Know how to start.
A materials list and a short play path give you a usable beginning. Choose a theme that fits your child’s interests and what you have nearby.
Spark Education by Dr. Michelle Peterson
365 Invitations to Play
Spend less time searching for an activity. Know how to join the play.
A few socks can become a sorting investigation. Two toys can start a story. Find an idea, gather the materials, and see how to support your child’s thinking while their choices shape the play.
For ages 3–5
365 invitations across 52 themes
Start anywhere. Repeat favorites.
- Age Range
- For ages 3–5Everyday materials at home or in the classroom
- Inside the Book
- 365 invitations across 52 themes429 illustrated pages with linked contents
- Flexible Rhythm
- Start anywhere. Repeat favorites.Browse on screen or print selected pages
Inside Every Invitation
An activity idea is only the beginning.
Each invitation explains how to begin, what your child may be working out, and ways to join without deciding every step for them.
Notice the learning.
‘Why this play matters’ connects the activity with the thinking inside it: changing a sorting rule, remembering a story, or making room for someone else’s idea.
Keep your child involved.
Use the optional questions, a suggested adjustment, or an idea for another day. Follow a gesture or action as readily as an answer; your child can change the plan.
A complete invitation from the book
Start with a few socks.
Ordinary things can open an interesting question. Here, your child gets to decide what belongs together.
Invitation 003 · Investigation
Sock detectives
The interesting part is the reason these socks belong together.
Gather
Four to six clean socks with noticeable differences in length, color, pattern, or texture.
Make a beginning
Spread the socks where every one can be seen. Begin with an easy contrast, such as two long socks and two short socks. Add more only if the collection invites interest.
Let the play unfold
- Invite your child to put together any socks that seem to belong together. Wait to discover their rule. They may choose stripes, softness, a favorite color, or who wears them.
- Place another sock nearby and wonder where it could go. A sock might fit more than one group. Let your child move it, create another group, or explain by showing.
- When the first arrangement feels finished, ask permission to mix the socks. Try a new rule together. Notice which socks become neighbors and which move apart.
Wonder together
- What made you put these together?
- Where could this sock belong?
- What other way could we arrange the same socks?
Why it matters, ways to join, and another day
Why this play matters
Grouping involves attending to a chosen feature while setting other features aside. Regrouping makes a useful idea visible: the objects can stay the same while the organizing rule changes. Your child’s explanation reveals more than whether a pair matches your expectation.
Something to notice
A striped sock moves from the “long” group to the “striped” group. Say, “The sock stayed the same. Your plan changed.”
Make room to join
Use just three socks and make one group together. If touching a texture is unwelcome, your child can direct your hands by pointing.
Another day
Create a pretend sock shop organized for a customer: warm socks, party socks, or socks for a giant. Discuss how the customer’s needs change the arrangement.
Care: Remove clips, pins, or tags with sharp fasteners. This is an exploration of categories, not a timed matching test. An adult supervises.
52 Themes · Zero Pressure
Follow an interest, not a calendar.
Some days begin with a story. Others with movement, making, or a question worth exploring.
Browse
Choose a starting point.
Browse the linked themes and pick an idea that fits your child and the materials nearby.
Observe
Leave room for their idea.
Offer the beginning, notice what catches their attention, and use a question when it helps.
Repeat
Come back to a favorite.
Skip around, repeat, or let the plan change. There are no dates, deadlines, or required order.
Inside the Pages
More ways into the play.
Every invitation offers a beginning, three optional questions, and room for your child to lead.
Select a page to enlarge it in a new tab. Open the PDF preview on Payhip.
Instant Digital Download
365 ideas, with help using every one.
429 illustrated pages, linked contents and bookmarks, plus a Read Me. Browse on screen and print the invitations you want.
For one household or one educator and their enrolled classroom families. Digital download only; no printed book is shipped.
$14.95 USD
Also on Teachers Pay TeachersAlso preparing for preschool? All four resources are $24.95 below.
Try seven invitations free
Find your own way to begin.
Download A Week of Preschool Play, choose an invitation, and follow your child’s ideas. There is no need to finish a week or do them in order.
Free PDF download through Payhip.
About the Author
Play guidance from Dr. Michelle Peterson.
Dr. Michelle Peterson is an educator, researcher, educational leader, and preschool founder. Her resources bring classroom experience and research on peer engagement through play into everyday family life.
Meet Dr. Michelle Peterson →Common Questions
A few practical questions.
Details on ages, printing, household and classroom sharing, and how the play book fits into the four-resource collection.
Who is this for?
The play book is offered for ages 3–5, for families at home or educators and their enrolled classroom families. Choose and adapt materials for your child’s abilities, interests and comfort. An adult supervises every invitation.
Do we need to do one activity every day?
No. The 52 themes help you find an idea. Start anywhere, repeat favorites, and stop when your child is ready. The optional questions support a conversation; they are not a quiz.
What will I receive, and do I have to print it all?
Payhip handles checkout and digital delivery. The play book includes one 429-page US Letter PDF and a Read Me. Use its linked contents and bookmarks on screen, or print selected pages at actual size / 100%. There is no separate low-ink play edition and no physical book is shipped.
What is different about the collection?
The $24.95 collection includes this same play book, the 71-page Parent Guide in color and grayscale, the 41-page Toolkit in color and low ink, and the 20-page Parenting Scripts in color and low ink. It saves $13.85 compared with buying all four individually. Check your existing downloads before buying to avoid duplicating resources.
Can I share the downloads?
One purchase covers one household or one educator and their enrolled classroom families. You may print or privately share the PDFs with those families. Other educators need their own licenses. Do not resell, publicly post, or redistribute outside that group. Follow the terms included with each resource.
Is this a curriculum or developmental assessment?
These are flexible play invitations, not a required curriculum or assessment. They offer educational information and do not replace individualized medical, developmental, or therapeutic advice.
Ready When You Are
Choose an idea to try together.
For families everywhere. These resources are optional for Spark enrollment. Near Morton? Come visit Spark Academy.
The complete four-resource bundle
Words for the moment. A plan for what comes next.
Use the scripts when you need words, the guide when you need to understand, the play book when you want an idea to explore together, and the toolkit when you want a plan on paper. All four work on their own. Together, they give you more ways to help your child through the early years.
- Preschool Parenting ScriptsWords and actions for 13 everyday situations · $4.95 separately
- What Really Matters Before the First Day17 chapters to guide preparation and school conversations · $11.95 separately
- 365 Invitations to PlayEveryday materials, play ideas, and the thinking behind them · $14.95 separately
- The Printable ToolkitRoutines, check-ins, practice plans, and teacher notes · $6.95 separately
Already own one or more resources? These are the same individual documents. Check your downloads before buying the collection.
$24.95 USD
Save $13.85 compared with $38.80 for all four individually.
Get all four resourcesOne-time purchase. Opens the Payhip product page for the Preschool Play & Readiness Collection.
Also on Teachers Pay TeachersWhat is in the download?
561 pages of distinct content across four documents. The Guide includes color and grayscale editions; the Toolkit and Scripts include color and low ink. The play book has one color edition. Seven PDFs in total, plus Read Me files. Read on screen or print selected pages; no physical books are shipped.