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Playing with a preschooler is honestly one of the most fun things to do. They get CRAZY! They are so willing to pretend and get so creative with their play. Sometimes as adults we get in a place where we find ourselves just trying to get our kids to STOP. They are so busy and so loud and so rambunctious… But you know what? That is exactly what they are supposed to be right now.
The best way to stop feeling like your kid is just driving you crazy with their crazy is to join it. Have fun with your kids. Do something loud with them. If you find yourself constantly shushing them, it might mean that they just really need to do something crazy. They honestly don’t want to cause trouble. They just want to play.
We live in an area where playing outside is not really the best plan. Otherwise, playing outside is really the best thing for our preschool crazies. We do try to find ways to play inside that allows our kids to be imaginative and creative without breaking any furniture.
Here are some of the most fun things that we have done with our preschooler that we did INSIDE! My favorite part of these activities is they don’t require buying new toys! I have gotten to the point where I don’t really like to buy my kids toys. They cost too much and there are so many ways to use imagination and household objects that they have more fun doing anyway!
Max loves to play Dungeons and Dragons. He wanted to get Theron into playing adventure, tabletop games by creating a preschool game on a giant piece of cardboard! It was a huge hit. I wrote a whole post on this great activity. To read more CLICK HERE.
Another great way to play a giant board game is to use painters tape and create a giant board game on the floor. This gets kids moving! We made a giant dice for him to roll. He practiced counting and taking turns to reach the finish line! So simple… So fun. Easy to clean up (or leave for another time! It’s tape! It doesn’t take up any space to have tape on the floor).
Not interested in making a giant dice, but still think it’s fun? Here is a 3-pack of inflatable dice on Amazon. Deflate them when your done so they don’t take up space in your play room!
Cardboard Anything
Based on the above activity you might already be able to tell that we love cardboard boxes. We like to make things out of them, color on them, and even just play in them. Would you believe that playing in a plain old cardboard box is the easiest way to keep my 3-year-old occupied? I’m talking hours here! These are just some of the fun we’ve had with cardboard.
Coloring:
Stick your kid in a box with crayons and they are set. Enough said! This often turns to asking to be closed into the box and rolling around for a while in it.
Racetrack
Okay, this is my husband’s creative genius here. This lasted us a long time. It was Theron’s favorite toy for a while. It was HUGE. He also added a little slot for a strip of cardboard to keep the cars at the top so that Theron could set them all up then lift the strip to make them all go at the same time (see video).
The really great thing? When we were tired of it taking up space and Theron didn’t play with it anymore? Recycling! NO GUILT. It was made out of leftover boxes from online deliveries. NO money was spent on this.
LITERALLY ANYTHING:
Make a spaceship! Make a fort! Make a costume (see below)! The possibilities are pretty much endless when it comes to cardboard. My husband and his friends used to build elaborate armor and have “battles” in the front yard! I wish I could say this was in elementary school but this was like when we were 20… But this just proves my point that playing with cardboard is ENDLESS fun. It might even keep them playing into their 20s. You can get a lot of laundry done in that time…
Play Dress-up
Dressing up is probably the oldest form of play. Sure, you can buy special costumes that are made for this, but I had the most fun as a kid just dressing up in different clothes (my mom’s, my sister’s…) or using fabric that my mom had from her sewing days. Let your kids play in your costume jewelry, give them old clothes. As said above, let them use boxes to create a costume (robots, anyone?). They might become warriors or princesses (or both!).
We are huge geeks so we just HAPPEN to have a bunch of Star Wars and super hero masks, t-shirts, pajamas, and toys. We have wands, light sabers, and Pokeballs to complete the look. Our kids love dressing up.
Act out favorite books
Does your preschooler or elementary-age child have a favorite book that they LOVE to read with you? Make it active by picking parts and playing out the story. Combine it with dressing up and make costumes to act it out!
Make a stop motion video (or just a video) with play-doh
My child is not old enough or patient enough to try this with, but I have wanted to do this with him ever since I found a movie making toy at Target. I thought HOW FUN! It came with an iPad stand, character molds, and a specific app to help your child make movies. However, there are plenty of stop-motion and video making apps available. My nephew had an app that he played with constantly that he figured out how to make it look like he disappeared by jumping through a wall.
Here is the kit that I bought for my nephews! I found some others that looked fun. I liked this because it was more geared to preschool aged kids. The app that it teaches them to use is free!
What Do You Love to Do With Your Kids?
Any of these sound like something your family would love? What are some of your favorite go-to activities to keep your busy little ones out of trouble? Share with us in the comments!
Don’t forget to subscribe and follow to hear more about the fun times we have with our kids and tips I learn as I start my life as a Stay-at-home mom! My vision for this site is to make a community where ideas are shared and we all can encourage each other in this journey of parenthood!
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