School options for 3 year olds: Preschool Programs for Ages 3

Free Preschool Programs in Michigan Support School Readiness

All children are born ready to learn and can be successful with the right tools and support. Research shows that 90% of a child’s brain development happens by age five. It also shows that children who attend preschool do better in school and later in life. But for many families, the cost of a quality preschool can be a challenge. Michigan offers two quality free preschool programs designed to support school readiness. Many families qualify for these programs at no cost. Learn more about Head Start and Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) below and find a location near you.

Program Features:

• Hands-on learning
• Planning based on each child’s strengths and needs
• Healthy nutrition – breakfast, lunch and snacks provided (based on schedule)
• Strong parent engagement
• Connections to additional resources and services to support children and families
• Quality curriculum

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Head Start Eligibility

Head Start focuses on your child’s needs in the classroom and beyond. Children ages 3 to 5 years old can participate in Head Start, American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start, or Migrant and Seasonal Head Start. Some counties in Michigan also offer Early Head Start for women who are pregnant, infants, toddlers and their families. Eligibility is based on family size and household income. View the income eligibility chart. Children who are homeless, children receiving public assistance, children in foster care, and children who have delays or an IEP are also eligible regardless of income. Head Start focuses on the child’s needs and development and those of the family. It also offers families health, nutrition, and dental support. Parents are invited to join in activities and participate in the program.

Great Start Readiness Program Eligibility

The Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) is one of the highest quality preschool programs across the country. The program uses research-based curriculum and activities are planned to build on each child’s skill set. All lead teachers are required to have a bachelor’s degree.  

GSRP serves children who are 4 years old by December 1. First priority is given to children who turn 4 by September 1. Eligibility is based on family size and income as well as other qualifying factors. View the income eligibility chart. Funding has increased to allow more centers to offer GSRP to eligible families. Families who are above income may also be eligible in certain areas.

• Families who speak a language other than English at home
• Children in foster care
• Children who have a qualifying IEP
• Children who are homeless

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Prekindergarten Registration and Enrollment | Texas Education Agency

Enrollment Toolkit

Family Information

Local Education Agencies

Families/Caregivers: Find A School can assist families and caregivers to see schools and programs in their area, based on address or zip code. The State of Texas provides free prekindergarten for eligible students. Prekindergarten enrollment is ongoing. For more information, use the Family Information button below. 

Local Education Agencies (LEAs): For staff that work directly with prekindergarten programs including registration and enrollment, explore the Enrollment Toolkit section below as well as the button for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) for additional resources for prekindergarten 3 and prekindergarten 4 programs. 

The Early Childhood Education Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page contains additional information on prekindergarten eligibility, prekindergarten programming, high-quality prekindergarten, and K-2nd Grade programming. 

Feedback Survey

In Texas, ~57,000 eligible 4-year-olds and ~225,000 eligible 3-year-olds are not enrolled in public prekindergarten. Increasing student enrollment in High-Quality prekindergarten programs across the state is a high priority. This toolkit offers ideas to help guide school districts and charter schools with each step in the process of recruiting, enrolling, and serving prekindergarten-eligible children and their families. The toolkit is composed of five categories: Outreach, Family Education, Registration, Expanding Access, and Community Empowerment. Each category will have strategies with links to specific tools and resources housed on the Prekindergarten Enrollment Tools and Resources page on the Texas Gateway site.  On Texas Gateway, local education agencies can view downloadable content from these five categories: Outreach, Family Education, Registration, Expanding Access, and Community Empowerment to expand enrollment in High-Quality prekindergarten programs.

Use effective strategies and actions to make families aware of the availability of early childhood education programs in their communities and the eligibility of their children. The outreach efforts should also focus on informing families about the crucial importance of education at an early age. Strategies and links to associated tools and resources can be found below.

Use Targeted Messaging

Create flyers, posters, or using social media to reach families and community members.  

Partner with Primary Care Providers

Partner with local primary care providers to have them support the prekindergarten awareness effort. Discussing the importance of prekindergarten can be a part of the well-check process. 

Use an Effective Media Campaign

Implement a media campaign that involves TV and radio spots as well as social media. Insert promotional/information ads in local newspapers, district and campus newsletters, utility bills, and bumper stickers.

Position Parents as Resources

Promote parent-to-parent sharing of experiences about prekindergarten education through PTO/PTA meetings, informal social events, testimonial videos, and/or home visits. Recruit a group of current and/or past prekindergarten parents who could help with outreach efforts. Provide badges that they can wear during prekindergarten events to help promote the program. 

Outreach Tools

On Texas Gateway, find tools and downloadable flyers for partnering with primary care providers, effective media campaigns, positioning parents as resources, and targeted messaging.  (See Outreach tools)

Provide clear and simple information to families to help them increase their knowledge and skills regarding their children’s development and their role in the process. Strategies and links to associated tools and resources can be found below.

Highlight Developmental/Parenting Tips

Provide tips for families about child development and learning via newsletters, posters, and/or social media. Small tips can help families become aware of where their child falls on the developmental continuum. 

Host Family Workshops

Provide bilingual workshops on topics such as: Health and Wellness, How Play Connects to Learning, Developmentally-Appropriate Activities for Young Children, Family Engagement, etc. Empower parents to lead workshops with other parents and/or to provide coaching to other parents.

Provide School Tours

Provide school tours (during the school day) throughout the year to prospective parents. This will allow them to get a firsthand look at the school and prekindergarten classrooms.  

