Children are naturally motivated to play, and it’s through play that they do most of their learning and developing. Preschoolers are very capable of creating their own play, but there’s plenty parents and carers can do to encourage and support them along the way.
The preschool years often become focused on structure, particularly literacy and numeracy, as families prepare for the transition to school. It’s worth remembering that play remains the primary way preschool-aged children learn and make sense of the world around them.
Here are 10 play-based activities and ideas to support your preschooler’s development and set them up as a lifelong learner.
Outdoor/nature play
There’s nothing more beneficial for preschoolers than time outdoors exploring nature. Nature play encourages children to care for something beyond themselves, whether that’s flowers, insects or animals. It provides opportunities for supervised risky play, sensory exploration and creativity, and supports self-regulation and emotional management.
Getting outside doesn’t need to mean a big outing. Explore what’s on your doorstep, or check out our guide to family walks around Newcastle and Lake Macquarie for ideas.
Sensory activities
Sensory activities are open-ended and versatile, and can be set up using almost anything as a resource, from cooking ingredients and natural materials to household loose parts. The learning possibilities are endless.
Sensory play helps preschoolers develop self-regulation and management of big emotions, fine and gross motor skills (including the pincer grip that supports early writing), and early science and maths concepts.
Have a look through the pantry or backyard and set up a simple sensory activity. Most parents are surprised by how long preschoolers will stay engaged with it.
Loose-parts play
Loose parts are open-ended resources that have more than one purpose; they can be used in many different ways and provide endless learning opportunities. Examples include pipes, wheels, log off-cuts, cardboard boxes, bottle lids, and old sheets.
These resources give children more opportunity for learning, creativity and problem-solving, the key ingredients for a confident lifelong learner. Most modern toys are single-use plastic, which can lead to boredom quickly and adds to landfill.
Loose parts encourage sustainable play by giving used household items a second life. Next time something’s headed for the bin, it’s worth considering whether it could become a play resource instead.
Real-life & role-play
Role play gives children a way to investigate real-life concepts while building social skills and emotional understanding. Cooking, washing dishes, basic handy work and grocery shopping are all rich role-play opportunities, whether set up as dramatic play with real materials or as genuine everyday experiences.
Experiences such as these teach children respect for resources and people, encourage creativity, and develop a deeper understanding of the world and how things work. Most children love to help, so why not involve them in your daily chores on occasion. What you may think is boring and mundane, they may find interesting and exciting, providing you make it a fun experience for all.
Provide choices & encourage independence
Preschoolers want to be in control of their own choices, and they need to be in order to develop independence. Everyday routine moments such as choosing what to wear, what to eat or what to play are simple, low-effort opportunities to build that independence.
Encourage literacy & numeracy in more exciting ways
Literacy and numeracy are a natural focus for parents of preschoolers, but this often defaults to worksheets and templates. That approach can take away valuable play-based learning opportunities and, over time, risks dulling a child’s love of learning.
Try moulding letters, numbers or words out of play dough, Lego or natural materials, setting up a literacy or numeracy treasure hunt in a sensory bin or in the backyard, turning practice into a game such as fishing for letters and numbers, or writing and posting a letter to someone.
These types of activities develop fine-motor skills and letter/number recognition, but in a more playful and memorable way. Your kids may not even realise that they are learning as their focus is shifted from learning to simply having fun.
Books, books & books
It’s a simple idea, but books remain one of the most valuable learning resources available. With screens competing for attention, books can be easy to overlook, but finding one that matches a child’s current interest can make it instantly engaging, regardless of how they usually feel about reading.
Another idea you can use to support your child to make sense of their world is to encourage them to write their own book (with your help of course). This again supports their literacy development, alongside their social and emotional wellbeing, and allows them to make sense of their world.
Exploring music & movement
Music, like books, can meet a child where their interests are. One simple activity is painting to different genres of music, exploring volume, pitch and tempo, and letting that translate into movement and colour on the page.
Combining music and movement with visual art gives preschoolers a creative, playful outlet for self-expression.
Board games & card games
This is such a fun way to support children’s learning and development without too much thought or preparation required. Some great examples include memory, dominoes, Operation, Go Fish, bingo, Uno, and Guess Who? Games such as this encourage turn-taking, sharing, teamwork, following rules and directions, as well as literacy and numeracy concepts. For more ideas, check out our family board games guide.
Another idea is to create your own board game which specifically targets your child’s interests and current areas of learning. You could use it to focus on feelings and emotions, to discuss similarities and differences among people, or to teach a specific topic.
Building, construction & puzzles
Never underestimate the value of building and construction play. It provides so many amazing learning opportunities, particularly related to maths and science concepts (e.g. measurement, space, shapes, gravity, problem-solving).
Try to provide a variety of building resources consisting of different sizes, shapes, materials and weight to extend on your child’s learning in a more versatile way. Resources could include cardboard boxes; pipes; plastic bottles, containers and lids; books; sticks and stones, as well as wooden blocks.
All of the above activities provide opportunities for developing knowledge and skills that can be used throughout all aspects of life. These include problem-solving, sharing/turn-taking, literacy and numeracy, science and maths concepts, values such as respect and sharing, teamwork, creativity, self-regulation and managing big emotions, appreciation and respect of nature, ability to make choices and be independent, fine-motor and gross-motor skills, social skills and following rules. All of which are essential life skills to have, for preschool, school and beyond.
Take a look around your home and try to utilise what you have as resources. Remember that learning should be interesting, engaging and fun, rather than structured and boring. Learning through play really is the best way!
Do you have younger kids? Check out the article 5 Play-Based Activities for Babies & Toddlers That You Can Do at Home.
This is a guest post from a Newcastle-based Early Childhood Director and Teacher, who brings hands-on experience supporting children’s play and development every day.
Safety note: Always supervise children during sensory play, and choose age-appropriate materials. Take particular care with water play and any small items that present a choking hazard.