“Uh-oh, mess!” was one of my daughter’s first and favorite things to say. I know that messy play and exploration is fabulous for her development – and it’s lots of fun for her! However, I am SO not a fan of cleaning up the mess. So I’ve found a few ways to keep the mess …
In an effort to expose my daughter to the alphabet in a fun, pressure-free way, I’ve been working to integrate it into our play. This week we have been learning about pets, so I made these ABC dog bones to feed our “pet” puppy with this alphabet puppy game! Alphabet Puppy Game As …
A printable matching game is a great first activity to try with your toddler or preschooler. You can print a card game and match, sort, or play Memory with these cards. Here’s a collection of 60+ FREE printable matching games and printable memory games for your preschooler or toddler: Matching Colors Young children can …
I have just started exploring the alphabet with my curious two-year-old. Whenever she sees writing she points and says “ABCs!”, so I figured now was as good of time as any to embrace that curiosity and have some fun with letters. This apple alphabet picking game is a simple, no-pressure way to explore the alphabet …
My two-year-old has a recent fascination with her Daddy’s shoelaces. She loves to poke them into the lacing holes and pull them out again. Daddy, on the other hand, grows a little weary of untangling his laces every time he needs to put his shoes on! (And Momma’s a little germophobic about playing with shoes!) I …
Simple Summer Water Play Don’t feel like filling up the kiddie pool? Try these simple and fun ways to get wet and stay cool with minimal preparation. Fence Painting Maybe it’s Tom Sawyer syndrome, but I remember spending several hot summer days as a child “working” hard to paint our fence with water and …
Fine motor activities are my favorite. Why? I love that they require focus, concentration, and determination to succeed… All great life lessons! I watched my 2 year old work so hard to build a bristle block (love these!) house and wondered if my ONE year old could also do some fine motor activities. Yes, he …
Painting is one of our VERY favorite activities in this house! We love a good set of watercolors but we also like to get creative. Here are some of our favorite ways to paint! Toddler Painting This one is a sneaky learning activity and craft all rolled into one! I draw some lines (these inadvertently …
This simple bath game was a big hit in our house this week! I got some brightly colored foam sheets from the Dollar Tree and cut them into the simple shapes we had been learning. She loves “sticking” them to the walls, taking them down, and putting them back up. Once she had some shapes …
When it comes to toys, I’m pretty picky. First of all, we don’t live in a large house so space is at a premium. Second, I can’t stand toys that have limited purposes and therefore, don’t get a ton of play. Instead, I search HARD for toys that will GROW with my kids. I also …
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this Shamrock Shape Puzzle! Simply print the puzzle and cut out the gold shape “coins”. Help your little one glue the gold “coins” onto the correct shamrock. With my 22 month old, I only used the first page (circles, squares, and triangles) to help avoid confusion and overwhelming her. …
Make a toddler color sorting craft for your little one in a few easy steps. Your toddler will have so much fun sorting and gluing! I cut squares from a bunch of scrap construction paper, gluing one of each color on the top of each column. Then, I let G sort and glue the …