Always Count Numbers are all around us. If you're always counting things, then
your child will catch on to counting very quickly. If they are helping you set the
table, count how many plates you need. If they are having a snack, count how many
items are on their plate. When you make counting fun and a natural part of life,
your child will enjoy numbers and counting.
77. Make a Puppet Use a small paper bag or a lone sock to make puppets. Your
children will enjoy hiding behind the couch and performing their puppet shows.
78. Go on a Picnic If the weather is nice outside, take a blanket and your lunch and
find a nice spot to eat a picnic lunch. If the weather is nasty, then lay out a
blanket somewhere in your house and have an indoor picnic for lunch.
79. Make a Snowman or Sheep Trace 2 circles on a piece of paper, forming either
a snowman or a sheep, using a mug or cup as your template. Provide your child with
some cotton balls and glue and let them glue the cotton balls inside the circles.
Then they can draw the legs or hands and glue some raisins for eyes.
80. Marshmallow Shapes Give your child some marshmallows (small or large) and
some toothpicks. Let them create any kind of structure or animal with these tools.
81. Toy Washing On a nice warm day, take a large bowl or bucket and fill it with
water and a bit of dish soap. Bring a bunch of your child's washable toys outside
and let your child give them a bath. Their toys will get a good washing and they
will have lots of fun doing it.
82. Rock Painting Find some nice rocks outside and let your child use their washable

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

 paint to create any kind of animal or creature. They could also paint their name on
the rock or make a doorstop for the house. There are some fun painted rock
books available too.
83. Finger Paint Most children enjoy finger painting. If you want to make your own,
you can use this recipe: 1 c flour, 1 c water, 2 t salt. Mix together and separate
into bowls. Then add food coloring to each bowl.
84. Popsicle Stick Puppets Your child can either make their own people or they can
cut faces or bodies out of old magazines. Then they can glue the image to a
popsicle stick. If the image is flimsy, you might want to glue it to a heavier piece
of paper before you attach it to the popsicle stick. They can either make up their
own story for a puppet show or reenact a children's picture book story that you
recently read to them.
85. Letter of the Day For a month or two, pick a letter each day. Have your child
write the letter, look for items that start with the letter, look for things in books
or magazines that start with the letter of the day. If you want to introduce
animals along with the letters, just choose an animal that starts with the letter of
the day and emphasize both. You can casually talk about letters all the time.
Mention that letters make up words and words make up books. Give them a sense
of wonder that when they learn to read they will be able to learn about even more
things than they already know.
86. Tube Creations Save toilet paper and paper towel tubes and let your child make
all kinds of creations with them by taping them together. They can make a very
long tube and put bouncy balls, cars, or marbles in them and see what happens.
87. Inside Sandbox In a rectangular plastic container with a lid, store wheat
berries or rice along with a few toys that have to stay in the box like cars,
wagons, animals, etc. Get a tablecloth and lay it on the floor somewhere in your
house or outside. Let the kids play with the wheat or rice mixture and the toys on
the tablecloth. When it's time for clean up, just scoop up all four ends of the
tablecloth and dump everything back in the tub.
88. Water Fractions You can do this activity with a tub or in a sink full of water.
Give your child several different sizes of measuring cups. Show them that if they
pour four cups that it equals a one cup measure. Let them continue to
experiment with how many cups fill up other cups.
89. Tupperware Towers If you have a Tupperware or plasticware cupboard or
drawer and your children like building things, you can let them build structures
with these items provided you have the lids on them.
90. Water and its Properties Have your child fill up a bowl of water and either put

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

 it outside on a very cold day or put it in the freezer. Then have them check on the
water after an hour or so. The water might be partially or completely frozen.
Observe the frozen parts and then, if it's not completely frozen, check back
when you think it will be frozen. When the water is completely frozen, take it out
of it's container if possible, and put it on the stove in a pan and heat it. Your child
can watch the ice turn back into water, and if you bring it to a boil, they can see it
turn to steam. Talk about all the ways that water can change depending on the
temperature.
91. Flashlights Preschoolers love to play with flashlights. Let them use them in the
forts they build or let them take the flashlight into a closet. Show them how they
can read a book in a dark place. You might even use a ball representing the moon
and the flashlight representing the sun and talk about how we don't always see
the whole moon. Your child might enjoy taking the flashlight outside in the evening
and looking around the yard.
92. Air and Wind Talk to your child about how air and wind can't be seen but that
they can be felt. Tell them that there is air in our lungs. Blow up a balloon and
show them that there is air in the balloon that they can't see, but it's still there
and takes up space. Show them a bowl of water and how you can blow at the water
and make it move. Observe the wind blowing leaves, trees, and even their hair
when they go outside. Talk about the different ways that air affects our lives.
93. Balloon Float Blow up a balloon and see how long you can keep it up in the air
hitting it back and forth to each other.
94. Gravity Talk about gravity and how it affects our lives. Why do balloons float to
the ground when we blow them up? Why do we come down a slide when we push
ourselves down? Jump up and down and talk about why you keep coming back down
to the ground. Throw a ball in the air and talk about why it doesn't stay up in the
air.
95. What Floats Fill either a big bowl or a sink with water. Gather different
objects like a penny, a balloon, a magnet, a crayon, a leaf, paper money, etc and
see which items float. You can even write down your predictions on a piece of
paper before you start.
96. Fingerprint Matching Write down all your family members names on a piece of
paper with plenty of space left between each name. Go to each family member
with your child and put some lipstick or paint on one thumb. Then have them press
their thumb print next to their name on the paper. Compare the fingerprints and
see how unique each of them are.
97. Taste Test Gather 2 similar types of food like a potato and an apple and cut a

