Problem Solving
Learn Problem Solving through play.
These are activities with an obstacle in them on purpose. Get the ball across the room without touching it. Build something taller than the chair. Get the toy out of the ice.
The adult job here is mostly silence. The urge to help is strong and usually arrives about ten seconds before the child would have worked it out. "What could you try?" is nearly always better than a suggestion.
Expect frustration and plan for it — every activity here has an easier version noted, so you can lower the bar rather than abandon the afternoon.
Activities
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Sequencing Activities for Preschoolers: 15 First-Next-Last Games
15 simple first-next-last sequencing activities for preschoolers ages 3–4 — picture card stories, recipe steps, daily routine games, and order words your child can practice all day.
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Measurement Activities for Preschoolers: Length, Weight and Capacity
Ten hands-on measurement activities for preschoolers: compare length with hand spans and block trains, explore weight with balance scales and hefting games, and play with capacity through pouring, cup-counting, and bath-time fun. No rulers needed — just everyday objects.
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5th Birthday Party Ideas: 40+ Themes That Five-Year-Olds Love
5th birthday party ideas get bigger at five: more active games, first drop-off guests, and themes with real missions — detective hunts, science shows, ninja courses. This guide names more than 40 themes and walks the whole party from choosing to thank-yous.
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Memory Games for Preschoolers: 16 Classic & DIY Games
Sixteen memory games for preschoolers: 8 classics for ages 3–4 plus 8 no-prep DIY games from things you already own. Build working memory, attention, and turn-taking — start with just two pairs.
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A Masking Tape Obstacle Course
One roll of tape turns a hallway into a course to balance, jump and crawl along. Works in a flat, upstairs, in the rain.
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Five Games for the Wait Before the Food
No bag, no crayons, nothing to drop on the floor. Five games that need only the two of you and a table.
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An Egg Hunt That Works for Every Age
The same hunt, three difficulty levels, so a two-year-old and a seven-year-old can play together without either being bored.
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Rescue the Frozen Toys
Freeze small toys in a tub of water overnight, then hand over warm water, salt and a spoon. It buys a genuinely quiet hour.
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Cardboard Box Marble Run
Cut a delivery box into ramps and tape them inside the lid. It never works first time, and that is the entire point of it.
