Arrange the blossoms between layers of newspaper or waxed paper. Press them under the wooden blocks or between the pages of the large book.
Sprout in a Bag
This is a very gratifying activity because your child can see the sprouting process up close.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Zip-top plastic bag
Paper towels
Bean seeds
Moisten the paper towel with very clean hands and slide it into a zip-top bag. Add seeds and seal. Keep towel damp and place bag in a sunny spot.
Bugs!
You may be wrinkling your nose in disgust, but the fact is most children are fascinated with insects. Toddlers are naturally curious and usually only become afraid of insects when they are imitating the reactions of someone else. There are certainly more insects on this planet than any other species, and they are just about everywhere. Don’t ignore them. Capitalize on your child’s interest in learning. This section includes some fun activities having to do with insects, but the most valuable activity may be to simply provide your child with a magnifying glass and some time to observe the insects all around him!
Catching Butterflies
This fun activity will help your child develop eye-hand coordination and motor skills.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
Scissors
Construction paper in various colors
Large kitchen strainer or aquarium net
Cut the construction paper into butterfly shapes. Be sure they are small enough to fit into your child’s net.
Wait for a windy day. Go outside with your child. Toss one or more butterflies in the air and let your child try to catch them with the net.
Butterfly Feet
Your child will most likely enjoy the sensory experience of having his feet
dipped in paint as much as he likes the end result.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Shallow pie tin
Tempera paint
White poster board or construction paper
Markers and crayons
Fill the pie tin with the paint. Help your child remove his shoes and socks, and then help him step into the paint.
Have him step directly out of the paint and onto the paper. Help him arrange his feet so he puts them down with heels together and toes pointed outward. (You can spread newspaper to catch any drips.) Have your child step directly off the paper again.
Once the picture is dry, your child can decorate the butterfly by drawing in a body and antennae.
Worm Tracks
This is a great open-ended art project for the child who finds these
garden dwellers fascinating rather than icky.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Brown tempera paint
Shallow pie tin
Yarn in different lengths and widths
White construction or bond paper
Pour the paint into the pie tin.
Have your child dip and coat the yarn pieces in the brown paint.
Show him how to drag the yarn across the paper to create worm tracks.
Fingerprint Bugs
These personalized insects will help your child develop creativity and fine motor skills.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Tempera paint
Pie tin
White construction or bond paper
Crayons
Pour the paint into the pie tin.
Help him press his thumb onto the paper to create a thumbprint. He can use crayons to add the head, legs, and antennae.
Coffee-Filter Butterflies
Both adults and children will love these simple and colorful creations!
You can use colored tissue paper instead of dying the coffee filters.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Disposable coffee filters
Food coloring
Wooden clothespins
White craft glue
Pipe cleaner, cut into 2 segments
Markers
Open a coffee filter, and have your toddler squeeze different colored drops of food coloring onto it. The colors will blend together in a beautiful design.
Fold the colored filter into a fan shape and help your child insert it into the clothespin. Leave an equal amount of the filter on each side of the pin. Fluff out the coffee filter so that it looks like wings.
Let your child glue on the pipe cleaners to make antennae and use markers to make eyes on the head of the clothespin.
Weather Activities
You do not have to go far to explore the world with your young child. The weather affects us all, and it is constantly changing. Regardless of your climate, there are many ways to explore and learn about weather. Here are some ideas for your budding scientist.
Rain Painting
This is a great way for your child to observe how water reacts with other materials.
Your child will also be able to experiment with mixing colors.
This activity is only appropriate if your child will not be upset when the painting is altered.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
Food coloring
Paper plate
Let your child create a colorful design by putting drops of food coloring onto a paper plate.
Have your child take her creation out in the rain to observe how the colors run when the rain falls on them. Be sure to stop before all the color is washed away or the plate becomes too soggy.
Return indoors, and let the altered picture dry.
Cloud Pictures
Your child will learn a bit about clouds and explore a unique texture with this project.
Older toddlers can first color a landscape picture to use as a backdrop.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Nonmenthol shaving cream
White craft glue
Thick paintbrushes
Mix the shaving cream and glue in equal portions.
Have your child use this mixture as a paint to create cloud forms. The fluffy mixture will dry and become stiff.
Blown Pictures
This is a fun way for your child to learn about the power of an invisible force such as the wind.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Tempera paint
Plastic spoons
Light-colored construction or bond paper
Plastic straws
Thin the tempera paint with water to consistency of watercolor paint. Spoon small amounts of paint onto the paper.
Show your child how to use the straw to blow the paint around on the paper. You may need to poke a few small holes in the straw to prevent her from sucking instead of blowing the paint.
Outdoor Activities
Outdoors is often the best and healthiest place for your child to play and explore. When your child is outdoors, he is less restricted. He is free to use a louder voice, to move around more, and to make more of a mess. Toddlers and the great outdoors are often a perfect match.
Leaf Maze
Take advantage of all of those pesky leaves that have fallen on your front lawn.
Activity for an individua
l child or a group
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 45 minutes
Before you rake up all of the fallen leaves in the autumn, clear thin paths through the leaves using a rake or a shovel. You can create a maze or a simple path to follow. If you are energetic, you can also do this with snow.
Picnic Ants
This game can be played indoors or outdoors and will help your child become more observant.
You may wish to provide the participants with an old sheet and some fabric paints and let
them decorate their own picnic blanket.
Activity for a group
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
1 picnic blanket or sheet
Assorted picnic items, such as thermos, paper plates, and napkins
Spread out the picnic blanket and arrange the picnic prop items in the center.
Have all the children close their eyes. Play the part of the pesky ant: Remove one item and hide it behind your back. (You may also choose one of the children to serve as the ant.)
