As the parent of a preschooler, finding fun activities to do together over the holiday season is certainly worth the search. Ensuring preschool-age children have enriching, educational, and social experiences both in and outside of the school grounds is a top priority.
This holiday season, whether your family celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, there is so much you can do to create holiday magic for your preschooler while also giving them the stimulation and learning opportunities they need to thrive.
If you’re short on ideas, we have loads for you that will help to stimulate them in the best ways possible and provide fun bonding time, too, for you and your little ones.
5 Top Benefits Of Doing Activities With Your Preschooler
Let’s look at some benefits of doing fun activities with preschoolers.
1. Special Connection and Bonding Time
The wonderful thing about planning and preparing fun arts, crafts, and activities for little ones is the special connection and bonding time it brings. Whether they are doing these activities with the babysitter, their parents, grandparents, or any other caregiver, providing structured fun can enhance relationships.
There’s something special about doing one activity together, learning in the process, and achieving a goal. When people achieve, even from a young age, the release of endorphins makes the activity that much more enjoyable!
2. Stimulation and Cognitive Development
It might seem like all fun and games, but themed holiday crafts and activities can stimulate your preschooler’s brain and boost their cognitive development. There’s nothing wrong with relaxing and switching off from the structured daily routine of the school rhythm, but the truth is that children are learning every day anyway.
When you’re able to provide some fun and games during their resting or holiday time, it will elevate their moods and help them to enjoy the time instead of getting bored too quickly (and for too long!). There’s nothing wrong with boredom; in fact, it can be positive – boosting creativity, but throwing in a fun activity or two into the mix is sure to have a positive effect.
3. Creative Thinking and Problem Solving
Learning through fun and games is a great way to nurture your preschool-aged child’s ability to think creatively and problem-solve. Two skills that every parent needs and are equally as important in young children.
When you do creative activities that stimulate their senses and give them a goal, you are helping them to develop an ability to think out-of-the-box and to create something they can be proud of. Life is not easy, so learning to problem solve when children are small will always hold them in good stead as they grow through their school years and life.
4. A Whole Heap Of Fun
Who doesn’t love to have fun? Planning fun activities, especially during the holiday times, is a whole heap of fun for parents, guardians, caregivers, and children. Learning valuable lessons and traditions about the important holiday times for your family will also enhance the excitement for celebrating what matters. Celebration and fun are tickets to a successful holiday time, while also teaching children about important family values.
5. General Wellbeing and Confidence Boost
When you do fun activities with your preschooler, their confidence will grow, and their overall well-being will also bloom. It’s not only about the special connection and bonding time, but it’s also about their sense of taking on a task to achieve a goal and then enjoying the benefits of completion.
Learning does wonders for little minds and hearts as they grow and feel the affirmation that comes from doing something well- especially when it’s done with others.
Christmas Activity Ideas For Preschoolers
Christmas is a great time of year to start making table settings or tree decorations and to share in a family countdown to the feast. Here are 3 of our favorite Christmas crafts and activities for preschoolers.
Gingerbread Biscuits and House Decoration
Bake and build gingerbread biscuit houses to decorate with your preschoolers. This activity is fun for the whole family. It can be the start of a fun tradition to share with friends and family members each year.
Advent Calendar
Create an advent calendar for your preschooler using whatever you find in your crafts cupboard. The awesome thing about this is that in each of the countdown doors, you can put something you know your preschooler loves.
Ideas For Hanukkah Holiday Activities
Teach your preschooler about the significance of the Menorah during the Hanukkah season.
Light Or Draw Candles
Get them to light candles and help them grasp the historical and cultural importance of traditions you are looking to pass down from one generation to the next.
Another idea is to draw a candle on a piece of paper and get them to make a collage of the fire with bits of red, orange, and yellow paper.
Storytelling In Different Forms
One of the key aspects of Hanukkah is telling and sharing stories. Not only can special stories relating to the theme bring you and your child together, but they also instill a sense of identity and heritage in them, too.
What you could also do is get them to draw a story on paper and then tell it to you according to what they understand about Hanukkah.
Kwanzaa Preschool Activities To Enjoy
What an exciting way to celebrate African heritage and culture than to create fun activities for your preschoolers to partake in. This will teach them more about their roots and inspire them to be creative while learning at the same time.
Unity Cup and Kwanzaa Mat Creation!
While explaining the traditions of the Unity Cup and Kwanzaa mat, get your toddlers to create their own unity cups and Kwanzaa mats with whatever you have on hand. This activity will both share the significance of heritage and bring about a load of fun.
Drumming and Dancing
One way to get your preschool aged child to get some energy out is to dance and play drums with them. Grab whatever you have available to make different drumbeat sounds. Use Tupperware, buckets, and anything else that will make music. If there’s anything toddlers love, it’s to dance, sing and express themselves.
Providence Children’s Academy Preschool
If you’re looking for a preschool that’s ready to enrich the life of your child and family while providing them with the holistic education they need to thrive, then look no further. Providence Children’s Academy provides tons of benefits for children and families alike. Our preschool is equipped with all the tools and resources for preschoolers to have age-appropriate fun, learning, friendship, and so much more. Arrange a visit or give us a call for more information at 954-570-6914. We look forward to meeting your family soon.