Home Activities to do with your Toddler

 

Practical Life

  • Food Prep/Cook/Bake with child

  • Folding laundry and putting clothes away

  • Sweeping/Dusting

  • Water Work

    • Half fill a small pan or pot with water (or use the kitchen sink) and supply child with kitchen utensils (small ladles, plastic measuring cups, soup spoons, turkey baster) 

  • Cleaning Surfaces

    • Give the child a small bucket with a little bit of water and soap and scrub brush and show them how to make bubbles with the brush.

    • Good surfaces are floors, chairs and large plastic toys.

  • Organize play items

  • Plant Watering

  • Washing hands

    • 20 seconds with the birthday song.

  • Practice dressing self

    • zipping, buttoning, putting clothes on (including shoes and socks)

Sensorial

  • Nature walk

    • Collect interesting items and discuss them

      • Who does that feel?

      • What does this look like?

      • What color is this?

    • Sort the items

      • By size

      • By type

  • Play-dough

  • Sorting - anything you have multiples of sort them by..

    • color

    • Shape

    • Size

    • quantity

    • Organizing items by height/length/weight

    • Fitting smaller items into a bigger item

Language

  • Sing simple songs 

    • Head shoulder knees and toes

    • Wheels on the bus

      • Have your child lead the song. 

        • What/who is on the bus?...what does it do/say?...

    • Itsy bitsy spider

  • Read stories and books

  • Conversations with child

    • Talk about what you did or will do today

    • Talk about school

      • Friends, teachers, activities

Math

  • Look for opportunities to count

Other learning experiences

  • Large motor activities

    • Running

    • Balancing 

      • Have child walk on line on the floor (you can use a piece of masking tape)

    • Climbing

    • Heavy work

      • Carrying a large bottle of water

      • Help carry in groceries

    • Jumping

      • Indoors on a rug (the jumping rug)

  • Gardening

    • Till dirt

    • Plant seeds (can do indoors)

    • Water indoor plants

    • Prune plants (take dead leaves/etc off plants)

    • Observe the wildlife in garden

  • Music

    • Play instruments

    • Singing

    • Listen to music

  • Art

    • Coloring 

    • Painting

      • Try water on a chalkboard

    • Gluing

    • Stickers 

    • Hole punching

 
MaryAnn RossMontessori