In our fast-paced, over-scheduled weeks, it can sometimes be a great benefit to slow down and dig into some good hands-on fun. Instead of packing up and heading for fun away from home, try looking at home for the fun. Here are some simple, inexpensive, eco-minded ways to have open-ended fun with your young children.
Open-ended play experiences emphasize the process of the experience rather than an outcome or product. There is a freedom that allows children to show us where they are interested in taking things.
Fort-i-fied Fun:
Bring out some big boxes and blankets and let their imaginations take off.
Covering the windows can change the feeling of a blanket fort!
Try adding: flashlights, covering windows.
Paint Swatch Color Match: (inside or outside)
Collect some swatches from your paint store and use them to find colors in nature or in your home.
This paint swatch was matched to some mushrooms found outside.
A note about adding: You might be tempted to add more things quickly to make sure your preschooler is having a great time. We suggest asking questions that explore what your child has begun and slowly adding materials.
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Tubular Construction:
Don't throw out those tiny boxes and tubes, you'll be surprised how quickly you can collect them.
Preschoolers used contact paper and cut up tubes to construct a bees' nest during a study of bees.