We asked our PRO Club childcare experts and preschool teachers for some of their favorite at-home activities that provide great learning opportunities for children. Join us every week as we share more fun learning activities that will help shake up your cabin fever.
Infants and Toddlers
Block Towers
What will my child learn? Math and science skills.
Materials: Blocks
Have your child practice stacking blocks. This will help them learn about balance, gravity and numbers.
Peek-a-Boo Games
What will my child learn? Gross motor skills, social emotion and helps strengthen visual tracking.
Materials: A good attitude!
You can’t go wrong with this classic activity. By playing this with your infants and toddlers, it helps strengthen their social emotional skills and visual tracking which will help grow their brain.
Preschoolers (3-5 years-old)
Chalk Drawing
What will my child learn? Writing, language and literacy, art and math.
Materials: Chalk, a concrete area like sidewalks or a backyard patio and items found in nature.
Chalk drawing is a great way to get your child’s creative side going. Encourage them to draw things that they see around them outside, things they love and to practice writing as well. As soon as the rain comes, they have a brand-new canvas to use!
Zoo & Aquarium Cams
What will my child learn? Science, social emotion, language and literacy.
Materials: Computer and internet.
Take a virtual trip to the zoo or the aquarium! Not only can your child watch their favorite animals play, it’s a great way to learn some science lessons. We love the San Diego Zoo’s Panda Cam and the Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s web cams.
Elementary School Age
Drawing with Mo Willems
What will my child learn? Following direction, fine motor skills, art appreciation.
Materials: Computer, internet, pencil with eraser, colored pencils, paper.
Mo Willems is an author, illustrator and animator who has worked on shows like Sesame Street. He is currently the Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence and does doodle videos for kids online. Mo encourages creativity and for children to find their own artistic style. His videos provide a great way for kids to learn to follow direction and to practice fine motor skills.