The Everything Toddler Activities Book (20 page)

You can make an endless cast of puppet characters this way.

1. Discuss with your child what characters he would like to make.
   
2. Cut out an outline of the character 4 tall. The outline should include the head, neck, arms, and torso, but not the legs.
   
3. Cut 2 holes ¼ from the edge of the bottom of the torso. These holes should be wide enough for your child’s fingers to fit through and approximately 1 apart.
   
4. Let your child decorate the puppet with crayons or markers.
   
5. Have your child stick his fingers through the holes. Show him how to use his fingers for the puppet’s legs and move them to make the puppet walk.
   

This activity will encourage the child to use his sense of touch and to make inferences.

1. Place 3–6 objects in the bag. Be sure the objects do not have any sharp points or loose pieces.
   
2. Ask child to put his hand in the bag and feel one object at a time.
   
3. Encourage your child to describe what the object feels like and then guess what it is.
   

Learning sign language will help your toddler lessen frustration before she can communicate verbally. Even children without any disabilities can benefit from learning sign language.

1. Sit near the child so that she is facing you and can see you clearly.
   
2. Demonstrate the sign while you say the word and act out or gesture the meaning.
   
3. Practice the signs with your child.
   

More:
Close both hands together with thumb and middle finger touching and tap hands together.

Yes:
Make a hand into a fist, holding it at about shoulder height and make fist bob back and forth.

No:
Take index finger together with your middle finger and tap them together with your thumb.

Sleep:
Fold hands palms together and place along cheek.

Happy:
Take an extended hand and brush it in little circles up on the chest a couple of times.

Hungry:
Take hand and make it into a c-shape with the palm facing the body. Start with a hand around your neck and move it down.

CHAPTER 14

Exploring Themes

When your child was an infant, his knowledge of the world around him was very limited. He only knew what was part of his daily, direct experience. Now, as he is growing, he is becoming more aware and more curious. He is meeting and interacting with more people and has the chance to explore beyond his own front door. Here are some ideas to help spark your child’s interest as his experiences and knowledge expands.

Many young children are fascinated by animals. Your child may enjoy watching videos of animals on television as well as seeing them at the zoo. Your child may begin her exploration of animals at home, with the family pet. Here are some activities for learning about more exotic animals.

Engage your child’s imagination as you take her on a pretend safari.
You may wish to add ambiance by playing a recording of jungle sounds in the background.

1. When your child is out of the room, hide a variety of stuffed animals.
   
2. Have your child return and search for the “wild” animals. Encourage her to name the animals that she finds.
   

Your toddler will learn more about animals as well as develop problem-solving skills with this activity.

1. Enlist your child’s help in finding pictures of animals as adults and as babies. Old
   National Geographic
   magazines are a great source for animal pictures.
   
2. Glue one animal picture to each index card.
   
3. Have your child match up the babies with their parents.
   

Here is a cute craft for your child. When she is done, she will have a new stuffed animal to play with.

1. Help your child stuff the stocking with the cotton or newspaper. Leave a few inches empty at the end, and tie a secure knot for the tail.
   
2. Cut out eyes and a mouth from the felt pieces. Let your child attach the features with glue. If your child is still putting things in her mouth, consider using a permanent marker to draw on facial features instead.
   

Like toddlers, monkeys are known for their ability and desire to imitate. Here is a silly game that you can play with your child. This is basically a version of Follow the Leader. Consider reading the book
Caps for Sale
, by Esphyr Slobodkina, before you play this game.

The lead monkey performs different silly movements and dances that the other players must imitate. Take turns so everyone has a chance to be the lead monkey.

Your child will have a blast making homemade treats for her dog.

1. Stir all ingredients together. If dough seems a bit dry, add a few drops of water. If dough seems too wet, add more flour a little at a time.
   
2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Show your child how to knead the dough.
   
3. Help her roll the dough out to ¼ thick. Let her cut out the biscuits with cookie cutters—a bone shape would be best.
   
4. Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes or until biscuits are light brown.
   

Engage your child’s senses with this personalized craft.

1. Have your child put her hand palm down onto a piece of construction paper. Have her spread her fingers.
   
2. Use the pencil to trace around her hand. Turn the shape upside down; the four fingers become legs and the thumb is the head.
   
3. Show your child how to glue the cotton balls to create a fleecy effect.
   
4. Let her color in the feet and the face with crayons.
   

At a very early age, children start to imitate adults. Your child may want to put on Mom’s shoes or Dad’s tie and pretend to be a grownup. He will start to show an interest in the roles that adults play. In addition to trying these activities with your child, consider making field trips to watch these community helpers in action.

This is a fun activity for a hot summer day. You can bet that when you combine water with a firefighter theme, you will have a hit on your hands.

1. Enlist your child’s help and use the chalk to draw a fire with lots of flames on the pavement.
   
2. Now the young firefighter needs to put out the fire! Help your child squirt the hose onto the drawing. As the chalk washes away, tell him he is dousing the flames.
   
3. If you have a group of children, you can use the buckets to set up a bucket brigade.
   

Your child will enjoy using a variety of stickers and seals in the project. You may wish to let your child play with junk mail that you receive. Additionally, you may wish to let your child help you write and send a postcard to a family member or friend.

1. You can show your child how to address and stamp an envelope, but let him explore freely with the materials.
   
2. If your child completes a postcard, walk him down to the corner mailbox and mail it!
   

Many professionals can be identified by the hats they wear. Here is a guessing game based on this concept. This activity suggests using pictures, but if you have real hats available, use those instead!

Glue the pictures on the cards. Ask your child to look at each card and guess who wears that hat. (Suggested hats include a chef’s hat, baseball cap, firefighter hat, police motorcycle helmet, nurse’s cap, and hard hat.)

Transportation is a fun theme to explore with your child. Because young children learn best through direct hands-on experience, take your child for a ride on different forms of transportation when you can. Perhaps your city still has a street car or trolley system. If you live in a rural area, can you go for a hayride on a local farm?

Many forms of transportation move on wheels. Consider taking your child somewhere she can see the tracks that wheels leave in the mud or snow.

1. Show your child how to gently dip the wheels of the vehicles into the paint, after you’ve poured it into the tin.
   
2. Let her create interesting patterns and designs by rolling the vehicles back and forth across the paper.
   
3. Be sure to wash the toys off when you are done.
   

Engage your child’s imagination with the project. Remember your child can also build a boat, train, airplane, or whatever her imagination and creativity dictates.

1. Let your child decide where she would like you to cut windows or doors in the box.
   
2. Let your child decorate her vehicle however she wishes.
   
3. If you wish, you can staple on the pie tins for wheels.
   

Much simpler than a model, you and your toddler can construct this airplane.
Be aware that the plane will be too heavy and fragile to fly.

1. Cut a 1 slit through both sides of the paper towel roll.
   
2. From the poster board, cut two wings. Make each the size and shape of an adult’s index finger. Make sure that the wings will fit into the slots.
   
3. Cut tiny slits up from the rim of the paper cup. This is to slightly widen the top of the cup, which will become the cockpit.
   
4. Help your child slide the wings in the slits and place the cup over one opening of the tube. You may need to secure the cup with some glue.
   
5. Provide your child with tissue paper scraps to glue on for decoration.
   

Do not be afraid to adapt this song to sing about other forms of transportation.
You can easily sing about the sails on the boat or the propeller on the plane.

Sing or chant the following with your child. Encourage her to use appropriate motions: