We spent this week leaning into all things Letter H and had a great time. I think my brain is still thinking preschool but my little 5 year old is doing his first year of kindergarten and now I get to spend the day playing with my 2 year old… and as it happens there is a decent difference in ability between what a 2 year old can do and what a 5 year old can do, but I like to think that these Letter H play ideas work pretty well for the full range from toddler to preschooler and beyond.
H is for Handprint Art:
With Halloween right around the corner we leaned into spooky themes, but honestly all you have to do is pop over to pinterest for 5 minutes and there are endless ideas of what you can do with handprint art for all seasons, animals and beyond. These spiders, pumpkins and ghost were fun for us and just at the right level.
To start grab some paint and craft paper. Have your preschooler dip there fingers in or grab a brush and paint their hand for them, then press down on the paper. Once dry add your details to really make the pictures pop.
H is for Hopscotch:
This super easy movement activity is great for inside our outside. Outside use chalk to draw a hopscotch grid on the sidewalk and have your preschoolers hop from square to square. You could also draw an H in each square and have them say it as they hop to help get the letter and shape in their mind.
We live in an apartment complex and have also spent many a snowy winter trying to find activities so I brought this one inside. Skip the chalk, grab some colored paper and tape. (You NEED tape for the inside version if you don’t want the paper sliding all over with each hop) and build your grid with colored paper.
H is for a Handy Hat:
Provide your preschoolers or toddler with construction paper and trace there little on the paper as many times as it will fit. Then stack up a few sheets of paper (to get more hands with fewer cuts) and cut out the handprints. Great cutting practice for older preschoolers… but I did the cutting for my toddler. Once it was done I grabbed another sheet of paper and cut two wide strips from it until I could fit it around her head in “crown” style. Then she glued her hands all around the crown before we secured it together at the back.
H is for Healthy Snack:
This is so versatile you can go where ever you want with this one. We found this amazing recipe for homemade no bake granola bars on andianne.com. Pretty much you have a base granola recipe, and then you can add all sorts of mix ins to really customize it. We ended up making a version of chocolate chip and one of blueberry and they were both delicious.
H is for Hair Styling:
So many options and version for this one. Head print out below if you want it.
Option 1: Print out the head above and grab some markers or crayons and draw the hair
Option 2: Skip the printout, cut a circle out of some craft paper and glue some yarn hair to it in a style you like
Option 3: Grab the print out, and cut a rough circle of hair over the top and some strips up the side and let your child cut the craft paper giving the girl a custom hair style
Option 4: (This one took some effort and set up) I got one of those plastic embroidery pages, glued the face cutout to it, then with a plastic needle I threaded lots of bit of yarn hair over the card. Afterward this worked like an inexpensive version of one of those hairstyle head dolls. My daughter could brush out the hair, add bows, clips and pony tails, and I could braid it. It’s been over a week since I made it, and even with lots of love from my 2 year old its holding up great (though I have had to re-glue the face cutout on it a few times).
H is for Honey Bees:
This one was the easies since I had a kit (which you can get on Etsy here) but we did a honey bee sensory bin, where we got to play with the honey bees, gather up ingredients, make honey following the recipe card and beyond. We had this one out for a few days and it’s always a hit with my kids from my toddler to my 8 year old, they were all happy to work these bees. The kit had tongs which are great for fine motor control, and so many ways to play with the wipe away recipe menu, and different kinds of matching cards.
This sweet honey bee sensory bin kit comes complete with a honey recipe card and is perfect for teaching counting skills in a fun way, and can be used again and again. Don’t want the whole kit? You can also just get the recipe or matching cards.
H is for Feeding Horses Hay:
Probably not my best printout, but my brain was short circuiting on how to make it look like a horse with it’s mouth open. In any case, it’s got a few sizes and should be able to fit a pringles can, peanut butter jar, mason jar and beyond.
I’m luck that it’s fall and I was able to grab this filler from my local craft store, but I think grass would also work just fine.
Print out the horse on cardstock if you can, we did normal paper and it didn’t hold up great, but otherwise my daughter was down and all in for feeding this horse some hay.
Click the image/s below to print
H is for Hot Air Balloons:
This one isn’t great for toddlers, but my 5 year old I think would have been all in.
We used a toilet paper roll cut in half and glued (liquid glue or hot glue) some craft paper to the bottom of it to create the basket. Then we cut some fringe from other craft paper to decorate the basket. Finally we hold punched some holes in the top of our basket and blew up a balloon and used some yarn to attach the balloon and basket.
Finally I used some permeant markers to decorate the balloon, and my daughter was pretty excited to fly her animals around in it.
Other Easy Ideas For Letter H
H is for Hula Hoop Fun:
Give preschoolers hula hoops to play with and practice moving them up and down, around their bodies, and in different directions. This activity helps with coordination and balance.
H is for Hide and Seek:
Play a game of hide and seek with preschoolers, taking turns hiding and seeking each other. Encourage them to count to ten before searching for their friends.
H is for Hammering:
Provide preschoolers with a toy hammer and golfing Tee’s to practice hammering into a piece of foam or cardboard. This activity helps with hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
H is for Hokey Pokey:
Sing and dance to the song “Hokey Pokey” with preschoolers, incorporating movements that start with the letter “H” such as hopping, hugging, and high-fiving.
H is for Hearts:
Cut out and decorate some hearts then give them to someone you love
