Top Cognitive Activities For Preschoolers

Working on cognitive abilities from an early age is the best way to help young children’s brains think, read, learn, reason, pay attention and remember.

Today we are sharing 19 preschool cognitive development activities that are so much fun.

Top Cognitive Activities For Preschoolers

The human brain is a very complex and great tool that we need to train since early childhood. Thanks to it, we have developed all sorts of skills: from social skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, language skills, impulse control, and other critical skills.

That’s why it’s so important for preschool children to do different activities that promote cognitive function and critical thinking in a fun way. So, to help you with your child’s cognitive development, we put together different ways to enhance these important cognitive skills from a young age.

Let’s get started!

1. How To Draw Mickey Mouse

Drawing is a skill that develops cognitive skills, as well as the ability to perceive, process, and utilize visual information. So, learning how to draw Mickey Mouse is an easy way to work on the cognitive development of preschoolers!

2. Free Printable Crossword Puzzle for Kids Featuring Birds

Simple puzzles are also another great way to help kids with their cognitive skills. Use this free bird crossword puzzle to build spelling skills and new vocabulary while having fun.

3. How To Draw a Fish

Drawing small pictures, like fish, is also a fun activity you can do with little prep that has great benefits! Learn how to draw a fish and create a picture filled with fish friends.

4. Fun Unicorn Matching Worksheets For Preschoolers

Download and print this matching worksheet inspired by unicorns (what preschooler doesn’t love unicorns?!). They work on important skills like visual discrimination skills.

5. Rainbow matching game

Playing matching games in pre-school will enhance children’s pattern recognition skills, as well as color recognition and other important skills. Besides being good for cognitive development, this rainbow matching game is also super adorable!

6. Simple and fun Day of the Dead matching games

Being able to match images and explain why they go together is important to improve concentration, memory, and visual spatial intelligence. These Day of the Dad matching games is also a great way to learn about the beautiful holiday.

7. Free Printable Hidden Object Pictures Puzzle – Sharks

We love hidden objects puzzles because they are part coloring page and part printable game that works great for grade level preschool, pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st grade.

8. Rainbow Color Sorting Activity

Sorting activities are something that infants love to do at a very young age. Sorting by color, size, and shape allows young children to develop math skills that they use later in life. From Hi Mama.

9. Body Color Sorting

It’s important for kids to know how to recognize and sort different shapes, but colors are also important. This is a great way to explore skin colors while also developing a child’s matching skills. Simply print out the printables and follow the instructions for the game! From Hi Mama.

10. Fill Your Hands!

Simply trace an outline of your child’s hand and cut it out of a piece of paper. Then, explore with your child what fits inside their hand, and talk about concepts like sizes, amounts, etc. This will help with their communication skills too. From Hi Mama.

11. Popsicle Stick Shape Puzzles

Puzzles are awesome for children’s brain development, especially for improving cognitive skills, like thinking, predicting, analyzing, and comparing, and they all play an important role. These puzzles only take 5 minutes and are pretty inexpensive to make. From Toddler At Play.

12. Building Stick Shapes Activity

This Building Stick Shapes Activity is yet another super easy and quick to set-up activity that will literally require less than 5 minutes of prep and only a few basic materials. From Toddler At Play.

13. Brown Bear Color Hunt

This activity is going to get your preschooler moving as they search the house for toys in every color. As an added benefit, they’ll be cleaning up at the same time, so you’ll be receiving extra help! From Sandbox Academy.

14. Two Preschool Math Activities with Duplo Legos

Let’s build some towers with Duplos and then help the kids count from 1-12. They make learning so much more fun and they won’t even know they are learning. From Frugal Fun 4 Boys.

15. Roll & Cross Math Game

This roll & cross math game is a great way to practice addition in a fun way. Plus, you can reuse the dice for many other games! From Busy Toddler.

16. Simple counting activity for children

This easy activity will help children build and consolidate their understanding of identifying numbers and how it’s represented using pompoms and cupcake liners. From Laughing Kids Learn.

17. Rainbow Stone Sensory Soup

Just by adding a few materials you can transform water into colorful sensory soups that encourage fine motor play. This rainbow water sensory bin is a great idea that will be a hit with kids. From And Next Comes L.

18. Bang The Box Preschool Activity

This activity for preschoolers who like to bang and explore cause and effect can be adapted for learning letters, shapes or colors. From Elemeno-P Kids.

19. Busy Bag Idea: Felt Snowflakes

It’s a simple idea to put together, only requires a small amount of felt, and the snowflake building possibilities are almost endless. It’s great for critical thinking! From Money Saving Mom.

Looking for more activities for your preschooler? Try these:

What was your favorite cognitive activity for preschoolers?