Inside: The best toddler process art activities often used recycled products, making them extremely easy to create. Using empty thread spools is a fun way to stamp paint onto paper, plus they leave a fun design. There’s lots of action in this project that young children love! I love process art, especially with toddlers. The plus is that it’s so easy to put together and is gentle to the budget, since it requires few materials, often using something from your recycling bin....

Ideas for Toddler and Preschool May Themes 👉🏼Scroll down to find out what others are doing during the month of May! I’ve provided links to even more ideas! Planning for May? I’ve put together this toddler and preschool May themes resource that includes not only what we will be doing, but ideas from other teachers, too. Teachers can use these in the classroom and parents can add them to their children’s home activities....

How to Make An Easy Butterfly Feeder Sunflower Garden Activity How to Plant Seeds for an Easy Gardening Activity Terrariums in a Jar What Lives in the Pond? (Free Printable) Hands-On Spring Science Activities Dramatic Play If you are planning your toddler and preschool April themes, I’ve made it easier for you by putting my favorite resources in one spot! Teachers can use these in the classroom and parents can add them to their children’s home activities....

Inside: This preschool painting activity is like science at the art table! See what happens as the salt is sprinkled on the glue, and then paint is dropped on top. So much fun! I love to strengthen fine motor skills at the art table, so this is why salt and watercolor painting is one of my favorites for our preschoolers. I’ve talked about pipettes before, such as with our pine cone art and our colored waterfall art....

I like to think of our morning meeting as another circle time. (I really should be calling it group time, as our circle is now more like an oval.) Two summers ago I took an online class from Fairy Dust Teaching and was intrigued by a photo of a classroom that used small wooden stools for the children to sit on during group time. I shared it with my staff and they were in love with the idea....

Inside: This shamrock painting for St. Patrick’s Day is simple enough for toddlers, but preschoolers love it, too. It’s also a great color mixing activity, learning what happens when blue and yellow are mixed! Speaking of toddlers, they especially love this activity because of the action involved. It goes right along with their energy levels! There’s very little set up involved (which busy teachers appreciate) and even busy toddlers (like mine) will stop and give it a try....

Putting together sunflower wall art for toddlers and preschoolers is one of our favorite fall activities. We start by exploring sunflowers, adding sunflowers to various parts of our classroom, reading sunflower books, and even strengthening our fine motor skills with a sunflower sensory bin. What I love about this activity is that it is done by both our toddlers and our preschoolers. The bulletin board we display in the hallway represents both classrooms....

10 Pom Pom Learning Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers Pom poms are a staple in our toddler and preschool classroom because they are so versatile. They come in all sorts of sizes and colors and are easy and fun to handle. When putting together playful learning activities, pom poms can be a nice addition! This collection includes 10 different ways to use pom poms in the home or classroom to build a variety of skills....

Although they may seem quite simple, frogs lead very interesting amphibian lives. Did you know that they consume water by absorbing it through their skin? Frogs are a great way to teach the beginning concepts of the life cycle to toddlers and preschoolers. They begin as an egg in the water before hatching as a tiny tadpole. As they begin to sprout legs, they completely change appearances into a cute little frog before laying their own eggs and starting the cycle all over again....

I am often asked about ideas for busy toddlers. They have short attention spans, would rather run or climb than sit, and simply want to be on the go every moment they are awake. Does this sound familiar? Do you have a toddler like this? Now, older children can be just as energetic as toddlers and I did share ideas on songs that help get their wiggles out. But toddlers get frustrated more easily and need redirection during those times....

Inside: Put together a fun playdough activity that involves birthday pretend play. Candles and other loose parts make this a fun fine motor idea for toddlers and preschoolers. Many years ago, probably when I first started teaching, I added some candles to our playdough table. I never imagined how loved this activity would be. Playdough birthday fun! Every single time we put candles at our playdough table, even with our toddlers, it’s a huge hit!...

I don’t know about you, but I love when I can find an easy idea that builds skills, is easy to set up, and is thoroughly enjoyed. A plus is if it uses what we already have! For this activity you will need bubble wrap, paint, rollers, and our free shamrock printable. Don’t be surprised if your children want to make more than one! We’ve used it many times for art activities, including:...

Teachers, if you are on a budget, you will appreciate these classroom DIY ideas. Oh yes, it’s fun to look through those school catalogs, but once you start pricing them, it adds up! I was thrilled to find so many items that can be made for a fraction of the cost, for all areas of the classroom. Go take a look at your wish list and see what you can cross off by making it yourself!...

Our toddlers and preschoolers love using pom poms, so I add them to lots of our activities. (Check out these 10 pom pom activities!) But of all the ways we use them, they are most enjoyed in the sensory table where they can be handled with the hands or different tools such as scoops and tongs. So when I put together a fun and easy Christmas sensory table, I naturally just had to add pom poms!...

Young children love to pretend to make coffee and tea, serving it in cups and mugs to their friends. This fall coffee shop has everything you need – signs, forms, and labels along with coffee makers, tea kettles, and baked goods. We love including this during our pumpkin theme! Watch the video: This means our dramatic play area goes from an apple orchard to a fall coffee shop, and I love setting up this activity!...

Exploring the frog life cycle is one of our themes for spring. We use a life cycle model at the science table, complete with books about frogs. We sing the 5 Speckled Frogs finger play using our frog props. And then, we introduce our frog pond sensory bin. Oh yes, this sensory table is THE highlight of our frog theme. Lots of frogs in water with pretend lily pads. Our preschoolers love this activity year after year....

Inside: This easy toddler snowman art activity is all about the process! We used brayers to roll paint across bubble wrap, making a print onto snowman shaped paper. Super fun! Rolling paint on textured surfaces make the best prints, and that’s exactly what we did with this easy toddler snowman art activity. By now you must know our love for bubble wrap, right? Remember when we made rainbows from bubble wrap?...

Inside: Looking for ideas for your February preschool themes? This resource is filled with activities and free printables to help you plan the entire month. Can be adapted for toddlers, too! There are so many fun ideas to include in your February preschool themes, and we’ve rounded them up in this post to make your planning easier. February is a good time to focus on friendships and our community, while also celebrating Valentine’s Day....

Lay a piece of plastic wrap on top of the paint and then tape it to a tray. If you’re looking for a no mess activity for the art table, this is one of our favorites! Toddlers love pressing down on the plastic wrap, moving the paint around. Even though hands are not directly touching paint, this is still a delightful sensory experience. As the plastic wrap touches the paint, the hands can still feel the movement of the paint even though they aren’t directly touching it....

There are so many preschool shape activities with circles! We start our year with the circle shape. In the past we’ve done paper tube circle stamping. This year I wanted to try something a bit different. We had several tennis ball containers that were donated by a parent. We also had bubble wrap. You see where I am going here. Yep, this year we stamped circles with bubble wrap. (And, if you have been following my blog for awhile, you know how much I love bubble wrap!...