"Literacy encompasses far more than mere reading; it involves the intricate processes of comprehending, interpreting, and expressing thoughts through writing. As Mary Muhs, dean of the Rasmussen University School of Education, aptly puts it, literacy skills are not something that can be mastered overnight.

Muhs stresses the significance of laying the groundwork for literacy from an early age, even before preschool. By nurturing a child's experiences and gradually building upon them, we not only equip them with the ability to read and write but also instill in them a genuine love for literacy.

Understanding the importance of integrating learning into playtime, we've curated a list of engaging literacy activities suitable for preschoolers. After all, who says learning can't be fun?

Play holds a special significance for young children, especially those in preschool or Reception, as they follow the EYFS National Curriculum, which is deeply rooted in play-based learning. This approach serves as the cornerstone for various aspects of childhood development, including language acquisition, emotional intelligence, creativity, and cognitive reasoning.

Drawing from the insights of 'Einstein Never Used Flash Cards' by Golinkoff, Hirsh-Pasek, and Eyer, we can break down play into five key elements:

1. Fun and enjoyment are essential components.
2. There are no predetermined goals; it's about the experience.
3. It's spontaneous and voluntary, driven by the child's interests.
4. Active engagement is integral; children are fully immersed in the activity.
5. Make-believe adds an element of imagination and creativity to the play."

Here, We Explore Our Top 25 Activities for Childcare to Helping Children Learn Through Play:

1. Sand:

Playing with sand offers numerous benefits for children's development. It encourages open-ended and imaginative play, providing a space where children can explore their creativity without constraints. The sensory experience of touching and manipulating sand also contributes to their sensory development, allowing them to engage with different textures and temperatures. Moreover, playing with sand helps children refine their fine motor skills as they scoop, pour, and mold it into various shapes and structures.

Safety to be Taken

While playing with sand can be a fun and enriching experience, it's essential to prioritize safety. Close supervision, especially near water, is crucial to prevent accidents and ensure children's well-being. Educating children about the dangers of ingesting sand helps minimize the risk of choking hazards.

2. Make Your Own Puppets

Creating your puppets and staging a show can be a delightful and enriching activity for children, offering a host of benefits for their development. Through the process of making puppets, children are encouraged to unleash their creativity as they experiment with different materials and designs. Whether using paper bags, socks, spoons, or fabric scraps, children have the opportunity to exercise their imagination and problem-solving skills as they decide on characters and bring them to life through their puppet creations.

Materials Can Be Use

With a variety of materials at their disposal, such as buttons, yarn, googly eyes, glue, and markers, children can customize their puppets to reflect their unique personalities and preferences. This customization not only adds to the fun but also fosters a sense of ownership and pride in their creations.

3. Water Play:

Water play offers numerous benefits for children's development, making it a valuable and enjoyable activity. One significant advantage is sensory exploration, as children engage with the different textures, temperatures, and properties of water. This sensory experience stimulates their senses and encourages curiosity and discovery. Furthermore, water play promotes fine motor development as children pour, scoop, and manipulate water using various containers and tools.

Safety to Be Taken

safety is paramount when engaging in water play. Children should be supervised closely, especially when playing near deep water, to prevent accidents or drowning incidents. It's essential to establish clear boundaries and rules to ensure a safe play environment.

4. ABC Go Fish:

ABC Go Fish is a fun and educational game that offers several benefits for children's learning and development. Primarily, it helps reinforce essential literacy skills such as learning the alphabet, recognizing letters, and matching them with their corresponding sounds. As children engage in the game, they practice letter recognition and begin to associate each letter with its unique shape and name.

Materials:

To play ABC Go Fish, all you need is a deck of cards featuring letters of the alphabet instead of numbers. These cards can be either store-bought or homemade, depending on your preference. Players also need counters or tokens to keep track of their matches.

How to play:

The gameplay is similar to traditional Go Fish, with a slight twist. Players take turns asking each other for specific letters needed to complete sets of the alphabet. For example, a player might ask, "Do you have any Bs?" If the other player has any B cards, they must hand them over. If not, they say, "Go Fish," and the asking player draws a card from the deck. The objective is to collect all the letters of the alphabet and be the first player to complete the entire sequence.

