Things to Do with Phoenix Preschool Kids and Toddlers

If you live in Phoenix and have preschool going kids, you might be wondering how to develop their skills or plan fun filled weekends. Check out this list of things to do with Phoenix preschool kids and toddlers.

1.    Check your local bookstores and libraries for free story time classes.
2.    Take your family to see butterfly exhibits either at Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale or at the Spring Butterfly Exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden.
3.    Go miniature golfing.
4.    Go to the Phoenix Art Museum for PhxArtKids Days where your children can paint and make crafts.
5.    Take your kids to indoor playgrounds like Gymboree, The Play Factory, Jambo! or AZ Air Time.
6.    Got a future firefighter in tow? Go see old historic fire trucks at The Hall of Flame Fire Museum.
7.    Check out the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. This magical place has tons of fun exhibits for Phoenix pre-k children, including The Climber, where children can safely climb up a towering structure that ascends all three stories of the building! They also have the Art Studio where they can create masterpieces out of all the standard art materials.
8.    The Phoenix Zoo is free for children under the age of 2 and provides a whole day’s worth of fun looking at every animal under the sun, from monkeys to rhinos and beyond!
9.    Enchanted Island Amusement Park is guaranteed to delight! Geared for children 1-10, the park is located right in the heart of Encanto Park and featured more than a dozen rides, a snack bar, and even pedal boats for the whole family.
10.    Check out OdySea Mirror Maze located next to Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale. This place just opened up in December 2013 and is a great place to go on days where it’s too hot to be outside. You have to make your way through a maze of mirrors with infinite reflections, impossible corridors and mind-bending light effects. It’s an adventure for the body and mind.
11.    Visit the Idea Museum (formerly the Arizona Museum for Youth) (all ages, $7/person, under 1 free)
12.    Visit one of the many Splashpads in the valley when it’s time to cool off!
13.    Go see the indoor aquarium, Sea Life Arizona located in Arizona Mills Mall. It will be really an amazing experience for you as well as your kids.
14.    Take your kids to one of the many beautiful parks located in Phoenix. This will allow them to bind with nature.
15.    For a unique park, visit McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park where kids can ride the train and go on the merry-go-round. Just ensure safety of your kid and if he is not comfortable with taking the rides, don’t force things.
16.     Is your child an animal lover? Then be sure to attend one of the weekly National Geographic’s Kids Club which is hosted across many malls in Arizona. For more info, check out http://www.mallkidsclub.com/-- the best part? It’s FREE!

We hope this list of things to do with Phoenix preschool kids helps you have some fun with your little ones!

Fun Sensory Activities for Preschoolers at Phoenix pre-k school

Preschool children love to explore the world around them. Every act is an opportunity to discover something new and exciting.

Check out these fun sensory activities for preschoolers at Phoenix pre-k Pass them on to your kids to encourage their never-ending desire to learn through play.

These are just two examples of the activities that take place inside the Phoenix preschool classrooms of All Saints’ Episcopal Day School in Arizona.

1. Glowing Oil & Ice Experiment
Spark your child’s curiosity for science in this fun experiment that uses oil and glow in the dark ice.

Materials:
•    Oil (baby oil or vegetable oil works best)
•    An ice cube tray
•    Water
•    Glow in the dark paint

To make the glow in the dark ice, simply put a small amount of paint into the bottom of each ice cube spot in the tray. Fill with hot water, mix around until the paint and water is blended and freeze.

When it’s time to play, get a big pan or tray of some sort, and fill with oil. Please note: this requires adult supervision. Do not allow the children to eat the oil. Finally, place the ice in the oil and watch as it begins to melt and the water beads up in the pan.
This is a cheap and easy way to spend time indoors with your kids. Plus, it incorporates, art, science and sensory exploration!
2. Magic Treasure Rocks
Your preschooler will love this activity! This one is also very easy and cheap to put together and the look on your children’s’ faces as they uncover the treasure inside the rocks will be priceless.

