Morning-Time Activities
Start your day on the right foot! These activities can help with routines and promote bonding with your toddler. Follow your child’s lead; if they are not a “morning person” they will not enjoy too much stimulation early in the day.
Matching Sock Games
Here is a fun way to promote classification skills. Don’t be afraid to include your socks in this game.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
What you need:
Socks of different colours and patterns
How to play:
1. Place a pile of loose socks on the floor in front of your child.
2. Encourage your child to sort the socks by color or pattern.
Wake Up Tickles
Adjust the intensity of your touch to suit your child. Some children find tickling to be an unpleasant sensation.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 12-40 months
Duration of activity: 5 minutes
How to play:
Slowly wake your child by gently tickling parts of his body. Start with extremities such as fingers and toes and for toward his belly.
Tiptoe
Young children will enjoy the overexaggerated sense of suspense.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 5 minutes
How to play:
1. Encourage your child to creep or tiptoe throughout the house as they get ready for the day.
2. You may wish to whisper and add to the excitement by pretending not to wake a sleeping giant or family member.
Bath-Time Activities
Bath time can be very soothing and calming.
Fizzy Bath Balls
Liven up your child’s bath time with these homemade fizzy bath balls. Your toddler can also participate in making them!
Makes 4-6 balls
Age groups: 18- 40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes to make and 1-2 days to dry
What you need:
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup citric acid
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons coconut or almond oil
1 tablespoon water
How to make:
1. Combine dry ingredients.
2. Mix oil and water, and drizzle onto dry ingredients while stirring. Stir to combine thoroughly.
3. Roll into balls. Allow to dry for 24-48 hours.
4. Add a fizzy ball to the bath water. The ball will fizz for a few minutes.
Soap Crayons
This activity combines an opportunity for creative expression with bathtub fun. Your child can use these crayons to draw on the tile or on herself.
Makes 12 crayons
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity:15 minutes to make and 2 days to set.
What you need:
1 cup soap flakes or powder
3 tablespoons water
Washable tempera paint
Ice cube trays or small paper cups (for molds)
How to make:
1. Mix soap and water together to make a stiff dough that can hold its own shape. Add more soap powder or water as needed to reach the desired consistency.
2. Divide the mixture into 3 or 4 balls. Add a few drops of paint to each portion to create desired colours.
3. Press mixture into moulds and let set for a few days before using as crayons in the tub.
Bathtub Finger Paints
Most toddlers love to get messy. What better place for a messy activity than the bathtub?
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
What you need:
2 tablespoons liquid soap
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Food colouring
How to make:
1. Mix all ingredients together for each colour and store in covered container.
2. Let your child use the paints to paint on his body or on the tub tiles. When bath time is over, the paint will rinse away.
Fishing in the Tub
Children usually enjoy water play. Here is a way to make bath time a fun time.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
What you need:
Toy plastic fish
1 small aquarium net
How to play:
Simply add the fish to the bath water for your toddler to catch with the net. If you don’t have toy fish, you could cut out some simple creatures from craft foam, or even a kitchen sponge!
Calming and Rest-Time Activities
Your toddler needs his rest. It is recommended that your toddler get twelve to fourteen hours of sleep in a twenty-four-hour period. It is often very difficult for young children to shift gears. They are unable to go from being active and wound up to calm and restful without a transitional time. In other words, it is unrealistic to expect that your toddler will be able to go directly from chasing butterflies to a long and peaceful nap. Try to have a set routine with calming activities in place to assist your child in unwinding and preparing for rest.
Back Blackboard
Try this to help calm your child before bedtime. You can also massage your child’s hands and feet this way.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
What you need:
Body lotion, if desired
How to use:
1. Ask your child to lie still on his stomach. Direct him to pay attention to what he feels.
2. Use your finger to draw on your child’s back. For younger children, make shapes and spirals. For the older child, you can draw specific shapes, letters, or numbers and ask him to guess what they are . Use lotion for a variation.
Roll Up
Tucking in your child at bedtime can be part of a soothing ritual.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 5 minutes
What you need:
Extra blanket
How to play:
1. Spread the blanket out on top of your child’s made bed.
2. Have your child lie on top of the blanket on one side of the bed.
3. Tuck the near side of the blanket over him and gently roll him across the bed until he is wrapped up in the blanket roll. Unroll your child before you leave him to go to sleep.
