It’s February! You know what that means – this months edition of Preschool Classroom Tours! Michelle has not let us down this month. She has amazing preschool classroom ideas for this month of LOVE. Caring for little critters with an animal hospital, amazing ice play ideas for the water table, the coziest quiet area I have ever seen, and so much more! I hope you find an idea or two just right for you and your preschoolers. 

Do you know how you sometimes see an idea for play that stops you in your tracks? Maybe you are scrolling through pinterest, or a few photos from a friend, and all of a sudden you find yourself frozen with your mouth hanging open?

Is it just me? It might be a just me thing …

However, this is exactly what happened as I was scrolling through this months pictures from my lovely preschool teacher friend Michelle. For February this year, she wanted her little preschoolers to feel the love and kindness for little critters, so made a vet dramatic play area with …

get this …

a homemade X-ray machine!!!!!!!

Amazing, right? I can’t wait to share all of the amazing preschool classroom ideas with you for this month, so let’s get right to it.

February’s Preschool Classroom Ideas

I hope they give you a little bit of inspiration to try a new idea or two in your preschool classroom or at home!

Pink Rice Tray – Dye some rice pink (not sure how? I have a tutorial for that – easy peasy! How to Dye rice for play) add a little battery operated tea light, some heart sparkles, and some funnels for wonderful sensory play.

Felt hearts on the Light Table – On the light table for February, there are some dollarstore heart placemats and some ladybugs cut out from felt. Some little heart jewels and tongs add great pincer grip practice. The counting, the patterning … so much learning with this idea.

Number Heart Count – some foam hearts with plastic heart cookie cutters glued on top make excellent little ‘bowls’! Add some numbers inside and preschoolers can count out that number of jewels using their fingers, or add tongs for even more hand strengthening. 

Wood Sliced Numeracy Fun – Do you have woodslices for your preschooler? We have made our own before (you can see that tutorial here: DIY wood blocks) Add some polka dots and little hearts so one-to-one correspondence can be practiced at this preschool centre. 

Coffee Cookies Playdough Centre – at the playdough table for the month of February is some homemade playdough with ground coffee beans mixed in for a fun new scent and a wonderful sensory experience as well. I love the addition of a little pretend microwave so preschoolers can bake little cookies!

Quiet Centre Preschool Classroom Idea – I just love this cozy space! Some little wooden boxes with natural elements and tiny figures, wooden structures, and a lightly lit little tree make this space so inviting. A perfect space for a preschooler who might need a quiet moment or two.

Loose Parts Play – I love this idea as well! Using BIG parts for loose parts play this month. Some pipes and connectors and some balls and ball bearings. The creations that can be made! And all of that wonderful learning! This is a fabulous preschool classroom idea for February!

Fine Motor Play Idea – add some tape, string, or wire over a box in a grid like form. Add some pompoms and feathers (pink and red for this love month!) and let those preschoolers use tongs to try to take out the treasures. This one is wonderful for hand eye coordination and problem solving too.

Frozen Treasures in Ice – using heart molds (or any molds) freeze some little hearts, critters, or pipecleaners in water and let the fun, sensory play begin! Little hands will be melting that ice and learning a ton as they do so. Consider adding a few special tools like washcloths, pipettes, or a turkey baster!

Frozen Ice Balls – Michelle found some really cool molds to make ice balls – how awesome?! She added a bit of colour so little ones could not only roll them down ramps but also learn about colour mixing. Plus this is wonderful sensory play! Win -win-win!

Animal Hospital Pretend Play – And now … my most favourite idea of the month: Vet Dramatic Play! This ideas is so much fun. I asked Michelle for some detailed instructions so I can share exactly how to make this homemade X-ray machine with you. She did! So I will write those up and share with you tomorrow. Isn’t this brilliant? All you need is a sturdy box, a flashlight, overhead transparencies and a page protector. 

I hope you enjoyed this February Preschool Classroom Tour and found a few ideas for you and your preschoolers to enjoy.

It is always fun to change things up just a bit – for your little ones and for you too!

Thank you so much for reading friends,

Sarah