The Preschooler’s Busy Book (5 page)

Brighten the coldest, rainiest, or stormiest of days by having an indoor picnic.
Spread a tablecloth on the floor of your living room and use outdoor dishes or paper plates.
Picnic-type dress (shorts or bathing suits) is essential, and don’t forget your sunglasses.

Sleeping bags

Marshmallows

Don’t let the weather stop you from going camping; to a preschooler, indoor camping can be just as fun!
Lay out the sleeping bags in front of the fireplace, if you have one.
Eat marshmallows and sing campfire songs.
Strum on a guitar if you can, and turn the night into a precious memory for you and your child.

Family video or favorite movie

Special snack

Whether your child watches a little television or a lot, you can still make an occasion of watching a special program or movie together.
Snuggle under a blanket or lie on the floor.
Dim the lights and have a special snack together.

Kitchen timer

Wind up your kitchen timer and hide it somewhere in the house.
Have your child search for it by listening for its ticking sound.

Construction paper

Scissors

Pen, crayon, or marker

Small box, pot, or other container

Cut fish shapes out of colored construction paper.
On each fish write a different instruction: “Find something red”; “Count to ten”; “Touch your toes”; and so on.
Place the fish in a small box or container and let your child pick one fish at a time.
Read the instruction and have her perform it.

Various household objects

Pillowcase or brown paper bag

Put five or six various household objects into a brown paper bag or pillowcase: keys, purse, stuffed animal, book, and so on.
Remove each item from the bag one at a time, and create a story by adding one sentence for each item as it is removed: “Once upon a time there was a little white kitten named Angel.
Angel just loved to read books, especially books about cookies.”

Stand twenty to twenty-five feet away from your child.
When you say “green light,” have her walk, run, hop, skip, or crawl toward you.
She must stop when you say “red light.”

Board measuring about 8 inches wide by 6 feet long

Magazines or books

Place a board across two piles of magazines or books (books will be less slippery than glossy magazines).
Have your child practice keeping her balance by walking across the board.
As your child grows more steady, you can place one end on a chair and she can walk up it, or place it across two chairs as she grows even more bold.
Remember: The higher you build the balance beam, the more supervision your child will need.

Tape recorder

Blank cassette tape

If you have access to a tape recorder, help your child make a tape for Dad to play on his way to work.
Sing favorite songs, say nursery rhymes, tell him a story, talk about what you do when he’s at work, tell him you love him and why you’re thankful for him.
This makes a great Father’s Day gift.
You can also use this idea for a grandparent or other special person.

Variety of stuffed animals

Pillowcase

Place several stuffed animals in a pillowcase.
Close your eyes while your child takes one out and looks at it.
Have her put it back in the case and act out the animal, while you try to guess what it is.

Have your child follow you through the house, imitating the sounds and movements you make.
You can dance around, pretend to be a bunny, a horse, a train, a car, and so on.
Take turns and let your child lead you.

Pillows

Place pillows on the carpet for pretend islands and imagine the carpet is the ocean.
Have your child jump from island to island without falling in the water.

The Ziploc bag protects the beans even if the bag gets wet.

4-by-6-inch scraps of material

Needle and thread

Dried beans

Ziploc bag

Fill a small Ziploc bag with dried beans.
Sew two squares of material together on three sides, leaving a space on the fourth side big enough to slide in the bag of beans.
Turn the bag inside out to hide the seams, insert the bag of beans, then sew up the space.
(If you don’t have time to sew a bean bag, pour beans into an old sock, knot the open end, and turn down the cuff.) Use the bean bag to play catch, or have your child toss the bag into an empty laundry basket from a few feet away.

Empty laundry basket

Shoes

Give your child a laundry basket and have her fill it with shoes.
Make a trail of shoes around the house, lining them up heel to toe.
Follow the trail, counting as you go.
Keep a list, and have your child count how many shoes each person has, or how many shoes of each color there are, or how many shoes there are in total.
Help your child put the shoes away when she is done.

Small toys or snacks

Treasure map (optional)

This is a great way to liven up a rainy day.
Have an indoor treasure hunt by hiding several small toys, books, or special snacks around the house.
Give your child clues or draw a map that leads to the treasure.

