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Summer Fun
Fast and Frugal Activities to Entertain Your Preschooler By Crystal Patriarche
blend yogurt, orange juice and ice with fresh fruit for a tasty frozen and healthy drink. Add toothpicks with cherries or pineapple slices and little umbrellas or crazy straws for fun!
Ice Cream Parlor
Open your own ice cream parlor right in the kitchen. Set up your kitchen table with bowls of sprinkles, crushed Oreo cookies or Graham crackers, M&Ms, chocolate syrup, strawberries or other favorite toppings for your kids. Let them build their own ice cream sundaes by scooping out their favorite ice cream into bowls and adding their choice of extras.
Rock Painting
Bring in a bucket full of multi-sized stones with smooth surfaces. Let the kids paint animals, shapes or their names on the stones with acrylic paints. You can use the stones in your garden or walkway.
Play Dough or Jell-O
Have some fun with play dough by letting your preschooler use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. This is a good learning tool for identifying colors, animals and other shapes. For a cool and edible treat, use Jell-O instead.
Make a Postcard or a Scrapbook
Get some construction paper, markers and scissors, and help your little one make a postcard for a far-away relative. Let your child pick out a few pictures from a fun family event (a vacation, July 4th, etc.), and paste them on the postcard to send to a family member who wasn't there. Your preschooler can also help you pick out pictures, stickers and other art for a scrapbook of your family's summer vacation.