Some of the activities that I do with the infants
Hold, rock, and sing to young babies.
Take them outside on nice days.
Explain what you are doing throughout the day when you change or feed them.
Let young babies lie on a big piece of paper and hear the crunching noise when they move.
Play different kinds of music on the radio.
Put bright toys near babies.
Give them soft toys (like a stuffed animal or a clean sock) to hold and feel.
Give babies toys they can move and make noise with (like a rattle).
Hang up big pictures of people and animals on the wall at their eye level to look at.
Hang up toys you make yourself for babies to see and hear. Hang aluminum pie plates on a string. Let a breeze blow them, or move them with your hand.
Have a clean space for babies to crawl. Put bright toys near babies so they can reach out or move toward them. Put a big card-board box on the floor so the babies can crawl inside and play.
Put some chair cushions on the floor. Babies can bounce and roll on them.
Read aloud books that have colorful pictures.
Have blankets and scarves for infants to hide under.

Some of the activities that I do with Toddlers
Toddlers like to put things inside of other things and dump them out. Cut a hole in the middle of the lid of a clean coffee can or plastic margarine tub. Let the toddlers put clothespins, thread spools, and big hair curlers through the hole.
Make play dough. Mix 3 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 3 tablespoons oil, and 1 cup water together. Add food coloring for color. Let the toddlers use jar lids, clothespins, and popsicle sticks to cut and shape the play dough.
Children love to play with water. Fill big buckets or tubs with water. Give the children soap chips, measuring spoons and cups, plastic bottles, butter tubs, and sponges to play with in the water. Put towels or newspaper on the floor so the children will not slip on the wet floor.
Toddlers like goop. Mix cornstarch and water together. Let toddlers play with it in a bucket or in bowls with cups and spoons. Make the goop thick or thin.
Ask your local appliance shop for a free refrigerator (or other large appliance) cardboard box. Cut doors and windows in the box to make a playhouse. Toddlers can draw on it with crayons or "paint" it with water and big brushes or sponges.
Toddlers like to draw with short, fat, unwrapped crayons. Give them paper bags (you can tear them open to make large sheets of brown paper) or large pieces of heavy paper to draw on. To help them draw, tape the paper down so it does not move.
Let toddlers tear old wrapping paper. Then have them paste the pieces to make a collage.
Have toddlers finger paint with shaving cream mixed with food coloring. They like this mess.
Toddlers like to jump. Put pillows, cushions, or a mattress on the floor.
They can use some swings and low slides at the playground.
Most toddlers are just learning how to walk and run. Go for lots of walks.
Let the toddlers practice climbing stairs with your help.
Toddlers also like to play house with dolls and housekeeping props such as plastic dishes and spoons.

Some of the activities that I do with Preschoolers
Preschool children like to jump, ride tricycles, play ball, use crayons, and do puzzles.
When these children play with water or sand, give them toys like egg beaters, watering cans, squeeze bottles, and funnels.
Make soap bubbles. Add 3/4 cup of liquid dish soap to 2 quarts of water. Have the children blow bubbles with small plastic (frozen juice) containers open at both ends. They can also use straws or green plastic berry baskets. Also, let the children wash dishes.
Poke holes in the bottoms of plastic margarine tubs. Have the children fill them with water and watch it dribble out.
Let the children play with sand in buckets. Give them scoops, muffin tins, funnels, rolling pins, and salt shakers to use. Almost any containers and utensils are fun to play with in the sand.
Preschoolers like to pretend. They learn how to share, and it helps their imaginations grow. Set up a corner of your room like an ice cream store. You will need a table, clean ice cream containers, ice cream scoops, and cones made from paper. To make a pretend beach, you will need bathing suits, towels, sunglasses, a radio, and beach toys. To make a supermarket, gather empty food boxes and containers, play money, and shopping carts. You can also get ideas from the children for pretend playing.
Hygiene routines (washing hands and brushing teeth) should be a regular part of each day.
Preschoolers like to make things with blocks and Legos(TM). Check to make sure the wood is smooth and free of splinters.
 

Some of  the activities that I do with School-aged children
These children like many of the same activities toddlers and preschoolers like. These activities include playing with water, cooking, and dancing. Make activities more fun for older children by adding more toys and by letting them do more things by themselves.
Most school-aged children are very active and like competitive games like kickball or basketball.
Some school-aged children like to play alone.
Girls tend to like to play with girls, and boys tend to like to play with boys most of the time.
Help the children make water wave jars. In a jar, mix one part water with food coloring to two parts oil. Tightly screw on the lid. Hold the jar sideways. Rock it back and forth to make waves.
Help them make water clocks. Collect five or six cans of different sizes. Punch a small hole in the side of each can near the bottom. Stuff the hole with paper. Fill the cans with water. Have the children see which will empty first and which will empty last. Before they try this, ask them to predict which will empty first.
 
 

Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Miller, L. (1991). *Play activities for children birth to nine years*.(Family Day Care Facts series). Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts.