Plan activities around the natural world and changing of seasons.
In planning activities for a three-year-old, you must first think like a child. Children love active, playful, silly activities, but don't need expensive materials or toys. Start by identifying your child's interests. Think about art projects or stories that relate to those interests. The process of generating ideas spontaneously takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, you'll have more ideas than you can ever possibly complete.
Literature Extensions
One of the best things you can do for your three-year-old is to read to him daily, but why stop there? Extend the joy of reading by planning related activities. For example, read "Abiyoyo," by Pete Seeger, and then make magic wands out of sticks, glitter and ribbon. Make ukuleles by stringing rubber bands over clean meat trays. Read Susan Lowell's slightly spooky tale "The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything" and then act the story out. Find props, such as gloves, pants and a shirt to increase interest.
Explore the Natural World
Take inspiration from what's going on outside. For example, go for a walk in the spring. Perhaps you'll find a fallen bird's nest. Bring it home and study it. Ask your child how the bird might have made it and get books from the library on bird nests. Then offer materials such as string, clay, paper or feathers so the child can make a nest. Make leaf prints from fallen leaves in the fall or make color copies of the leaves on the printer. Cut the leaves out and arrange them on paper for a colorful fall picture.
Pretend
Three-year-olds love pretend, and with a little creativity, you'll find endless opportunities for drama and storytelling. Make puppets out of socks and put on a puppet show in the family room. Make a journal for your three-year-old by stapling copy paper together. Help your child write stories by giving a prompt, such as "If I was a dinosaur, I'd be a...." At first, you'll dictate your child's thoughts and ideas, but with time your child will begin to write some words independently. The process of putting thoughts on paper is highly motivating and will encourage your child to read and write.
General Recommendations
Forget worksheets. Most three-year-olds lack the fine motor skills to complete them, and they don't create true mastery of skills anyway. Instead, enjoy this magical time with your child by exploring the world through her eyes. If your child is interested in snakes, then spend a week reading books about snakes, painting pictures of snakes and poking in holes at the park in search of snakes. Teach skills in natural, contextual ways. For example, instead of drilling her on writing her name, offer paper and pencil and let her make a grocery list. Help her write the words and then let her pick out the items on the list at the store. Children taught this way learn academic skills much more quickly than those taught through rote methods, because the learning is applied to real-life situations.
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