The Everything Toddler Activities Book (10 page)

1. Show your child how to squeeze the glue bottle to drizzle a design onto the paper. You may need to put your hand over his to guide him. Fine squiggly lines work better than big blobs.
   
2. Have your child use the spoon to sprinkle sand all over the picture.
   
3. Help your child tilt the paper over a garbage receptacle so that the excess sand falls off. Let the picture dry.
   

Water play is soothing. Splashing and dipping in water is a stress reliever for both children and adults. You may find that your toddler is drawn to water, wanting to play in the sink or puddles. You must always supervise your young child around water. Drowning can occur with even a small amount of water.

Your toddler will enjoy helping to make these boats as much as playing with them.
You can also use plastic container lids for small craft.

1. Let your child use the markers to color and decorate the Styrofoam.
   
2. Cut a small paper triangle with 2 horizontal slits.
   
3. Thread the paper triangle onto the straw to make a flag.
   
4. Place the blob of Playdough in the bottom of the tray to hold the flag.
   

This is a good opportunity to talk about temperature and melting.
Be sure to choose toys that are not a choking hazard.

1. Place a toy in the plastic container.
   
2. Fill the container with water and freeze.
   
3. When the “glacier” is frozen, remove from the mold and add to your child’s warm play water.
   

Most young children love to play in the water. If you don’t have a sand/water table,
a dish bin will work just as well. Your toddler may enjoy simply splashing in the water,
but you enhance her enjoyment by adding a few props.

The next time your child is playing with water, try adding some of these toys and props:

• Plastic or metal tubes or pipes
  
• Straws
  
• Squeeze bottles
  
• Corks
  
• Strainers or sieves
  
• Funnels
  
• Basters
  
• Floating toys
  

Your toddler is naturally inquisitive, and he loves to explore. You don’t have to look far to find fascinating sensory materials for him to play with. Don’t be afraid to let him or her get dirty—that’s half the fun!

This activity can get a bit messy, so you may want to have your child do it outside or over a bin.

1. Put some salt or cornmeal on the tray to a depth of ⅛.
   
2. Show your child how to use his finger to create designs. You may wish to guide your child in practicing shapes and letters, too.
   
3. To clear the picture, the child can either gently shake the tray or just smooth over the design with his hand.
   

It’s okay for young children to get dirty when they play. Why not? Just be sure to do this activity outside.

1. Either find some mud outside for your child to use, or help him make some mud by adding water to dirt. Use a spoon to whip the mud up to a creamy consistency. Add more water if needed.
   
2. With the spoon, place a blob of mud on the poster board for your child to finger paint with.
   

These make handy gifts as paperweights.

1. Take your child outside and help him find rocks for painting. Large smooth stones work best.
   
2. Let him paint his rocks with poster or tempera paint.
   

Long before you could buy commercial Play Doh in a can, people were modeling with clay. Playdough and clay activities let your child use her imagination. She can create and destroy as much as she wishes. She can preserve her creation or she can squish it down and start all over again. Don’t be surprised if your toddler is more interested in the process of working with this material than she is in creating something specific. You will find many recipes for homemade Playdough in Appendix A.

Making pretend food is just one of many creative uses for Playdough.
You may wish to use older kitchen utensils or pick some up at a garage sale.

Provide your child with various tools and utensils for cooking up a pretend Playdough meal. Try these tools: garlic press for making pasta, cookie cutters, rolling pin, and measuring cups.

Enhance your child’s playdough fun by adding texture activities.

Provide your child with various tools and utensils for adding interesting patterns and textures to the Playdough, such as a meat mallet, potato masher, corrugated cardboard, or screen or netting.

Your child will develop fine motor skills as she explores ways to work with clay.

1. Show your child how to roll the clay into a ball. Have her use her thumb to create an indentation in the middle and then pinch the sides out wider and higher to create a basic pinch pot.
   
2. Show your child how to roll sections of the clay into thin coils and then place the coils together to build the walls of a pot.
   

Bubbles are usually a good choice for entertaining young children. Toddlers especially love to watch them float, to chase them, and to pop them. All you really need is a nice breeze and a vial of bubble solution, but you can enrich bubble play with these activities.

Here is a fun and cooperative game that you can play with your young child.
The best part is that you will have pretty pictures when you are done.

1. Add 1 or 2 drops of food coloring or paint to each container of bubble solution.
   
2. Let your child gently blow bubbles toward you. Hold out the sheet of paper to catch the bubbles. Take turns blowing and catching the bubbles.
   
3. When you are done, each player will have a picture made by the bubble residue.
   

Save money and have fun at the same time. You can make as much bubble solution as you need when you need it. Just adjust the proportions to make the amount of solution you desire.

1. Mix all ingredients together. Don’t be afraid to alter the proportions and experiment to create the perfect bubble solution.
   
2. Store in a spill-proof covered container.
   

This is a fun activity for a hot summer day.
Consider having a bubble bonanza at your next family gathering.

1. Fill a small wading pool with bubble solution to a depth of 4. Careful supervision is needed should a child step into it as the pool will be very slippery.
   
2. Gather large items for kids to use as wands. Try this fun idea: Have a child stand in the center of the pool. Place a hula hoop around her feet and slowly pull it up over the child to encase her in a bubble.
   

You do not need to rely on the traditional wands that come with commercial bubble solutions.
When you make your own bubble tools, you can control the size of the bubbles.

Here are just a few ideas for making new bubble wands and tools:

• Twist together two pipe cleaners, then form them into a loop. Dip the loop into the bubble solution.
  
• Show your child how to hold a plastic berry basket and dip it into the solution and wave his arm around to make lots and lots of bubbles all at once.
  
• Tie a string to one loop of an unbroken six-pack holder and dip the whole thing into the bubble solution. Wave it around like a kite to get many, many gigantic bubbles.
  

There are many materials that you can use for your child’s sensory play. Remember, the most successful activities are ones where your child is directly involved. Perhaps these activities will inspire you to explore some new things with your child.

Toddlers love the feel of the shaving cream squishing through their fingers, and they enjoy the fresh smell as well. If your child can keep the mess contained on the pan, cleanup will be nice and easy.

1. Squirt a blob of shaving cream on the baking pan in front of the child.
   
2. Encourage your child to smear and squish the shaving cream around, as he would with finger paint. Some children will dive right in, while others may be very reluctant to do this.
   
3. When your child is finished, simply wash the pan with hot, soapy water to remove the sticky shaving cream.
   

Keep safety in mind while you do this activity with your child. If you use any cleaning, cosmetic, or toxic products, be sure to reinforce the idea that these products are not for the child’s use.

Lead your child around the house and find interesting things to smell. Some suggestions include onions, lotion, cedar chips, shampoo, and spices.

Save the bubble wrap that comes with packages. You can also buy quantities of it fairly cheaply.
Bubble wrap, like any other plastic, can be fatal if your child uses it to cover his face.
Always use with hands-on supervision.

1. Let your child enjoy popping the bubbles. Show him how to roll the wrap up to pop more than one at a time.
   
2. Spread the bubble wrap on the ground, and let your child walk and stomp on it.
   
3. Cut out small squares of bubble wrap. Show your child how to bunch it up and dip it in the paint. Let him push the painted bubbles on the paper for an interesting effect.
   

Here is the answer if you want to plan some great sensory experiences for your
young child but you want to avoid the mess.