Coloring Builds Fine Motor Skills

Free Coloring Pages to Use With Your Preschoolers! Just double click on the images and then print!

My three girls love to sit and color for hours. My sister-in-laws boys don't. But coloring pages can be used in many various creative ways to attract the attention of all children.

Try this idea:

• Practice ripping out parts of the picture.
  
• Glue these pieces on popsicle sticks and put on a puppet show.
  
• Don't like puppet shows? Hide the sticks around the room and have a scavenger hunt.
  

How else have you used coloring pages in nontraditional ways?

Tell us about it!

Snow Owls and Socks

This Activity Teaches

• critical thinking
  
• counting
  
• make-believe
  

Explain

• The Snowy owl has feathers on its feet to keep them warm in the cold weather.

Ask

• How do you keep your feet warm?
  

Try

1. Put as many socks on your foot as you can.
   
2. Count as you put each sock on.
   
3. Flap and Dance around to the song Snow Owl from the CD Ice Castle by Mother Goose Time
   

This activity was reprinted with permission by Mother Goose Time Preschool Curriculum

Teaching Textures

We all know children learn best by doing. Here are some quick and easy ideas that use their sense of TOUCH to learn about the world around them.

Texture Cookies Match Game:

CREATE

• Cut out 6 circles.
  
• On two circles have child stick on foam stickers.
  
• On two circles have child decorate with glue and glitter.
• On last two circles glue on pieces of soft fabric or felt
  
• Talk about how each set of cookies feel.

PLAY

• Hide one of the six cookies and ask the child which cookie is missing. Invite them to look around the room and try to find the match.
  
• Turn all cookies upside down. Play cookie memory!
  

Transform your Room into a Mystery Island

Imagine transforming your room into a mystery island where your preschoolers become the texture detectives! Here's a quick and easy way to get started.

• Go on a texture hunt.
• Ask them to find something smooth, rough, hard, soft.
• Use the kit provided through Mother Goose Time for theme-based daily lesson plans, project and art materials, games, story book, science experiments and a free original 17 song children's CD all included in this comprehensive monthly kit. Affordable kits available for 1 child or 1000+ children! Easy online ordering at www.mothergoosetime.com or call 1(800) 523-6933.

TEACHING PRESCHOOLERS ABOUT THE WEATHER

I live in Michigan where the sun hardly shines in the winter. Snow is everywhere and my children forget about normal shoes because they seem to live in their boots. It is easy to talk to them about 4 seasons and changing weather because they experience it. But what about the preschoolers who live in warm and dry climates year round? Here are a couple fun and easy ideas to introduce them to the amazing world of weather!

1) Use a puppet such as the one shown. Pretend he travels around the world and discuss what the weather might be like in other places. This little guy is included free in any one month purchase of preschool curriculum at www.mothergoosetime.com

2) Use props to simulate the experience of weather. Put lots of crushed ice in a plastic box (such as one used for sand tables). Let the children put on mittens and play in it. How long until it melts?  Turn on a shower or an outdoor sprinkler and have children bring their swimsuits and an umbrella. Pretend its raining and have children bang on pots and pans to pretend thunder. 

3) Preschool Weather Photo Exchange: Take a few digital pictures of your children playing outside in January and email them to a preschool in a different part of the country where the weather is different. Have the other preschool do the same and email pictures back. This is a great way to start cross-country friendships and learn about the weather. Looking for a preschool photopal? Respond to this blog or send me an email - we'll arrange a connection for you!

Welcome to the Best Preschool Ideas

As you may know - life with young children is busy, loud, and can result in laughter or tears. We all need a quick idea now and then to make it through the day. That is what this blog is all about: quick ideas that work. 

Many ideas posted here will be pulled from my team of early childhood experts that come from diverse industries: preschool teaching, curriculum publishing, music producing, children's book illustrating, teachers of English as a second language, and doctors specializing in health and well-being of young children. See Mother Goose Time Preschool Curriculum

The ideas may be quick and easy - but one thing they all have in common is that they are created by professionals who have specialized expertise with children under the age of 8. 

Of course, we all know that the best ideas sometimes don't come from credentialed "experts" - sometimes the most creative and inspiring work is from the least expected - so watch for a few ideas that may come from unknown experts - such as preschoolers, preteens, and parents. And if you have a story to tell that may give us all an idea for how to bring the joy of learning and discovery to preschoolers - please post your idea here!

This blog is for you, for me, for preschool teachers, daycare workers, homeschoolers, baby-sitters, nannies, grandmas and pas, and even Lily my German Shepherd who exhibits great self-control when 3 year olds tug at her ears.