We often hear from parents and grandparents asking for ideas and fun things to do with toddlers or preschoolers. 90% of a child’s brain is developed by the age of five. These activities will help to boost your child’s language development, creativity and build early skills in math and reading.
- Make a sensory bin or water table out of a large clear plastic container. Fill with water, add ice cubes and move from one side to the other with a large spoon.
- Use shaving cream on a cookie sheet to draw pictures and letters.
- Use a cookie sheet and put tin foil on it. Then paint with washable paint.
- Play with playdough.
- Put together simple puzzles.
- Read lots of books, talk and ask questions about the pictures.
- Use a big brown box , let your child crawl inside and draw on the box with crayons or markers.
- Sing songs.
- Make rhymes.
- Take bubble wrap and paint over it.
- Use seashells, large dry beans and cereal to sort in a cupcake pan. Sort by color, size and shape. Point and count each one. Talk about the differences.
- Get large bubble wands and make bubbles. Try to catch them.
- Bounce and roll balls of different sizes. Roll them back and forth. Explain what is happening.
- Use Cheerios or an O’s cereal to count and put on a piece of string or yarn.
- Draw with chalk outside. Make shapes, letters, words or boxes to jump in and out of.
- Go on a walk and count the steps you take.
- Play I Spy and find as many birds, flowers, butterflies, etc.
Make it fun! Children learn by doing. The more opportunities they have to explore, discover and investigate, the more they learn.