Learning Activities for 5-Year-Olds

Use seven geometric shapes to build pictures and solve puzzles. Tangrams teach spatial reasoning, geometry, and creative problem-solving in one elegant package.

Observe something for 10 minutes — cars passing, bird types, cloud shapes — and keep a tally chart. Real data collection that turns watching into math.

Drip paint on one half of a paper, fold it, and reveal a perfectly symmetrical design. A magical art-meets-math activity that teaches what symmetry looks like.

Rub a balloon on your hair and watch it attract paper bits, bend water, and stick to walls. Explore the invisible force of static electricity through hands-on tests.

Draw hopscotch squares with skip-count numbers — by 2s, 5s, or 10s — and hop your way through multiplication patterns. Active math that sticks in your bones.

Build a lever from a ruler and a pencil and discover how moving the fulcrum changes lifting power. The simplest machine with the biggest lesson in physics.

Connect a battery, wire, and LED to build a working circuit. Your child lights up a bulb and learns the basics of how electricity flows.

Survey your family's favorite snacks and build a bar graph with stickers or blocks. A delicious way to introduce data collection and visual comparison.

Trace the shadow of an object at different times of day and watch it change. A simple experiment that teaches your child how the sun moves across the sky.

Mix primary colored water to discover secondary colors — red + yellow = orange, blue + yellow = green. A visual chemistry lesson that's vibrant and hands-on.

Examine real vegetables and identify which plant part each one is — root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, or seed. Science you can eat for dinner afterward.

Pick a letter sound and hunt for objects that start with it — B for ball, book, banana. Turns phonics into a physical, room-by-room adventure.

Sort number cards into odd and even piles and discover the pattern. A hands-on activity that makes this foundational math concept click through physical sorting.

Hand your preschooler a magnifying glass and let them investigate nature up close — leaves, rocks, insects, bark. Observation is the first step of science.

Arrange stickers in rows and columns to see what multiplication looks like. 3 rows of 4 equals 12 — it's not just a fact, it's a picture you can count.

Use handprints to measure objects around the house — how many hands long is the table? A playful introduction to non-standard measurement for preschoolers.

Follow a simple recipe together and practice measuring with cups and spoons. Cooking is math you can eat — fractions, counting, and following steps all at once.

Test which household objects are magnetic and which aren't. Your preschooler becomes a scientist, making predictions and recording results with real magnets.

Match uppercase letter cards to their lowercase partners. A hands-on way to learn that A and a are the same letter in different outfits.

Cut paper pizzas into halves, quarters, and eighths to learn fractions you can see and touch. A tasty-looking way to make abstract math concepts concrete.

Set up a pretend grocery store with price tags and play money. Your child practices counting, recognizing numbers, and basic addition while shopping and selling.

Fill a jar with small objects and have your child estimate how many are inside before counting. Builds number sense and the valuable skill of educated guessing.

Make a simple compass from a magnetized needle and learn north, south, east, and west. Geography starts with knowing which way you're facing.

Layer colored liquids of different densities in a jar to create a rainbow. Honey, dish soap, water, and oil stack perfectly — and your child discovers why.

Roll a die and do that many movements — three hops, five claps, two spins. A whole-body counting game that burns energy while building number sense.

Sort coins by type and learn their names — penny, nickel, dime, quarter. A real-world math activity that introduces money concepts through hands-on sorting.

Write step-by-step directions to guide a friend through a grid — forward, turn left, turn right. Your child's first taste of programming logic, no screen needed.

Build a daily routine around a simple calendar and weather chart. Your preschooler learns days, seasons, and weather by tracking them each morning.

Create a floor number line with masking tape and practice walking, jumping, and counting along it. A whole-body way to understand number order and sequence.

Hunt for bugs in your backyard, observe them closely, and record findings in a simple log. A real field science experience for curious young naturalists.

Roll two dice and add the numbers together using counting, fingers, or a number line. A hands-on introduction to addition that feels like a game, not homework.

Kids search indoors and outdoors for real-world examples of geometric shapes, then sketch and tally their finds on a checklist.

Flip matching cards face-down and take turns finding pairs to build working memory.

Sort coins by type and practice counting money in a hands-on math activity.

Practice buttons, zippers, and snaps on a doll's clothes, building dressing skills.

Sort and count objects, then make a simple bar graph to visualize quantities.

Fish for magnetic letters and learn the alphabet through play. Builds letter recognition and fine motor skills.

Plant a seed and track its growth. Teaches patience, responsibility, and basic botany. Great for all ages.

Fold, fly, and experiment with paper airplane designs. Hands-on STEM learning with just paper.

Draw maps of your house, neighborhood, or imaginary worlds. Builds spatial reasoning and geography skills.

Fun writing prompts that spark imagination and build literacy skills. For kids who can write basic sentences.

Board games teach math, strategy, patience, and good sportsmanship. Our top picks for 5-8 year olds.

Fun kitchen science experiments that teach real scientific concepts. Hands-on learning kids love.

Practice counting with everyday objects. Builds number sense naturally throughout the day. No materials needed.

Find letters hidden around the house for a fun literacy activity. No materials needed — just look around.