Hercules Movie: Educational Activities and Games for 2 to 5 Year Olds

Let's face it, kids love movies, but it's been proven that they should watch no more than 2 hours of TV a day. So why not combine their love of a movie and activities that will help them learn and grow? Following are suggestions for the movie Hercules released in 1997. These activities would also work well for preschool classes and party games for this age group.

Watch the movie
Let your kids watch the show while you prepare the activities for the rest of the day or attend to other responsibilities.

Read a Book
There are a lot of incredible books available to go along with the movie Hercules. Pick one you think your child would enjoy and involve them while you are reading. Ask them questions about the pictures and story. Following are a few suggestions of books to read.

• Paperback- Daddy, You're My Hero! (see boardbook edition) by Michelle Ferguson-Cohen
• Paperback- Mommy, You're My Hero (see boardbook edition) by Michelle Ferguson-Cohen
• Greek Myths (Mini Classics) by Heather Amery, Jenny Tyler, Linda Edwards, and Amanda

Toddler Olympics
Play these games with your child. They encourage motor skills and are just plain fun. Explain that the Olympics were something that were created by the ancient Romans.

• Put a mark on the floor with masking tape. Have your child stand on the mark and see how far they can throw a pair of socks rolled into a ball. If you want to can mark each throw with a small piece of masking tape so they can see how far they can throw.
• From the same mark, see how far your child can jump.
• Have a race with your child where you walk backwards.
• Have a race while holding a balloon between your knees.

Star Pictures
Get a package of star stickers. Show your child how they can make a picture out of the stars (kind of like a dot-to-dot picture). Encourage them to color the picture and then come up with a story about the object or person they made out of stars.

Dress Up
Get out a few bed sheets and make togas for each other. You can also make a "laurel wreath hat" out of some green pipe cleaners and green construction paper. Wear sandals and pretend you lived a long time ago. Ask your child what things have changed. Ask them if the Greeks had certain things like computers and clocks etc.