Hi, Welcome back to Toddler Craft. Please subscribe to my Toddler Craft newsletter. Sign up to the left. It's full of more fun activities, parenting information and crafts! Thanks for visiting!
photo credit: tomeppy
Have you ever wondered how teachers can come up with preschool education games – those simple games that teach some basic skill like listening or color recognition or whatever? It’s really just a matter of breaking down daily tasks into their simplest elements and then making a fun way to learn them.
Say for example you want your child to learn to listen quietly (a very important skill). Create a game that makes it fun to listen closely. Like – “I am going to make an animal sound and you tell me what the animal is?” Or, “Can you tell me what kind of thing makes this sound?” and make a car or truck sound.
If you want your little one to learn their colors or shapes, then take the time to point out various colors and shapes until you think they have them down and then ask them to find a red truck or play I Spy a green rectangle and have them point it out to you.
Children love to interact and puppets can be a different way to get them to interact if they seem disinterested in you. So take a paper lunch sack and draw a face of a person or animal or robot or whatever and then teach them using your puppet.
You can make a different puppet for each letter in the alphabet as you introduce the ABCs. You can introduce colors by making one puppet a brown bear or a yellow flower. Let your imagination run wild. And have fun playing preschool education games with your child.
What games do you play with your child?
photo credit: Steve & Jemma Copley
It’s raining and you’ve already gone through all of your Baby Einstein videos and are wondering what to do with your little bundle of energy next. Seems here we have had weeks of rain lately! Sometimes we just need some fresh ideas to fuel the creativity for what to do with our toddlers to avoid chaos in the house on a rainy day. You want something that isn’t too messy – but fun, right?
How about pulling out a small tub and fill it partway with a bag or two of beans or macaroni? Then furnish your toddler with cups, containers, spoons, etc. and let them “make dinner” on the kitchen floor. Kids love the feel and sound of beans or noodles and they love to transfer things from cup to cup. It’s easy to sweep up, too.
Have you ever made peanut butter play dough? Mix together equal parts of peanut butter, dried milk powder and honey. It’s easy and kids can make shapes with it and then you don’t have to worry about whether they eat it or not.
You can also make some HomeMade PlayDough. This is not only fun to play with but, the kids will love creating it!
Why not make a fun snack with veggies and cream cheese? Make carrots into coins, olives into eyes and smiley faces, and raisins for all sorts of things. Use a slice of bread as the background spread with cream cheese. Then let them make designs on the bread. Save it for snack later, if they’ll let you.
A rainy day is a great time to cuddle and read, too – but if your toddler is really full of energy, why not read and act out the story together? By the time you are done, you’ll both be ready for a nap but that’s okay, too!
It’s Click and Comment Monday-but I seem to be still having trouble with the Mr. Linky widget. So instead put your links in the comments and you can link from your blog to the post here.
Fine Motor and Counting Activity
There are many preschool education games out their to enhance your child’s development. Children’s fine motor development is an important part of there growth. It is a critical part of their learning to write. This fine motor activity is very simple, fun and educational.
To complete this activity:
- Print out the Fine Motor Activity Template (click the link to the left to get it)
- Get some small round stickers
- Demonstrate for your child how to put a sticker inside the box, trying not to touch the lines.
- Have your child put the stickers in the grid.
- Count all the stickers you put on the grid.
This is great fine motor practice for your child. In addition you will reinforce their one to one correspondance when you have them point to each sticker and count each one they point to.
Another of the many preschool educational games out their is a variation on this activity. You can play tic tac toe using stickers.
Tic Tac Toe Game:
- Print out TicTacToe Template (click the link to the left to get it)
- Get two different type of circle stickers
- Explain to your child how they win- by getting 3 and a row
- Play the game! Allowing them to put their stickers in the spot they choose!
I’d love to hear if you try any of these activities how you liked them! If you have fun games you play with your children please share them in the comments below.
photo credit: runneralan2004
As a busy parent, you might find it time consuming to always be on the lookout for inventive ways to entertain your little one. While some fun activities for toddlers do require a bunch of input from mom and dad, others are more self-guided, allowing your child’s creative nature to shine through without your constant supervision.
By the time they reach toddlerhood, boys and girls are ready for a little independence. You don’t have to be quite as worried about them getting into things because the children’s arts and crafts you buy are non-toxic and usually washable, so your furniture isn’t at risk, either!
Kids can entertain themselves for hours if you have a workstation just for them that includes all of the essential fun activities for toddlers such as crayons, play dough, cookie cutters, paints, construction paper, felt paper, kid-safe scissors, and maybe a mini chalkboard with colorful chalk and an eraser.
It doesn’t take much to entertain a toddler. They love to make a mess, but they also love to showcase their ability to mix brilliant colors into fun designs and shapes. These items are also very affordable for a parent, so you can keep your child stocked up with his or her favorite toddler activities.
As a busy parent, you might want to use the toddler entertainment center as a way to catch a free moment to yourself. But don’t forget to get involved once in awhile, even if it’s just to get your child started with an activity or to show him how to do something. The memories of you fostering the growth of your little one’s creative side with stay with them forever!
This is a fun and easy Earth Day Activity, that would also be perfect for Mother’s Day! My kids had a ball making this!! What’s better then Glue, Scissors, Painting, Stickers and DIRT!! We first made the can and once it dried we planted our Basil plant. You could also use seeds and start from the beginning!
Supplies:
- Recycled Tin Can, cleaned out
- Construction Paper
- Scissors
- Glue Stick
- Tape
- Stickers, Paint anything you want to decorate with
- Planting soil
- Plant or seeds
Steps:
- Measure height of Tin can and cut paper so it wraps around and the height fits in between the top and bottom of the can.
- Cut Paper
- Put glue all around the Tin Can
- Tape one end of paper on can and smooth around can so it is even and sticks to the glue
- Tape another piece of tape on end of paper to keep down while glue dries
- Decorate-with stickers, paint, glitter glue, cut strips of paper and make a design
- When Dry, Fill can with potting soil and then plant seeds or plant
Enjoy! If you create this project, send me some pictures at onnaholl@gmail.com so I can post them! Let me know what you think, how your kids liked this-leave a comment to tell us.
