Do you need fancy curriculum or complicated activities for your preschool at home? Short answer: NO! Simple learning activities can be just as effective for young children, and they can save you TIME and MONEY.

In our homeschool, we like to reuse our favorite materials for a variety of learning objectives. One bag of colorful rainbow straw pieces have lasted for more than five years, and we’re still coming up with new ways to play!

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See even more activities for tactile learners — 100 ideas!

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If you are doing tot school or homeschool preschool, be sure to add straw pieces to your list of materials! (Safety note: make sure that the pieces are a reasonable length to prevent choking, and be sure to supervise your child’s play at all times.)

Here are 10 simple learning activities that can be done with straws:

• Sort the straw pieces by color.

Give your child a muffin tin or ‘chip and dip’ container from the dollar store to make sorting easier. Add in tongs or chopsticks for added fine motor practice.

• Add a funnel and jar.

Practice counting the pieces as you drop them in.

• Order the straw pieces by size.

Use vocabulary like “tallest” and “smallest” to learn more about measurement. You can also use sequencing words like first, next, then, and last.

• Lace the pieces onto a shoelace or piece of yarn.

Wear your necklaces proudly!

• Reuse an old Parmesan cheese container for simple learning fun on the go.

Your child can work on hand-eye coordination while enjoying the unique sounds of their new instrument.

• Practice patterns with the straw pieces.

Start with AB patterning, like red yellow red yellow, and then make more complex patterns as your child is able.

• Build letters and words with the pieces.

Practice lowercase and uppercase, spell out your child’s name, or just have fun making random words!

• Use the pieces with playdough!

Make faces with them or use your imagination to pretend the straws are birthday candles or something else.

• Measure objects with the straws.

How many pieces equal the length of a ruler?

• Count a certain number of pieces.

Add in a pair of dice or use UNO cards to work on number recognition while you play.

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See all of these activities on our YouTube channel:

You can also see more of our Activity of the Week videos in our FREE Resource Library.

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As you can see from these simple learning activities using straw pieces, it’s so easy to bring learning into everyday play!

Can you think of more hands-on learning ideas using straws?