Early childhood days feel like the best days of life. No worries and nothing to be afraid of. The only thing that matters is the bright future awaiting ahead of us.

Needless to say, these early childhood years are also significant when it comes to learning as children develop cognitive, emotional, and social skills. About 90% of brain development happens during these years. This means that it is a good time to introduce new concepts. After all, learning doesn’t have to wait till school starts. 

However, it can be challenging to teach new concepts to children as this learning period will define their relationship with education and learning for the rest of their lives.

As a preschool teacher, you need to ensure that kids stay engaged and enjoy learning. The best way to do so is incorporating learning into playtime and different activities that not only teach different things to the little ones but also keep them engaged. 

Incorporating a variety of sensory and interactive methods helps cater to the diverse learning styles of preschoolers, making education a comprehensive and enjoyable journey. So, the question is how to incorporate these activities into your lesson plan. In this blog, let’s explore some fun and engaging activities to keep those little minds engaged and entertained. Here are some lesson plan activities for preschoolers. 

Literacy and Phonics

Literacy and phonics form the cornerstone of early childhood education, providing the fundamental skills necessary for reading and writing. These activities not only build foundational literacy skills but also promote a joyful and dynamic learning environment for preschoolers.

• Kick the Letter Cup

This activity combines the physical activity of sports with cognitive learning. Preschoolers kick a soccer ball at an array of cups arranged on the ground, each labeled with a different letter. This game helps children in letter recognition and develops their motor skills, offering a fun and active way to learn the alphabet.

• Alphabet Pillow Jumping

A dynamic and physically engaging activity where children jump from one pillow to another, each marked with a different letter. This helps preschoolers associate physical activity with learning and aids in memorizing the alphabet through movement and play.

• Magic Letter Painting

Using white crayons on white paper, adults write hidden letters that preschoolers reveal by painting over them with watercolors. This activity delights children as they discover hidden letters, engaging their curiosity and enhancing letter recognition through artistic expression.

• Phonics with The Very Hungry Caterpillar

By integrating the beloved story of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," educators can teach phonics and early reading skills. As children follow the caterpillar’s journey, they discuss the sounds of letters and words, connecting phonics with familiar and engaging storytelling.

• Alphabet Kaboom!

An exciting game where children pull sticks from a container, each labeled with different letters, and try to avoid the one that says "Kaboom!" This activity builds suspense and excitement around learning letters, improving recognition skills in a playful and interactive setting.

• Letter Matching Archeology Game

Children engage in a pretend archeological dig, searching through sand to find hidden letters that they then match to a template. This game enhances letter recognition and offers a hands-on, thematic approach to learning, stimulating both imagination and cognitive skills.

If you’re a parent looking for additional resources and platforms to improve your child’s literacy skills, check out the FunFox Program. We offer a variety of activities focused on reading and writing skills while ensuring that children enjoy the learning process. 

Now let’s move ahead and look at some math-related activities for preschoolers. 

Numeracy and Mathematics

Numeracy and mathematics in early childhood lay the groundwork for a strong understanding of numbers and mathematical concepts. 

• Matching Numbers

Children are presented with a series of cards displaying numbers and corresponding pictures with quantities. They count objects like buttons or stickers to match the numbers, reinforcing their understanding of number-quantity relationships through tangible, hands-on activities.

• Adding Cards

In this simple addition game, children use playing cards to add together two numbers, laying a practical foundation for arithmetic. This game can be varied in complexity to suit different skill levels, making math both fun and educational.

• Rolling Math

Using dice, children roll and then find the numbers that come just before and after the number rolled. This game helps with number sequencing and recognition, providing a playful way to engage with numbers.

• Shark Feeding Frenzy

A thematic game where children "feed" a shark toy with the correct amount of fish-shaped counters based on the number shown. This introduces younger students to counting and basic math in a fun and engaging context.

• Let's Choose Less

This activity involves presenting two sets of items and asking children to choose the set with fewer items. It teaches comparison and quantitative analysis in a straightforward, hands-on manner, fostering early mathematical reasoning.

It’s time to move from the number game to the magic of science. Let’s explore some science-related activities. 

Science and Exploration

Science and exploration activities ignite curiosity and a sense of wonder in preschoolers, sparking a lifelong interest in the natural world. These activities foster critical thinking, observation, and a love for discovery, essential skills for young learners.

• Wonderful World of Worms

Children explore the biology and habitat of worms by observing, touching, and measuring them. This direct interaction with living organisms introduces basic scientific concepts like measurement and life science in a tangible and fascinating way.

