Activities
This activity is a wonderful way to enjoy the beauty of winter. Ice is beautiful in the way that it catches the sunlight, and it is the perfect frame for beautiful evergreens, citrus, and seeds that might provide some food for birds in winter. We highly encourage you to really slow down with this activity […]
Let’s explore our sense of smell by making our own perfume with natural materials. This is the perfect activity to use an old bouquet of flowers, herbs from a child-friendly garden, and to do outside! Set up Time: 10 minutes Directions 1. Gather together flowers, cinnamon sticks, lemon peel, orange peel, rosemary, and if available, […]
Sweet nectar, yummy honey–bees have a pretty nice life full of little sweet treats! Let’s pretend to be bees and have a bee inspired picnic! We highly encourage children to wear antennae if they have them (see our Strong as an Ant! activity for a simple antenna design). Maybe you all can talk about bees […]
This activity is a wonderful way to enjoy the beauty of winter. Ice is beautiful in the way that it catches the sunlight, and it is the perfect frame for beautiful evergreens, citrus, and seeds that might provide some food for birds in winter. We highly encourage you to really slow down with this activity […]
Let’s explore our sense of smell by making our own perfume with natural materials. This is the perfect activity to use an old bouquet of flowers, herbs from a child-friendly garden, and to do outside! Set up Time: 10 minutes Directions 1. Gather together flowers, cinnamon sticks, lemon peel, orange peel, rosemary, and if available, […]
Sweet nectar, yummy honey–bees have a pretty nice life full of little sweet treats! Let’s pretend to be bees and have a bee inspired picnic! We highly encourage children to wear antennae if they have them (see our Strong as an Ant! activity for a simple antenna design). Maybe you all can talk about bees […]
This activity functions as an art, pretend play, and STEM activity all in one. Whether you live in a place that snows or not, children have undoubtedly encountered stories about snowmen through film, television, or storybooks. If you are lucky, you might even had access to a beautiful snowy day, where you and children have […]
One of the ways that we get ready for a party is to decorate! Yes, there are lots of things that we can buy to decorate, but often the most special thing is something that children have made. Plus, it’s beautiful and a way to match your celebration to the season. In fact, many holiday […]
This activity is a wonderful way for children to move their bodies and explore the beauty of flowers and nature. This activity also works well as a homemade gift that children can give to someone they love. Set up Time: 10 minutes Directions Note: You can do this over a couple of days. Materials Learning […]
This activity functions as an art, pretend play, and STEM activity all in one. Whether you live in a place that snows or not, children have undoubtedly encountered stories about snowmen through film, television, or storybooks. If you are lucky, you might even had access to a beautiful snowy day, where you and children have […]
This activity is a wonderful way for children to move their bodies and explore the beauty of flowers and nature. This activity also works well as a homemade gift that children can give to someone they love. Set up Time: 10 minutes Directions Note: You can do this over a couple of days. Materials Learning […]
This activity is a great way to blend both STEM and some lovely self-regulation, as children take deep breaths to move a ping pong ball through a playdough maze! Set up Time: 5 minutes Directions Note: see our Best Basic Playdough recipe to make your own playdough! Materials Learning Through Play Cognitive: Problem Solving – […]
In this activity, children will explore the concept of symmetry using one of our favorite tools—mirrors! Mirrors not only encourage self-reflection in early childhood but also provide a hands-on way to investigate light, reflection, and mathematical concepts like spatial awareness and patterns. This open-ended activity offers many possibilities for extension, allowing children to connect their […]
Children absolutely love playing with magnets because they are fun but also because they make you feel like a scientist! This is a great way to set up a science exploration table in either an indoor or outdoor classroom. Magnets are a great way to explore physical properties of different objects as you use experimentation […]
This activity is a great way to blend both STEM and some lovely self-regulation, as children take deep breaths to move a ping pong ball through a playdough maze! Set up Time: 5 minutes Directions Note: see our Best Basic Playdough recipe to make your own playdough! Materials Learning Through Play Cognitive: Problem Solving – […]
In this activity, children will explore the concept of symmetry using one of our favorite tools—mirrors! Mirrors not only encourage self-reflection in early childhood but also provide a hands-on way to investigate light, reflection, and mathematical concepts like spatial awareness and patterns. This open-ended activity offers many possibilities for extension, allowing children to connect their […]
Children absolutely love playing with magnets because they are fun but also because they make you feel like a scientist! This is a great way to set up a science exploration table in either an indoor or outdoor classroom. Magnets are a great way to explore physical properties of different objects as you use experimentation […]
Here, we are focusing on modern games and the ways that we can recreate them in a physical and tangible way for young children. Many video games have characters who have to engage in some sort of physical activity as they go on their missions, and often, they have to collect something such as coins, […]
One way that we can talk about kindness with young children is to talk about pet adoption. Talking about pets is a great way to instill empathy in young children. To begin, pets require a lot of love and attention, but they also give us unconditional love in return. You can explain to children that […]
Fairy tales invite us into a world of magic! Stories about magic allow us to reflect on our own capabilities and to also think about what kinds of powers are possible if we lived in a realm of magic. Here, we invite you to make magic wands with natural materials to add to your dramatic […]
Here, we are focusing on modern games and the ways that we can recreate them in a physical and tangible way for young children. Many video games have characters who have to engage in some sort of physical activity as they go on their missions, and often, they have to collect something such as coins, […]
One way that we can talk about kindness with young children is to talk about pet adoption. Talking about pets is a great way to instill empathy in young children. To begin, pets require a lot of love and attention, but they also give us unconditional love in return. You can explain to children that […]
Who doesn’t love a scavenger hunt? This activity gets children moving while also inviting them to use symbolism through drawings and/or early writing (e.g., scribbling) to convey a kind message to someone. What are the types of things that brighten up someone’s day? It could be a compliment, a gift, a little note of love. […]
Run, run, as fast as you can! The Gingerbread Man is a delicious fairy tale that invites us to move our bodies as we run to catch the Gingerbread Man! We invite you to act out the steps of the story with real materials and then with your bodies! Check out the directions to the […]
This activity is simple, but sometimes a little prop (binoculars, whistles, puppets) can transform children’s play when we invite them to explore the prop in new environments. When we do this activity inside, children may play with their puppets to explore light and shadow. If we play with them outside, it can become an activity […]
Who doesn’t love a scavenger hunt? This activity gets children moving while also inviting them to use symbolism through drawings and/or early writing (e.g., scribbling) to convey a kind message to someone. What are the types of things that brighten up someone’s day? It could be a compliment, a gift, a little note of love. […]
This activity is simple, but sometimes a little prop (binoculars, whistles, puppets) can transform children’s play when we invite them to explore the prop in new environments. When we do this activity inside, children may play with their puppets to explore light and shadow. If we play with them outside, it can become an activity […]
Check out the Curriculum
The Rayz Kidz Curriculum
Designed for mixed-age learning, this play-based curriculum features 12 engaging units and 250+ hands-on activities, plus a guiding handbook to help providers nurture curiosity, build connections, and create joyful learning experiences with ease.
Our Comprehensive Play-Based Curriculum for Mixed Ages
Designed for mixed ages
Explore activity resources
Pictures and clear directions
makes it easy to curate experiences for your unique environment
Skill definitions
Fan Favorite Features
Materials list
Resourceful materials
Learning through play
Children are never "just playing"
How do children learn through play?