Materials:
•    Baking Soda
•    Water
•    Food Coloring or Watercolors
•    Treasures (Plastic jewels, fake gold coins, other pirate booty)

First, put some baking soda in a bowl and add food coloring of your choice. Slowly add water until it has a dough-like consistency. Mold the dough into balls and stick your treasures inside. Then lay the rocks out onto a baking sheet and let them dry completely. This usually takes around 24 hours.

Once your magic rocks are dry, it’s time to play! You could bury them outside and let your kid find them on a treasure hunt. Or if you’re short on time you could just give them directly to your kid.

To melt the rocks and uncover the treasures you will need some vinegar. Put some of it in a spray bottle and some of it in a bowl. Then let your kid go at it and see how they choose to uncover those treasures! They can also break the rocks apart with plastic hammer and other kids tools. Final tip, you can also do this activity in the bathtub as baking soda is great for the skin.

Once your child has uncovered all the treasures, wash them off so she can pretend to be a pirate all day long!

Each day, the students that attend All Saints’ Phoenix pre-k get opportunities to engage in sensory learning activities like these.

Great Games to Teach Reading Skills to Phoenix Preschool Children

The earlier a child learns pre-reading skills, the greater chances they have at becoming a proficient reader. This important skill prepares children to succeed in school which is why it’s important to familiarize children with the alphabet in the early preschool years.
There are tons of fun games to introduce reading skills to your child. Here are just a couple great games you can play with your child to help them learn language and reading skills at a young age:

1. MATCH BOX
Introduce this to Phoenix preschool children around the age of 3 years old.

Materials: Small craft storage container, card stock, alphabet stickers, stickers of basic objects and animals, glue
First you will want to make all your materials. Cut the card stock into a bunch of squares that will fit inside the craft box. Then stick each letter of the alphabet onto each card, upper and lower case individually.
Finally, place the stickers of basic objects and animals onto the card stock. Try to find one for each letter, and as a tip, make them objects that your child enjoys. For example, car for the letter C, apple for the letter A, and so on.

How to play:
First, give your child the upper case letters and ask her to choose however many it takes to fill up the top row of the craft box. Next, see if she can sort through the lower case squares and match them up with the upper case letters in the box. These can go in the next craft box row directly underneath the upper case letters.
Finally, ask your preschooler if he can go through the last stack of squares and find a picture that starts with each of the letters in the box. Have him place the pictures below the matching letters in the container.
2. PING PONG ABCs
This game is fun and easy and can be introduces around 2 years of age for Phoenix pre-k preschool children.

Materials: ping pong balls, Alphabet stickers, permanent marker, toilet paper rolls, X-ACTO knife or scissors
To prepare, write the alphabet on the ping pong balls, one letter set (upper and lower) per ball. Then use the alphabet stickers on the toilet paper rolls. Take one of the toilet paper rolls and outline it as many times as will fit on your shoebox. Then, cut out the circles with your knife.

How to play:
First, place all the ping pong balls in a big bowl and then have your child or children pick out the rolls to fill each hole. Next, ask your kid to choose a ball, say the letter that’s written on it out loud, and then find the corresponding toilet paper roll to drop the ball into.
These two reading games for pre-kindergarteners will help prepare your child so that they are well adjusted and ready to excel in their Phoenix preschool classroom. All of these things prepare your child to face the world in a better and confident manner.

Springtime Activities for Phoenix kindergarten and Preschool Children

Spring is almost here! Need some ideas on fun, age-appropriate learning activities to play with your kids? Check out these games and crafts that are perfect springtime activities for Phoenix kindergarten and preschool children.

Valentine’s Day: Valentine Heart Animals:
Kids love this holiday that is filled with candy and cupids, so why not plan a fun activity to do with them on Valentine’s Day? One activity that kids love is making animals from paper hearts. These make great decorations for the classroom or home, plus the children have a chance to learn about different kinds of animals during the process.

Supplies: Construction paper, scissors, glue, markers and crayons, pipe cleaners (optional, for whiskers)

Directions: Cut out lots of heart shapes in different sizes using the construction paper. Have the children make animals by gluing various sizes and shapes of paper hearts together. Add eyes, nose, and other details using a marker. See how many different animals the children can make, like dogs, cats, mice, worms, butterflies, elephants, pigs, fish, etc. Make sure each kid participating can identify all of the animals created. You can even imitate the sounds that each animal makes as you ask each kid to name the animal!