Host a Pre-k Event Day

Host a fair-type event at one of your sites to allow families to experience not only the elements of learning in prekindergarten, but also the features of a “school.”

Use Online Platforms and/or Social Media

Develop a blog where parents can publish their testimonials about their positive experiences in prekindergarten education. Use social media outlets to expose parents to developmental learning tips and/or any of the strategies listed above. 

Family Education Tools

On Texas Gateway, find tools and downloadable flyers for highlighting developmental/parenting tips, family workshop tools, and school tour tools. (See Family Education tools)

Simplify the steps involved in the registration process to make it easier for parents to enroll their children in high-quality prekindergarten programs. Strategies and links to associated tools and resources can be found below.

Provide Family-Friendly Registration Information

Ensure that your registration process communicated clearly to families through websites, flyers, on at the school itself.

Offer Registration Support Packets

Provide registration packets for your campuses/sites/schools to use during their registration days. Include a flow chart of the process and tips such as: greet/welcome families with a smile, provide books/activities that young children can do while parents are filling out documents, etc.

Host an Official Pre-k Orientation Day

Host a prekindergarten orientation day that families can attend on their prospective campus. On this day, families can learn about the school, the prekindergarten program offered, meet teachers, and/or take a tour of the school. Include a registration table if possible.

Use Effective Outreach and Marketing

Promote registration throughout your district: website, administrative offices, campus banners/marquees, flyers, posters, and/or social media. Don’t limit your marketing to only campuses that have prekindergarten programs. Work with community and city agencies to advertise prekindergarten registration throughout the community. Advertise registration through local news and radio stations.

Position Parents as Resources

Expand the reach of the enrollment office by creating a “Prekindergarten Parent Ambassador” group. This group of parents can help new parents during registration events and/or act as mentors of the new enrollees.

Registration Tools 

On Texas Gateway, find tools and downloadable flyers for family-friendly registration, registration support packets, Pre-K orientation day, outreach, and marketing tools. (See Registration Tools)

Focus on identifying and addressing the specific challenges that may prevent families from enrolling their children in prekindergarten. Strategies and links to associated tools and resources can be found below.

Identify Barriers and Challenges

Determine the specific barriers and challenges in your own district/charter through surveys and/or focus groups. Use this information to focus your efforts on eliminating barriers specific to your community.

Facilitate Transportation

Find creative solutions to get children to school such as vans, school buses, or a “walking school bus” where a group of trained parents take turns walking children to and from school in a group.

Offer Enrichment Activities

Review your prekindergarten school day schedule. Is it in line with other elementary grade levels? If not, consider offering enrichment activities before or after school to make up for the time so that families can pick up all their children at once. Investigate community volunteer groups that may be willing to offer enrichment activities (i.e. art, dance, makerspace, STEM learning, gardening, and/or storytelling).

Provide Before and After School Care

Offer child care on site to accommodate family work schedules that do not align with school day. Investigate partnerships with community agencies that may be able to provide child care on site. 

Partner with Child Development Centers

Partner with child development centers in your community to provide more before and after school care options for families. Contact the TEA Early Childhood Education Division for more information on how to begin a partnership at (512) 463-8967.

Build Relationships 

Engage in relationship-building activities throughout the community prior to enrollment. Participate in community events, particularly those catered to families of young children, to meet prospective families and showcase your prekindergarten program. 

Expanding Access Tools

On Texas Gateway, find tools and downloadable flyers to help identify barriers and challenges, transportation, before and after school tools and for building relationships. (See Expanding Access Tools)

Use families and other community members as ambassadors for the prekindergarten program. They represent a very broad source of experiences and knowledge that can support all the aspects of increasing prekindergarten enrollment. Strategies and links to associated tools and resources can be found below.

Use Parent Ambassadors

Recruit current or former parents/families of prekindergarten children who would be willing to help with outreach in the community. Among their many possible outreach support roles, parent ambassadors can provide neighborhood walks, linguistic support, registration help, shared experiences, and/or facilitate workshops for other parents. 

Build Community Partnerships

Reach out to your community and create a Prekindergarten Community Partnership Group. This group can serve as another voice for your district/charter’s prekindergarten program. It can help with outreach, registration, access, family education, and even providing space and support for prekindergarten events.

Example Enrollment Campaign

In the DFW region, Commit2Dallas has brought 13 districts together to build a campaign around prekindergarten enrollment and registration. On Texas Gateway, Commit2Dallas has provided the resources and tools for local education agencies to view this example enrollment campaign. 

Community Empowerment Tools

On Texas Gateway, find tools and downloadable flyers for parent ambassadors and building community partnerships. (See Community Empowerment Tools)

To be eligible for enrollment in a free prekindergarten class, a child must be at least three years of age on or before September 1 of the current school year (if a 3-year-old program is available) or four years of age on or before September 1 of the current school year and meet at least one of the following eligibility requirements:

• unable to speak and comprehend the English language
• is educationally disadvantaged (eligible to participate in the national school lunch program… guidelines about NSLP eligibility can be found in sections 4 and 6 of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Administrators Reference Manual)
• is homeless, as defined by 42 USC, §11434a, regardless of the residence of the child, of either parent of the child, or of the child’s guardian or other person having lawful control of the child
• is the child of an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who is ordered to active duty by proper authority
• is the child of a member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who was injured or killed while serving on active duty
• is or has ever been in the conservatorship of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (foster care) following an adversary hearing held as provided by Family Code §262. 201 or has been in foster care in another state or territory, but currently lives in Texas
• is the child of a person eligible for the Star of Texas Award as:
  • a peace officer under Texas Government Code §3106.002
  • a firefighter under Texas Government Code §3106.003
  • an emergency medical first responder under Texas Government Code §3106.004

Eligibility applies to three-year-olds when a three-year-old program is available.