Stick for fishing pole

String

Magnet

Scissors

Construction paper

Glue or tape

Metal paper clips

Cut fish shapes out of construction paper.
Glue or tape metal paper clips to the back of each fish.
Make a fishing pole out of a long stick and a length of string.
Tie a magnet on the end of the string.
Go fishing.
This works well if you place the “fish” on the floor and let your child dangle her line over the back of the couch.
You can also use this game to help your child learn her basic skills: Draw a shape or write a letter or number on the back of each fish, and have her identify it when caught.

Cardboard boxes in various sizes

Your child can put supermarket boxes of all sizes to good use.
She can make a train or a fort for herself or her animals, build a dollhouse, or create a car.
You can be sure she will think of something new every time she plays with these boxes.

Blindfold

For this activity you will need at least three people.
Take turns blindfolding each other and trying to guess who each person is just by touching one feature: nose, finger, ear, hair, and so on.

This old favorite is a fun game to play with your child.
Have your child follow your actions only when you say, “Simon says”: “Simon says touch your toes”; “Simon says stretch your arms”; “Simon says jump up and down.” Your child should remain motionless when you give a command that is not preceded by “Simon says.” This is a lot of fun when done very quickly, and is a good game for a group.
You can have each child sit down if she moves when she’s not supposed to, and award a small prize to the last child who remains standing.
Take turns being Simon.

“You cannot teach a child to take care of himself unless you let him try to take care of himself.
He will make mistakes; and out of these mistakes will come his wisdom.”

—Francis Bacon

Work and play are inseparable for kids; your work is very often your child’s play.
Whether you are in the kitchen a little or a lot, your child will naturally want to be with you.
The kitchen is a tantalizing place for children, full of wonderful things to smell, touch, and taste.
Anyone who has ever watched a small child eat will know that, to a child, food is as much a toy as it is a nourishment.
Children, even as young as two, will enjoy making their own peanut butter sandwiches, and most will agree that finger Jell-O is one of the best foods ever invented!
Make sure your child’s hands are clean, accept that things may get a little messy, and let your child enjoy his food experience.

With a little bit of effort and a lot of patience on your part, the kitchen can also become a wonderful classroom for your child.
Talk to him about the magic of the kitchen, how yeast or baking powder makes things rise, how the batter baked in
the oven turns into a cake, or how cornstarch thickens a sauce.
He will want to help you measure and mix, wash vegetables, cut out cookies, and sift dry ingredients.
Include him in your work, and take the time to teach him as you cook.

Make or buy your child his own recipe box and fill it with his favorite recipes, written with simple words and illustrated with pictures and symbols.
Include some simple “no-cook” recipes that he can make with little supervision.
Consider providing your child with his very own Baker’s Box (see
page 3
).

Remember to always be safety-conscious.
Make sure any dangerous objects are well out of reach, and be sure to closely supervise any use of sharp utensils, the oven, or stove, or, better yet, make a rule that only an adult can use those things.

Small wooden skewers, Popsicle sticks, coffee stirrers, or swizzle sticks

Various fruit, cut into bite-sized pieces

Have your child create fruit kebabs by putting pieces of fruit onto small wooden skewers, wooden Popsicle sticks, plastic coffee stirrers, or swizzle sticks.
As your child works, talk to him about the different types of fruit, their colors, smells, and tastes.
Serve the kebabs for dessert or a tasty snack.

Empty ice cube tray

Juice

Fruit (grapes, raisins, cherries)

Toothpicks

Fill an empty ice cube tray with juice, and put one or two pieces of fruit (grapes, raisins, and cherries work well) and one toothpick inside each compartment.
Freeze and enjoy.

Blindfold

Various food items

Blindfold your child and have him identify by taste and smell some of his favorite foods (ice cream, pickles, yogurt, cereal, cookies, and so on).
Have him describe the different tastes and textures and ask him to group them as sweet, salty, bitter, sour, spicy, or tangy.

Cookie sheet

Flour

Lightly sprinkle the surface of a cookie sheet with flour.
Show your child how to draw in it with his finger.
Or draw a letter, number, or shape in the flour with your finger and have him draw the same next to yours.

