3 Activities to Help Your Child Get Ready for Preschool

Multiple studies conducted over the past 25 years have found that preschool education helps a child's cognitive development enough to increase their scoring on an IQ test by seven or eight points. These studies also show the benefits of preschool can also help a child's achievement test scores increase from the 30th to the 50th percentile.

You can get your child ready for preschool by spending time with them to conduct some simple and fun science experiments. Here are three different educational activities you can do with your child to help them learn and get prepared for preschool.

Water Displacement Activity

This activity will help teach your child the rule of water displacement using a water pitcher full of water and some stones. You can first tell your child the fable of The Crow and the Pitcher by Aesop. Explain to your child how the thirsty crow couldn't reach the water in the bottom of a water pitcher, so he began to drop pebbles into the bottom of the pitcher until the water level reached the top where he could get a drink.

To do this activity, you will need:

  • Glass water pitcher
  • Water to fill the pitcher about half-full
  • Colored tape
  • A bowl full of rocks and pebbles of different sizes
  • A plastic toy bird

Fill the pitcher half-full of water and use the tape to mark the water level on the outside of the pitcher. Attach the toy bird at the top of the pitcher representing the crow in the story. Let your child begin to drop rocks and pebbles into the water and watch as the water level reaches up the side of the pitcher to the top where the toy bird is waiting for a drink.

Sponge Garden Activity

This activity teaches your child about how seeds grow into plants. This garden can be kept inside your home no matter the weather. You can do this activity during the winter when it is too cold outside to plant a garden, but you will get plenty of sunshine coming through your windows.

To do this activity, you will need:

  • Clean sponge
  • Plate
  • Grass seeds
  • Plastic wrap
  • Water

Help your child get the sponge wet and place it on the plate, then sprinkle grass seeds over the top of the sponge. Sprinkle a bit more water over the grass seeds and cover the plate with plastic wrap for your child. Place the sponge plate in a sunny window and help your child check it each day to watch the grass seeds sprout into a miniature lawn. Make sure you check the sponge every couple of days and sprinkle the sponge with water to keep the sponge wet, otherwise the grass seeds won't sprout.

Ice Melting Activity

This activity teaches your child how salt lowers the melting temperature of ice to make it melt faster.

You will need:

  • A pie tin
  • Food coloring dye
  • Water
  • Ice cube tray
  • Watercolor paint brush
  • Table salt
  • Baking dish

Prepare for the activity by filling your pie tin with water and freezing it overnight. The next day, empty the block of ice onto the baking dish. Fill each section of your ice cube tray with different colors of food dye mixed with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and enough water to fill each section about half-full. Help your child sprinkle salt over the ice block and explain that salt melts the ice faster. Then, let your child paint colored salt water over the block of ice to further melt the ice.

Use these fun activities to help your child explore and learn about science while they get ready for accredited preschools.

Share