Kids are always learning through play, especially open-ended play. Jaime Herndon and the Artful Parent team shares our favorite fun preschool activities for learning at home.
Updated October 2024
As parents, we are always finding new, creative solutions to balance work and family life, along with creative learning activities for kids. This can be tricky during the preschool years, when kids are not in school fulltime but need more engagement than they did during the toddler years. And if public preschool isn’t offered where you live, the cost of private preschool can be prohibitive.
Finding creative learning activities for your preschooler may look like art invitations set up for the after-school time, or maybe it means learning from home. Or maybe it is a combination of both.
No matter what preschool looks like for your kids, your family may benefit from these open-ended play ideas, creative learning activities and simple projects.
Fun Preschool Activities for Creative At-Home Learning
Themes for Creative Learning
If you are doing school fulltime with your kids, you might want some structure to the learning. A great way to do that is with themes. Think of what interests your child (or you!) and come up with a list of possible weekly themes, like space, camping, ocean life, circus, dinosaurs, animals, and colors.
For each theme, you can make a list of books to read, easy crafts to make, or shows/movies on the topic. Then add in your daily activities such as bike rides, nature walks, and learning activities.
Loose Parts Play
Loose parts play is basically what it sounds like: loose parts, like bottle tops, little wooden pieces, beads, buttons, felted balls and stars, fabric scraps, nuts & bolts, plus nature items like pinecones, acorns, scrap wood, and sticks. Or anything you think your kids would like to play and explore with.
Set these items out in a basket or tray and see how your children use them for building, pretend play, and more.
You can also buy themed loose parts kits for your weekly themes. You can find lots of these of Etsy or Amazon.
Sensory Play
Another great way for your preschooler to play and explore independently is through sensory play. Not only is sensory play super fun for kids, but the benefits to their learning and development are endless.
And the best part about sensory play is that you can set it up how you like it. Need things to be low mess? Pick one of our less messy options like water, bubble foam or playdough. Want to get outside and let the kids get messy? Go with oobleck or slime! Whatever you do, be sure to check out our comprehensive list of Sensory Bin Materials.
And sensory play is totally customizable to your learning themes, just like loose parts play. Simply use the appropriate colors when dyeing your sensory material and stop by the dollar store for fun thematic add-ins.
Coloring and Drawing
If your preschooler isn’t napping anymore but needs something to keep them occupied during quiet time, coloring and drawing are fantastic options. We like to put out an art caddy filled with a few low mess art tools and let kids have a little creative independence.
Some tools we like to include are some paper or a sketchbook, twistable crayons, dot paint markers, washi tape, dot stickers, and Thinking Putty.
And be sure to check out our printables store for lots of seasonal and themed coloring pages and drawing prompts.
Art Invitations
We love an art invitation. It’s both an opportunity to entice a child to make art, but also an opportunity to introduce a new material, technique, or activity. They’re open-ended and engaging for kids to come back to again and again.
You can set up an art invitation the night before, during nap time, or while the kids are at school. And we like to keep the materials and set up simple, so we’re more likely to do it. The most important part is to allow the child to explore the art invitation in their own way.
We hope these ideas help you with creative learning and playing in your home!
More Creative Play Ideas for Kids
- The Best Open-Ended Toys for Kids
- 10 Arts and Crafts for Preschoolers
- Craft Ideas for Kids that are Perfect for Pretend Play
- The Artful Parent’s Guide to Sensory Play
- Make Your Own Play Mat for Kids Pretend Play
- Small World Playdough Play for Kids
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