Thinking Games for Preschool

Preschool children are full of wonder each day. Their ability to think and even make age-appropriate decisions can be enhanced with the guidance of parents and teachers. Observation at this age is full of discovery and all it takes is someone who is willing to rediscover the things in life that are often taken for granted as we age. Pointing out a rainbow, a bug crawling on the ground or a blade of grass and talking about it is a great source of thinking enhancement.
  1. Logic

    • A preschool game that you may play with your child is helping him come to logical conclusions regarding what animals eat. Create a list of animals that the child is familiar with and a list of different types of food. Have the child draw a line from the animal to the type of food the animal eats. For example, a rabbit would have a line to a carrot. This will generate conversation and allow the child to apply logic. TLS (tlsbooks.com) offers several worksheets for preschoolers that are free to print.

    Educational Computer Games

    • There are a variety of educational computer games that require your preschooler to make decisions. Can You Place Me? is a game where she sees a picture that is missing an object. At the bottom of the screen is a selection of objects that may be dragged and clicked into place. If she chooses the wrong object, the computer game will send it back to the bottom of the screen. Funschool (funschool.kaboose.com) offers this and other educational online games that are free to play.

    Same Versus Different

    • Teaching preschoolers the concept of "same versus different" may be done with objects found in the home. For example, place a spoon, a plate, a glass and a shoe on top of a table and ask your preschooler, "What does not belong in this group?" The answer is the shoe. Then ask him how he came to this conclusion. Another take on this game would be to find three objects the same color and one that is a different color -- for example, three blue blocks and one red block. There are also worksheets that have pictures of animals such as a duck, a bird, a butterfly and a cow. Ask him to cross out the animal that does not belong in the group. Universal Worksheet (worksheetuniverse.com) offers a free worksheet of the game What Does Not Belong.

    Guess the Object

    • Take a tube sock and place an object inside and ask your preschooler to try to guess what it is by just feeling it. Use objects that she is familiar with, such as a rock, a small toy, a pen and so forth. Switch places and let her put an object inside the sock for you to guess. Another way of playing this game is by using a small box with a hole in it so that she cannot see the object but can put her hand inside the box to feel it. With this game, you can include items such as leaves, marbles, shells and other items that have a distinctive surface to them.

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