Ready-made cards with easy / no-prep, self-directed activities to entertain your toddler, preschooler and early learner. Excellent for when you do not have the bandwidth to plan and create an activity for your child.
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Printable Easy / No-Prep Activity Cards
Having these printable activity cards at the ready will save you time and stress. The next time you need a 15-minute, self-directed activity for your child, just ask your child to draw from a bag of cards with these activities.
For more comprehensive project-based learning ideas for early learners, try Project-Learning Bingo.
Some Examples
Ages 2- 4:
- Stack a pile of coins by sizes. How tall can you go for each size?
- Write upper or lower case letters on 8×10 pieces of paper and cover your letter outlines with stickers or Cheerios.
- Take out an armful of silverware and ladles and sort them by size. What other attributes could you sort by?
- Hide 20 Post-its or pieces of paper with the numbers 1-20 (or 1-10) all over the house. Look for all of them and then line them up in sequential order.
- Go on a shape hunt around the house. Find 3 things each that are: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval.
Ages 4- 6:
- Can you find one thing in the house beginning with each of these common blends and digraphs?
- Create your own treasure hunt for someone in your family. Draw a map that will guide someone to find the treasure and create the ‘treasure’ surprise at the end.
- Using a deck of cards, sort them into piles based on number (2-10 only) or by suit. Now try to build a 3D construction with the cards.
- Arrange all the books on the bookshelf from tallest to shortest, going from left to right. Now sort it by alphabetical order with the author’s last name.
- Print and find – Visual discrimination activities.
Many homes contain common items that can be used to set up simple tasks for children that are fun, engaging and allow children to learn independently and in context using real materials. These activity cards are based on the core principles of early child development and grounded in the belief that learning-through-play and hands-on learning are the best ways for children to learn.
Read here for a longer list of more involved curated games and activities.