Embrace an adventure to learn about Ecuador with these hands-on and easy-to-do Ecuador preschool activities.
Things to Teach Preschoolers about Ecuador
When talking about a new place, it’s a wonderful idea to start by showing the place on the map (in relation to where you are).
Add pictures from books, web tours, or videos from the place.
Bring in exciting or important facts. Rest assured, knowing your preschooler will ask follow-up questions when their interest is piqued.
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Here are a few things about Ecuador to teach your little learner before doing some Ecuador preschool activities.
*Ecuador is in South America.
* Spanish is the official language of Ecuador.
*The Andes Mountains, the Amazon Rainforest, and the Pacific Coast are all part of Ecuador.
*The Galapagos Islands are off the coast of Ecuador. There are some impressive animals on these islands, like the Galapagos Giant tortoise, marine iguana, Galapagos penguins, and the Blue-Footed Boobies (birds— cue the laughter).
*Ecuador has many big and small animals because of the vast environment.
*The government of Ecuador is working hard to protect the environment and the animals that live there.
*There are active volcanos.
Geography Activities
Activity 1: Rainforest Model
Make a model of the rainforest including the different layers of the rainforest. This could be as simple as making tall trees of different heights from construction paper.
Talk about the animals in the Amazon rainforest and what part (in the trees, on the ground, etc) they live in. Try adding pictures of these animals to your model.
Activity 2: Ecuador Outline Map
Print out an outline of Ecuador. Draw little upside-down Vs where the Andes Mountains run down the middle of Ecuador. Have your preschooler color the left side of the mountains yellow and the right side green.
The left side is called the coastal region, and the right side of the Andes Mountains (the green part) is the Amazon rainforest.
Culture Activities
Activity 1: Learn about Ecuadorian Holidays
Carnival is a festival of bright colors. It is celebrated before Lent (the weeks leading up to Easter). People wear colorful clothes and masks, and water balloons are even used.
The Festival of the Sun (Inti Raymi) occurs when the sun is at its highest point in Ecuador. It marks the end of the agriculture cycle and is a way to give thanks to the Sun God for a good harvest. Many dishes with beans, corn, and potatoes are served.
These are only two Ecuadorian holidays you can learn about when doing Ecuador preschool activities.
Activity 2: Paper Weaving
Weaving is an important part of Ecuadorian culture. The art of weaving started long ago and has been kept alive in Ecuador, which is now known for its vibrant textiles.
Let your little one practice weaving by paper weaving. Pick out colorful construction paper. Cut strips of paper about an inch thick.
Fold a full sheet of construction paper in half hamburger style. Cut strips start at the fold and move towards the edge across from the fold. Stop cutting about 1 or 2 inches from the edge. Do this down the paper so multiple cuts are going horizontally across the paper.
Open the paper and let your little one weave the strips of paper over, under, over, under, etc., the strips on the paper you just folded.
When the next strip starts, it must be the opposite pattern. So if the first strip is over the first piece, then this strip needs to go UNDER the first strip.
It’s a bit complicated to write out, but there are many great tutorials available.
Math Activities
Activity 1: Ecuadorian Animal Math
Print out pictures of animals found in Ecuador. It would probably be easiest to make one sheet with different kinds of animals and then print multiple copies of that one sheet.
Have your little one sort the animals into piles based on the kind of animal they are.
Then, do simple math problems with your little one. For example, three llamas plus two sloths is…? Have them put three llama pictures and two sloth pictures together to see how many animals there are.
Does this Ecuador preschool activities pick seem too simple for your little one? Use this trick below to add number identification.
Make It Harder: Have them roll a die and identify the number on the die. Have them add that quantity of animals to their math problem. Roll again to see how many other animals they need to add. Once both animals are in their adding area, ask them what the sum is.
Activity 2: Sort Ecuadorian Fruit
Gather some fruit that grows in Ecuador (bananas, mangos, lemons, blackberries, etc). Have your little learner sort them in different ways. Try sorting by type, size, color, or shape. You can even sort by taste!
Language Arts Activities
Activity 1: Spanish Nursery Rhymes
Learn Spanish nursery rhymes. This helps little ones hear the rhymes and exposes them to the Spanish language. You may want to tell these nursery rhymes in English, too.
Activity 2: Make a Picture Dictionary
Fold a few sheets of printer paper in half hamburger style. Nestle them together and staple the spine to make a book.
Look up some Spanish words for everyday items your little one uses. Write one word (in English and Spanish) on each paper. Have your little one illustrate the pages.
This is one of the Ecuador preschool activities that can continue even after you are done learning about Ecuador. There will be other countries that speak Spanish; this is an opportunity to review what you know and add to the picture dictionary.
Music Activities
Activity 1: Bombo Drumming
Listen to some Bombo drumming and let your little one play along with the music. Try using different items for drums to see how they sound differently. Oatmeal containers, empty yogurt containers, or plastic jars make unique sounds.
Activity 2: DIY Zampona
Use straws cut to various lengths and some craft sticks to make a DIY Zampona (pan flute). Arrange the straws from the longest on the left to the shortest on the right. Place craft sticks on both sides of the straws so the straws are sandwiched in the middle.
Attach the straws to the sticks using tape.
Have your little one blow across the top of the straws to make beautiful sounds.
Here is to hoping this Ecuador preschool activities wind instrument isn’t as loud as the drums. 😉
Cooking Activities
Many Ecuadorian recipes call for seafood because the country is a coastal one. If that is your thing, try searching for other Ecuadorian recipes.
Activity 1: Banana Pancakes
Ecuador is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) suppliers of bananas. Because bananas are plentiful, banana pancakes are popular.
Try your hand at making banana pancakes together.
Activity 2: Pan de Yuca (cheese bread)
This recipe makes a soft roll with a firm crust. It is filled with mozzarella cheese.
Just a heads up, this recipe does call for cassava flour or tapioca starch, which are specialty ingredients.
Ecuador Preschool Activities
Head to the western coast of South America and learn all about a new place with these Ecuador preschool activities. They are relatively easy to put together, and you may already have everything you need on hand.