Blog: Toddlers

It’s Wednesday! This afternoon is going to be warm again, a wonderful time to invite your child to cool off with some water play outside, in the kitchen sink, or the bathtub. Here are some other ideas for invitations for toddlers.

Fine Motor Invitation: Float/Sink Water Play 

This invitation is easy to set up, a non-breakable container of water and some items that can get wet, and interesting for children of many ages. For toddlers, the activity may become more about which object makes the biggest splash, or how something can be a boat or a fish.

Intent: Exploring physics in this open-ended way is very appealing to young children. It is an opportunity for investigating how things work, different properties, and cause and effect.

Art and Sensory Invitation: Outdoor Finger painting

Young children’s approach to finger paint can very from tentative touches and finger prints to full-body experimentation. Make sure the paint you offer is child-safe and washable. You can make your own finger paint using cornstarch and water, just be aware that most food coloring can stain. A large piece of cardboard is the perfect outdoor canvas for finger paint which you can offer in a clean yogurt container or metal pie tin.

Intent: This activity offers lots of scope for creative expression, fine (and possibly large) motor development, and an interesting sensory experience.

Music Invitation: Little Bird, Little Bird, Fly Through My Window

Our favorite version of this song is that performed by Elizabeth Mitchell. Lyrics and a video of her singing can be found here.

This is a wonderful time to be outside and listen to the birds with your child. You may even see some through your window.

Intent: This song connects us to nature and the larger natural community. Singing promotes speech and language development and singing together connects us to one another.

Outdoor Invitation:   Vehicle Wash

In warm weather, water play invitations can help children cool off and engage them for long periods. For this invitation you will want a vehicle or two of any size (parent involvement required generally increases with the size of the vehicle), some soapy water, and brushes, sponges or rags for washing as well as a hose for rinsing larger vehicles like ride on toys or actual family cars.

Intent: This second water exploration is an opportunity for fine and large motor development, exploring opposites, and an opportunity for children to be helpers.

Sensory Invitation: Making no-cook play dough

We tested this PBS kids recipe for no-cook play dough. If your child likes to taste play dough, leave out the glitter. The recipe is fun to mix up, but not as smooth and pliable as cooked play dough.

Intent: To give children an opportunity to see how play dough can be made, to engage their senses and build motor skills stirring and mixing.

Fine Motor Invitation: Exploring Play dough

Once the dough is mixed, your child can explore it in many ways, poking, pinching, rolling or cutting into small pieces with a butter knife.

Intent: The dough provides a medium for small motor development, creative expression, and sensory exploration.

Art Invitation:  Chalk

On this lovely warm day, try taking some sidewalk chalk outside. Children can make marks on concrete, rocks, or wood. To further the exploration, you can also bring out a cup of water in which children can dip the chalk.

Intent: To allow children freedom for creative expression on a large scale, to give an opportunity to experiment with how chalk works on different surfaces, to explore mark making.

Outdoor Invitation:           All About Balls

What different balls can you throw?
What ball is easier to kick versus throw?
Is your ball bouncy?
What different sports do you play with the balls at your house?

Intent: Get outside and enjoy the nice weather and beautiful spring scenery. We want to encourage the toddlers to use all of their big body muscles to enhance gross motor development.

Good morning! It looks like the beautiful spring weather will continue today. Here are a few invitations to interest and engage toddlers.

Sensory Invitation:  Sand (pouring, scooping)

Sand is such a wonderful material for young children to explore. An empty dish tub or storage bin makes a perfect sensory bin. For easier clean-up, place the bin on a shower curtain liner, old sheet, or table cloth. A measuring spoon, tablespoon and a container are plenty of tools for scooping and dumping, filling and pouring.

Intent: Sensory activities such as interacting with sand build children’s fine motor skills, invite curiosity and exploration, and encourage cognitive development.

Art Invitation:  Markers and paper

At LACS, the toddler teachers present children with paper taped to trays or the tabletop and a small selection of washable markers in an acrylic cup. At this age, removing and replacing the caps on the markers is often more interesting than making marks. 

Intent: Build fine motor skills, provide materials for creative expression and mark making.

Music/Movement Invitation: Pom Na Tu Ri (Springtime Outing)

Sung here by Elizabeth Mitchell

This sweet Korean nursery song is a wonderful one to sing with young children and ties in with the outdoor offering of a springtime walk.

Intent: This song is an opportunity for movement, language development, and musicality. 

Outdoor Invitation:  Neighborhood Walk

Take a walk anywhere around your home! You can do this with your child riding in a wagon or stroller, or go at your toddler’s walking pace. During a nature walk take time to notice the world with your child: the sky, the trees, and ground. What are the signs of Spring you can see in your neighborhood?

Intent: Sometimes the walk is more important than the destination because it is where we observe the most.