5. Play Dough:

Playdough is a versatile and beneficial activity that provides children with opportunities for sensory exploration, fine motor development, creativity, and open-ended play. Through engaging with play dough, children can experience a variety of textures, colors, and shapes, stimulating their senses and encouraging curiosity and exploration.

Materials Can Be Use

In terms of materials, play dough can be homemade using simple ingredients such as flour, salt, water, and food coloring, or it can be store-bought for convenience. Optional accessories such as cookie cutters, rolling pins, and various tools can enhance the play experience by providing additional opportunities for exploration and creativity.

Also read: What is Childcare Software And How to Use It?

6. The Cardboard Box:

1. Transform it: Let your child's imagination soar by transforming the cardboard box into a multitude of exciting settings. Whether it becomes a cozy house, a futuristic spaceship, a speedy car, a majestic castle, or a sturdy fort, the possibilities are endless. Encourage your child to decorate the box using paints, markers, or colorful fabric scraps to enhance the imaginative experience.
2. Create tunnels and mazes: Foster adventure and exploration by creating tunnels and mazes within the cardboard box. Cut holes in different sides of the box and connect multiple boxes to form an elaborate maze.
3. Play pretend: Spark imaginative role-playing scenarios by incorporating the cardboard box as a versatile prop. Encourage your child to use the box as a stage for dress-up adventures or role-playing games.
4. Build and stack: Foster creativity and problem-solving skills by turning the cardboard box into a construction zone. Cut out various shapes from the box and challenge your child to build towers, bridges, or structures using their engineering prowess.

7. Dress-Up and Role Play:

1. Gather supplies: Begin by gathering a variety of supplies to fuel your child's imagination. Raid closets, dress-up boxes, or thrift stores for hats, scarves, costumes, jewelry, and props. The more diverse the selection, the more options your child will have to bring their characters to life.
2. Encourage imagination: Once you have a collection of dress-up items, encourage your child to let their imagination run wild. Allow them to choose their outfit and characters freely, without any limitations. Whether they want to be a princess, a pirate, a firefighter, or a magical creature.
3. Act out scenarios: With their outfit and character selected, it's time to dive into the world of role-play. Create imaginary scenarios or situations for your child to act out, such as tea parties, superhero rescues, or space missions.

8. Connect The Dots With Letters:

1. Make your cards: Start by making your own connect-the-dots cards. Draw simple pictures featuring numbered dots along the lines, but instead of using numbers, use letters of the alphabet. This can be easily done on paper or cardstock.
2. Start with familiar shapes: Begin with familiar and simple shapes like a house, ball, or animal. This helps children ease into the activity and builds confidence as they connect the dots to reveal recognizable images. As they become more comfortable, gradually increase the complexity of the pictures.
3. Sound out the letters: As your child connects the dots, encourage them to say the letter names out loud. This reinforces letter recognition and helps improve phonemic awareness. For example, if they connect dots A, B, C, they would say "A, B, C" as they go along.
4. Extend the activity: Once the picture is complete, take the learning a step further by extending the activity. Have your child say a word that starts with each letter they connected. For instance, if the picture revealed a cat and they connected dots C, A, T, they could say "cat" for C, "apple" for A, and "tree" for T. This not only reinforces letter sounds but also vocabulary and language skills.

9. Sensory Play:

1. Create a sensory bin: Start by filling a bin with safe materials such as rice, beans, pasta, water beads, or shaving cream. These items provide a variety of textures for children to explore through touch. Enhance the sensory experience by adding scented oils, colorful objects, or small toys for further exploration and discovery.
2. Play with textures: Experiment with different tactile experiences by making homemade play dough, slime, or oobleck. Each material offers a unique texture for children to manipulate and engage with.
3. Engage hearing and smell: Incorporate auditory and olfactory senses into sensory play by adding instruments, bells, or scented play dough to the sensory bin. The sound of bells or the aroma of scented play dough can further stimulate children's senses and enhance their overall sensory experience.
4. Focus on calmness: Create a calming sensory experience by incorporating soft textures, dim lighting, and calming music. Use materials like feathers, silk scarves, or plush fabrics to provide gentle tactile sensations. Dim the lights or use soft, diffused lighting to create a relaxing atmosphere, and play soothing music or nature sounds to promote relaxation and tranquility.

