Two year olds are busy walking, running, perhaps even jumping. Big things are happening with gross motor skills. But what about fine motor? There are lots of toys on the market that focus on fine motor development. So many, in fact, that it can become overwhelming. So I came up with a short and simple list of our favorite fine motor toys for toddlers.. These can be used at school, daycare, and at home....
Our first fall theme is apples. We make applesauce, we sort and count apples, and, of course, we fill our sensory bins with apples, too. Well, not real apples. We happened to have some we borrowed from an apple attribute game. Since part of the goal for this apple sensory bin is to strengthen those hands, we added our favorite tongs. And because I love activities with multi-skills working, we threw in some alphabet pebbles for some early literacy....
Inside: Looking for an easy toddler Thanksgiving activity? Make a simple Thankful banner! Comes with free printable labels. Update: Since this post was published, we’ve used a different method that we also love. You can see photos of those towards the bottom of the post. Thanksgiving is the time to focus on what we are thankful for, but this can be hard for toddlers to grasp. You might have already experienced asking them what they are thankful for and they look at you with a blank face and then move on to something else....
Toddlers and preschoolers seem to have an extra amount of energy in the winter . Perhaps it’s coming off of the holidays. Or perhaps it’s because we might not be getting them outdoors as much as normal due to the weather. One of the most popular questions in my Facebook group is how to burn energy during the winter months, so I thought I’d put together a fun collection you can add to your day....
Exploring spiders is a fun part of our fall theme with both our toddlers and preschoolers. While planning our spider web painting activity, I thought of a fun way to add spiders to our sensory bin. Dyed rice, pretend spiders, and a water spout! After singing one of our favorite songs, Itsy Bitsy Spider, the children had fun dropping the spiders down the water spout rather than up. There was lots of scooping and dumping rice, too....
Inside: Creating a toddler and preschool classroom design can be overwhelming, especially when obstacles are in the way. Watch how I transform my environment from scratch, getting it ready for open house and parent night! I love getting the classroom ready for back to school. I take my time getting rearranging furniture, adding little details, personalizing it for my new friends who will arrive in a few weeks. This year, however, the flow was interrupted by construction and last minute changes....
Inside: Looking for simple toddler Valentines card holders? We stamp red paint onto white lunch sacks and then add their name and photo. So much fun! Valentine’s Day, like all of our classroom celebrations with our toddlers, is fun and yet very simple. There’s a reason for that. Let’s just say that my first 4 years of Valentine’s celebrations as a toddler teacher were … well, almost a disaster. I had too much planned....
Toddlers love going on walks, especially when they can stop along the way for some exploration. Give them a bag and invite them to collect leaves and sticks. This is a great way to explore nature while also working large motor skills. After examining what was found, these make great surfaces for paint at the art table! CLICK HERE to if you want to add a nature scavenger hunt to your walk (free printable)!...
Inside: This rainbow art activity is all about the process as toy cars are driving through colored shaving cream. A hands-on lesson on color mixing! Our toddlers and preschoolers love anything involving cars. If they can drive them through paint, even better. We’ve used this technique with small cars, Duplos, even farm vehicles! But probably what was loved most was when we made rainbow roads with small cars. In fact, that was our inspiration for the activity I’m sharing today: Shaving cream rainbow art....
Invite your preschoolers to explore their senses with this autumn sensory bin! We’ve combined a variety of materials that are different textures, such as pinecones, leaves, feathers, pretend pumpkins, pom poms, and more. Want to work on color recognition skills at the same time? We added color sorting bowls so the children could sort the pieces and place them in the matching bowls. Fine motor skills are also strengthened with tongs and tweezers....
Toddler Ocean Fish Art that Involves Lots of Stamping with Paint I love the way the spools fit in small toddler hands. I mean, seriously, we can find anything and make use for it. Perhaps that’s why we have stashes of odd stuff we could have tossed, but just know there will be a use for it. After all, teachers love to create recycled crafts! Ahem. Yes, I am guilty. Many, many years ago someone (perhaps a retired quilter), dropped off a huge bag of empty sewing spools....
Count the Coins St. Patrick’s Day Math Activity for Toddlers CLICK HERE to see how our classroom was set up for the St. Patrick’s Day theme! Our older toddlers and young preschoolers love gold coins. When we bring them out for St. Patrick’s Day, they are included in so many of our learning centers. So, naturally, I wanted to use them as a simple counting activity that could be at our table but also used in a group....
Where should your circle time be? Find a spot in your room that has enough room for all of your students to gather. We have a stool for each child to sit on, but mats work, too. (In the past we’ve used vinyl place mats.) How long should your circle time be? We start our year with a short circle time, just long enough for a good morning song and a short story....
Teachers and parents: You are concerned your preschoolers won’t know how to write their names before they enter kindergarten. Guess what? Even before they can write their names, they can start recognizing the letters in them. While they are getting their hands and fingers strong enough to hold a writing tool, they can become familiar with those letters through hands-on play. I’ve put together a collection of fun and easy activities that will do just that....
15+ Preschool Math Activities that Can Be Done on a Tray CLICK HERE for math ideas that can easily be done at home! When we choose math activities for our preschoolers, we look at playful ways to build counting skills. We also look for activities that can be adapted to a variety of learners, since we have children at many different levels. Some of our preschoolers can count to 20 and beyond, while some are just starting to count to 4....
While planning our Christmas painting activities, I stumbled upon so many fun ideas! With all the super crafty ideas out there, I was pleased to find a selection of painting ideas that allowed the preschoolers to put their own personalities into their work. Just like my collection of handmade ornaments, I wanted to make sure that the children could put their own touches on their painting. I also included some of our own ideas that we’ve loved for many years....
We love jingle bells during the Christmas season. In fact, we have one week devoted to jingle bells. We’ve tossed them in our sensory bin. We’ve added them to our science table. We’ve used them during music and movement. Check out these posts: Jingle Bell Magnetic Sensory Bin Easy Christmas Jingle Bell Sticks Jingle Bell Color Sorting at the Science Table But how about using jingle bells for process art?...
The paper was placed into the box lid and the children carefully transported the egg from the paint container to the box lid. You know all those plastic Easter eggs that you’ve acquired over the years? Don’t toss them! Instead, try this toddler fun spring painting with eggs. It’s super easy to set up! Many years ago my former co-teacher had a gift for creating unique art ideas. One of her favorites was using a cardboard box lid and having the children move it to make the paint spread....
Inside: Turn a cardboard box into a Valentine’s Day mailbox and add it to your writing center! This is a fun way to work on fine motor skills while sending cards to friends and family. One of our favorite things to do during our Valentine’s Day theme is making cards for each other. It ties in nicely with The Kindness Elves activities we do during the month of February. We talk about being a good friend and doing kind things for each other....
Inside: It’s super easy to put together literacy activities using foam letters. Toddlers and preschoolers love to handle them, and they come in a variety of sizes, making them even more versatile! I am always looking for ways to expose our toddlers and preschoolers to the alphabet. I want literacy activities that are easy to set up, keep the children engaged, and can meet different levels of learning. Since I put these types of activities together during our centers time, I also want them to be as child-led as possible....
