Gakken BIG Preschool Workbook Review: Fun Learning Activities for Ages 2–4

Finding preschool learning activities that are both educational and engaging can sometimes be challenging, especially when you’re working with younger children who would much rather be moving around than sitting at a table.

As a homeschooling mom and former classroom teacher, I appreciate learning resources that introduce important foundational skills without making early childhood education feel overly structured.

The Gakken Play Smart BIG Preschool Workbook, available through Timberdoodle, offers more than 250 activities designed for children ages 2–4.

From tracing basic lines and recognizing letters to counting, identifying shapes, and completing puzzles, this colorful preschool workbook provides opportunities to practice essential early learning skills through short, age-appropriate activities.

We’ve been exploring this workbook as part of our homeschool learning, and I especially appreciate how it starts with basic prewriting exercises before gradually introducing more challenging activities.

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What’s Inside the Gakken BIG Preschool Workbook?

The Gakken BIG Preschool Workbook is a large-format activity book featuring nine sections that focus on different areas of early childhood development. Rather than concentrating exclusively on handwriting or alphabet practice, it introduces a variety of preschool readiness skills.

The workbook includes activities covering basic lines, shapes, colors, letters, numbers, color and shape recognition, dot-to-dot exercises, mazes, and puzzles. Each section builds on foundational skills that young children need as they begin learning to write, count, recognize patterns, and solve simple problems.

One feature I particularly appreciate is the colorful presentation. The pages feature cheerful animals, familiar objects, and playful illustrations that give younger children something interesting to look at while completing their activities.

Developing Fine Motor Skills and Prewriting Readiness

One of the most valuable sections of this preschool workbook is its introduction to prewriting skills. Before children are ready to form letters and numbers independently, they benefit from opportunities to practice controlling their writing tools and making intentional marks on paper.

The workbook begins with simple line-tracing activities that encourage children to follow straight paths between colorful illustrations. As they progress, the activities introduce curved lines, zigzags, and other patterns that require increasingly controlled hand movements.

These exercises help children practice hand-eye coordination, pencil control, visual tracking, and the fine motor movements associated with early handwriting.

While working through these pages with my little one, I appreciated having short tracing exercises that allowed us to focus on one skill at a time. The illustrations also helped make the activities feel more playful than traditional handwriting practice.

For parents teaching preschool at home, these types of prewriting activities for toddlers and preschoolers can be a helpful introduction to using crayons and pencils before moving into formal letter formation.

Early Literacy and Alphabet Recognition

In addition to prewriting practice, the Gakken BIG Preschool Workbook introduces uppercase and lowercase letters through colorful illustrations and simple literacy activities.

Children can explore letter shapes, connect letters with familiar objects, practice tracing, and work through alphabet-themed puzzles. Some activities also encourage children to distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters, helping develop visual discrimination and early letter recognition.

I especially like that the alphabet activities offer more than repetitive letter tracing. For example, the workbook includes alphabet mazes that encourage children to recognize letters while navigating a path.

These activities introduce early literacy concepts while also developing concentration, visual tracking, and problem-solving skills.

Building Early Math Skills Through Counting and Number Activities

Early math is another important part of preschool education, and this workbook introduces number concepts in several different ways.

Children can practice recognizing numbers, counting illustrated objects, tracing numerals, and completing simple color-by-number activities. The workbook also includes activities that encourage children to connect written numbers with corresponding quantities.

For example, one page introduces the number two using illustrated objects alongside number-tracing exercises. Other pages encourage children to count groups of objects or identify numbers while completing colorful pictures.

These preschool counting activities help reinforce number recognition, one-to-one correspondence, and early mathematical thinking.

I appreciate that the activities offer different ways to explore the same concepts. Children aren’t simply asked to memorize numbers; they’re given opportunities to recognize, trace, count, and apply what they’re learning.

Learning Colors, Shapes, and Visual Discrimination

The workbook also introduces colors and shapes through activities that combine recognition, drawing, and coloring.

Children can identify familiar objects by color, practice tracing circles and triangles, and complete illustrations using basic shapes. Some pages encourage children to recognize shapes within larger pictures, while others ask them to finish drawings or match visual patterns.

These activities support more than color and shape identification. They also encourage children to observe details, recognize similarities and differences, and coordinate their hand movements with what they see.

The color-by-number pages are another way to combine early math practice with color recognition and fine motor development.

For younger preschoolers, I would approach these activities conversationally, discussing the colors and shapes together before expecting them to complete the pages independently.

Developing Problem-Solving Skills With Mazes and Puzzles

Another feature that makes the Gakken BIG Preschool Workbook useful for early learning is its collection of mazes, matching games, dot-to-dot activities, and visual puzzles.

The mazes encourage children to follow a path, recognize directions, and think through simple challenges. Dot-to-dot exercises reinforce number sequencing while providing additional pencil-control practice.

The puzzle section introduces activities such as matching animals to their shadows, identifying missing patterns, and finding objects hidden within colorful illustrations.

These exercises encourage visual discrimination, attention to detail, logical reasoning, and early problem-solving skills.

I particularly appreciate this variety because preschool learning involves much more than learning the alphabet and numbers. Activities that encourage children to compare, observe, and make decisions are valuable additions to an early childhood learning routine.

Is the Gakken BIG Preschool Workbook Good for Homeschool Preschool?

I think this workbook is a useful supplemental resource for families homeschooling preschoolers, particularly those looking for structured activities that can be completed in short sessions.

Although the workbook contains more than 250 activities, there’s no need to work through multiple pages every day. Parents can select activities based on their child’s interests, abilities, and attention span.

For younger children who are still developing an interest in table-based learning, I would start with the simpler tracing, coloring, and matching pages. Older preschoolers who are ready for more challenging activities can explore letter formation, number tracing, mazes, and puzzles.

It’s also important to remember that preschoolers learn through movement, imaginative play, outdoor exploration, conversation, and everyday experiences. Workbooks can support that learning, but they don’t need to replace hands-on activities.

The Gakken BIG Preschool Workbook works particularly well as an additional resource for practicing specific skills alongside a play-based or relaxed homeschool preschool routine.

Final Thoughts on the Gakken BIG Preschool Workbook

The Gakken BIG Preschool Workbook offers a wide variety of early learning activities for children ages 2–4, making it a practical addition to a preschool learning collection.

What stands out most to me is the progression from simple prewriting exercises to more involved activities that encourage letter recognition, counting, shape identification, and independent problem-solving.

I also appreciate that the workbook introduces these skills through colorful illustrations and relatively short activities, which can be especially helpful when teaching younger children who aren’t ready for lengthy lessons.

Whether you’re homeschooling preschool, supplementing your child’s early learning at home, or looking for educational activities to keep little hands busy, this workbook provides plenty of opportunities to practice foundational skills at a developmentally appropriate pace.

You can learn more about the Gakken BIG Preschool Workbook at Timberdoodle and explore how it might fit into your preschool learning routine.

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