Statute: TEC §29.153 (b)

Resources and Frequently Asked Questions

This section contains a few frequently asked questions. Additional FAQs can be found on the Early Childhood Education Frequently Asked Questions page. For more family resources, check our the Family Resources page with information on the important of prekindergarten, parent guides, and information on early childhood programs across Texas. 

Why isn’t my child eligible for prekindergarten?
The Texas Legislature determines eligibility requirements for free, public prekindergarten in Texas. When the Texas legislature established the prekindergarten program the intent was, and still is, to provide early learning experiences to students who are most at risk for school failure. Therefore, the eligibility is limited. The legislature believed that a high-quality prekindergarten program could mitigate the impact of the at-risk characteristics, thereby assisting these students to become school ready when they enter kindergarten.

Does my child have to go to prekindergarten if he or she is eligible?
No. Prekindergarten is not mandatory. However, on enrollment in prekindergarten, a child must attend school. All students are subject to compulsory school attendance rules while they are enrolled in school. If a child has not reached 6 years of age as of September 1 of the current school year, the child may be withdrawn from school without violating compulsory attendance rules. TEC §25.085(c), SAAH, Section 3.5

Are districts required to serve three-year-olds who are eligible?
No. A district may offer prekindergarten classes if the district identifies 15 or more eligible children who are at least three years of age. A child who is three years old is eligible for prekindergarten only if the district operates a three-year-old prekindergarten program. TEC §29.153(a), SAAH, Section 7.2

May districts keep “waiting lists” of eligible children who are not being served?
No, not for eligible four-year-olds. By law, a school district must offer prekindergarten classes if it identifies 15 or more children who are eligible and are four years of age by September 1 of the current school year. If a district offers a program for eligible three-year-old students, a waiting list or lottery for three-year-olds only may be established under district policy. TEC §29.153(a)

Resources

The ECE Resources page contains several webinars, downloads, and additional information for early childhood programs.

The Prekindergarten Registration and Enrollment Webinar includes both of those topics as well as eligibility information and prekindergarten tuition. Participants will see tangible examples of documentation, common registration scenarios, and discover resources for prekindergarten registration. The slides are also available for download.

The Prekindergarten for three-year-olds resource includes webinars, downloads, and a comparison document for implementing a prekindergarten three program. 

Documentation

A district must verify a student’s eligibility for pre-k in order to receive funding for the pre-k program. Districts must have the verification document as well as any required documentation on file for their records.

Key Points

• Each district offering a prekindergarten program must develop a system to notify families with eligible children of the availability of the program TEC §29.153(e). Notice must be made in English and Spanish. The following sources can be used for prekindergarten notification:
  • Letter of notification sent home with students
  • Identification systems in place at times of registration of older siblings
  • Newspaper articles o Notices in public places o Radio announcements
  • Display on school marquee
  • Community newsletters
  • Social media announcements
• Students may not be denied or excluded from participating in a prekindergarten program for any reason if they are deemed eligible TEC §29. 153 (b).
• “Child” includes stepchild. The stepchild is eligible for pre-k enrollment whether or not the child resides in the same household as the stepparent. Student Attendance and Accounting Handbook, Section 7.2.1
• Once a student is determined to be eligible for pre-k, the student remains eligible for the remainder of the current school year in the district in which he or she resides or is otherwise entitled to attend for Foundation School Program benefits.
• Use the Early Childhood Education Frequently Asked Questions page for more information on Prekindergarten Eligibility, Prekindergarten Programs, High-Quality Prekindergarten, and more. 

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Working with children with disabilities at school: features, methods, organization of the process

How inclusion works, what requirements the school and teachers should follow. Methods of teaching children with disabilities

A child with disabilities can go to any school, including at the place of residence. We explain the main requirements and methods that will help make the education of special children more comfortable:

• Features of working with children with disabilities at school
• Methods and programs for working with children with disabilities at school
• Organization of work with children with disabilities at school
• Work plan for inclusive education in schools

The principle of inclusiveness

The principle of inclusiveness operates in Russian education — children with special educational needs attend schools on an equal basis with their peers (Federal Law No. 273-FZ of December 29, 2012). The main thing is to give social competencies, knowledge in subject areas and prepare for the next stages of education.

The Ministry of Education proposes the following algorithm for mastering educational standards:

A more detailed map of the professional trajectory of people with disabilities is published on the website of the Ministry of Education.

Special personnel

For the education of children with special needs, special personnel are needed: an assistant (assistant) and a tutor (Order of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation dated March 22, 2021 No. 115). Their functions and areas of responsibility are sometimes confused.

Tutor – teaching position (Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation dated August 26, 2010 No. 761Н). The specialist organizes the process of individual work with the student, participates in the pedagogical process. The tutor assigns PMPK and only to some groups of children.

Serious requirements are imposed on the position: a minimum teaching experience of two years, as well as a diploma of higher education in the direction of “Education and Pedagogy”.