• A Foaming Experience

Preschoolers conduct simple chemical experiments, such as mixing baking soda and vinegar to create foam. This visually stimulating reaction captures children's attention while introducing them to basic chemistry and the scientific method.

• Mixing Colors

In this sensory activity, children mix primary colors (red, yellow, blue) to create secondary colors. This not only teaches color theory but also encourages experimentation and curiosity about how different colors interact.

• Caps For Sale!

Tying in the classic children’s book "Caps for Sale," this activity combines literacy with scientific exploration, focusing on categorizing and sorting the caps by various attributes, introducing early mathematical and logical concepts through a narrative they know and love.

All you need to do is be careful and keep an eye out so the children don’t harm themselves during these activities. Activities involving worms and chemicals are a also good chance to teach children about hygiene. It can help in their personal development. Since we are talking about personal development, let’s look at some activities to improve their social skills too. 

Social Skills and Mindfulness

Developing social skills and mindfulness in preschoolers is essential for their emotional and interpersonal growth. These activities create a supportive environment where preschoolers can learn to navigate their emotions and build healthy, positive relationships with others.

• Mindfulness: The Present Out Moment 

This introduction to mindfulness for preschoolers involves simple breathing exercises and focusing activities designed to calm the mind and enhance awareness of the present moment. Such practices help young children develop concentration, self-regulation, and emotional resilience. 

• Friends Are Fun!

In this group activity, children engage in games that require cooperation and communication, highlighting the qualities of friendship, such as sharing, taking turns, and enjoying activities together. This fosters social skills and the ability to work within a team.

• Reading Faces 

An activity where children learn to identify and interpret different facial expressions, understanding the emotions they represent. This helps develop empathy and emotional intelligence which are crucial components of social interaction.

How would a class of young children look without arts and crafts? So, here are some activities related to art. 

Arts, Crafts, and Sensory Activities

Arts, crafts, and sensory activities play a crucial role in early childhood development, nurturing creativity, fine motor skills, and sensory awareness.

• Snow and Snowmen 

A craft activity where children cut, color, and assemble their own snowmen using various materials. This seasonal theme helps develop fine motor skills and creativity, while the use of different textures adds a sensory dimension to the learning.

• 2D Shape Reindeer Craft for Preschoolers

Combining festive themes with educational goals, children create reindeers using shapes that help them recognize and name different geometric figures, enhancing both their artistic creativity and mathematical understanding.

• New Year's Eve Countdown Craft 

Children make their own New Year's Eve countdown crafts, such as clocks or calendars, exploring concepts of time and anticipation in a creative and engaging way.

• Feather Tip Salt Tray Writing 

Using feather tips as writing tools in salt trays, this activity offers a unique sensory experience. Children practice writing letters and numbers as the texture of the salt, and the novelty of the feather enhance the sensory feedback during writing.

• Mini Alphabet Sensory Bins 

Each bin is filled with items starting with different letters, children explore these mini sensory bins to enhance sound recognition and phonetic skills, enriching their vocabulary and sensory experience.

Since we already talked about some festive-themed activities, here are some more theme-based activities to teach various skills to your preschoolers.

Theme-Based Activities

Theme-based activities bring learning to life by immersing preschoolers in engaging and relatable contexts.

• Penguins-Themed Lesson Plan 

In this thematic exploration, children learn about penguins and their habitats, integrating science, geography, and environmental education through engaging stories and crafts.

• Snowball Throw Alphabet Game 

A fun, active play session where children throw soft "snowballs" at targets labeled with letters, combining physical activity with learning the alphabet in a winter-themed setting.

• Animal Vowels 

Learning about vowels is made fun by associating each vowel sound with an animal whose name features that sound prominently, aiding in phonetic recognition and memory.

• Dalmatian Dots 

Linking numeracy with a love for animals, children count and match dots on templates to images of Dalmatians, integrating math learning with a fun, animal-themed activity.

Conclusion

Alright, here we are. It’s time to wrap up. We hope these activities will help you create more engaging lesson plan activities for preschoolers. Preschool is an exciting time, packed with curiosity, exploration, and discovery. By incorporating a mix of engaging, sensory, and interactive activities into lesson plans, we can create a vibrant and dynamic learning environment for our little ones.

From the magic of letter painting to the thrill of feeding a toy shark, each activity offers a unique way to build foundational skills while having fun. The diversity in these activities ensures that every child finds something they love, sparking their creativity and nurturing their natural curiosity.