Monster Spray
Help your child use his imagination to conquer his fears and get a good night’s rest.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
What you need:
1 empty spray bottle
Materials for decorating (markers, stickers, etc)
How to make:
1. Have your child decorate the bottle.
2. Tell the child that this is now a bottle of monster repellent. Let him spray wherever he thinks there could a monster lurking!
Counting Sheep
Counting sheep is a well-known way to cure insomnia. Try this cute game to help lull your toddler to sleep. Supervision is needed if your child is still prone to putting things in his mouth.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30-40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
What you need:
8 to 10 cotton balls
How to play:
1. Tell your child that the cotton balls are little sheep. Show him how he can herd them all on the pillow one by one. Perhaps they can hind under the covers, too!
2. Be sure to remind him that sheep are timid and that if he gets up or makes noise, the sheep will be frightened. If you are ambitious, you can use craft pompoms and draw on eyes for more realistic sheep.
Mealtime and Cooking Activities
Mealtimes can be a great way to interact with your toddler and make her feel involved. When you include your child in mealtime activities and preparation, she is more likely to eat the food that your are serving. Additionally, cooking activities will help her learn about nutrition, as well as science and math concepts such as fraction, measurement, evaporation, and more.
Personal Placemats
Your child will enjoy creating her own placemat that she can use at every mealtime. She may want to make one for each person in your family.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
What you need:
12” x 14” sheets poster board
Crayons or markers
Clear contact paper
How to make:
Have your child decorate both sides of the poster board with crayons or markers.
2. Use clear contact paper to laminate her creation.
Homemade Butter
This activity is a lot easier than you would imagine. While making butter, your child is developing large motor skills and observing scientific changes as well.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
What you need:
1 cup heavy cream
1 clear jar with lid
1 marble
How to make:
1. Put the heavy cream in the jar with a marble. Cover jar with lid.
2. Have your child shake the jar vigorously until butter forms. Enjoy some fresh butter on some hot rolls!
Rainbow Toast
Your toddler will enjoy decorating her toast with many colours. This is fun to make and fun to eat!
Activity for an individual child or a group
Age group: 30-40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
What you need:
1/2 cup milk
Food colouring
Cotton swabs
2 slices white bread
How to make:
1. Divide the milk into 4 or more portions in small containers. An empty Styrofoam egg carton works well.
2. Help your child place a few drops of food colouring in each milk portion to create the colors she desires.
3. Have your child use the cotton swabs as paintbrushes to paint colorful milk design on the bread Be sure they don’t get too soggy.
4. Toast the bread under a broiler.
Mini Pizzas
Pizza may very well be the most popular food among children. Here is a way to involve your child in mealtimes and spark her creativity, too.
Activity for an individual child or a group.
Age group: 30-40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
What you need:
1 canned biscuit
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 teaspoon grated mozzarella cheese
Toppings as desired: pepperoni slices, onion rings, green pepper slices, etc.
How to make:
1. Help your toddler pat the biscuit dough out into a circle, then help her spread on the sauce and cheese.
2. Let your child choose and arrange the toppings for her pizza. One idea is to use the pepperoni slices and a green pepper rice to Mae a smiley face.
3. Bake the pizza in a toaster oven or under the broiler until the cheese melts.
Transition Times
A typical day involves more than waking, eating,
Cleanup is Fun!
Cleanup time does not have to be a battle. Simply make cleaning up a game!
Activity For An Individual Child
Age group: 30-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
1. Explain to your child that all of his toys have homes, or special places where they belong. Then explain that he needs to make sure none of his toys get lost and must help each one find its home again. (It is helpful to have special places designated for your child’s belongings. You may want to label shelves and cubbies with pictures to help your child match what belongs there.)
2. Guide your child by having him pick up items by category. For example, you might say, “Let’s pick up all the red things first.” Alternatively, set a timer and have him try to speed-clean to beat the clock.
This is the Way
Just about any activity or routine is more fun when you are singing.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 5 minutes
Make up different verses to the tune of “Pop! Goes the Weasel.” Here’s an example.
This is the way we wash our face.
Wash our face, wash our face.
This is the way we wash our face.
So early in the morning.
