The Preschooler's Busy Book: 365 Creative Games and Activities to Occupy Your 3-To-6-Year-Old

325 Pages·1998·4.41 MB·English

by  Trish Kuffner

THE PRESCHOOLER’S
BUSY BOOK
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kuffner, Trish.
The preschooler’s busy book: 365 creative games and activities to occupy
your 3-to-6-year-old / by Trish Kuffner.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 0-88166-351-4. — ISBN 0-671-31633-8 (S&S) — eISBN 978-1-4424-
4124-1
1. Creative activities and seat work. 2. Education, Preschool. I. Title.
LB1140.35.C74K844 1998
372.5—dc21 98-29639
CIP
Editor: Liya Lev Oertel
Production Manager: Joe Gagne
Desktop Publishing: Danielle White
Cover Art: Dorothy Stott
Illustrations: Laurel Aiello © 1998 by Patricia Kuffner All rights reserved. No
part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or using any
information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and
reviews.
Published by Meadowbrook Press, 5451 Smetana Drive; Minnetonka, Minnesota
55343
BOOK TRADE DISTRIBUTION by Simon & Schuster, a division of Simon
and Schuster, Inc., 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
04 03 02 01 00 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5
Printed in the United States of America
Dedication
For my husband, Wayne,
and our four precious children,
Andria, Emily, Joshua, and Johanna.
I have learned far more from you
than you will ever learn from me.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Help! I Have a Preschooler!
“But There’s Nothing to Do!”
Planning Your Activities
Stocking Your Craft Cupboard
What about Television?
A Word of Encouragement
Weekly Activity Planner
Chapter 2: Rainy Day Play
Chapter 3: Kids in the Kitchen
Chapter 4: Outdoor Adventures
Chapter 5: Out and About
Chapter 6: Reading, Writing, ’Rithmetic, and More
Reading Readiness
Mathematics
Geography
Basic Botany
Chapter 7: Music, Dance, and Drama
Music and Rhythm
Movement and Dance
Dramatic Play
Chapter 8: Arts and Crafts
Drawing
Painting
Printmaking
Sculpting
Papier-Mâché
Cutting and Pasting
Crafts and Other Fun Things to Make
Chapter 9: Birthdays and Holidays
Birthday Celebrations
New Year’s Day
Valentine’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day
Easter
Fourth of July
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Hanukkah
Kwanzaa
Appendices
Appendix A: Basic Craft Recipes
Paint
Fingerpaint
Playdough
Clay
Glue and Paste
Other Craft Recipes
Appendix B: Crazy Can Activities
Appendix C: Gifts for Kids to Make and Give
Appendix D: Best Books for Young Children
Appendix E: Resources
Index
Introduction
If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again
If I had my child to raise over again, I’d fingerpaint more and point the finger
less.
I’d do less correcting and more connecting.
I’d take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less and know to care more.
I’d take more hikes and fly more kites.
I’d stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I’d run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I’d do more hugging and less tugging.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I’d build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I’d teach less about the love of power, and more about the power of love.
—Diane Loomans
Although coping with the needs of a baby can be tough for new parents, it
usually doesn’t take long for most to feel comfortable with changing, feeding,
holding, and rocking their infants. As babies grow into toddlers, most parents are
able to cope with wiping noses and behinds, making meals no one eats, finding
toys and clothes and sticky finger marks everywhere, and, of course, doing
laundry, laundry, laundry. But as children leave the toddler stage and become
full-fledged preschoolers, their needs change dramatically. Few parents feel