Preschool Fun - Sorting

Ready for some more hands on preschool fun? I have to admit I may be having more fun making these than the kids are having using them! I am a teacher at heart and this kind of stuff is just IN me, you know?

On to the goods - this week we are doing some sorting so let me share with you 3 ideas I have used to get my toddler and preschooler excited about this skill.

Magnetic sticks and paper clips have been a HUGE hit! My 2 year old will sit for a half an hour at a time placing the entire box of paper clips onto the sticks {not by appropriate color yet, but who is going to argue with all that quiet time? Not me!} and my 4 year old loves anything magnetic so has enjoyed this as well. He is already exploring other uses for the paper clips so you will see those showing up in future preschool posts I'm sure. I chose to add a color tab at the top of my sticks but you could leave yours blank so that your child can sort however they want or you could even use Velcro to create interchangeable tabs for different categories (think colors, numbers, shapes, etc). Play with it and have fun!

For the next sorting project I used an old Easter Bingo set I had picked up at the dollar store and never used. This particular set came with large cards that had one of each picture and then I cut up the boards to create a bunch of smaller picture pieces that could be matched with the larger ones. From here there are tons of possible uses. I chose to use one of the serving platters I picked up in a two pack in the dollar section of Target and then have the kids randomly draw cards to fill each "well" and then sort the pictures that match. From here, my 4 year old can use those paper clips he loves and group the matching sets into piles. This can also be broadened into sorting by larger group sets - all bunnies, all insects, etc.

We have sorted by color and by picture, lets sort by shapes now. I used free printables from Mama's Learning Corner for this activity. I cut out all of the bigger shapes and glued them onto card stock to make them sturdier. I also included the name of the shape so that they would be exposed to the word each time they used it. The smaller pieces were also cut up and put onto card stock and then all of the pieces are ready to sort. I put all of this on a cookie sheet from the dollar store to make for easy grouping.

**As you can see by this post, I love scouring the Dollar Store as well as the dollar section at Target to create fun variations of these hands on projects without breaking the bank. It does NOT have to cost an arm and a leg to make these activities!

Road Trip Activities for the Kiddos

Last year we tackled air travel with the kids and I shared some of my tips for making the trip a little smoother. This year we took our first road trip with the kids. We only traveled 5 hours to the other side of the state but with 3 little ones it's always better to be extra prepared. I wasn't too worried about keeping them entertained once we arrived at our destination because we were traveling with family and had lots of great plans for the 3 day excursion. But I was worried about the car ride itself. We frequently take an hour long drive to visit my in-laws and by the end of that they are already starting the "Are we therrrrreeeee yet?" questions from the back seat. I didn't want to listen to that for 4+ hours each way so I came up with some fun stuff to make the time in the car both enjoyable and hopefully memorable.

I started off with some cookie sheets from the Dollar Store. These created the base for all of my activities and are perfect because they are both magnetic and create a tray perfect for lap play in the car.

The first activity cards I created were these Road Trip Bingo cards over at Housing a Forest. I printed off a handful and then attached printable mazes from Game Idea For Kids to the back.

From the same site as the mazes I printed off some character based memory cards. Scooby Doo, Diego, and Sponge bob are sure to make the kiddos smile and keep them entertained! After attaching card stock and magnets to the back, they can also double as markers for Bingo.

Awhile back I picked up some plastic sandwich containers in the dollar section at Target and thought they could be put to good use on this trip. The obvious choice probably would have been to put snacks in them but I instead decided to use them to keep some of the loose pieces for the activities together. You can see the crayons and I ended up putting the memory cards in there as well.

I also printed off some sewing cards from Kids Sewing Projects and punched holes in the cards. I would have liked to have laminated these so that they would be more sturdy but didn't get a chance. Luckily these didn't cost anything so even if they only make it through this one trip, they will be worthwhile. Paired this with some shoe laces that were 8 for $1.00 and they made for an easy letter sewing activity.

 While at the Dollar Store getting last minute supplies for these activities I also picked up some blank drawing pads which ended up giving the kids a way to write and/or draw about their experiences while we were traveling. That made for some precious keepsakes from the trip. I also found some mini playing cards that didn't get used this time around but that I plan on adding magnets to for future activity packs.

After tucking all of these goodies into backpacks, we were set for the road. I must say I was very pleased with how much use the kids got out of their stuff and we had very few "I'm bored" moments. Bingo became a whole car activity that took us all the way home. Hope you enjoy these ideas and feel free to share what you like to do with your little ones on those longer than usual car rides.