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

 slice from each that is about the same size. Blindfold your child and have them
plug their nose so they can't smell anything. Give them each item of food and see
if they can tell which one is which. They will soon find out that it's not easy to tell
what kind of food they are eating without their sight and smell.
98. Egg Spin Boil 1 egg so that it is hard boiled (full rolling boil for 5 minutes, then
let egg sit in cold water for 5 minutes). Gather an uncooked egg and a plate. Once
the hard boiled egg is ready, try spinning each egg on the plate. Which egg spins
easier? The hard boiled egg should spin easier because it is a solid. The inside of
the uncooked egg has liquid inside which is sloshing around making it harder for
the egg to spin without wobbling.
99. Floating Eggs Fill 2 clear drinking glasses with water. Add 6 tablespoons of salt
to one glass, and stir until all the salt is dissolved. Talk about what you think will
happen when you drop an egg into each glass. The glass with the salt in it should
allow the egg to float. Adding salt to the water makes it heavier which makes it
able to support the egg.
100. United States puzzle If you're an American, then you should have a United
States puzzle in hour house. If you're from another country, then get a puzzle of
your country. At first you will have to do the puzzle with your child. Make sure
you say the name of each state as you place it in it's spot. Talk about where you
live in relation to the other states. If you have friends or family members in
other states you can mention where they live too. If you purchased the states and
capitals CD, you can sing the songs after your puzzle is done. As your child learns
to do the puzzle on his/her own, have them say the names of the states as they
put the puzzle together. When they get really good at it, you can time each other
to see who can get the puzzle put together the fastest.
101. Balance Beam Tape a long piece of masking tape on the floor. Tell your child
that you are pretending that this is a balance beam. Let them walk along the tape
heel to toe and help them learn how to develop balance and coordination. If you
have a 2x4 piece of wood laying around, this might work even better for a wider
balance beam.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this list of 101 activities you can do with
your child and that it has inspired you to realize that you CAN teach your
children lots of things that they need to know. You don't need an expensive
curriculum, just the list of items at the beginning of these pages!

You can do these activities when your children are elementary age too.

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

More Preschool Resources You Can Purchase:

Band in a Box
Bug Viewer
Do a Dot Markers
Human Body Model
Usborne Books THE BEST educational books that I have found especially
for preschool!
The best colored pencils ever. Don't waste your money on anything else
Prismacolor Pencils
Math Resources:
Cuisenaire Rods
Math Manipulatives
Teaching how to Tell Time
Learning Letters and Writing:
These are great little books for helping children learn the sounds of letters
and how to form them too Get Ready for the Code
Teaching Reading: We used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy
Lessons and the Get Ready for the Code books for all 4 of our children.
They are all such different individuals, but these worked for all of them
somehow.

Workbooks if you really need them:

If you absolutely have to find some workbook pages for your child, this is
the best free site that I have found. http://www.first-
school.ws/INDEX.HTM I wish I would have come up with these myself.
They give you plenty of printable alphabet and number pages plus lots of

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

other activities too. Some children enjoy workbooks and writing and others
do not. Spectrum workbooks are also very useful and simple.

Child Training and Discipline - If you are planning on homeschooling, make

sure your children listen well to you and that you don't have any discipline
issues. Some great books to help with this are Boundaries With Kids,
Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours

Homeschooling Resources:
How to Homeschool Preschool
My Favorite Homeschool Resources
How to Start Homeschooling
How to Homeschool Kindergarten

More free ebooks:

"How to Homeschool Using the Best Resources"
"How to Get Started with Homeschooling"
Time Saving Kitchen Tips"
"How to Lose Weight When Nothing Else Has Worked"

More ebooks by Heidi Johnson:

Internet Resources for Homeschooling
How to Homeschool Kindergarten
Smart Way Cooking
Cooking From Your Cupboard
Getting it All Done and Other Myths Women Believe

2011 Heidi Johnson http://www.homeschool-how-to.com