Blog: Toddlers

Good morning! Here are three invitation ideas for toddlers and their families today.

Outdoor/Science Invitation: Nature collection explorations

It looks like it will be cloudy, but not enormously hot this morning. We are wondering if your child has created a collection of natural materials over the past few months; pine cones, pieces of bark, leaves, rocks, sweet gum balls and the like. Today you might invite your child to explore those kinds of materials. What can they build with them? What designs can they create on the grass or the stoop? How do their hands explore the materials? What do they notice as they work?

Sensory Invitation: Sand cooking

At Lakewood, the toddlers spend a lot of time working with cooking utensils in the sand box. They use mini muffin pans, tiny tart pans, measuring cups and spoons. Sometimes in warm weather teachers will also offer buckets of water so children can explore wet, dry, and damp sand. Today you might pull together some similar materials and offer them to your child. What will they make for themselves, or for you?

Fine/Large Motor Invitation: Transporting offering

Today we are curious about how your child might like to explore transporting today. Are they interested in rolling a baby doll around in a stroller? Are they interested in filling a bag with items and carrying it to the other end of your home? Would they like to use their entire body to move pillows or couch cushions across the room? Pick one or two of these offerings to set up in your house (or yard) and see what your child would like to explore today. Remember that your child’s goal will likely be to move things from one point to another and not to do something with the items once they are moved.

Good morning! It’s Wednesday and looks like there may be more thunderstorms in store for us again today. Here are three invitations you might offer your toddler today.

Sensory Invitation: Sensory explorations with scoops

Today we invite you to get out what by now may have become your trusty sensory bin, add some sand and perhaps some water if it is a warm part of the day, and some tools for scooping. These could be measuring cups or spoons, small shovels, or regular spoons. Invite your child to explore what they can do with scoops, water and sand.

Art/Fine Motor Invitation: Contact paper collage

This invitation is related to the glue collage invitations we have offered in the past. Today we hope you have access to contact paper (sometimes called shelf paper). You could also create sticky paper by spreading a thin layer of glue on a piece of cardboard. Attach the sticky paper to a table or other flat surface with circles of tape on the back. Offer an array of small, lightweight materials such as pieces of tissue paper or fabric flower petals and invite your child to explore the materials. Toddlers are often fascinated by sticky paper and want to explore it with their fingers first.

Building Invitation: Blocks and small fabric swatches

At one point during Lakewood at Home, we suggested offering fabric as a block building accessory. Today we are curious about what toddlers will do with smaller pieces of fabric (about the size of one of the blocks or smaller). How will this change their building? Will it add a dimension of creativity or dramatic play to their work?

Good morning! July feels like it is racing by as we prepare to reopen August 5th. We hope you are finding moments to slow down and be present with your toddler in the middle of all the things happening around us. Here are three invitations for today.

Fine Motor Invitation: Exploring loose parts

Loose parts are such a wonderful way for children to explore a variety of concepts. Loose parts are also wonderful because they are often free or very inexpensive. They can be shower curtain rings and a paper towel stand, or a collection of empty cracker boxes, or a basket of fabric scraps and an old bicycle wheel. We have offered several specific loose parts suggestions throughout this blog. Today, pull out something your toddler has enjoyed, or look through your cabinets or junk drawer for something different to add to the mix. Make sure you check items for safety before giving them to your child. What will they create today?

Art Invitation: Paint and paper

Today is going to be cooler than the past few days, it might be a nice day to take some paint and paper outside. You can set them up on the ground or a large cardboard box. Invite your child to explore the paint with brushes or natural materials. Painting is a wonderful medium for creative expression and builds motor skills.

Large Motor/Dramatic play Invitation: Bubble wrap road

This is an interesting way to use bubble wrap left over from a package. Use painter’s tape to attach strips of it to the floor and invite your child to use it as a road. They might drive vehicles over it, or baby strollers, or take a zoo full of animals for a stroll. They might also just want to jump up and down along the road until it stops making noise. Part of the joy of offering open-ended invitations to young children is how their responses and investigations can surprise us!

Welcome to another week of Lakewood at Home for Toddlers! We hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend with safe celebrations. Here are three simple invitations for toddlers this Monday morning.

Sensory Invitation: Summer moon sand

You can use regular sand, kinetic sand, or homemade moon sand (8 parts flour to 1 part baby oil) for this invitation. Spread the moon sand in a large storage bin or small plastic pool and add a variety of summery accessories. These could be natural materials like shells, driftwood and stones, or sandcastle supplies like pails and shovels. Invite your child to explore what they can do with the sand and other materials.

Dramatic Play Invitation: Exploring Puppets

Puppets can be a wonderful way to engage with your child. You can use puppets you have on hand, or create one with a sock. Children delight in having puppets come to life before their eyes. You can engage your child in conversation, share a book, or have the puppet do silly things like try to munch the furniture or ask your toddler to make them a bed. Older toddlers may want a turn to work the puppet.

Large Motor Invitation: Yoga

We hope you and your child have been able to find fun ways to use your bodies in this warm weather. Today we would like to offer a yoga exploration. You can do this inside or outside in the shade. We find Jamie’s Cosmic Kids Yoga“On the Farm”  to be fun and accessible, but you can do any form of yoga that works for you and your child. Yoga is wonderful for building strength and balance, stretching, and connecting with our bodies.