10. Running, Jumping, Climbing, Swinging:

1. Get active indoors: When outdoor play isn't an option, create opportunities for movement indoors. Set up indoor obstacle courses using household items, build pillow forts to climb over, or have a dance party where your child can move and groove to their favorite tunes.
2. Go outdoors: Take advantage of outdoor spaces for even more active play. Play classic games like tag or jump rope, run around in the park, or let your child climb on playground equipment such as swings, slides, and jungle gyms.
3. Encourage gross motor skills: Activities that involve running, jumping, climbing, and swinging are excellent for developing essential gross motor skills like coordination, balance, and strength. These skills are crucial for everyday tasks and physical activities.
4. Make it fun: The key to keeping children engaged in physical activity is to make it enjoyable. Choose activities that your child enjoys and adapt them to their age and ability level. Incorporate elements of play and exploration to keep them motivated and excited about being active. Whether it's playing their favorite game or trying out a new activity.

11. Obstacle Course:

Indoor Obstacle Course:

1. Crawl through: Set up a tunnel using blankets and chairs, or create a path under a table with pillows lined up.
2. Balance beam: Use a narrow plank, rolled-up rug, or books laid end-to-end for children to walk across while maintaining balance.
3. Jump over: Place pillows, hula hoops, or stuffed animals laid flat on the ground for children to jump over.
4. Weave through: Space out cones or chairs to create a weaving path for children to navigate.
5. Under the limbo: Hang a string or ribbon low to the ground for children to limbo under.

Outdoor Obstacle Course:

1. Climb over/under: Utilize benches, logs, or playground equipment for children to climb over or crawl under.
2. Jump over: Set up obstacles like a sprinkler, puddles, or chalk lines on the ground for children to jump over.
3. Crawl through: String hula hoops together or create a tunnel using branches and blankets for children to crawl through.
4. Balance beam: Arrange a low fence, log, or curb for children to walk across while maintaining balance.
5. Toss and catch: Place a bucket or hula hoop a distance away and have children toss beanbags into it for a fun throwing and catching activity.

12. Doll and Character Play:

1. Set the scene: Start by setting the stage for your child's imaginative adventures. Build a house using blocks or boxes, or create a garden scene using natural materials like twigs, leaves, and stones. These settings provide a backdrop for storytelling and help bring the characters' world to life.
2. Act out stories: Encourage your child to act out stories with their dolls or characters. They can go on exciting adventures, solve problems, or host tea parties for their friends. This allows children to use their imagination and creativity to develop narratives and explore different scenarios.
3. Create voices: Bring the characters to life by giving them distinct voices and personalities. Use different tones and accents for each character, and add sound effects to enhance the storytelling experience.
4. Make costumes: Get creative and make costumes for the dolls or characters using fabric scraps, paper, or natural materials like leaves and flowers. Encourage your child to dress up their dolls to match the story they're acting out or to reflect the personalities of the characters.

13. Drawing and Painting:

1. Explore different materials: Provide a variety of art supplies for your child to experiment with. Offer crayons, markers, paints, chalk, pastels, and even glitter glue. Each material offers a unique texture and effect, allowing children to explore different techniques and styles.
2. Use different surfaces: Encourage your child to get creative with their canvas. Instead of just using paper, provide alternative surfaces such as cardboard, fabric, leaves, or even the sidewalk.
3. Follow a theme: Give your child a creative prompt or theme to inspire their artwork. Whether it's drawing animals, superheroes, underwater scenes, or outer space adventures, having a theme can spark their imagination and focus their creativity.
4. Play music for inspiration: Set the mood for creativity by playing music while your child draws or paints. Music can evoke emotions and inspire ideas, helping to enhance the artistic process. Whether it's classical music for a serene painting session or upbeat tunes for a lively drawing session, music can stimulate creativity and make the experience even more enjoyable.

