Back to School DIY Projects for Your Little One and You!

Making Back-to-School Better!

Whether you’ve made the choice to do preschool online enrollment or in-person preschool, one thing is for sure: little ones love a preschool craft! It’s really important to incorporate lots of hands-on preschool activities since they are very helpful for early learning, especially if you’re doing online preschool. So what kinds of preschool activities can you include in your little one’s life that will coincide with their back-to-school experience? Don’t worry — that’s what we’re here to help with! We’ve created a list of fun, hands-on preschool activities for you and your little one that will enhance their learning experience and prepare them for coming back to school.

1. Back-to-School Chain

There’s no doubt about it, the back to school time of year can make everyone anxious — both you and your little one! It’s a big change from summertime, and so it’s really important to make sure your little one is prepared for that. We call this “previewing”; it helps ease your little one into a period of transition or change, rather than pushing them into it abruptly. A great idea for an preschool craft that is not only fun to make, but will help your child with this change is a back to school paper chain! Choose 2 colors of construction paper that match your school’s colors (such as green and orange for Playgarden Online!), and cut them into vertical strips of 4. Then, tape your links together to make a chain that represents every day before school starts. We recommend doing a chain of 10-12 links, since 10-12 days is a long enough time to get your little one used to the idea of going back to school, but not too long that they feel anxious with anticipation. Then, using adhesive foam numbers, have your little one place a number on each strip, starting with the highest number at the bottom! As school gets closer and closer, have your little one take off a link each day. It’s a fun way to count down the days til school starts again, and will certainly help with the transition!

2. Sensory Rice Table

You did it! Your little one made it back to school a-ok, and now you’re wondering: What are some fun preschool activities that will enhance my child’s preschool experience? With online preschool especially, it’s key to incorporate lots of sensory activities, and one of our favorites is the rice sensory table! It’s very simple to make, and will be a great chance for your little one to start leading their own play. Beginning with dry rice in a bag, you can add fun colors (such as Playgarden green or Playgarden orange) by pumping two squirts of hand sanitizer into the bag along with the color dye of your choice. After shaking the color into the rice, spread the rice out on paper towels so that it can dry properly. Once it’s dried, you can make a table for your little one with tools like recycled paper towel rolls, scoopers, bottles and funnels for your little one to explore! The hands-on play will be a great preschool activity for your little one!

3. Back-to-School Bento

No matter if your little one is returning to in-person learning or is going ahead with online preschool, it’s very important to make sure their tiny body is being nourished well so it will be full of energy for the rest of the day! As a parent, you can’t make your little one eat, but you can provide them with lots of good energy choices that they can enjoy when they feel hungry. As such, a fun way to offer them this is to prepare a back-to-school bento! You can use fun cookie cutter shapes to make the fruits and veggies more visually appealing to your little one, and include some options for grains and proteins that can be eaten together or on their own. After arranging the food in the bento box, be sure to write your little one a note letting them know that you’re thinking of them! Whether you’re busy working from home or back in the office, it’s a great way to remind your little one that they are always in your thoughts (even when you’re not together, doing a preschool craft or activity.)

4. Kissing Hand Cookies

The school day is done and the work day is over — why not enjoy a yummy and heartfelt treat with your little one? Based on the book of the same name, kissing hand cookies are a great way to incorporate learning materials into a hands-on preschool activity! Starting off by preheating your oven to 375 degrees, you can line some cookie sheets with parchment paper and get ready to bake. With your little one, measure 1 ½ cups of sugar and 1 cup of unsalted butter into a bowl. Cream them together until they’re smooth, then crack 2 eggs into the mixture, as well as 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract! After that’s all mixed, slowly add in 3 ½ cups of flour and once that’s blended, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and start to knead it into a ball (this is a great task for your little one, it’s just like PlayDoh!). Then, you can roll out the dough until it’s about ¼ inch thick. Using either a hand-shaped cookie cutter or your little one’s hand, cut out a cookie in the shape of the hand and place it on the parchment paper. Finally, you can either cut out a small heart in the center of the hand or fold down the ring and middle fingers of the cookie hand to form the American Sign Language symbol for “I love you”! Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. While they cook, you and your little one can make the icing together! Using a hand mixer, blend ½ cup of softened butter until it’s soft and creamy. After, beat in 3 ¼ cups of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of a milk and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract! Once your cookies have cooled, you and your little once can ice them together and enjoy a delicious sweet treat while you read The Kissing Hand together — what a lovely preschool activity!

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If you’re interested in more preschool crafts, projects, and learning, try our Online Preschool for FREE! Playgarden Prep offers educational videos from real teachers, and numerous DIY projects and preschool activities that support early learning and development!