Toddler Time: Straws & Lids
Little Brother came up with this activity all on his own. In fact, he is fascinated by it and will spend at least 15 minutes (which is long for him) putting the straw through the lid and then pulling it…
Toddler Time: Big Bead Threading for Little Fingers
I admit it…I’m double-dipping. Remember the caterpillar counting activity I posted? Well, I’m repurposing that for an activity with Little Brother as well. The pieces of the pool noodle serve as really large beads. And what’s an excellent fine-motor activity…
Semi-Safe "Sword" Fighting
I honestly believe that pretend “sword fighting” must be programmed into the DNA of boys. I don’t recall either of my boys ever seeing this on TV, so I’m just blaming it on the Y chromosome. The same is true…
Edi-Dough {aka Edible Playdough}
Who says you can’t play with your food??? We had so much fun making, playing with, and eating this playdough! This was an activity I did with my first graders when we were exploring the life cycle of a butterfly…
Toddler Time: A Lesson on Sharing
Little Brother’s favorite word these days (besides “poop”) is “MINE!“. It is normally accompanied by a loud, shrieking sound before and after the actual word. Even though he has plenty of opportunities to both share and get things taken away from…
What to do when it rains…
Here are just a few things we’ve been doing with our dreary weather lately… Window Crayons (*If you do this, make sure your child knows which crayons are “window crayons” and which are regular, otherwise you’ll have lots of regular…
Toddler Time: Matching Animals to Pictures
After our visit to the Dairy Farm yesterday, I figured this would be a great activity for Little Brother. I just printed off pictures of 3 animals (cow, pig, and sheep) that I found online and then used our “Little…
Visit to the Dairy Farm
Our church playgroup went to a nearby dairy farm today! We had so much fun!!! If you ever have the opportunity to visit one, I would highly recommend it! Here are some of my favorite pictures from our visit… Little…
Toddler Time: Little Helper
Toddlers love to imitate and do what grown-ups do! Not only is this a great way to keep those busy little bodies out of trouble, it’s also kind of the beginning of “dramatic play”! Encourage your little one to be…
Toddler Time: Building Towers
Blocks are a childhood staple, but did you know that learning to build a tower of blocks is also somewhat of a developmental milestone? Toddlers must use cognition and fine motor skills to stack one block on top of another…the…
Making Rain
My boys love playing in the bathtub…dumping and filling cups of water. As I was trying to find something in our cabinets to put some leftovers in a couple days ago, an idea came to me of how to create…
Stepping Stones and Diaper Towers
I stocked up on diapers for Little Brother this week at Walgreens (you can’t beat 8 cents per diaper!). I bought 8 packages total and the boys invented their own games using the diaper packages. Rather than hauling them to our…
Outdoor Play = Gross Motor Activity
One major reason that it is so important for kids to be outside is that playing outside naturally yields itself to gross motor activity! What kid goes outside and just sits on the sidewalk? No, kids want to run, jump, skip, throw…
Toddler Time: Pots & Pans "Puzzles"
If your kids are anything like mine, they don’t really play with toys a whole lot. They’d rather play with household items or demand my constant, undivided attention (I’m particularly thinking of one of my children). That’s why I love any…
Toddler Time: Tearing Paper
After a recent conversation with my friend Jennie, a former Pre-K teacher who now has a son about the same age as Little Brother, I was motivated to start posting some toddler-friendly ideas…even if they aren’t all that “unique.” I’m…
Day 1 of Creation: Light
Our next thematic unit will be on the days of creation. My mom gave me of the ideas in this unit from when she used to teach Sunday school years ago. Teaching our children to grow in their love and knowledge of…
Teaching Hot and Cold (for toddlers)
Not only is teaching your toddler “hot” and “cold” great for learning opposites, there is a huge safety incentive as well. For this activity, I just used 2 of those Pyrex gel pack thingys that came with my Pyrex travel…
What about Little Brother?
About a month ago, I asked Facebook readers what they would like to see more of on the blog. Many of you said you would like to see more activities for younger children. I haven’t ignored your requests, I just…