The Preschooler’s Busy Book (4 page)

Refrigerator magnets

Heavy paper

Give your child a couple of refrigerator magnets and a piece of heavy paper.
Place the paper between the two magnets and show your child how to move the top magnet by moving the bottom magnet.
On the top side of the paper draw a road or some other pattern for your child to follow.

Plastic lids from gallon milk jugs

Glue

Paper plate or piece of cardboard

If you buy milk or juice in gallon plastic jugs, save the small plastic lids.
Once you have a collection of different-colored lids, let your child glue them onto a piece of cardboard or a paper plate to create a design.
Kids will also have fun sorting lids by color, lining them up end to end, creating patterns, or using them as play money.

Plates

Silverware

Napkins

Glasses

When you aren’t using your best china, have your child help you set the table.
Have her count the number of people who will be eating, then count out the same number of knives, forks, spoons, plates, napkins, and so on.
Show her how to place everything on the table properly.
For younger children, you may want to set the plates and other breakables yourself, and have your child help you with silverware and napkins—unless, of course, you are using paper plates!

Paper and pen

Crayons or markers

Ask your child, “Why do you love Daddy?” Write her responses on a sheet of plain or construction paper, and have your child decorate it with crayons or markers.
Place the “love note” as a surprise in Dad’s lunch the next day.
You can vary the questions you ask your child, such as, “What’s the funniest thing Daddy ever did?” Or do this for friends or grandparents and other relatives.
Some of the answers you get may be priceless!

Golf tees

Styrofoam

Toy hammer

Give your child some golf tees, a toy hammer, and a piece of Styrofoam.
She can hammer the golf tees into the foam in a design, or just hammer for the sake of hammering.

Index cards

Pen or marker

Sharpen your preschooler’s memory skills by making your own memory game.
Create two identical sets of index cards with letters of the alphabet, colors, shapes, or numbers.
Start out with only a few, as this can be tough.
Place all the cards, facedown, on the table.
Have your child turn over one card, then put it back, facedown, on the table, and try to find the corresponding matching card.
You can determine the number of tries allowed, and can make a game out of this between two or more children.
At first your child may only guess, but it won’t take long for her to get the idea.
Begin the game with only a few cards, and add more as your child gets better; don’t overwhelm her with too many cards at once.

Paper

Pen

Markers and/or stickers for decorating

Ask your child, “Who loves you?” and write down her answer.
Ask, “Who else loves you?” and write down each name, then read her the list when she is finished.
Top the list with the title “Look Who Loves (child’s name)” and let her decorate it with markers or stickers.
Stick it on the refrigerator or on her bedroom wall to remind her how much she is loved.

Silverware

Utensil holder

Your child can help you put away the silverware as you remove it from the dishwasher or drainer.
Place your utensil holder on the table with the clean utensils next to it.
Your child can then sort, count, and put them away.

Have your child close her eyes and guess the sounds you make.
Use household objects, such as keys, coins, silverware, or a whistle.
Tap on a pot with a spoon, snap your fingers, or click your tongue.

Newspaper

Tape

Golf or tennis balls

Masking tape or paper

Make golf clubs for each player by rolling up several sheets of newspaper and taping them securely.
Lay down a sheet of paper or use masking tape to mark several “holes” on the floor or carpet.
Use your golf club to try to hit (roll) the ball to the hole.
Reward the winner (the first to hit the ball to the hole) with a raisin, chocolate chip, or other small treat.

Heavy cardboard

Scissors

Hole punch

Shoelace or yarn

Tape (if using yarn)

Cut a shape out of heavy cardboard and punch holes around the edges at regular intervals.
Tie a knot in one end of an old shoelace, or knot one end of a piece of yarn and wrap heavy tape around the other end.
Let your child sew by weaving the shoelace through the punched holes.
This fun activity is great for hand/eye coordination.

Washable markers

Using washable markers, draw a face on the palm of your child’s hand, or draw small faces on the pads of each finger so that the puppets can “talk” to each other.
Draw puppets on your own fingers and get some conversations going between your puppets and your child’s.

Bathroom scale

Various household objects

Using a bathroom scale, weigh your child and help her weigh household objects: a stack of books, a bag of flour, dolls, and so on.
Try to find something that weighs the same amount as your child.

If you have any breakables on tables or dressers, put them away before trying this one!

Lots of throw pillows

Have one person sit on a bed or couch with the throw pillows.
Have the other person run across the room from one point to another, while the person on the bed tries to hit the moving target with the pillows.

Cardboard

Scissors

String

Cut out a cardboard shape and pierce a small hole in the center.
Tie one end of a string to the doorknob of your child’s room and thread the opposite end of the string through the shape’s hole.
Have your child stand across the room holding and shaking the free end of the string.
See how long it takes her to shake the shape from one end to the other.

Tension rod

Baby clothes hangers

Bookcase

Make a closet for all those little doll clothes by inserting a tension rod across the lower shelf of a bookcase.
Have your child hang doll clothes onto baby clothes hangers and then onto the rod.
(Try to save some of your newborn-sized clothes, bibs, and blankets; they are the perfect size for many dolls.)

Socks

Laundry basket

Take all the socks out of your child’s sock drawer.
Have her identify each color as she puts them back.
For some real fun, give your child a laundry basket and have her collect all the socks from every sock drawer in the house.
She can amuse herself for a long time sorting them by color, size, or owner.
If you like, separate the socks, mix them all up, and then have your child find the matches for each sock.
Keep in mind, however, that you may have to rematch most of the socks yourself after your child is done.

Laundry

This is a great activity that will give your child some household responsibility and teach a very practical skill at the same time.
Show your child how to sort the laundry before you wash it.
Even a very young child can separate whites, colors, and darks, and it will save you time as well!
You can also have your child remove the clothes from the dryer, and sort and carry them to the appropriate rooms when folded.
Folding may be a little tricky depending on your standards, but you can let her tackle the easy things: towels, dishcloths, baby blankets, and so on.

Small toys or edible treats

Hide several household objects, small toys or edible treats around the house and encourage your child to find them.
Tell her she is “hotter” when she is closer to the hidden item, “colder” as she moves away from it.

Books or scraps of wood

Matchbox cars or other toys with wheels

Make a raceway or train track on a carpet by laying down books of equal thickness side by side to make a smooth lane, or use pieces of plywood or two-by-fours.
(Your raceway can be any length and can be straight or have turns.) This will transform the carpet into a smooth surface for racing toys with wheels.

Tablecloth

Picnic dishes

Picnic food

Summer clothing