Educational Games for Preschoolers
You want to see their little face light up with a smile, but you also want to challenge their little mind. Rest assured! With the following games at home, your little angel will have fun and acquire new skills in an enjoyable way without getting bored for even a fraction of a second.
Game: “One for You, One for Me”
Teaching the child: The value of sharing No equipment, no organization, nothing! All you need for this game is to make a pile on the floor with any objects you want (that are, of course, safe for a 1-3-year-old), such as stuffed animals, pillows, boxes, cards, plastic cups, etc. Start the game by holding one object for yourself and giving another to the child, saying the phrase “one for you, one for me.” Then, ask the child to do the rest of the sharing while you continue to repeat “one for you, one for me.” This way, you will teach them how important it is to learn to share. Children who learn to share early understand the concept of giving, fairness, reasonable compromise, and negotiation, and thus can cooperate harmoniously with other children and adults later in life.
Game: “Which One Doesn’t Belong?”
Teaching the child: To recognize differences
Your favorite building blocks are the perfect assistant for this game. Gather many blocks of the same color and one of a different color and ask the child to tell you which one doesn’t belong. If you don’t have building blocks, no problem. Play the game with fruits or vegetables from your kitchen, e.g., many green apples and one red apple. The goal is for the child to learn to recognize differences, as diversity is a part of life itself. However, be careful! If the child finds the different object, do not ask them to remove it from the group of similar ones, as this will convey the message that the different should be rejected.
Game: “Bag and Little Bag”
Teaching the child: Spatial awareness
Open your closet and take out two bags: one quite large (e.g., a duffel bag) and one small (e.g., your everyday handbag). Leave the bags on the floor and ask the child to bring one of their toys, whichever they want. When they bring it, depending on its size, tell the child “this is big and goes in the big bag” or “this is small and goes in the small bag.” After putting 4-5 toys in the bags, ask the child which bag each toy is in. This way, they will learn to understand the concept of size and spatial distribution.
Game: “Ball, Stop”
Teaching the child: Hand-eye coordination
Can you play a game without a ball? Sit facing your little angel with both of you having your legs open. Tell the child that you will push the ball towards them and that they must catch it before it touches their body. This way, the child will carefully watch the ball with their eyes, and when the right moment comes to stop it, they will effectively coordinate their eyes with their hands. According to experts, this hand-eye coordination skill is essential for the child’s ability to read and write.
Game: “Yoga Alphabet”
Teaching the child: To develop motor skills, balance, and language abilities
Spread a nice exercise mat on the floor and scatter cards with all the letters of the alphabet (you can make them yourself on simple white paper). Each time the child picks a card with a letter, say an object or animal that starts with that letter. Then, the child will imitate the movements of the object or animal on the mat with your guidance, e.g., for A, they will pretend to be an airplane by stretching and moving their arms to the sides, for B, they will pretend to be a bicycle by lying on their back with their legs in the air pedaling, for S, they will take a snake pose by lying on their stomach and lifting their torso and neck, etc. There are countless videos with the yoga alphabet on the internet, so you won’t have trouble finding inspiration for the poses. What does the child gain from all this? They become agile and flexible, learn to balance and support their body (especially if the poses require difficult “acrobatics”), and, of course, by connecting letters with words and concepts, they develop their language and speech abilities.
Play these fantastic “2 in 1” fun and learning games for preschoolers, and the only thing your little angel won’t learn is… what boring and non-creative play means.
Resource: https://frezyland.gr/ekpaideutika-paixnidia-prosxolikhs-hlikias/
[Mini College, bilingual nursery & kindergarten, Kifissia]