Assistant (assistant) provides technical assistance. Duties include accompanying a child with RVA to school, assisting him in orientation and movement around the school, keeping records, etc. The functions of an assistant can be performed by an assistant educator and junior educator (Letter of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation dated 27.08.2021 No. AB-1362/07).

The requirements for an assistant working with children with disabilities are not so strict. To apply for a position, it is enough to have a secondary general education and courses that meet the standard of the Ministry of Labor.

PMPK and program options

Only the Psychological, Medical and Pedagogical Commission (PMPK) can recognize that a child has a disability. If the diagnosis is confirmed, a conclusion is formed that includes requirements for the conditions of study and the program. The school must provide all items.

There is a nuance – the first conclusion of the commission is valid until the end of the fourth grade. After the child undergoes PMPK again, and three scenarios are possible: the diagnosis is removed, the diagnosis is extended or changed, then the commission draws up new recommendations.

Recommendations fix the options for the educational process for a child with disabilities at school:

• I — the program is identical to the standard one, the conditions for its assimilation and a number of related requirements change;
• II – the program is identical to the standard one, but up to two years are added to it;
• III – training adapted to the needs of students with mental retardation, autism spectrum disorder, disorders of the musculoskeletal system, vision and hearing;
• IV – training requires a special individual development program.

Children with disabilities require an individual approach, so each school independently forms adapted educational programs. The current federal state educational standard (FSES) sets the boundaries of working methods, and local teachers prescribe specific steps for the development of children (Order of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation dated May 31, 2021 No. 287).

The Ministry of Education also recommends focusing on a child’s life skills. The balance in programs is as follows:

The features of the development of children with disabilities are multifaceted, and it is not possible to fit all possible methods in one article. Therefore, here are a few sources to find the right material.

To make it easier for educational institutions to develop methods of working with children with disabilities, the Ministry of Education proposes to rely on materials prepared by Moscow Pedagogical State University. Successful practices from different regions of Russia are published on the website of the university. Specialized issues of professional journals, such as The Practice of School Education, will also be useful.

Retraining

In order for a specialist to be admitted to children with disabilities, he needs to undergo professional retraining or advanced training courses (Letter of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia dated March 11, 2016 No. VK-452/07). The minimum amount of lessons is 72 hours. To confirm qualifications, you will have to show a diploma or certificate of advanced training.

Working hours

One teacher’s salary – 18 hours per week (Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated December 22, 2014 No. 1601). In classes of compensatory education, the number of students does not exceed 20 people. Lessons last 40 minutes, and in elementary grades there is a limit of no more than 5 lessons per day.

Load on a teacher

The Ministry of Education and Science of Russia has established how many children with disabilities can be taught by one teacher (Order of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation dated March 22, 2021 No. 115). The norms are as follows:

• one defectologist teacher for 6–12 children;
• one teacher-speech therapist for 6–12 children;
• one teacher-psychologist for 20 children;
• one tutor and assistant for 1-6 children.

Class occupancy

Working with children with disabilities in the main school is more comfortable for students and teachers if the optimal class occupancy is observed. This moment is regulated by the requirements of SanPiN.

If children with disabilities are educated together with other students, their maximum number in a class is 3 people.

According to the standards, the class occupancy for students with disabilities is distributed as follows:

Here we distinguish two layers of work: the material base and methodological possibilities.

Material and technical base

The organization of the architectural and information space is carried out by special contractors. This is not surprising, since the legislation in this matter is extremely strict and refers to federal, regional and municipal regulations (Federal Law of November 24, 1995 No. 181-FZ).

In general, a barrier-free environment includes the following requirements:

• widening doorways and removing door sills;
• installation of railings along the walls inside the building;
• marking and visual navigation device;
• installation of ramps;
• refurbishment of classrooms and offices of school specialists, locker rooms, sports halls, medical rooms, sanitary facilities.

A complete set of rules simply won’t fit in an article. Full information is enshrined in the set of rules for the accessibility of buildings (SNiP 35-01-2001. SP 59.13330.2016).

In order not to be unfounded, only the adaptation of the entrance group of the building is regulated by almost 30 standards. It includes contrast marking of transparent doors, requirements for handrails, the size of the area between the door and steps, etc.

dated May 31, 2021 No. 287). They can be taken from the previous version of the standards, but we suggest using the recommendations of the Ministry of Education.

Sources for the formation of plans and programs

Examples of programs are published on a special page of the Institute of Correctional Pedagogy of the Russian Academy of Education. They include adapted programs in various subjects and take into account the specifics of HIA.

Documents are designed to be downloaded and put into practice. This is directly stated in the letter of the Ministry of Education to the regions (Letter of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation dated August 27, 2021 No. AB-1362/07).

Planning

The Institute of Correctional Pedagogy of the Russian Academy of Education has published guidelines for the formation of curricula in basic schools. Formally, this is a regional initiative of St. Petersburg. However, it was considered a positive experience, and the Ministry of Education recommends it for review.

Work with children with disabilities, according to the third generation GEF

Professional development for teachers. Online test. Certificate

View the program

The laws and the Federal State Educational Standards do not have clear requirements for the format of the work plan for inclusive education at school. The main thing is that the document reflects the content of the classes, the forms and methods of teaching, the timing and the expected result.

