6 Amazing Preschool Social Studies Activities

If raising a preschooler hasn’t made you more forgetful than usual, you might recall a subject you took during grade school called “social studies.” Later, it became “history,” “sociology,” and “economics,” but those fancy names didn’t fool you.

It was still the dreaded “social studies” (also known as “cramming before a test”).

Webster’s Dictionary defines social studies as “the study of social relationships and the functioning of society.” Well, that sounds a lot like social media, without the annoying memes!

The fact is, studying social relationships and society can be fun, and it can start as early as preschool. Cramming won’t be necessary, except for the little bodies you’ll be cramming into your car when you take the whole neighborhood on field trips.

Preschool social studies activities can mean anything involving people, including history, culture, economics, civics, community, and geography. Of course, these heady topics will need to be tailored to fit your preschooler’s world. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. History

Preschoolers live mostly in the present tense, so before you try explaining history, you’ll need to show them what you mean by “the past.” Hang a calendar on the wall and demonstrate how time flips by.

Mark important dates like birthdays, holidays, and family movie night on the calendar (but save a screening of “Back to the Future” until they’re a little older).

Make a timeline with your child historian. On a 6-foot long strip of butcher paper, draw a horizontal line from one end to the other. Glue a  photo of your child somewhere toward the middle to indicate his birth year.

Next, glue photos of yourself and other family members to the left of your child’s photo to mark their birth years.

Give your child some dinosaur stickers and suggest that they be glued far — very far — to the left of your own birthdate on the timeline. Discuss the meanings of words like “past,” “future,” “before,” and “after.”

Create a family scrapbook with your child, using old and new photos and other mementos. Talk about differences between the cars, clothing, hairstyles, and artifacts of yesteryear and those of today. Be prepared for questions like, “Who’s that lady?” when your child sees your prom picture.

2. Culture

Take your preschooler on visits to art museums, music halls, and other cultural institutions. Seek out multicultural events such as ethnic festivals to attend as a family.

Find books about other cultures at the library and read them to your child. Emphasize an appreciation of other countries’ traditions, dress, crafts, music, and beliefs.

Involve your tiny food critic in international cooking. Let her help you put the finishing touches on a variety of foods from other countries. From tacos to tikka masala, there are plenty of dishes that are simple, delicious, and fun to make.

3. Economics

Take your little explorer on a field trip to a farm or orchard, public market, and grocery store. Discuss how food gets from the farm to the table.

Discuss various jobs of the people in your community with your future breadwinner. Ask him which job is her favorite, and why.

Set up a play area in your home where your budding entrepreneur can play “store.” Use actual food items, grocery bags, and either play money or – if you’re willing to part with a few dollars – the real thing. (Be careful with small items like coins that could be ingested by younger children.)

4. Civics

Talk about why we have rules and responsibilities for everyday things like games, bedtime, and driving. For example, rules keep us safe and happy, and they help us show kindness and respect for others. Let her know that adults have rules, too, and some of those rules are called “laws.”

Help your child to make a set of road signs (stop, R/R, pedestrian crosswalk, speed limit, etc.) out of card stock, markers, craft sticks, and glue. You can make your signs stand up on their own by pushing them into small blocks of Styrofoam or through holes in inverted paper cups.

These can be used in creative play with toy vehicles. You might have to pay a toll to get into your child’s room, though.

5. Community

Watch the memorable “Look for the Helpers” episode of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood with your child.

Talk about the “helpers” in your community (firefighters, police, teachers, doctors, etc.). Organize a field trip to a helping organization.

Encourage future model citizens to express their feelings by being a positive model yourself. Use “I messages” (“I feel ___ when you ___”) instead of just blowing up. For example: “Honey, I felt sad when you put our new red towels in the washing machine with my white dress.”

(I’m speaking from experience here. My white dress with black polka dots is now a lovely shade of pink.)

6. Geography

Borrow and read books about far-away islands, continents, and oceans.

Buy an inflatable globe and explain the difference between land masses and oceans. Then play catch with it. When your kiddo catches it, have him notice where his fingers have landed – on land or on an ocean? Watch out for sharks!

Your child’s world is small now, but soon it will be expanding. So, whether she’s a social butterfly or still wrapped in her warm cocoon, it’s time to introduce her to some fun preschool social studies activities.

Simply by being born into a family, a community, and the world at large, preschoolers already live in a social world. By exposing them at a young age to how the world functions socially, we’re helping them learn important lessons that will enrich their lives.