Ask the children to open their eyes and guess which item was removed.
Fun with the Hose
What a great way to cool off on a hot summer day!
Like all water activities, adult supervision is needed at all times.
Activity for an individual child or a group
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 45 minutes
Take and keep control of the hose. Be sure not to spray any child who does not want to get wet, and try to avoid squirting anyone above the shoulders. Never allow anyone to squirt any child in the face or on the head, regardless of the child’s age.
Try a game of water limbo. Hold the hose so that the water sprays straight across, and challenge the children to duck under the spray without getting wet. Lower the water stream after everyone has had a turn.
Hold the hose so water sprays in a long stream across the ground, and encourage players to jump over. To increase the challenge, wiggle the hose.
Nature Crafts
People have been making creative crafts for thousands of years, long before glitter and crepe paper were available. They did without those items, and you can, too. There is no end to the amazing things that your toddler can create using natural materials. The best are those materials that your toddler has found on her own. Let the activities below inspire you to see things such as bark, seeds, and flowers in a whole new way.
Pinecone Bird Feeder
Not only will your toddler enjoy making this project, but the finished bird feeder
will attract birds for your toddler to watch and enjoy!
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
12 length of yarn or twine
1 large pinecone
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 cup birdseed
Shallow bowl or pie tin
Attach the yarn to the pinecone. Make a loop at the loose end for hanging the bird feeder.
Help your toddler spread the peanut butter on the pinecone.
Pour the birdseed into the bowl. Show your child how to roll the coated pinecone in the seeds to coat it.
Take your bird feeder outside, and hang it where your child will be able to watch the visiting birds.
Nature Collection
Here is a fun and easy way for your toddler to preserve all of the treasures
she picks up when she is exploring outside.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 30 minutes
Assortment of items that your toddler has found outside
1 sheet construction paper or poster board
Clear contact paper
Help your child find and collect safe outdoor treasures. Good items include leaves, bark, twigs, and flowers. Watch out for small items that may pose a choking hazard if your toddler still puts things in her mouth.
Have your toddler arrange her treasures on the construction paper.
Cover the paper with clear contact paper. You will not have to glue anything and it will last a long time. (Alternatively, you can use a larger sheet of the contact paper. Have your child arrange her treasures on one half, and then fold the contact paper over and seal.)
Magic Sun Prints
This activity seems to work like magic. This is a fun way to explore the sun’s
power as well as shadows and shapes.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 3–4 hours
A variety of objects with different shapes
Dark-colored construction paper
Ask your child to help you find objects to use to make silhouettes. Flat objects work best. Some good examples include keys, erasers, forks, and shoelaces.
Go outside on a sunny day. Have your toddler arrange the chosen objects on the dark construction paper.
Leave the paper out in full sunlight for a few hours. The sun will fade the exposed paper to a lighter shade than the paper protected by the selected objects.
Remove the objects to reveal the silhouette designs.
Flower Crown
You can make this decorative craft project with your child at different times of the year to
showcase the variety of natural materials and reflect the change in seasons.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Paper plate
Scissors
Various flowers, seeds, grasses, and other natural materials
White craft glue
Fold the paper plate in half. Cut out a semicircle, leaving a 3 border. Cut spikes and square shapes to a depth of 1.
Open the plate. The spikes and squares become the spires of the crown.
Give your child a variety of natural materials to glue on the crown for decoration.
Let the glue dry before helping your child don the crown.
Astronomy and Nighttime Activities
Nighttime can mean more than bedtime for your child. Just because it is dark, it does not mean that there are not plenty of interesting activities and things to do and learn. Take your child out on a clear night and introduce him to the wonder and mystery of the night sky. Your child will enjoy watching the phases of the moon and if you’re lucky, maybe you will spot a shooting star!
Binoculars
Although these “binoculars” do not work, you may find that they encourage your child to be observant and interested in the night sky. Because rubber bands can be a choking hazard, be sure to supervise your child when making this craft or playing with the finished product.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
4 large rubber bands
2 squares clear plastic wrap or tinted cellophane
2 toilet paper tubes
Crayons
Star-shaped stickers (optional)
Use a rubber band to secure a square of plastic wrap or cellophane over 1 end of each toilet paper tube.
Attach the 2 rolls together side by side with the remaining rubber bands.
Give your child crayons and stickers to decorate the binoculars.
Go outside on a clear night, and use the binoculars to look at the moon and the stars. If you have real binoculars or a telescope, be sure to bring that along, too.
Firefly Firefly
You can play this game during the day, but it so much more fun in the dark.
Activity for a group
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Flashlight
All players stand in a circle.
Select one person to be “It.” That player
takes the flashlight and stands in the center.
The person in the middle turns around while everyone recites the following chant. Firefly firefly in the night,
Firefly firefly shining bright.
Turn to your left,
And turn to your right,
Pick a new friend and shine your light.
The person in the center then shines the flashlight on someone in the outer circle. That person becomes the new firefly.
CHAPTER 11
Literacy Activities
Literacy is the ability to interpret and use written forms of communication. There are many skills that your child will need to learn how to read and write—however, the most valuable thing you can teach your child might be an attitude. Children who develop a love of reading at a young age are more successful readers in school. Take the time now to share books and stories with your child.
Skills and Readiness
Before your child is ready to learn letter identification and phonics, there are many other skills that you can focus on. For a child to be ready to learn to read, she needs to develop auditory memory and auditory discrimination as well as visual memory and discrimination. Memory is recalling and recognizing sounds or images. Discrimination is the ability to distinguish the difference in sounds or images. Your child also needs to learn the symbolic nature of written language—in other words, that words are talk written down. Additionally, building your child’s vocabulary will also help her with reading later on.