The main task of working with children with disabilities at school is to give the student a decent education and social skills. It is highly desirable that such a child be among peers, which will help to better adapt to independent life.

Documents are designed to be downloaded and put into practice. This is directly stated in the letter of the Ministry of Education to the regions (Letter of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation dated August 27, 2021 No. AB-1362/07).

33 educational and entertaining games

At the age of six, many children enter the first grade or prepare for this important stage in their lives. However, despite the fact that kindergarten is a thing of the past, six-year-olds still remain children, and play remains the dominant activity for them.

Games with a 6-year-old child can be aimed at developing thinking, attention, imagination, cognitive abilities or physical data (dexterity, endurance, coordination of movements). Games in English, outdoor games, psychological games, in a group or together – there are many options for parents and educators. Play is a wonderful method of learning and development, both at home and at school.

Today’s children are increasingly choosing gadgets, rather than real communication. The task of parents is to take away a tablet from their child and play games with it, for a child of 6 years old, such a joint pastime is extremely important: a six-year-old feels that he is loved, interested in him, parents delve into his problems and want to spend time with him. Parents themselves during the game can learn a lot about their baby, his thoughts and experiences. In addition, it is much easier to teach a child something new, presenting information in a playful way, and not forcing memorization.

Contents

1. Games with a 6-year-old child at home together
2. Games for children 6 years old at home
3. Didactic games
4. Music games
5. Board games
6. Games for a group of children aged 6
7. Logic games
8. Educational games
9. Math games
10. New Year games
11. Speech therapy games
12. Attention games
13. Role play
14. Outdoor games for children 6 years old

Games with a 6-year-old child at home together

Stayed at home with a child in quarantine or during school holidays and do not know what to do? Offer him interesting games that you can play together. As a rule, home games do not require special training and special equipment – ordinary household items and toys serve as props.

1. “Pizzaiolo”

Props : two cardboard round blanks for future pizza, colored pencils, scissors, colored paper or an album.

Parent and child will compete to see who can make the fastest pizza. First you need to prepare the “ingredients”. On a sheet of paper we draw cheese, sausage, tomatoes and other products that you want to add to your dish. You can cut them out of colored paper. All ingredients are drawn and cut out in duplicate, there should be an equal number of them.

Pizza preparations are placed on two stools, and all the ingredients are laid out in a far corner or even in another room. On a signal, the game begins: the participants run to the ingredients, take one part, come back, put it on the pizza – and so on until it is ready. Whoever finishes their dish the fastest wins.

Today in stores you can find a ready-made toy pizza set, where products are molded onto a felt blank using Velcro. You can also cook not pizza, but, for example, a cake or soup.

2. “Doll”

A very funny game that will make any bookie laugh. The child is a deflated doll. He, completely relaxed, sits on a chair, his arms hang down along his torso. The parent – the pump – puts a finger of one hand to the doll, and the other to his mouth, and begins to inflate the doll. You can make the corresponding sound “psh-psh-psh”. At the same time, the child begins to “puff up”. Suddenly, the pump is disconnected – and the doll deflates again, and maybe even starts to “fly” around the apartment, like a deflating balloon … It’s simply unrealistic to keep from laughing! In addition, this game teaches the child to feel his body, relax and strain its individual parts.

3. “When I was…”

Apartment dwellers cannot always afford to run and make noise, as they will disturb their neighbors. In this case, quiet games will come to the rescue. This entertainment perfectly develops imagination and fantasy. Invite the child to continue your phrases:

• when I was small, like an ant …
• when I was flexible like an acrobat…
• when I was furry like a bear…
• when I was hungry like a pack of wolves…

In this way, together with the child, you can come up with a whole fairy tale story, write it down and supplement it with illustrations created together.

Games for children 6 years old at home

What to do at home with a child of 6 years old at home? Those who prefer calm games can play “Cities”, “Sea Battle”, “Tic-Tac-Toe” or do appliqué, modeling from plasticine, drawing. If the living space allows, then outdoor games are also available, such as pillow fights or soft ball football. So, what to play at home with a child of 6 years?

4. “Mirror”

The child plays the role of a mirror and must exactly repeat all the movements of the leader. The leader’s task is to make his “reflection” laugh. If the facilitator manages to make the child laugh, then the players switch roles.

5. “Obstacle race”

Props : “obstacles”, long ribbon.

Obstacles are placed on the running route. Some you need to run around, some you need to jump over, and some you need to crawl under. Obstacles can be ordinary toys and chairs. Particularly creative parents can comment on the route: “Be careful! On the right is fiery lava, look not to fall into the very mouth of the volcano! bumps! etc. The tape is needed in order to mark the finish, as they do in sports marathons.

Didactic games

Educational games should be used not only in schools, but also at home, because at the age of six children absorb new material like a sponge. This is the best age for cognitive development and learning.

6. “What’s wrong?”

A game that develops attentiveness, logical thinking, memory and auditory perception. The rules are quite simple: the facilitator reads the poem twice, and then the children must remember what is wrong in it:

• Is it true or not that snow is black like soot,
• Sugar is bitter, coal is white, but a coward, like a hare, dare?
• That a cancer can fly, and a bear can dance a master?
• That pears grow on willows, that whales live on land,
• That mowers cut down pine trees from dawn to dusk?
• Well, squirrels love bumps, and lazy people love work,
• Don’t boys and girls take cakes in their mouths?

7.

