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Preschool Life Skills Resources

16 preschool life skills resources: 7 activities, 4 songs, 4 videos and more. How teachers use these

Preschool Life Skills Resources

16 preschool life skills resources: 7 activities, 4 songs, 4 videos and more. How teachers use these

PreschoolBathroom Door Signs Enter and Do Not Enter

Using these Bathroom Door Signs - Enter and Do Not Enter, students improve their bathroom procedures by using these signs to know if the bathroom is occupied or not.

Worksheet
WorksheetPreschoolMaking Mistakes Worksheet

This Making Mistakes Worksheet asks kindergarten students to color the star on each good choice after something goes wrong. An answer key is included, so it is ready for morning meeting or a calm-down corner.

Activity
ActivityPreschoolMaking Mistakes Puzzle

This making mistakes puzzle activity helps preschool to 1st grade students match six oops moments to good ways to fix them, with a recording sheet and practice page. Answer key included.

Activity
ActivityPreschoolProblem Solving Discussion Cards Activity

This problem solving discussion cards activity helps preschool to 1st grade children talk about everyday problems and kind fixes. A steps poster, practice page and answer key are included.

Flash Cards
Flash CardsPreschoolClothing Flash Cards

Using these Clothing Flash Cards, students improve their clothing vocabulary by describing the colorful flash cards.

Activity
ActivityPreschoolWriting Phone Number Activity

This writing phone number activity helps preschool to 1st Grade children read, say, build and write their own phone number on a paper phone. Number cards, practice page and answer key included.

PreschoolI Can Tie My Shoes Reward Certificate for Boys

Using the I Can Tie My Shoes Reward Certificate for Boys, your student will feel celebrated and recognized for being able to tie his own shoes!

Activity
ActivityPreschoolBig and Small Mistakes Sort Activity

This big and small mistakes sort activity helps PreK to 1st grade students sort 12 picture cards by how easy a mistake is to fix, with a practice page and answer key included.

Activity
ActivityPreschoolBuildings Made of Blocks Activity

Using this Buildings Made of Blocks Activity, students use blocks to create buildings to build their creativity and fine motor skills.

Activity
ActivityPreschoolBuilding with Blocks Activity

Using this Building with Blocks Activity, students roll a die to stack that number of blocks to build their fine motor skills. 

Activity
ActivityPreschoolFinished Not Finished Sorting Activity

Using this Finished Not Finished Sorting Activity, students sort work descriptions into finished and not finished categories to make sure their tasks are completed. 

PreschoolI Can Tie My Shoes Reward Certificate For Girls

Using the I Can Tie My Shoes Reward Certificate For Girls, your student will feel celebrated and recognized for being able to tie her own shoes!

From our teachers' playbook

Little hands, big independence

What do preschoolers learn about life skills?

Preschool life skills are the everyday jobs that help little ones feel big and capable. Kids learn to wash their hands, brush their teeth, get dressed and say please and thank you. They practice taking turns, cleaning up, finishing a task, and staying calm when something goes wrong. Some even start learning their phone number for safety. The click moment is when a preschooler zips their own coat and shouts, "I did it all by myself!"

Our favorite ways to teach life skills

Preschoolers learn routines through songs, pictures and lots of gentle practice. These are our favorites.

Sing while you scrub

A song is the perfect handwashing timer. Play the handwashing song at the sink every single time, and kids keep scrubbing until the music ends. After a week, you will hear them humming it on their own.

Why it works: a catchy, repeating tune gives the brain a hook to hang words on, so sung text is remembered better (Wallace, 1994).

Wash My Hands SongTry it withWash My Hands SongSongsOpen it →

Talk through little problems

Pull out a problem card at circle time, like "Your friend has the toy you want." Ask, "What could we do?" and act out the best ideas with puppets. Practicing when everyone is calm makes it easier in the moment.

Why it works: in a well-known study, a few short sessions of a simple number board game measurably boosted young children's number skills (Ramani and Siegler, 2008).

Problem Solving Discussion Cards ActivityTry it withProblem Solving Discussion Cards ActivityActivitiesOpen it →

Picture the steps

Show clothing cards in the order kids put things on: underwear, pants, socks, shoes. Then let them practice with dress-up clothes. Seeing each step makes getting dressed less overwhelming.

Why it works: children learn more from words and pictures together than from words alone (Mayer, 2009).

Clothing Flash CardsTry it withClothing Flash CardsFlash CardsOpen it →

Questions parents and teachers ask

What life skills should a preschooler learn?

Preschoolers can learn to wash their hands, brush their teeth with help, dress themselves, use polite words, clean up toys and take turns. Each small skill builds independence and confidence.

How do I teach my preschooler to wash their hands?

Show the steps with pictures by the sink: wet, soap, scrub, rinse, dry. Sing a short song while scrubbing so they keep going long enough to get hands clean.

At what age should a child know their phone number?

Many children can start learning their phone number around ages 4 to 5. Singing it to a tune or practicing with a pretend phone makes it easier to remember.

How do I help my preschooler handle mistakes?

Stay calm and name it: "Oops, that was a small mistake. Let's fix it." Songs and stories about mistakes show kids that everyone makes them and that we can try again.