14. Blocks, Jigsaws, and Shape Sorters:

1. Start simple: For younger children, begin with large, chunky blocks that are easy to grasp and manipulate. These blocks are perfect for building basic structures and developing hand-eye coordination.
2. Build together: Engage with your child in cooperative play by building structures together. Encourage them to use their imagination to create towers, houses, or vehicles, while providing guidance and support as needed.
3. Sort by color or shape: Use shape sorters or create your sorting categories to help children develop their understanding of shapes and colors. Encourage them to identify and match objects based on their characteristics, promoting cognitive skills and problem-solving abilities.
4. Follow instructions: Provide picture guides or instructions for building specific structures, or encourage children to build from their imagination. This allows them to practice following directions and enhances their spatial reasoning skills as they visualize and plan their creations.
5. Talk about numbers and shapes: Use blocks, jigsaws, and shape sorters as tools for learning about numbers and shapes. Count blocks as you build, name shapes as you sort, and describe spatial relationships such as "on top," "under," or "next to." This helps reinforce mathematical concepts and vocabulary in a hands-on, interactive way.

15. Music, Dancing, and Singing:

1. Put on some tunes: Start by selecting music that matches the mood you want to create. Choose energetic tracks for lively dance sessions or calming melodies for relaxation time. Music sets the tone for the activity and can influence children's mood and energy levels.
2. Move and groove: Encourage children to move their bodies and express themselves through dance. They can dance freely to the music, follow along with simple dance routines, or even create their dance moves. Dancing promotes physical activity.
3. Sing along: Singing along to music is a wonderful way for children to develop language skills and musicality. Use familiar songs or nursery rhymes, or get creative and make up your lyrics to match the melody. Singing together fosters bonding and creates joyful moments for families to share.
4. Play instruments: Provide children with opportunities to explore different musical instruments. Whether it's shakers, drums, bells, or homemade instruments, playing instruments allows children to experiment with rhythm, tempo, and sound production.
5. Turn it into a game: Add an element of fun and excitement by turning music and dancing into games. Try activities like freeze dance, where children dance freely and freeze when the music stops, or musical chairs, where they move around chairs to music and sit down when the music stops. You can also play Simon Says with movements inspired by the music, adding a playful twist to the experience.

16. Imaginative Play:

1. Storytelling: Collaborate on creating a story together. Take turns adding parts to the story and use puppets, props, or drawings to bring it to life. This activity encourages creativity, language development, and cooperative play.
2. Charades: Play a game of charades where children act out words, phrases, or book titles for others to guess. This not only promotes imagination and communication skills but also encourages teamwork and problem-solving.
3. Fort building: Use blankets, pillows, chairs, and sheets to build a cozy hideaway or fort. Children can let their imaginations run wild as they create their own secret space for play and relaxation.
4. Dress-up and role-playing: Encourage children to dress up in different costumes and act out scenarios based on books, movies, or their imagination. Whether they're pretending to be superheroes, doctors, or royalty, dress-up and role-playing foster creativity, empathy, and social skills.
5. Create a puppet show: Make simple puppets from paper bags, socks, or spoons and put on a performance for family or friends. Children can write their scripts, design sets, and bring their stories to life through puppetry, promoting storytelling skills and confidence.
6. Build a miniature world: Use natural materials like leaves, twigs, and pebbles to create a miniature forest, town, or beach. Children can use their imagination to design and build their miniature world, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and appreciation for the natural world.

17. Play the Movement Chain Game:

1. Start with a simple movement: Begin the game by initiating a basic movement, such as clapping your hands. This serves as the starting point for the movement chain.
2. The next person adds another movement: The next player in the circle adds their movement to the sequence. For example, they might choose to stomp their feet.
3. Continue in a circle: Each player in the circle repeats all the previous movements in the exact order before adding their own. The chain of movements grows longer with each turn as players build upon the sequence.
4. The game ends with a mistake: The game continues until a player forgets the sequence or makes a mistake in repeating the movements. At this point, the game ends, and the player who made the error can either start a new round or pass the turn to someone else to begin a new sequence.

18. Fingerprint Letters:

1. Gather materials: Use washable paint or ink pads to create fingerprints on a piece of paper. Ensure the materials are safe for use with children.
2. Make fingerprints: Have your child press their finger onto the paper to create a fingerprint. Encourage them to press gently to ensure a clear print.
3. Identify shapes: Help your child identify the shape of the fingerprint they've created. Each fingerprint will resemble a different letter of the alphabet.
4. Draw letters: Once the fingerprint is made, assist your child in drawing the corresponding letter that resembles the shape of the fingerprint. For example, if the fingerprint resembles the letter "C," help them draw the letter "C" next to it.
5. Repeat the process: Continue making fingerprints with different fingers and drawing the corresponding letters. This activity provides an interactive and hands-on way for children to learn the alphabet while having fun with art.

19. Nature Play:

Nature play offers endless opportunities for children to connect with the natural world and engage in imaginative exploration. Here are some ideas to inspire outdoor adventures:

1. Go on a nature scavenger hunt: Take a stroll outdoors and search for specific items like leaves, rocks, insects, or flowers. Create a scavenger hunt checklist to make the activity more interactive and educational.
2. Build a nature collage: Collect leaves, twigs, and other natural materials, and use them to create a beautiful collage. Let your child's creativity shine as they arrange and glue the items onto a piece of paper or cardboard.
3. Have a picnic outdoors: Pack a simple meal and head outdoors for a picnic surrounded by nature. Find a cozy spot to spread out a blanket and enjoy the sights and sounds of the outdoors while sharing a meal.
4. Plant a seed and watch it grow: Teach your child about the wonders of nature by planting a seed together and observing its growth over time. Discuss the different stages of plant development and the importance of caring for living things.

20. Sensory Play:

Sensory Bin:

1. Materials: Choose a large plastic bin or container and fill it with safe materials such as rice, beans, pasta, or shaving cream. These materials offer different textures for sensory exploration.
2. Enhancements: Add scented oils, food coloring, colorful objects like plastic animals or toy cars, or small toys such as plastic figures or building blocks to enhance the sensory experience. You can also include items like scoops, funnels, or cups for scooping and pouring.
3. Play: Encourage children to explore the materials using their hands, scoops, or other tools. They can sift through the rice or beans, bury objects, create patterns, or simply enjoy the tactile experience.

Play with Textures:

1. Homemade Play Dough: Mix flour, salt, water, and cream of tartar to create homemade play dough. Add food coloring or scented oils for variety. Children can squish, mold, and shape the dough, stimulating their sense of touch and creativity.
2. Slime: Make slime by mixing glue, water, and borax or liquid starch. Customize with glitter, beads, or food coloring. Slime provides a stretchy, gooey texture that children find fascinating to manipulate.

Calming Sensory Experience:

1. Soft Textures: Provide soft blankets, pillows, or stuffed animals for children to touch and cuddle.
2. Dim Lighting: Create a calming ambiance by dimming the lights or using soft, diffused lighting.
3. Calming Music: Play gentle music or nature sounds in the background to promote relaxation and sensory engagement.

Engage Hearing and Smell:

1. Instruments: Include instruments like drums, tambourines, or bells for children to play and explore different sounds.
2. Scented Play Dough: Add essential oils or extracts to homemade play dough to create scented varieties. Children can enjoy the tactile sensation of the dough while experiencing different scents.

21. Lego Hunt

Preparation:

1. Hide the Legos: Conceal Lego pieces such as minifigures, bricks, or sets around the house or in the yard (if the weather allows). Be creative in your hiding spots!
2. Theme: Consider selecting a theme for the hunt to make it more exciting. It could be space exploration, pirate treasure, or a fairy tale adventure. Tailor the hiding spots and clues to fit the chosen theme.
3. Clues: Prepare clues based on the hiding locations, the difficulty level suitable for the child's age, and the chosen theme. You can use rhymes, riddles, or simple descriptions to guide the child to the hidden Legos.

Gameplay:

1. Explain the Rules: Sit down with the child and explain the rules and theme of the Lego Hunt. Emphasize that they need to follow the clues to find the hidden Legos.
2. Provide the First Clue: Give the child the first clue to kick off the hunt. This clue should lead them to the location of the first hidden Lego piece.
3. Search and Discover: Encourage the child to search for the hidden Lego piece based on the clues provided. Let them explore and use their problem-solving skills to find it.
4. Next Clue: Once the child finds the first Lego piece, offer them another clue leading to the location of the next piece. Keep the excitement going by providing engaging clues.
5. Continue the Hunt: Repeat the process, with each discovered Lego piece leading to the next clue until all pieces are found.
6. Celebrate and Enjoy: Celebrate the child's success once all the Legos are discovered. Allow them to enjoy playing or building with the collected Legos, fostering creativity and imagination.