“What will I put in my briefcase”

Props : briefcase, various things, some of which relate to the educational process, and some do not.

From the items laid out, the child needs to choose which ones are needed for schooling and which ones are not. School supplies need to be sent to the backpack and at the same time tell what the student will do with this or that thing.

You can play similar educational games, but on the theme of a hospital, a hike, a vacation at sea, a desert island. Such games bring up accuracy, organization, develop thinking.

Music games

What six year old doesn’t like to sing and dance? In particular, any hyperactive child will be delighted with musical games, because this is a great opportunity to throw out all their energy and show their creative abilities.

8. “Who is singing this?”

Props : recording of songs from cartoons and children’s fairy tales.

Classic quiz. It is desirable that there are several participants or two teams – six-year-olds love the spirit of competition and enthusiastically perceive any competition. The host turns on the song, the children need to guess the artist. For each correct answer, the participant or his team receives a chip. The team with the most correct answers wins.

9. “Improvisation”

Almost all dance games have the same goals – to charge with positive energy and warm up. This fun game is no exception. The facilitator turns on a catchy melody for the children and gives tasks – to dance like kittens, penguins, kangaroos, caterpillars, bears, etc.

Board games

Many families simply love entertaining board games, because you can spend more than one hour or even the whole evening playing Monopoly or Scrabble. During the game, the child learns to interact with other participants, as well as to perceive defeat correctly. In addition, board games develop tactile and visual perception.

You can buy a ready-made board game – today there is a huge assortment of such goods in stores, or you can make it yourself by drawing a playing field on a Whatman paper.

10. “Secrets and riddles…” (substitute the name of either your city or a fictitious country)

Props : Whatman paper, colored pencils and felt-tip pens, scissors, chips, a cube.

Draw a playing field on paper. There may be a separate place for your apartment, kindergarten or school, playground, shops – in general, all places familiar to the child, which he often visits. Tasks are assigned for each location. For example, a player rolls a dice and ends up on the “School” field, then he needs to solve an example, read a poem, etc. If he gets to the “Sports Ground”, then the tasks will be appropriate – perform five squats or push-ups.

• Board games for the whole family
• DIY board games for children

11.

Magic ball

Props : box, cocktail straws, small ball, markers.

In the box, draw a labyrinth with a simple pencil, then add volume to it with the help of plastic tubes – just glue the straws on top along the drawn contour. At the finish line, we draw a princess who needs to be saved – deliver a magic ball (our little ball) to her as quickly as possible. We set the ball at the start, after which we try to direct it to the finish line through the maze by tilting the box in different directions.

Games for a group of children aged 6

Group games are extremely important for the formation of a child’s personality. Moreover, they help to organize leisure. If a group of six-year-olds is not offered a game, if their activity is not directed in a certain direction, then small active naughty ones may well cause chaos. Collective games can be of an intellectual or sports orientation, children really like relay races, recently the quest has been very popular.

12. “Homeless Hare”

A hare and a hunter are chosen. All other players – also hares – draw a circle for themselves, which is considered their house. On a signal, the hunter starts chasing the hare, the hare can hide in one of the “houses”, but then the owner of this circle must go out and act as a new target for the hunter. Thus, several hares can change. If the hunter grabbed the hare, then the latter himself becomes the hunter.

13. “Feet from the ground” (the floor is lava)

Lead and water are selected. All other players on the command “Feet off the ground!” should jump to some kind of elevation. Those who remained on the ground run away from the water. The caught player is out of the game. The game continues until one player remains.

Logic games

Games for the development of logical thinking, as a rule, are calm, not mobile. Many elementary school students even have a special subject “Logic”, where they solve problems, play associations, solve logic puzzles and riddles, and participate in thematic quizzes.

14. “Guess whose house”

Props : toys or images of a hare, a fox and a bear, three houses of different colors, sizes and with certain distinctive features.

The facilitator reads tasks to the children that will help determine which of the animals lives in which house:

“The hare’s house is neither yellow nor blue, but the bear’s house is neither blue nor white. What color are the animals’ houses?

“Every winter, the bear prepared firewood. Every spring, the fox picked beautiful wildflowers. Every summer the hare prepared food supplies. Find animal houses according to these clues ”(the bear has a house with a chimney, the fox has a vase with a bouquet on the window, and the hare has a garden in front of the porch).

15. “Spread the birds into nests”

Props : images of birds and three nests (painted or toy).

The task of the child is to settle the birds in a certain way. Birds are domestic, wild and migratory. Ask to move all domestic birds to one nest, all birds with white plumage to another, waterfowl to the third, etc. What birds were left without a house? Which bird could live in two nests at once?

Educational games

Six-year-olds have just begun to get out of the age of how-tos, so they continue to bombard their parents with questions about the world around them. Preschoolers and first-graders are interested in literally everything: from natural phenomena to the animal world. Children 6 years old will love games about dinosaurs, space, the world around them, seasons, ocean inhabitants and more.

16. “Archimedes”

As you know, Archimedes exclaimed “Eureka!” when he was able to solve an extremely difficult problem. Invite the child to also solve some riddle that humanity has been struggling with for a long time. For example, “Why did dinosaurs die out and how could this be avoided?”, “Why do people live only on Earth? What needs to be done to populate other planets?”, “How to recognize an alien?”, “How to make an elephant out of a fly?”, “How to learn the language of animals?” and others.

