Lakewood at Home

Good morning! It looks like today will be warmer and possibly drier in the morning. Here are three invitations for toddlers today.

Fine Motor Invitation: Craft sticks and bottles

This is an invitation we have suggested before as it is a favorite with toddlers, builds multiple cognitive schema, and strengthens fine motor skills. You can present the materials on a tray, or set the bottle on the floor below a chair and invite your child to try and drop the sticks in from up high.

Art/Fine Motor Invitation: Creating with stickers

Stickers are more of a fine motor exercise than a medium for creative expression on their own, so you may want to pair them with some colored pencils or crayons in this invitation. We are curious about how their work with stickers might change with the addition of a mark-making tool.

Language/Dramatic Play Invitation: Taking notes with pencil and paper

In the toddler room, the children often want to take notes just like they see teachers and staff members doing. You can try offering your child a clipboard and pencil to see what they would like to do with it. Are there other things you do that your child likes to attempt or imitate? How can you support their exploration of these activities?

Good morning! It looks like it is going to be another cool and wet day today. Here are three invitations you might offer your toddler today.

Sensory Invitation: Mashers/tubes and sand

Sensory invitations can be particularly engaging on rainy days. For this invitation you will need an empty container (large bowl, empty storage bin, etc.) some sand like playground sand, moon sand or kinetic sand, empty paper towel tubes, and tools for mashing. We recommend offering the container on a large tablecloth, sheet, or shower curtain liner for easier cleanup. 

We are curious about what toddlers will do when offered this novel combination of materials. They will be building sensory schema, using fine (and possibly large) motor skills, and discovering new ways to engage with familiar objects.

Art Invitation: Crayons and paper

Today we are suggesting you offer this simple mark-making invitation once again. We are wondering what growth you may have noticed in your child’s exploration over the past few months. Using crayons requires more muscle than smoother tools like markers. How is your child holding their crayon now? What kinds of marks are they making? Which colors do they use the most? Along with building fine motor skills, crayons are wonderful for creative expression.

Large Motor Invitation: Sheet bubbles

For this invitation you will need an old sheet, some empty floor space, and possibly a stuffed animal or two. Lay the sheet out over the floor and sit at one edge. Use small movements to wiggle the sheet up and down and create waves, or create large bubbles by moving your arms up and down more slowly. Invite your child to join you in this experiment. They may want to jump in the waves, pop the bubbles, or toss stuffed animals into the middle. Jumping, hopping, and rolling are important large motor skills.