Fun for Black Hills Early Learners
We are here to bring you fun activities for any child age 0-5 years. We hope you find this useful and helpful during this very unusual time.
Happy learning!
How to find the right activities for your child. Each activities is marked by dots (•):
• = Infant •• = Toddler ••• = Preschooler
Fun Activities
• Put on a light show with a flashlight to provide an opportunity to improve your baby’s visual development and their fine motor skills.

• That first piece of artwork is one to be cherished, but babies are fans of putting everything and anything in their mouth. Get around this and let them have some mucky painting time by making edible finger paint.
•• Rainbow rice takes a little while to prepare but so fun for your toddler. Link to Activity Here

•• Play dough offers many creative possibilities and can be lots of fun for children (and adults). Sit down with your child and show them different ways to manipulate play dough. Try this salt-free play dough recipe

•• Your kids can create self portraits (or images of themselves) using the natural items they collect when playing outside. Link to Activity Here
••• Try this variation on the traditional Oobleck recipe. This Stretchy Oobleck holds together better than water and cornstarch and stretches a bit like slime. Link to Recipe Here

••• Collect items around the house and create a Mystery Bag Game. Link to Activity Here


••• Struggling to get extra fruit and veggies into your child’s diet, these real fruit popsicles are a great way to get some additional fruit in! It’s a refreshing snack for a hot afternoon too! Link to Recipe Here
Outdoor Fun
• What is your child looking at when your'e in your yard or at the park? Point to where they're looking and talk to them about what they might see. "There are sunbeams shining through the tree branches." If they move their head, talk about the new thing they're looking at.
•• This activity develops coordination and balance as kids try to imitate the movements of their parent or play partner. Link to Activity Here

•• Draw lines all over your driveway with sidewalk chalk. Make them wavy, swirly lines that overlap each other. Then set them up with an old paintbrush and a tub of water to paint the lines from beginning to end. Link to Activity Here

•• Give your child a rag and spray bottle or vegetable scrub brush and have them wash their outside cars or toys.
••• Let your child pick items to make a Frozen Summer Time Capsule. Link to Activity Here

••• The whole point of this earth science experiment is to learn about how different natural materials might react to the sun. Link to Experiment Here

••• Grab some rocks and make a maze for toy cars! Link to Activity Here
Everyday Moments
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• Hold your baby facing you and gently sway them back and forth, saying, "Tick, tock, tick, tock, little cuckoo clock. no it's striking one! Cuckoo!" Bounce them up and down once. Now have the clock strike two, saying "cuckoo" twice and bounce twice. Add more verses with higher numbers!
•• While you put away the clean dishes, hold each one up and ask your child to "Name that Dish!" Plate! Bowl! Fork! And so on. Make it fun like a game show. Your hold up the item, they tell you what it is, or your say what it is, Then on to the next one! This helps your child make connections between words and objects when they can see it and hear them at the same time.
••• Mealtimes are a time to invite your preschooler to think about their day by asking, "What was the BEST part of your day?" Have each person at the table answer. Then ask, "What was the WORST part of your day?" Go around the table again. Share your day with them and encourage them to ask others.
Literacy
•• One of the best ways to help children become writers is to show them through example that writing has useful purposes in your life. Point out simple moments when you are writing and explain why. Let your toddler see you make a grocery list, write a thank-you note, text a relative, send an email, or write down a funny thing your child said! Link to tips to help build your toddler's writing skills.

•• Before kids recognize letters, they can recognize sounds that make up words. Play simple games to help children hear how the beginning of a word sounds. This can be as simple as saying, "I like ba-ba-ba-bananas and ba-ba-ba-baseball. What else begins with ba-ba-ba?"
••• Make a fantastic reading resource with this phonics cups literacy game for kids! Adaptable to suit different stages of phonics development, simple and quick to put together and perfect for both classroom and home learning. Link to Activity Here

••• Make a rhyming activity to help practice rhyming pairs and learn about literacy in a playful, hands-on way! Link to Activity Here
••• Ask your preschooler questions like, "Would you rather be a bird or a fish? Why? Have them give you a few reasons from real-life experience like, "I love the water so I want to be a fish." Then you take a turn answering their questions! Asking your child's questions not only encourages language but helps develop their reasoning skills.