The facilitator asks questions like this, and as soon as one of the participants comes up with an answer, he shouts “Eureka!” – and answers.

17. “Seasons”

Props : playing field divided into four sectors by seasons, cards with images of characteristic phenomena (flowers, snow, green meadow, yellow leaves, etc.), separate cards for each season .

The game can be played in several stages. For example, children are required to divide the cards into the appropriate sectors and explain why they made this choice. Next, the host calls the month, the child raises the card of the season to which the named month belongs. You can also turn on the sounds characteristic of each season (wind noise, New Year’s motifs, spring drops, buzzing insects).

Math games

Games are not only fun and entertaining, but also useful. So, mathematical tasks are extremely important for first-graders, as they help to better assimilate school material, learn to count within a hundred, and perform simple addition and subtraction operations.

18. “Postman”

Props : three houses or mailboxes, each of which has its own number, letters (an example is indicated on each letter).

The child will try himself as a postman who needs to deliver letters to the addressees. But in order to find out in which mailbox the letter should be dropped, the postman will need to solve examples. For example, 5 + 2 = 7, which means that you should choose a box or house at number 7.

19. “Count and cross out”

Props : cards, pen.

The child receives cards with pictures: a tree with three apples, a clearing with four flowers, an aquarium with one fish, etc. The facilitator reads out the tasks: “There are two apples on the tree, take one away”, “There is one fish in the aquarium, add two more “. The child should also be explained why the number of these items could have changed: an apple could have fallen or been plucked, two fish could have been bought at a pet store.

Christmas games

Despite the fact that many six-year-olds already go to school, they still continue to be small children who believe in magic and wait for a miracle with all their hearts, for example, the visit of Santa Claus on New Year’s Eve.

The eve of the New Year is the time for morning performances and entertainment. Parents, educators and teachers need to know several games and competitions in order to give children real fun and charge the children with a good mood.

• Children’s Christmas games: how to have fun on the most magical night of the year

20. Lost Nose

Props : whatman paper with a picture of a snowman, a carrot nose cut out of cardboard, orange plasticine, pushpins or glue.

The host says that the Snowman came to the party, but he got ready so fast that he forgot his nose at home. The task of the guys is to put the guest in order. The child is blindfolded, and he must blindly attach the nose to the drawn snowman (or glue / pin it with a paper button, or mold it from plasticine). You can complicate the task and draw a snowman without other elements inherent in it (buckets on the head, arms, branches, a scarf, etc.).

21. “Snowstorm”

Props : cotton ball, “rain”.

This entertainment can be classified as “games at the table”, as it does not require special activity. Children are divided into two teams (you can play together). The table is divided by “rain” or any other “border” into two equal parts. A snowball made of cotton wool is placed in the middle. On command, both participants begin to blow on the snowball, each from their own side. The player’s task is to throw a snowball to the opponent’s side.

22. “Race in bags”

Props: two large New Year’s bags.

A classic relay race in which two teams compete. Children are built in two lines. The first participants are given bags where they need to climb with their feet. The task of the child is to jump to the finish line and back as quickly as possible and pass the baton to the next player. As usual, the team that finishes the relay first wins.

Speech therapy games

Not all six-year-olds can boast of clear speech. At this age, many children still do not pronounce some sounds: in one case, the missing milk teeth are to blame, in the other, anatomical problems, in the third, psychological features. Whatever the reason, you need to eliminate it as soon as possible.

First of all, beautiful clear speech is a visiting card of a person. Agree, it is always a pleasure to listen to professional speakers and announcers with a well-trained voice. Secondly, classmates can make fun of the child’s speech defects, which in the future is fraught with complexes. Thirdly, speech is directly related to thinking: the more correctly a child speaks, the easier it is for him to form his thoughts, draw logical conclusions, with a poor vocabulary, it is difficult for a child to formulate his thoughts into words.

If speech problems are obvious and serious, then, of course, you need to contact a speech therapist. But parents can correct minor defects on their own, with the help of simple speech therapy games.

23. “Guess what’s in the bag”

Props : a bag, a lot of small toys, for example from Kinder, and small items.

Word games can be aimed not only at correction, but also at the development of speech. This fun is one of those. The child puts his hand into the bag, gropes for one object and tries to describe it as accurately as possible. There are two options: either the parent / second player guesses, or the child himself. This game is also good because it develops fine motor skills.

24. “Stomp-pop”

Phonemic games are aimed at developing sound perception and analysis of oral speech. The stomp-clap game teaches children to recognize certain sounds while speaking. The facilitator sets a sound or syllable, after which he begins to read a poem or story. The child should stomp every time he hears the desired sound or syllable. In this way, you can also learn pairs of “deaf and sonorous”, “hard and soft”. For example, clap for a dull sound, stomp for a voiced sound, etc.

25. “A lot of words”

Props : scene pictures (for example, a forest landscape, a farm, a city, etc.).

The facilitator shows the child a picture and offers to find as many objects on it as possible for a given letter or think of what objects and animals can be here.

First, children name objects that begin with a given letter, then words where the indicated letter is in the middle of the word, and at the end they need to come up with words with a hidden letter at the end.

The third stage of the game is that the facilitator removes the picture and asks the child to repeat as many of the named words from memory as possible.

Attention games

Attention games are necessarily present in the pedagogical activity of both kindergarten teachers and teachers in primary and secondary schools. And all because it is the ability to concentrate that helps the child to understand a huge amount of information, to analyze the world around him.