Watermelon

Other melons (honeydew, cantaloupe)

Knife

Melon-ball scoop

Make a watermelon bowl by cutting a watermelon in half.
Have your child scoop out the melon with a melon-ball scoop.
Cut open several other melons and have your child continue to make more melon balls.
Fill the watermelon bowl with the melon balls and serve as a summer dessert or tasty afternoon snack.

Apples

Knife

Metal cookie cutters

Peel apples and cut them into thin slices.
Give your child small metal cookie cutters and let him cut shapes out of the slices.

Peanuts in the shell

Food processor

Baby food jar (optional)

Decorative fabric and ribbon (optional)

Shelling enough peanuts to make a little peanut butter is sure to keep your child busy.
Place the shelled peanuts in your food processor and grind until smooth.
Store in a covered container.
To give as a gift, place the peanut butter in a small baby food jar with lid.
Cover the lid with a circle of fabric, and tie a ribbon around the neck of the jar to keep the fabric in place.

Dried pasta

Bowls

Measuring cups

Mixing spoons

Give your child containers filled with various sizes and shapes of dried pasta, such as macaroni, rotini, shells, and so on.
Add a few empty bowls, measuring cups, and a mixing spoon or two, and let your child measure, mix, and match.
If you like, give your child string and let him make necklaces, bracelets, ornaments, and other objects.
(Supervise young children to avoid strangulation.) As an option, dye the pasta using the directions for pasta dye in
Appendix A
, Basic Craft Recipes.
For a variation, try using cereal, dried beans or rice in place of pasta.

Bread

Peanut butter

Raisins or chocolate chips

Knife

Spread peanut butter on one side of a piece of bread.
Have your child decorate it with eyes, a nose, and a big, happy smile made of raisins or chocolate chips.

Ripe bananas

Bowl

Fork

Finely chopped nuts

Cinnamon

Cookie sheet

Have your child mash a ripe banana in a bowl with a fork.
Add finely chopped nuts and a dash of cinnamon, and mix.
Form the mixture into small balls and place the balls on a cookie sheet.
When all the balls are complete, cover the cookie sheet and refrigerate.
These are great for a quick snack or for floating in cereal for breakfast.

Pie plate or small sink

Pepper

Bar of soap

Sugar

Your child will love to show off this neat trick.
Fill a pie plate or small sink with water.
Shake pepper on the water and dip a piece of wet soap into it.
The pepper will run away from the soap.
Now shake some sugar into the clear area and the pepper will run back.

This is truly one recipe your child can make all by himself.

Ingredients

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1½ cups brown sugar

1½ cups flour

1½ cups butter or margarine

1½ teaspoons baking powder

Materials

Large bowl

Cookie sheet

1.
Dump all the ingredients into a large bowl and let your child really go at it!
Pound, punch, and knead the batter—the longer and harder the dough is mixed, the better the cookies will taste!

2.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3.
Roll the dough into small balls and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes.

This special vanilla dough handles like modeling clay, but also makes delicious cookies.
Use this activity to strengthen your child’s alphabet skills.
The finished products make good place cards for birthday parties.

Ingredients

4½ cups unsifted all-purpose flour

1½ cups butter

3 hard-cooked egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

3 raw egg yolks

1½ teaspoons vanilla

Colored sugar or chocolate chips (optional)

Materials

Large bowl

Fork, knife

Cookie sheet

1.
Measure flour into a large bowl.

2.
Cut butter into small pieces and add to the flour.
Mix with your fingers until the flour and butter form fine crumbs.

3.
Mash cooked egg yolks with sugar and stir into the flour mixture.

4.
Blend raw egg yolks with vanilla and stir into the flour mixture with a fork.

5.
Press the mixture with your hands into a firm ball.
Work with the dough at room temperature, but refrigerate it if you will bake it later.

6.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

7.
Roll out the dough.
Cut 3-inch or 4-inch strips and roll with your palm to make ropes.

8.
Shape the ropes into letters.
Flatten them slightly so they are about ¼-inch thick.
If you like, decorate the letters with colored sugar or chocolate chips.

9.
Place the letters on a cookie sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.