When my grandson, Jenkin, was three or four years old, whenever he came over to our house, he’d shout, “Books, grandpa, books.” Of course, he couldn’t read and he could only understand the simplest of concepts, but he knew that when we sat down on the couch and leafed through books, it was a fun time for him and grandpa.

Now my grandson is six, going on seven, years of age. His father has introduced him to video games, and he spends hours every day playing them. The other day he came over to our home and I asked if he wanted to read books together. He didn’t even nod hesitantly or shrug-he outright said, “No, grandpa.”

I don’t want you to think I’m condemning my son. He happens to be raising three young kids himself and the mother is not in the picture. He was desperate to give Jenkin something to do in the evenings and on weekends, and I suppose the game player is better than TV, because it improves motor skills.

Nevertheless, I’m describing a heartbreaking problem that spreads across a whole generation or two of kids. They do not enjoy reading and many cannot read. Does reading really matter? Well, humans must understand concepts in order to live their lives. And they must also be able to use critical thinking skills-that is, they need to know how to apply the concepts in real life. If a child’s reading skills are severely lacking, then it follows that their writing skills will also be poor. That can be disastrous.

» Read more: Why Don’t Our Children Read Anymore?

What is a Preschool Outdoor Activities Interest Center?

Every interest center you have inside your classroom would be wonderful outside as well!

We hear so much about bringing the outdoors in; however, bringing the inside out is even more fun! When planning preschool outdoor activities, we usually think of gross motor games and activities to bring outside such as the Parachute, balls, bubbles, etc. And those are GREAT outdoor activities!

What I’m suggesting here is more of an outdoor classroom, if you will! Sure, we want the children to run and burn off energy, use their large motor skills and outside is a great place to do that! I guarantee that they will still so that, even with indoor interest centers set up outside!

What do children learn by using indoor interest centers outside?

They will help the children in the same ways as they do inside. Outside will add to the opportunities to become involved in a different environment.

How should the teacher prepare for a Sand and Water table activity?

This is some preparation, especially if you do not have a locked storage area outside to store items. Bringing and easel or water table outside takes before class preparation. In our area, leaving these things outside would almost guarantee, unfortunately, that they would disappear by the next day.

One way to do this is to enlist the help of parents. Set up a schedule of which items you want outside on which days and ask parents to bring them to your play area before they leave! Planning is the important piece. You can’t take you entire classroom outside every day but you can plan new experiences for a day or a week!

Materials for the Sand and Water Table

The materials to add for your preschool outdoor activities are limited only by your imagination! Here are some ideas to start with an “outdoor classroom” idea!

Art

» Read more: Bringing the Preschool Classroom Outside!