It’s the back-to-school season! All the big kids are back in the classroom, but if you’re like me, then you have a little one at home who needs some activities to prepare them for the day when they finally put on their backpack and grab a lunchbox! Even though we are home, our schedules can be pretty busy! We have to squeeze in activities between chores and conference calls to keep our little one on a learning path. I have complied 12 development milestone activities for 3 to 4 year-olds based on guidance from WebMD.
You can do the activities in a minimum of 15 minutes. They don’t require many materials, and you can do these repeatedly because your preschooler loves repetition!
1. Mommy Sez
Part of a development milestone for your 3-4year old is to be able to follow simple commands. You can practice commands with this easy game! It’s Simon Sez, but Mommy is in charge! Since this is your preschooler, don’t try to tick them. Keep it simple and silly. Say things like, “Mommy says hop like a bunny,” or “Mommy says to pretend to be asleep.”
2. Color Scavenger Hunt
Go on a color scavenger hunt around your house or in your backyard. Say a color and let your preschooler find a thing or things that are that color. If you don’t have enough color in your home (which I doubt because you have a preschooler), then use colorful paper. Cut out index card-sized squares and lay them out on a floor or table. Call out a color and let them pick it up. If you need an idea, I have a color scavenger hunt sheet in my freebie library.
3. Read A Book
Another development milestone that your child should achieve is recalling parts of a story. It could be five minutes a day, but reading a book helps develop literacy skills. Read the same story every day for a week. The repetition will help your little one recall parts of the story and build their confidence! Ask Who, What Where, When, and How questions after reading the book. Soon your child will be reading to you!
4. Counting Hopscotch
Take some paper plates and put numbers on them. Let your child hop from plate to plate and say the number as they land on it. They can hop from 1 to 10 to understand the concept of counting. If the weather is nice, do this outside with chalk.
5. Hidden Objects 3-D
Your preschooler should be able to recognize common objects and pictures. This is the live version of those object search books. Place common objects or pictures on a blanket on the floor. For example, you can have a book, spoon, toothbrush, plate, and sock. Cover the blanket with objects. Include pictures as well! Ask your preschooler to find the object as you call it out. You can say, “Where is the book?”
6. Pretend Play
Like fight club, there are no rules in pretend play! For a fun 1o minute activity, stretch your preschooler’s imaginative muscles and call out things that you both can pretend to be, such as animals or people. If you really want to see their creativity call out inanimate objects like “Let’s pretend to be a tree or a ball.” It’s hilarious to see what they come up with. Ask them to call something out that you both can pretend to be.
7. Morning, Noon and Night
Teach your preschooler the concept of time with this fun game! All you need is three sheets of paper labeled Morning, Afternoon, and Night. If you need a printable, you can find mine here!
Have some objects or pictures of objects on hand that are activities that you do during those times. A bit of cereal could represent morning or clothes because we get dressed in the morning. Think of activities that your preschooler does in the afternoon, such as eating lunch or playing outside. And then think of evening activities. My husband reads my preschooler a book right before bedtime, so that may be something he would put on the “Night” sheet.
8. Follow The Leader
Preschoolers need to be able to follow three-part commands and certain movements as another cognitive development milestone. Play follow the leader and have your child mimic three-movement commands. For example, you could walk backward, kick a ball then bend over. Then have your child mimic the commands. See if they can remember all three without any help. They will get better at this game with time and practice!
9. Laundry Sort
Okay, this is an activity that will benefit moms. We have to do the laundry anyway; why not make it a fun learning activity for your preschooler! Preschoolers need to be able to sort objects by shape and color. Call out shapes and colors as you are sorting clean laundry. Ask your preschooler to put all the shirts or blue clothes in the basket.
10. Circles and Squares
Think tic-tack-toe with no winners or losers. Using crayons, you and your preschooler can take turns drawing circles and squares. You can both draw circles or, if they are able, they can draw circles, and you can draw squares. Fill up the page! Try it with triangles!
11. Tower Stack
Get some books and let your preschooler build a tower! How many books can they stack on top of each other? You can also do this with blocks or even plastic cups. Let the fun begin!
Just A Few Minutes A Day
All of these activities are not only geared toward a specific development milestone; they can be completed without a lot of mess and effort! Take a break from work and do an activity with your little one for as little as 15 minutes. It’s not only a stress reliever, but it is quality time that you will cherish forever! Do you know someone who has a preschooler at home? Share this activity with them!
