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Preschool activity boxes
Home | homeschool | Preschool Activity Boxes

Preschool Activity Boxes

homeschool, Homeschool Preschool

Our collection of games, puzzles, flash cards, and other activities was getting to be a big pile of MESS. So I came up with a way to sort them all and store them neatly so that the kids could easily grab a box and do something fun: an organized set of preschool activity boxes. This will serve several purposes: 1) since there are activities for all ages, a preschooler can have a different box every day with fun games to play; 2) a bigger kid can pull out a box and find an activity to fill their time while waiting for Mom to finish something; or 3) any kid can get a specific box to reinforce skills previously learned.

Learn how to create simple activity boxes for preschool to provide structure and learning

 I bought 12 of these shoe-box size tubs at Wal-Mart for .94 each. Preschool activity boxes are a lifesaver during a homeschool day! Then I laid them all out on my table and started sorting through games and activities. This was a bit of an undertaking at first, but it helped to sort things into like categories, and also to trash things that were broken, or had missing parts.

One box has tangrams, rods, and lacing buttons. Even the smallest kids like to stack and sort these, and make pictures with them.

There is also an animal box. It has this fun Animal Lotto game, finger puppets, farm animal matching puzzle, and dinosaur activities. Anything we had that was animal-themed and educational went into this box. Some of these items were birthday gifts, and others we picked up at yard sales.

Preschool activity boxes are a lifesaver during a homeschool dayAnother box has a dress-up bear set, an animal-habitat matching game, and another tangram.

One box is filled trivia cards of all sorts. We like to pull these out at the dinner table some nights and quiz each other. The kids LOVE it when we do this! Even the little ones like to try to answer questions. States and capitals, Bible quizzes, American history, science cards…anything goes!

An ABC box is a must at this age, and maybe a numbers box, too. Start with alphabet flash cards and a letter matching puzzle, and throw in other ABC activities you find. Magnetic letters, tracing cards, tiny items to match with letters…use your imagination! Numbers are really easy. Get a set of numbers flash cards and put counting items in, such as toy soldiers, blocks, little bears, etc. Dominoes are a fun way to do number matching, too!

This is just a miscellaneous fun box: stickers, paper, scissors, pencils, etc. What child doesn’t long to cut and glue? So that’s exactly what it was for. Putting stickers on paper, cutting paper into small bits, gluing pieces of paper together. Little kids don’t always need an actual project to be happy with scissors and glue!

Preschool activity boxes are a lifesaver during a homeschool day!

Some of these things were bought new, but most of them were acquired over many years of having children. We get them at Christmas, birthdays, yards sales, or school supply sales. So don’t think you have to go out and purchase a slew of new fun things; just collect and organize what you have from around the house.

I set up one of my bookcases to hold these activity boxes in the school area. They look nice and neat and keep small pieces clean and organized.

The rules for preschool activity boxes are pretty simple:

  1. Only get out one box at a time
  2. Clean up your activity before you get out a new box
Preschoolers are so full of life and fun! Don’t let their curiosity and busy-ness stress you out. Give them outlets for creativity, thinking, and quiet learning while you do the dishes or teach math to an older sibling. A day spent sorting and creating preschool activity boxes will pay off in hours of productivity and sanity for mom!

Related posts:

  • Homeschool 101: Preschool
  • Keeping Toddlers Busy While You Homeschool
  • 6 Excellent Books for Christian Parents

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February 19, 2010 · 6 Comments

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Comments

  1. Amy says

    February 19, 2010 at 10:29 pm

    I love to organize so I LOVE this! I just need somewhere to store the boxes!

    Reply
  2. Montessori Moments says

    February 20, 2010 at 4:00 am

    Great idea! I should do something like this!
    Thanks for stopping by my blog today, but thank-you even more for leaving a comment!
    Your blog is lovely!

    http://mymontessorihomeblog.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  3. Angie @ Many Little Blessings says

    February 20, 2010 at 5:07 am

    Wow – this all just looks fabulous! Want to come to my house and organize like that for me? Oh, and just bring some of those cool things along with you too. 😉

    Reply
  4. Leanne says

    October 2, 2010 at 8:08 pm

    It all looks so great and I love the kids can get things for themselves. Thanks for linking to We're Organized Wednesday.

    Reply
  5. Gerald says

    December 10, 2021 at 11:10 pm

    Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to
    your blog? My blog is in the very same area of
    interest as yours and my users would certainly benefit from a lot of the information you
    provide here. Please let me know if this okay with you. Regards!

    Reply
    • Nicki says

      December 11, 2021 at 9:45 pm

      Sure!

      Reply

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The ultimate goal of Christian home education is not to get kids into the best colleges or to get the best careers. It is to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It is discipleship. I first learned that Anyone Can Homeschool from my mom. Oh, I didn’t realize at the time that I was learning that, but as a mom, I see that it was her example that encouraged me. Homeschool 101 I was a homeschool student in Texas in 1985. It wasn’t legal until 1994. Do the math. 😃 https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqHZnKssxcm/ What qualifies someone to teach a child? Good morning to every homeschool parent with a disobedient child! Guess what?! You are not alone! This is a sampling of our homeschool topics this week. This is why we don’t need government intervention. Not one of these resources would be “approved” curriculum. Hot take.

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