learning tools for children {our essential preschool materials}
I am so excited to share our extensive list of essential preschool materials with you! We have compiled preschool learning materials for art, alphabet and math learning, as well as other learning toys that we have found helpful in our home tot school and preschool!
Over the last year and beyond, I have shared many Tot School adventures with you. I always try to introduce new writing tools and fun learning toys to keep my son engaged in his learning — activities like coloring and tracing don’t excite him very much, so we change it up a lot to keep things interesting. Thankfully, any of these learning tools have been gifts, or I’ve found them on sale, but there is a cost involved, so I am only including the ones we love most. {This list doesn’t include all of the homemade paints and play doughs and sensory fun you can make with and for your child, so this is surely not a complete list for what you can use or do in our home preschool!} I have divided this into five lists:
- Art Bin for Children
- Natural Art Ideas
- More Learning Tools for Children
- Alphabet Learning Tools
- Math Learning Tools
- More Learning Toys
Well here it is, our essential preschool materials….
{This post contains affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy.}
The primary tools we use are kept in this tub that I bought on super-sale from Target. It isn’t a perfect container, but holds our must-have essentials:
- Triangular Crayola crayons — to promote proper grip — and they don’t fall off the table!
- Markers: We love the the short Pip Squeak Crayola markers.
- Dry-erase markers: These can be used with heavy-duty sheet protectors, so you won’t be “wasting” paper and it is also a great practical life skill for your child to learn how to erase on his own!
- Do-A-Dot markers are so so awesome. They last forever and can be used for so many art ideas! My son is not a “coloring” type, but he loves these!!
More Natural Art Ideas!!
First, you can see my opinions on What is Art? and Rethinking Arts & Crafts. Also make sure to read (and meditate on :) ) The Artful Parent book to get ideas about art!!
- Paper of all types: big rolls, constructions, black, white, scraps
- Paint: tempera paint, baby paint
- Brushes: paint brushes, hands, q-tips, pine cones, sticks, leaves, rocks, more tools from nature
- Always have little pieces of paper and tools available for creativity!
I have another bin packed with other writing and learning materials. We use these sporadically, depending on John’s mood, or whatever I want to use for that day.
- We also throw in our Crayola Watercolor Paints.
- We also use Tempera Paints with brushes, nylons filled with rice, toilet rolls, anything can be used as a painting medium, but these aren’t “readily accessible to him” :)
- Circle stickers: here are both see-through removable color dots and regular color dots. Perfect for sticking onto a picture page with letters on it.
- I have heard wonderful things about trying the Pencil Grip Ergonomic Writing Aid, for when your child is ready to begin writing with a pencil. You could also try the Pencil Grip Writing Claw.
- Child’s notebook : perfect for early handwriting and storytelling skills!
Alphabet Learning Tools:
- Alphabet magnets are a must have for every preschool home. We have several sets from Melissa & Doug. (One of the sets we have is exclusive to Toys R Us, so make sure to head over there to find them!)
- We adore our LeapFrog Letter Factor Refrigerator Magnets. We use them all the time. There is a non-magnetic set which is a bit less pricy, but would be just as fun (and you could stick magnets to them to make them magnetic!)
- Sandpaper Letter Cards. We put these up on our wall and John touches them to feel the letter of the week.
- Melissa & Doug matching letters puzzles: These are so fun for little hands.
- Uppercase alphabet (with number!) stamping tools and lowercase alphabet stamping tools: for stamping into playdough.
- Learning Resources Letter Construction Set is a great way for children to build the straight and curved lines of the alphabet!
- And our Munchkin ABC Bath Letters — they stick the tub — or a window! — when they are wet!
- We also adore Leapfrog Letter Factory — this is the best early education dvd!!
Math Learning Tools: Fun and essential manipulatives.
- These fun Learn & Links can be used with so many activities — color or shape sorting, as well as simply hole-punching a sweet picture and putting these through the holes for fine motor skills!
- Cuisenaire Rods are an amazing tool for early math spatial learning. Each number 1-10 is in a different color. Also check out this wonderful Cuisenaire Alphabet Book!
- Unifix cubes: for math learning, since each cube can equal “1”.
- Teddy Bear counters can be used for so many fun math activities!
- These circle magnets and homemade pom pom magnets (hot glue together: little magnets and poms) are fun for fine motor skills and can be used to aid in math and literacy learning.
- Also check out these fun Wikki Stix, for building letters or having fun!!
- Shape Templates for teaching shapes and drawing fun pictures!
More Learning Toys we use almost daily:
- These Melissa & Doug Lacing Cards are my son’s favorite. Whenever I bring one out, he insists on sleeping with it!
- I love these Eeboo Stacking blocks and I think every home needs a set – (if you’re looking for the traditional Montessori Pink Tower, you can check that out here.)
- Melissa & Doug Beginning Shape Puzzles: I love these puzzles. These taught my son circle, square, oval, rectangle, and triangle!
- Leap Frog Letter Factory: This is a wonderful learning movie that teaches the letters and their sounds.
My post on How we organize our toys shows the bins where all of these supplies are held!
And I have more learning ideas in my post: Quiet Boxes for Little Ones!
Happy playing and learning,
Amy, I ♥ this post! It’s a wonderful selection for preschool essentials!
We have a lot of the things you mentioned! Looks like we are ready for PreK; thanks for a great list!
Thanks for the great list.