Free Preschool Activities

by Tracy Zdelar

Don’t let the economy bum you out when it comes to having fun.  Saving money should always be in fashion anyways. Get creative and think outside the box to spice up life. If you haven’t had to get creative before, now is a good time to start. Look for “free community” opportunities for fun times!

Earlier this year we made a purchase from a furniture store in the Akron area and became a “past customer”. This furniture store sent out flyers recently to their “past customers” inviting us to a free Fall Festival at their store.  Details of the night included finger-food dinner from “their” cafe-  (yes, this furniture store has a cafe), a free gift (choice of a pumpkin or a floor rug), a little bit of Halloween fun for the kiddos (trick or treating for candy) and if you were making a non-refundable purchase that night you could play musical chairs and get a chance to win up to $5000 off your purchase that night!

Other frugal ways to have fun:

~ While the weather is still nice, give the kids some paper lunch sacks and go for a walk.  Have the kids pick up whatever looks interesting (and safe) and put it in the bags. Or, give them a list of things to hunt…a scavenger hunt! Acorns, gold leaves, pine cones, strange rocks…etc..

~  Teach them how to rake leaves. If they are young enough, they might actually “believe” it is fun!

~ Have a s’mores cookout on the grill or over the fire pit in the backyard. Get a bag of marshmallows, a box of Hershey bars  and graham crakers. Just toast the marshmallows and stick between to crackers with a chocolate bar.  You can also do this in the oven broiler. (Stand by  and wait so it doesn’t burn!) Just put your crackers on foil, top with marshmallows- when those are toasty take out of oven and place your chocolate on top and eat! Okay, let it cool first.

~ Pick out different leaves, bring in the house, lay wax paper or plain white paper and use a crayon to color over to bring out the shape of the leaves.

~ Make a craft with your souvenirs you gathered from your nature walk.

Spending time with your family or friends is the key, isn’t it? That alone doesn’t have to cost money. So get busy thinking. You’ll be surprised to find the simple things you can do for “free” that may just net you “priceless” memories in the future!

Tracy Zdelar lives in Canton, Ohio and is a graduate of Liberty University with a bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies.  She’s enjoyed (more and less) working in a variety of fields from being a small newspaper “high school” news writer,  fast food,  management, teaching,  and case management in the health care system (just to name a few).  She now, like many moms, desires to work from home. This has been a journey in and of itself.  Tracy has earned extra income from home by being in direct sales, offering childcare, selling on Ebay,  and affiliate marketing - sometimes simultaneously .

As a wife and mother of two boys, Tracy now focuses on  affiliate marketing, blogging, and promoting other WAHMs (work-at-home moms) as well as sharing her money saving ways, reviews and resources on her website  http://www.HallofFameMoms.com

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

When you have little people in the house, you can have a LOT of family fun! Preschoolers find entertainment in many everyday activities.  Parents can have fun too by watching their children’s excitement when they discover new things.

One fun family activity you can do is go on a trip to your past, and bring the kids along. My kids love this one.

Go on a car ride to a neighborhood where you used to live and see what’s new. My kids love driving by the house my husband and I rented when we were first married. When we go to our hometown, a few hours away, they like to see our schools, the homes we grew up in, and the parks we used to play in.

If your past is too far away for a family drive, get out the photo album, or a book about where you used to live. Talk about your favorite activities when you lived there.

A very special day for us was when we drove to the farm my grandparents used to own, and where my own dad grew up. We took along a picnic, and imagined my dad as a little boy playing in that big farmyard.

This is a great opportunity to help your children learn more about their own history too. Young children often see the world through only their own eyes. A short journey to your family’s past will help them understand that they’re part of something much bigger than just themselves - they’re part of a family.

Some parents are skilled crafters. Others are doing well to cut paper in a reasonably straight line. No matter which group you fall into, crafting with your kids can be beneficial for all involved.

Few things bring families together like crafting. Here are some of the good things that come out of crafting with your preschoolers. If you don’t enjoy crafting, these benefits might change your mind!

