10 Indoor Activities for Pre-Schoolers

1. Free Printable Postcards for Kids
I LOVE my friend Gina’s new blog homepage, Listening in the Litany. She makes this postcard idea so simple by offering a free template. Keep a stash on hand and pull one out on a cold, indoor day. The recipients will love it!

Supplies: colored pencils, postcards

2. DIY Magnetic Play Set
The blogger used a book of pre-cut paper dolls, but I’m going to attempt drawing the dolls myself on card stock so I can make them look like my daughters and their friends. Yee!

Supplies: Adhesive Magnetic Sheets, a book of pre-cut paper dolls OR card stock and markers, scissors, cookie sheet

3. Rainbow Rice Sensory Play
While this seems a little tedious on the front-end, once you’ve made the play box, the kids can enjoy it over and over again. Plus you could swap out the toys you put in it to give your play box different “themes”–fairies, ponies, dump trucks…etc.

Supplies: white rice, Ziploc bags, food coloring, rubbing alcohol, plastic container, toys

4. Balloon Rocket Launch
This just looks cool. It’s easy and entirely mess-free. The only downside is if your kids are really young, like mine, you’ll be the only one blowing up the balloon over and over for the launch. Hmmm…maybe this is one activity Daddy would like to do with them?

Supplies: balloon, straw, paper, rubber band

5. Fizzy Vinegar Fun
This is the sort of thing I’d never think of myself, but could easily do with the kids on a boring afternoon. It has the feel of a cooking/baking project, but with a little bit of art and science thrown in.

Supplies: baking soda, vinegar, food dye, dropper, casserole dish

6. Threading Beads Alphabet Activity

I love this idea from the Imagination Tree. My 4 year old has been working on writing her name and struggling with two tricky letters. What a great way for her to form the letters with her hands before she learns to form them with a pencil. Not to mention anything to do with beads is fun for a preschool girl!

Supplies: variety of beads, pipe cleaners

7. Bottle Top Count & Match Game
Want to help your preschooler learn to recognize numbers? This game is cute, colorful and easy enough for a toddler to play along too.

Supplies: variety of bottle tops, box lid, markers, 2 sets of stickers with numbers on them

8. DIY Face Paint
You can let your kids paint their own faces, or try your hand at turning them into fanciful creatures. Plus, making the paints at home ensures they’re non-toxic.

Supplies: cornstarch, lotion, food coloring or washable watercolors

9. Create a Reading Log
Here’s a revolutionary idea for cold, indoor days–reading! This is a really cute idea for organizing and recording your favorite seasonal stories. And once again, Gina’s done the hard work for us by offering a free printable! To check out some of her favorite winter picture books, click here.

Supplies: library books, free reading log printable

10. Upcycled Artwork Lanterns
Finally, with all the indoor artwork that’s bound to come out of this cold front, this is a fun and easy idea for turning it into something extra special. I think I’ll string them up in my kids’ rooms once we’ve made several. Oh boy!