26. “Keep all the letters”

Props : pre-prepared cards with fictitious words, notebook, pen.

Copying from a sample is a good exercise in developing attention. So, the child receives one card with made-up words written on it. There are several card options:

• Card 1: SLASELLA DASSEKE SELASSA.
• Card 2: CORRIX KUSURA ICOSSIR.
• Card 3: PREMARAP STASSIT RAMMETAT.
• Card 4: RAKISSUMAKIRU KAMMUKAR.
• Card 5: PERILLIMENAT COSICUMARANN.
• Card 6: RAPETONNEED PELACUSSI.

The child needs to rewrite the words exactly without losing a single letter.

The second version of the game is that the child is given two or three cards. The host reads out a fairy tale in which these words appear, but not all, but only some. In addition, the fairy tale may contain fictitious words that are not on the cards. The task of the child is to cross it out every time a word is heard from the card. At the end, the facilitator and the child check whether all the named words have been crossed out.

Example with cards 1 and 2:

In a distant kingdom there lived a princess named SLASELLA. She was an unearthly beauty girl, smart, benevolent, ready to give everyone her radiant smile. Once her father, King PREMARP, wanted to marry the girl, but who will be awarded such a diamond, how to find a worthy groom? Then the king came up with an idea and said – whoever defeats the evil monster KUSURU, who lives in the dark forest, will marry the princess. Many guys wanted to marry a beautiful princess, but everyone was afraid of a terrible forest monster. For three days PREMARAP waited for the suitors, but no one came. And on the fourth day he heard the sound of hooves outside the window.

– It’s me, the glorious knight DASSEKE! And this is my war horse IKOSSIR! shouted a handsome young man in iron armor. – And this is the head of KUSURA, for which the princess was promised!

Check : The words SELASSA and CORRIX must remain uncrossed out on the cards.

27. Spot the Differences

Requisites : cards with pictures to find differences.

There are many varieties of this game, but they have the same essence – the child is shown two pictures that at first glance seem to be the same. However, they do have some differences. The child needs to find and mark the missing details.

The cards may not contain pictures, but symbols and geometric shapes, words and numbers are written.

28. “What has changed”

Props : toy, various accessories.

The child is asked to carefully examine the toy, after which he is asked to close his eyes or turn away. The host changes something in the toy (puts on a hat or ties a scarf on it, clings to a badge or hairpin, changes the position of the limbs, etc.). The child must say what has changed.

Role play

Story games are extremely important for the formation of a preschooler’s personality. During role-playing games, the child expands knowledge about the professional activities of adults, interpersonal relationships in society, learns to communicate, resolve conflict situations, evaluate certain actions. Theatrical games are very popular with children of primary school age. Let the child choose what to play: daughters-mothers, kindergarten, shop or hospital.

29. “Hiking”

Props : backpack, blanket, tent, flashlight and other hiking attributes.

Invite your child to go on a real hike. You can play both on the street (in the park and even on the playground), and in the apartment. This game will perfectly show and tell the child how to navigate in the forest, kindle a fire, cook food on a fire and other camping tricks. During the game, you can also teach the child chants and chants.

Here are some of the chants that children like:

– Who walks with a backpack?
– We are tourists!
Who doesn’t know boredom?
– We are tourists!
– Roads lead us forward!
Our motto: – Always forward!
– Hey, guys, step harder! What does the tourist take on the road?
– A song, a spoon and a backpack!
– Who is behind?
– Don’t fall behind!
– Who is tired?
– Cheer up!
– Whoever wants to go with us – sing our song!

“On the beach”
Be-re-gu
Bolshoy re-ki
bee-la uzha-li-la
Bear right in the nose,
Oh-ee-ee-ee!
The bear roared,
Sat on a bee
And he began to sing: . ..
Then you can sing a “repetition song”:
I got bitten by a hippopotamus!
And out of fear, I climbed on a branch!
And I’m sitting here, and my feet are there!
I got bitten by a hippopotamus!

30. “Construction”

Props : toys, “building materials” (Lego, magnetic constructors and other parts), construction vehicles (trucks, excavators, cranes).

At the beginning of the game, you need to decide which of the toys will be the foreman, who will be the customer, and who will be the builders. During the game, it is important not only to build a house/shop/tower or other structure, but also to create various conflict situations. For example, a lazy builder does not want to work and lets the whole team down, while others need to somehow persuade him to get down to business.

31. “Superhero”

Ask your child to choose an image of a superhero. It can be Batman, Spiderman or any other famous hero, but it will be much more interesting to come up with a superhero yourself. The host, parent, or other participant acts as the villain. The situation is simulated: for example, the villain wants to blow up the city, he has even hidden bombs in public places, but the superhero must stop him and save civilians.

Outdoor games for children 6 years old

On the street, as a rule, children throw out their energy, run, jump, climb stairs. Children’s games at 6 years old are active and fun. But the task of such games is not only to have fun and warm up, but also to develop endurance, dexterity and coordination of the child’s movements.

• Children’s outdoor play: 17 replacements for shooters, fighting games and arcades

32. Predators and herbivores

A predator is selected. A large circle is drawn. The predator catches herbivores in turn, the caught players are placed in a drawn circle. The player can only exit the circle if a free herbivore touches it. That is, the task of a predator is not only to catch all herbivores, but also not to let them close to the circle.