• Crafting builds creativity. Preschoolers’ active minds need a creative outlet, and crafting provides the opportunity for kids to use their imaginations. It helps them learn to solve problems, and it could lay the groundwork for a lifetime of interest in art. For parents, getting creative can help reduce stress and promote using the brain in ways that we don’t have a reason to use it every day.
• Crafting teaches preschoolers to follow directions. This seems like a very basic skill, but we all know adults who can’t seem to follow directions. When kids craft, they learn the consequences of not following directions when their projects do not turn out as expected. This instills in them the importance of doing things the right way the first time.
• For young preschoolers, crafting is fabulous for learning basic skills. Almost any type of craft promotes hand-eye coordination. Kids can also learn to use scissors, measure and do lots of other things they will eventually do in everyday life.
• Parents and their preschoolers have a chance to talk. In our busy lives, it seems that we know less about our kids than previous generations of parents did. Passive activities such as watching TV do little to encourage conversation. But when you’re crafting together, talking comes naturally. You can seize the opportunity to discuss such things as your child’s interests, his concerns, and what happened in preschool or playgroup that day.
• Crafting is a great way to wind down. It’s wonderful for kids to be active, but there are times when they need to calm down. If you find your child getting agitated or exhibiting an overabundance of energy near bedtime, try bringing out the craft supplies. Crafting engages kids’ minds, giving them something to focus on and a good reason to sit still for a while.
• Creating things is a confidence booster. Parents who craft regularly know the feeling of accomplishment when a project is complete. Multiply this feeling by ten, and you have a pretty good idea of how your preschooler feels when he makes something. For kids, crafting can help build positive self-esteem.
• Working on a project as a family is a great way to teach your preschoolers teamwork. This will help them develop skills needed to resolve disputes peacefully and effectively. It will also help them discover their strengths and teach them that doing their best will make the entire project turn out better.
• Crafting creates treasured family memories. The finished product will serve as a reminder of the fun you had making it together.

Crafting as a family provides opportunities for us to interact with our children. It is also a valuable learning experience for them. Don’t worry if you aren’t the world’s greatest crafter. Simply being willing to try anyway is a lesson to your kids in itself.

Next time, I’ll have some fun and easy crafts you can do with you preschoolers.

Why should you be spending time helping your preschoolers discover music? Here are a few important reasons:

• dancing to music and making music releases stress and energy. I think anyone who spends time with preschoolers can appreciate that!
• it gives children a way to express their emotions. They’re full of emotions they can’t express, and dancing to music is more fun for everyone than dealing with a temper tantrum.
• music makes learning fun! Add music to ANY preschool lesson, and it’s instantly an exciting activity
• learning music teaches listening skills . Remember all the things you asked your preschoolers to listen for when you made music for them?
• music provides a pleasant background for regular activities like playing, eating, and sleeping.

Music can do so much more as well - these are just a few things.

You can start making music a part of your regular day with your preschoolers by

• playing soft music while they’re doing regular activities
• make up new movements to some songs they already know
• sing with your children as often as you can. Even if you don’t think you can sing well, your preschoolers will love to hear you sing with them! In the car, with the windows tightly shut, has always been my favorite place to sing with my kids.
• dance with your kids as often as you can. Again, you may want to keep the blinds closed, but your children will love to dance with you. Seeing you move to music will help inspire their own creativity too.

Next week, I’ll have instructions for making some easy (and fun) musical instruments with your preschoolers. Get ready to make even MORE music!

But that’s OK, because a musical home (or classroom) is a happy one.

I’ll never forget the Christmas my son got a Fisher Price garage for Christmas. He was three years old. The garage was a gift from my parents.

The garage (which was in a box almost as tall as my son!) sat under my parents’ tree for weeks before Christmas. Whenever we went over to visit, my son would eye this big, beautiful present, and we encouraged him to imagine what was in it.

We couldn’t wait to see his face on Christmas Eve when he would FINALLY get to open it!

Christmas Eve eventually arrived, and after church we opened our presents. We made my son save that big present for last. We knew he would be so excited about this amazing garage - that came with gas pumps, cars, little people, and an elevator that really worked - that all his other presents would pale in comparison.

Finally,it was time to rip the wrapping off this fantastic gift, the one most boys his age could only dream about getting. Once the paper was off, and the garage was out of the box, we all “ooed” and “ahhed” over the elevator, the parking levels, and how real the little gas pumps looked.

Well, the adults did, anyways. My son’s favorite part was the box it came in.

Ho hum. That story probably sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Eventually, he DID tire of the big box, and check out the garage. And he did play with that garage for several years after. But, we all learned a hard lesson that day. Some toys are created more for parents than for their kids!

Here’s someone else’s take on how to choose good toys for your preschoolers. And if you don’t like those suggestions, you can always try a big box instead!

Here’s an excellent article about how to choose the right preschool for your child.  If you’re planning on enrolling your preschooler next year, it’s a must read!