Other potential verses might involve how to climb into bed, wait for the bus, and so on. You can change the time of day as appropriate—to “late in the evening,” for example.
Helping Around the House
The toddler years are n in-between time in terms of development. Your child is no longer baby, but she is not yet fully big child, either. You will see your child’s interest in, and possibly her insistence on, becoming a big girl. “Me do” or “Let me” may be a common request from her. You can give your toddler a chance to feel competent by enlisting her help with your activities. Toddlers love to imitate, and yours can learn new skills while bonding with you.
Sock Sort
Laundry time can be a fun time to interact with your young child while teaching her sorting and clarification skills.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Show your toddler how to sort socks. You can have her put socks in piles according to color, style, or size. See if your toddler is able to match up sock pairs.
Washing Fun
Most toddlers enjoy water play, so they will truly love feeling as if they are helping you with this fun activity.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
1. The next time you are washing dishes or other items, set up a bin with some soapy water.
2. Give your toddler a sponge, and let her wash her toys. Alternatively, let your child join you in hosing off the patio or even washing the car!
Side by Side
Give your toddler a chance to feel like a big kid. Your child’s interest in imitation and interaction with you is all the motivation she needs to help out with the chores.
Activity for an individual child.
Age groupL 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
Buy your child little whisk broom to help with sweeping. She may be able to help push the vacuum cleaner, but many toddlers are frightened by the sound. Additionally, you can give your child a damp rag and let her help you with the dusting.
Anytime Activities
There may be many times throughout the day when you’ll needier want to keep your toddler busy with an activity. Perhaps he has grown tired of his new toy, or maybe you just want him to stay off the kitchen floor that you just finished cleaning. Whether you have five minutes an entire afternoon, the activities this section will fill the bill.
Fill and Dump
You will be surprised to see how much young children like to fill and dump containers. An added plus is that this activity helps them learn about cause and effect.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
What you need:
Small continers, such as Tupperware or coffee cans
Small toys, such as blcoks, balls, or collectables toys. Be sure that the items do not pose a choking hazard.
How to play:
1. Seat your toddler on a blanket or rug.
2. Give him the containers and the little toys. Demonstrate the game by putting a few items into a container and dumping them out.
3. Give your toddler the containers and let him fill anddump them on his own.
Where Is My Pair?
You can set this game up in a snap. Not only is it a lot of fun, it will also help your child with problem-solving school.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
What you need:
Pairs of items, such as socks, mittens, or shoes
A box or laundry basket
How to play:
1. Divide all the pairs, pacing one matte in the box and one in plain views somewhere else in the room.
2. Remove an item from the box. Show it to your toddler and ask him to find its mate and make a pair.
Water Paint
This is a great outdoor activity. It is up to you to “sell” this activity and once you do, your toddler’s imagination will take over and make this a lot of fun.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 25 minutes
What you need:
Small container of water
Paintbrushes
How to play:
1. Take your child outside, or seat him in the bathtub.
2. Tell him that the water is imagination paint and he can paint whatever he wants.
3. As he paints, ask him to describe what colors and patterns he is making.
Treasure Hunt
The game is easy to set up and will entertain your toddler for quite a while.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
What you need:
1 roll of crepe paper (a long ribbon may be substituted instead)
Favourite toy or prize
How to play:
1. Thread the streamer in a trail around the room or house. Weave it around the couch, under the table, and so on—the goal is to make an interesting and challenging path for your child to follow.
2. Attach a favourite toy or a small prize at the end of the streamer for your child to find.
3. Give your child the loose end and him follow along the path to find the treasure.
Window Clings
You and your child can make these decorations to suit any season or interest.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30-40 months
Duration of activity: 25 minutes
What you need:
Food colouring, various colours
White craft glue in small bottles
Sheet of clear flexible plastic, such as those used for transparencies
How to make:
1. Mix food colouring with glue, a different colour in each bottle.
2. Let your child squeeze the glue on the transparency to create his picture or design. Filled areas work better than outlines. You can place a pattern under the clear sheet as a template for a design. Leave a hole at the top of your design for hanging the decoration later.
3. Let dry for 1 day and remove from plastic.
4. Thread a length of string or fishing line through the hole , hang decoration in front of a window.
5. To store, wrap securely in plastic wrap and keep in a cool place.
Your second block of text...