Activities
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 is less a specific activity and more an invitation for caregivers to look to unexpected places to invite children to dig at their leisure throughout all the seasons in your backyard. Check out our tips below for designating a digging center in your backyard! If you have ever taken a walk around a neighborhood […]
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 is less a specific activity and more an invitation for caregivers to look to unexpected places to invite children to dig at their leisure throughout all the seasons in your backyard. Check out our tips below for designating a digging center in your backyard! If you have ever taken a walk around a neighborhood […]
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 […]
Children love bears, and so do we! Bears exist in habitats all over the world, and they are fascinating creatures. Plus, many children love teddy bears that we snuggle when we go to sleep at night. We love books about teddy bears, whether it is Corduroy by Don Freeman, Good Night, Little Bear by Richard […]
This is a great way to introduce process art with young children. This activity is meant to take place over at least three days, and we highly encourage you to slow down and enjoy each part of the process. We outline the days below, so you can plan your week accordingly! Set up Time: 10 […]
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 […]
Children love bears, and so do we! Bears exist in habitats all over the world, and they are fascinating creatures. Plus, many children love teddy bears that we snuggle when we go to sleep at night. We love books about teddy bears, whether it is Corduroy by Don Freeman, Good Night, Little Bear by Richard […]
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 wonderful experiment to accompany books and discussions about our many, colorful emotions. There are many helpful images that we can give to children when we are discussing emotions. Many educators like to associate emotions with specific colors, and this activity is a reminder that “our emotions pass”. When we feel angry, […]
Rainbows are beautiful, and we love the way a mixture of rainbow-colored crayon pieces blend when melted together. Kids can be involved from beginning to end, and have fun using their rainbow crayons many days after! We suggest singing the Rainbow Song together during this activity for even more fun and exploration of colors! Set […]
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 wonderful experiment to accompany books and discussions about our many, colorful emotions. There are many helpful images that we can give to children when we are discussing emotions. Many educators like to associate emotions with specific colors, and this activity is a reminder that “our emotions pass”. When we feel angry, […]
Rainbows are beautiful, and we love the way a mixture of rainbow-colored crayon pieces blend when melted together. Kids can be involved from beginning to end, and have fun using their rainbow crayons many days after! We suggest singing the Rainbow Song together during this activity for even more fun and exploration of colors! Set […]
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 […]
In this activity, older children can pretend to be the famous artist Jackson Pollock, or you can simply use this activity to get messy and have some fun! If using this as part of a “artist study”, where you celebrate a specific artist’s style of work, you can bring in books or printed images of […]
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 […]
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 […]
This week we are thinking about all the ways that we can bring the outdoors to the indoors. One way is to play island hopping! This is fun way to get moving, work on listening, recall and gross motor skills! While we show this indoors, children can also do this outdoors. We encourage you to […]
A beloved winter sport for those who are experienced or beginners: Ice Skating! It’s super fun but gets even more fun when enjoyed together with family. Have you ever tried ice skating? Even if you do not have access to an indoor or outdoor ice skating rink, or if children are not quite old enough, […]
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 […]
A beloved winter sport for those who are experienced or beginners: Ice Skating! It’s super fun but gets even more fun when enjoyed together with family. Have you ever tried ice skating? Even if you do not have access to an indoor or outdoor ice skating rink, or if children are not quite old enough, […]
500+ play-based activities
Our comprehensive Play-based curriculum for mixed ages
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A four book set including twelve units
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?
