45 Great Free Choice Activities For Preschool { Use At Home Too }

Way back when my son was tiny and just starting preschool I was waiting to pick him up when another parent who wasn’t familiar with the class ( a co-op preschool ) was expressing their dismay about the amount of free choice activities time the 2-hour class had. ” They are just playing!” Well yes they are, but they are learning too. After spending some time in the class with the amazing teachers and parent volunteers he came to understand that learning through play at school isn’t the same as what they do at home although both are equally valuable.

In that class as well as my classroom { and many others) teachers carefully set up learning environments so that it’s fun, playful, and there are all different kinds of learning to try every time the children come to school. There are many great ways to parent and there are many great ways to teach but I thought today I would share with you some of my favorite free choice activities grouped in their areas of learning you can set up in your class or at home. I did many of these activities with my kids at home during my hiatus from teaching and they work wonderfully as activities at the kitchen table or family room floor.

I try hard to include all of these areas of learning every day. Some days we skip one area especially if their interest in another is high at the time, or we might have a science activity planned for outside and skip setting something out for free choice. Do what works for your class with the goal of hitting all areas most days. Above all else use your child’s or students’ interests and abilities to guide activities.

 

Art

# 1 Cover a table with butcher paper and add one or more of the following :
crayons
markers
stamps and stamp pads
high lighters
stickers
band-aids

#2 Sticker mural like this Sticker Station

#3 Paint at the easel (if you are concerned about mess try watercolors)

#3 Chalk at the easel

#4 Chalk on black paper taped to a table

 

Fine Motor

#5 Ripping paper ( cut scrap paper into strips and pop it in a bowl)

#6 Cutting Play dough with scissors ( play dough in general is great for fine motor and hand strength)

#7 Lacing Beads – big wooden ones for beginners, pipe cleaners and pony beads for older kids. Making cheerio or fruit loop towers is a wonderful option as well.

#8 Play dough with rolling pins they need to hold both sides to work.

#9 Buttons ( or other small treasures) hidden in play dough to find.

#10 Sorting with tongs or tweezers. We like to sort pom poms by color, and/or  size into egg cartons or other containers)

#11 Cutting station – my students loved cutting hay!

 

Gross Motor

#12 A small balance beam – you can make one like this.

#13 Sit and spin. This takes a lot of upper body strength.

#14 Tunnels to crawl through.

#15 Baby buggies, shopping carts, and strollers to push around the class.

 

Sensory

#16  Sensory Bin with contents that change with the theme or periodically. My favorites are dyed dried beans, corn meal, pom poms, ice, and kinetic sand. I love to use coffee scoops from the dollar store because they are perfect for little hands. We allow our students to add things to the sensory bin, the construction vehicles live in ours now.

#17  Play dough! It’s a bonus if your students can help you make it.  Add in things like :

• cookie cutters
• popscicle sticks
• plastic knives
• scissors
• garlic press
• stamps
• big googly eyes
• plastic animals to make tracks

#18  Texture Box – you can see how I made a simple one here.

#19 Musical instruments

Literacy

#20 Letter Magnets on magnetic board or cookie sheet. Children will sort them, find favorites, and count the letters.

#21 Letter fishing game.

#22 Letter matching tray activities like this leaf themed one.

#23 Play phones for children to “talk” to mom, dad, each other. My students order pizza for me a lot.

#24 Felt board with story pieces to encourage storytelling.

#25 Letter stamps/ letter cookie cutters with play dough. I always make sure to have my students initials available because they grab for those first.

#26 Paper / envelopes/ writing pads and writing utensils to write even if your students are years away from legible handwriting.

#27 Small chalkboards to write and draw with.

#28 Plexiglass document stands with dry erase markers.

 Math & Science

# 29 Shape, color, and size sorting trays like this one we made with butterflies or this matching activity with play dough.

#30 Discovery or sensory bottles to explore – these magnetic sensory bottles allowed for safe magnetic play during free choice in my class.

#31 Scoops and containers in the sensory table to prompt natural play with measurement.

#32 Shape puzzles like this easy DIY one.

#33 Number magnets & puzzles

#34 Nature table or tray with a magnifying glass to investigate. This nature table from Imagination Tree is wonderful.

Free Choice Activities for Pretend Play & Practical Life

#35 Kitchen area ( I really think this is a must for all classrooms) with food and a table.

#36 Baby care area.

#37  Tool box / Tool bench

#38 Cash register to turn the play table into any kind of store.

#39 Puppets or plush toys.

#40 Dress up – No room for full costumes? Get a box for hats and accessories like gloves, necklaces, glasses, and goggles.

Block Play

#41 Interlocking blocks with  simple pattern cards available like these.

#42 Wooden Blocks

#43 Trains ( love to combine these with blocks).

#44  Famous Buildings Book ( I am in the process of making this for my class! )

#45  Big Cardboard Blocks

 

The other thing that I haven’t included in this list but is paramount is the making sure that your students feel like they belong. Having students’ photo somewhere in the class where they can see it, having their art work displayed, and making sure that you have welcomed each child into the class helps the children feel more engaged and comfortable which benefits their play and learning.

So what do teachers do during free play? I’ll tackle that question tomorrow!

What is YOUR favorite free choice activity?