Activities from the Spring 2025 Kindergarten Readiness Play Day
STILL NEED TO ADD TAGS
On March 8, 2025, OberlinKids hosted a free event at the Oberlin Public Library which featured several Activity Stations and handouts related to school readiness for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children.
Activities
For your convenience, we have gathered links to digital versions of the activities from our Partners below:
Alphabet Action Game
From: MovementWorks
Materials needed: Paper plates, markers/crayons, music (if desired)
Practice these skills: Motor skills (gross motor skills, balance and coordination, endurance and stamina), cognitive and academic skills (letter recognition, listening and following directions, memory and recall, sequencing), social and emotional skills (building confidence, self-regulation, social interaction, emotional expression), social readiness (group participation, problem-solving, confidence in social settings)
Assorted Fine Motor Activities
Materials needed: Any of the following items (not all are required): buttons, paper clips, pom-pom balls, clothespins, tweezers, rubber bands, playdough, tongs, toothpicks, beads, pipe cleaners, nuts and bolts, baster, hole punch, stickers, straws, paint brush, cup of water, golf tees, marbles
Practice these skills: Fine motor skills
Assorted Letter / Sound Recognition Activities
From: Lorain County Community Action Agency (LCCAA) Head Start
Materials needed: Any of the following items (not all are required): white board or poster board, flyswatter, assorted items from around your house, paper bag(s), notecards, books, newspaper ads or old magazines, scissors, labels/paper and tape, pencil, paper
Practice these skills: Letter recognition, sound recognition
Beginning Sound Sort
From: Oberlin City Schools
Materials needed: Household items or pictures with various beginning sounds, sorting mat, alphabet letters (optional)
Practice these skills: Hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words; distinguish between different sounds; expand vocabulary
Building Early Math Skills with Playing Cards
Materials needed: Deck of playing cards
Practice these skills: Early math skills
Burrito Baby
From: OhioGuidestone
Materials needed: Beach towel or blanket
Practice these skills: Listening, paying attention, waiting, having fun together
Button Threading
From: Connecting for Kids
Materials needed: Dry spaghetti, buttons, playdough.
If you don’t have buttons, your children could thread beads, Cheerios, or fruit loops onto their spaghetti noodle.Practice these skills: Fine motor skills, pincer grip, hand-eye coordination
Dice Games
Materials needed: 1 or more dice 🎲
If you don’t have dice, you can make your own out of boxes.
For counting games, use small toys, dry noodles, beans, rocks, plastic caps, or anything that your child collects.Practice these skills: Early math skills, number concepts
Egg Carton Games
Materials needed: Empty egg carton(s)
For color or amounts, use puff balls, cut up straws, Skittles, or small toys.
For letters or numbers, use Easter eggs, wooden clothespins, or plastic lids.
For things to count or match, use dried beans, Legos, or anything small that will fit in each section.Practice these skills: Depending on which game(s) you choose, may include: color recognition, number concepts, letter recognition, number recognition, matching, counting
Egg Carton Matching
From: Head Start / Lorain County Community Action Agency (LCCAA)
Materials needed: Empty egg carton(s), plastic eggs, small objects to count, colorful objects or pom-poms to match colors, permanent marker
Practice these skills: Can be adapted for math, letters, colors, or fine motor skills
Fun Ways to Write
Materials needed: Any of the following items (not all are required): chalk, shaving cream, sand, salt, flour, finger paint, gel bags, playdough, paper, a window, sandpaper, highlighter
Practice these skills: Writing letters
Salt Dough Keepsakes
From: Meadow Speech Therapy
Materials needed: Salt dough (made with salt, water, flour — exact recipe included in PDF), rolling pin, cookie cutters, acrylic roller, metal spatula, items to create textures, baking sheet, acrylic paint (optional)
Practice these skills: Exploring open-ended art materials, understanding of descriptive words (such as smooth, rough, pointy, shiny, etc.), sorting and classifying objects by one or more attributes (such as color, size, shape), following verbal directions, recognizing shapes and their attributes, fine motor skills, exploring and investigating objects in their environment
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Materials needed: Gallon-sized Ziploc bag, colorful pom-poms, coloring sheet
Practice these skills: Color recognition, sorting, fine motor skills
Today I feel…
From: Applewood Centers, Inc.
Materials needed: Coloring utensils of your choice
Practice these skills: Emotional identification and feeling expression
