Activities for Kindy: Bring Some Fun to Kindergarten Classrooms

person holding red and white pen — Photo by Lucas Alexander on Unsplash

For many children, kindergarten is the first place where they learn how to play with other children, how to share, and how to simply have fun. That is why it's important to implement kindergarten activities that can be beneficial for kindergarten students in more ways than one.

If you're searching for kindergarten activities that children can enjoy but also learn from, look no further! Our article includes some of the best kindergarten learning games that will become a hit among the little ones.

Short Summary

Common kindergarten activities involve reading, counting, memorizing things, and talking in a fun yet learning way.
Kindergarten activities must be adjusted to the children's age group, personality, and capacity.
A child in kindergarten is encouraged to play as much as possible, but with learning elements in every game a teacher presents.

Focus of Kindergarten Activities

a group of children playing with toys on the floor — Photo by BBC Creative on Unsplash

Kindergarten students will learn numerous skills through daily activities. However, the objective of all of them is to develop these skills:

Math and STEM skills
Literacy skills
Motor skills

Hands-on Activities for Kindergarten

children sitting on chair in front of table — Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash

You can simply incorporate these engaging, hands-on kindergarten activities into a child's playtime without sacrificing their enjoyment. Such activities for kindergarten genuinely gamify education, turning it from a chore into an enjoyable activity.

These interactive kindergarten exercises make learning easier for kids and are also rather simple to add to the kindergarten curriculum.

The kindergarten activities we share in this article are ideal for children ages 4 to 6 and follow kindergarten guidelines.

Kindergarten Learning Games

Select the kindergarten learning activities that most fit and interest your kids, keeping in mind that every child develops at their own rate.

Even when you're playing engaging games with kids, make sure you keep in mind their unique personalities and capacities.

Some kids will be better at reading the alphabet and letters, while others might be better at numbers. Each child is different, and you, as a kindergarten teacher, should recognize which resources work best for your kids.

How does the child react to reading? Are they more engaged when you ask them to count? Take notes on your worksheets to always know which hands-on learning activities for kindergarten work for which kid.

Literacy Activities for Kindergarten

brown letters on table — Photo by Gautam Arora on Unsplash

Although most kids will not be able to write during kindergarten, that doesn't mean they shouldn't familiarize themselves with letters and words.

Before going to school, kids should have an idea of the concepts they will need to learn in the first grades of elementary school, and kindergarten should prepare them for that. Unlike preschoolers, they are expected to learn certain things, such as letters, alphabet, and CVC words.

Letters and Alphabet

One of the most important kindergarten activities is hearing about letters.

It's not expected for kindergarten students to know the alphabet but to understand letters, hear how they sound, and feel general curiosity about them.

Reading

Among your literacy activities for kindergarteners, you should also incorporate reading. Practice with kids how to read words and pronounce them properly.

Make sure you turn this into a fun activity, not just something that needs to be done.

Other Literacy Hands-on Activities

There are many other hands-on learning activities for kindergarteners that could improve their literacy. You can choose letters from the alphabet and ask kids to find objects in the classroom setting that start with that letter.

For young learners, you can motivate them to sight words through learning games and show them some of the best kindergarten fun! After all, only kindergarten teachers can make learning fun and build upon their preschooler knowledge with games like these.

Kindergarten Math Activities

girl in pink long sleeve shirt writing on white paper — Photo by Jason Sung on Unsplash

Math can be incredibly fun! After all, all games require a bit of math. That is why it's important to practice kindergarten math with some of the hands-on activities, such as counting apples or family members.

Problem-solving Math Activity

You can play with kindergarten students and encourage them to develop their problem-solving skills by preparing free printables with numbers written and explaining to them which number is which.

Shapes

Another fun math activity for kids is understanding geometrical shapes and giving them names through play. Math is a fun area in which you can spark curiosity among kindergarteners and teach them to learn through play.

Counting Games

Use counting in everything you can. How many fingers do they have on each hand? How many eyes do they have? How many kids are around them at the moment? How many pets do they have?

By allowing them to talk about themselves and their lives through numbers and counting activities, kids can get hands-on math without even being aware of it.

Fine Motor Skills

woman in gray long sleeve shirt sitting beside boy in orange crew neck shirt — Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash

Besides hands-on math activities for kindergarten, there are other games that kindergarten teachers can implement to help their students develop other relevant skills in a fun way. Playing games that improve the development of the brain is essential for a child at that age.

That is why any game that is related to motor skills is highly needed in kindergartens and should be practiced at home with the child's family as well.

Memory Book

child reading book — Photo by Stephen Andrews on Unsplash

One of the most recommended motor activities for kindergarten is using a memory book with young learners. Such hands-on activities for kindergarten students provide playful learning that can even be paired with a math activity.

For instance, kids can memorize how many fruits there were on the table after kindergarten educators hide them. Or, they can try to remember the color of the main door of the building and other things they are unable to see at the moment of the game.

There is a countless things where a teacher can help the child practice their memory, and it doesn't require any tools.

Hand-eye Coordination Learning Games

Another fun way to fine motor activity is to practice hand-eye coordination with movement. Teaching kids doesn't have to be a sitting activity.

You can jump with them, do a bit of exercise, or implement kindergarten activities such as finding treasures in the garden or playing hide and seek with other kids. Each of these learning games makes kindergarten fun!

Critical Thinking

Another way to develop the left and right sides of the brain is by applying fun, hands-on activities that involve critical thinking.

For instance, you can talk with kids about their favorite animals and ask them questions that start with 'why.' Why do you think this animal is so fast? Why do you think they have long necks?

Conclusion

assorted animal plush toys on white wooden shelf — Photo by Monica Sedra on Unsplash

Reading simple words or familiarizing yourself with the alphabet, counting pencils, or kids in the classroom setting are just a few of the fun skills for kindergarteners. There are plenty of fun learning activities for kindergarten students that teachers can implement daily.

Use these ideas as a starting base for all the kindergarten learning games you want to implement, as there are truly no limitations to these ideas.

Keep in mind that learning activities must be aligned with kindergarten standards and prepare them well for school. What makes kindergarten learning games different from preschool hands-on activities is the amount of fun and learning activities for kindergarteners.

As a teacher, make sure you motivate the entire family of your kids to play with their child when at home and strengthen their math, literacy, and motor skills.

The best way to do so is to share worksheets with parents on which fun learning activities you've done with their child that week and motivate them to play during the weekend. After all, kindergarten learning can happen outside the kindergarten as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are the Learning Goals for Kindergarteners?

Kindergarten teachers should teach each child to familiarize themselves with reading, sight words, counting, learning different shapes, and more through fun learning activities. To prepare the play time and games, teachers can use different resources and pay attention that each child can follow the game and if not, make sure you adjust it to their pace and knowledge level.

Which Kindergarten Math Activities Can Be Implemented in Kindergarten?

If you want to play while learning, there is nothing better than a math activity. Depending on the age group of your students, determine the activities for kindergarten. This can be counting to five or something more complicated and interactive for each child. Keep in mind that while you teach anything related to math, you should always make it age-appropriate and interactive so the kids feel motivated to participate.

How to Implement Playful Learning Activities for Kindergarten Kids?

Kindergarten learning games can best be implemented through casual play. As a teacher, make sure your learning games don't last too long, as a child of 4 years will not have the same attention span as a child of 6 years. For instance, if you're practicing reading new words, make those word shorter for younger kinds than you'd use for reading with a child of 6 years. The way you decide to approach learning through play is what will define a child's perspective on learning.