Preschool Games

Preschoolers, now running around, are much more active than toddlers, and it's a great time to introduce preschool games and toys. Their world is bigger, made up of spaces not just around their own house but extending on towards school. It's at this stage that they make new friends, and learn to play with other kids their own age. Their social skills have improved right along with their language development.

Before you choose toys for your preschooler, you need to know what stage of development they are currently at. That way you're not just getting your kids toys for entertainment but for learning purposes as well. In the preschool phase their little 'society' includes others. Toddlers focus primarily on family, but in preschool they meet friends and other people outside the family. This is the time when they really start to play with others, and not just side-by-side.

They are interested in group play (such as pretend play), and so costumes, puppets, and dolls can become age-appropriate toys. Children going through this stage love to dress dolls and play with them. They imitate the parent-child relationship and dress dolls which they refer to as their “baby.”

One interesting thing about the preschool years is that it is the time when they are sensitive about their gender and becoming aware of the male and female roles that they see modeled around them. The toys they choose for play will probably reflect the gender differentiation that they observe in their own world, but they may also provide clues to the child's own personality.

Fisher-Price never fails to provide the best amusement for little kids. This Laugh & Learn Say Please Tea Set is more than an ordinary tea set. It's actually an electronic toy (batteries needed) with three modes: learning, music, and imagination.

The tea pot, cups (not intended for real liquids), and cakes alone provide a very entertaining pretend preschool game for young children. For extra pretend value, the teapot makes a pouring sound when tipped over.

And in its learning mode, it teaches numbers, shapes, opposites, manners, and greetings. "Say Please" - won't you love to hear that from your preschoolers? Included is a plate with cakes of different shapes, which offers a fun way to learn the basic shapes. All in all, this tea set is both fun and educational.

Pretend play is one of the most common preschool games for both boys and girls. Kids love to imitate their parents and caregivers. Little kids' games include cooking, going to the grocery, and nurturing their dolls.

You can encourage your child's pretend play by providing them toys designed for the purpose. This Melissa and Doug Cutting Food Box includes 31 different pieces of toy food. It has a chopping board, a knife, and a box full of vegetables. The pieces are attached with Velcro that produces a chopping sound when the knife is used in between them. And since they are wooden toys you can expect many years of good use.

Even beyond a preschooler's pretend play, it can be a useful tool to introduce them to the concept of fractions, at this stage simply calling them "pieces."