St. Patrick’s Day: Hunt for the Pot-O-Gold:
St. Patty’s Day is definitely a favorite among children in Phoenix preschool. What’s not to love about leprechauns, shamrocks, and pots of gold? To celebrate, spend time outdoors with your little ones searching for the mysterious pot-o-gold. This activity will need a little preparation from the adults beforehand but will be well worth in the end. All you need is a little creativity and some miniature chocolates wrapped in gold foil. Go hide the chocolates somewhere in your backyard (if you don’t have a backyard, this can be played indoors or at a playground or park.)

Next, write down some easy clues about the location of the pot of gold and place these around the area as well. Tell the children that the leprechaun has hidden the pot of gold somewhere in the backyard and it’s up to them to find it! Help them navigate to each clue and watch the fun and excitement unfold as they get closer and closer to the treasure!

Spring Activities: Rainbow Paint Flower Pots:

This activity is guaranteed to be as much fun for the adults as the children. The finished flower pots can be given away as gifts to teachers, friends, moms, etc.
Supplies: 8 small terra cotta pots, cardboard (for protecting the work area), white spraypaint, acrylic paint in rainbow colors (in squeeze bottles)

Directions: Go outside and lay down a bunch of cardboard to protect the ground. Put your pots upside down on the cardboard. Spray them with white spraypaint. Let dry. Then, have the children squeeze paint, one color at a time, onto each pot and watch as the paint drips down the sides. Repeat with different colors until the pot is covered. Let dry completely.

These are just a few activities parents can expect to see in private Phoenix kindergarten and preschool classrooms. Try them out the next time you need something fun to do with your preschooler.

Fun Games for Preschoolers: Phoenix kindergarten activities

If you find yourself searching for things to do with your little one, take a little inspiration from Phoenix kindergarten classrooms. Check out these fun games for preschoolers.

Rainbow Week
This activity is meant to help your child learn their colors. Many preschools will do this activity with all kids to make it a fun group game. Essentially you want each day of the week to represent a different color. Encourage your child to wear the color of the day, then talk to him about the color. Ask him if he likes the color, and see if he can identify a few objects of that color. For example, on “Red” day, your little one might list a fire truck and cherries as popular red objects. Each day, spend an hour or so with your preschooler helping them to create a color collage using colored tissue paper, stickers, and a glue stick. At the end of the week, review each color with your kid and help them create a collage with all the colors of the rainbow to tie it all together.

Fish in the Bowl
This game is fun for phoenix preschool kids and also helps them with hand-eye coordination as well as counting numbers. Make a fish bowl on a piece of large white paper or fabric. Then hang the fabric on the wall. Next, make or buy little nemo fish and make sure they have a magnet or Velcro on the back so they stick to the fishbowl. You can either do this like pin-the-tail on the donkey where your child closes their eyes and tries to put the fish in the bowl. Or, you can just help her place a few of the fish in the bowl and then count with her to help practice numbers. To make it a real challenge, first have your child pin the fish in the bowl, then help her count how many actually made it into the bowl.

You can also suggest this game to the Phoenix kindergarten teacher as a great activity for all the kids to play together.

Animal House
This game is super fun for the adults too! Get your cameras ready because this activity is sure to produce some photo-friendly moments. All you need is a poster board, pictures of 6 animals, and a dice. Glue the animal pictures to the poster board and number them 1 through 6. Then, each person rolls the dice and has to act like the animal with that number!

Caterpillar Plate Game
First you will need a stack of paper plates. Make a head for the Caterpillar out of one paper plate. Then, write one letter of the alphabet on each plate. Set the head down and give the rest of the plates to the child. See if they can put them in order. You may need to start with just a few letters at first, so it is not too overwhelming. Also, you may have to ask,“what is the first letter?" "A" Good. Put that letter down, What is next? Start singing the alphabet with them each time until they get the hang of it.
At All Saints Episcopal Day School, a Phoenix kindergarten, children get to play all of these preschool activities while making new friends and learning important life skills.