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Remember to add pictures to this with a small task for them to accomplish that is fun!

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A huge free printable list of 100 calm down strategies for kids. These are simple strategies kids can use to calm down when angry, upset, frustrated, or overwhelmed. The free printable makes an excellent addition to a homemade calm down kit as well.

My son needs a lot of help self-regulating some days so we are constantly introducing him to new calm down techniques

We already make use of our visual calm down cards and the various DIY sensory hacks that I have made for him, but we still haven't pinpointed the exact sensory calming strategies that work best for him on a regular basis. Some days certain calm down strategies work, but fail to help the next day.

Thankfully this list of 100 calming strategies for kids is massive, so we certainly have lots of strategies left to try!

100 Simple Ways to Calm an Angry Child

This list of calm down techniques for kids covers a wide range of sensory inputs, from oral motor to proprioceptive. So whether you kid finds chewing calming or being squished calming, there is something for everyone on this list! They're perfect for home or school. No need to wonder how to calm down a kid when you have this huge list of sensory calming strategies for children handy!

Married to her high school sweetheart, Dyan is a Canadian stay-at-home mom to two boys, J and K. She is also a part-time piano teacher. She likes board games, video games, Instant Pots, and reading. To stay connected, subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get a copy of the free Weekly Autism Planner and follow along on social media.

1. Blow bubbles

2. Chew gum

3. Chew on a chewy toy, necklace, or bracelet (see: DIY Chewelry Ideas & Best Chew Necklaces for Kids)

4. Complete a puzzle

5. Use a fidget

6. Use a weighted lap cushion or weighted stuffed animal (see: 13 DIY Weighted Blanket Tutorials)

7. Wear a weighted vest or pressure vest (see: 10 DIY Weighted Vest Tutorials)

8. Stretch and fidget with a stretchy resistance band (see: Homemade Stretchy Resistance Bands Tutorial)

9. Crawl through a sensory tunnel (see: Homemade Sensory Tunnel)

10. Wear noise reducing ear muffs

11. Suck on hard candies

12. Diffuse essential oils such as lavender (see: Essential Oils for Autism)

13. Use Rescue Remedy spray

14. Listen to music

15. Listen to audiobooks

16. Do some yoga

17. Lay or bounce on a ball

18. Sing the ABCs forwards or backwards

19. Build with blocks or LEGO

20. Go for a run

21. Swing (see: Homemade Sensory Swings)

22. Pet a cat or dog

23. Draw with chalk

24. Go for a walk

25. Go to a quiet place

26. Paint a picture

27. Do a maze, dot to dot, or word search

28. Read a book

29. Count slowly forwards or backwards

30. Ask for a hug

31. Take a drink of water

32. Wrap up in a blanket (weighted or not)

33. Invert head or hang upside down

34. Close your eyes

35. Hum or sing a song

36. Do some deep breathing

37. Go for a bike ride

38. Draw a picture

39. Play hopscotch (mix it up with Rocket Hopscotch)

40. Jump on a trampoline (see: Trampoline Safety Hack)

41. Climb a tree

42. Play an instrument and make music

43. Do a heavy work activity (see: 50 Heavy Work Activities for Kids)

44. Use a calm down bottle

45. Do animal walks

46. Dance

47. Skip

48. Do a cartwheel

49. Take a bubble bath

50. Drink a smoothie through a straw

51. Make silly faces in a mirror

52. Drink a warm beverage

53. Look at an hourglass, lava lamp, or aquarium

54. Rip tissue paper (see: Tissue Paper Sensory Bin)

55. Bend and twist pipe cleaners

56. Have a snack

57. Pop bubble wrap

58. Play with play dough, slime, or silly putty

59. Look at a photo album

60. Blow a pinwheel

61. Squeeze a stress ball (see: DIY Pokemon Stress Balls)

62. Tightly hug or squeeze a pillow or toy

63. Wear an eye mask

64. Listen to nature sounds

65. Spin a top

66. Use a mini massager

67. Climb into a body sock

68. Make a craft

69. Play a one player board game (we love Rush Hour for this!)

70. Rub some scented lotion on

71. Wear sunglasses

72. Light a scented candle

73. Journal

74. Color a picture in a coloring book

75. Play with shadow puppets

76. Blow a feather

77. Blow a pom pom around using a straw

78. Take a bath with Epsom salts

79. Ask for a break

80. Push against a wall

81. Play with a sensory bin (see: List of 130+ Sensory Bin Fillers)

82. Crash into a crash pad (see: DIY No Sew Crash Mat Tutorial)

83. Take a shower

84. Suck on ice

85. Do some joint compressions

86. Brush hair and/or skin

87. Blow bubbles in a cup of water

88. Smell scratch and sniff stickers

89. Turn off the lights

90. Read with a flashlight

91. Play I spy (check out our massive collection of I Spy Printables)

92. Braid your hair

93. Climb a ladder or rock wall

94. Use positive affirmations

95. Hug someone

96. Doodle on paper, whiteboard, or similar

97. Use visual calm down cards or posters (see: Free Printable Visual Calm Down Cards)

98. Stretch

99. Play with a pet

100. Trace your hands with your finger

Other Calm Down Ideas You'll Love

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100 Simple Calm Down Strategies for Kids {Free Printable List Included!}

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This blog uses affiliate links. Basically, I make a small commission when you use these links, at no additional cost to you. A huge free printable list of 100 calm down strategies for kids. These are simple strategies kids can use to calm down when angry, upset, frustrated, or overwhelmed.

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Inside: Baby Doll Haircuts is an adorable and easy to create fine motor scissor skills activity for preschoolers and kindergartners using baby dolls! Let your little one give their dolls a real haircut over and over again! RELATED...27 Baby Doll Activities for Kids

For this fun activity I gathered up all our baby dolls that did not have hair. Since, I was going to be adding a 'wig' to the baby dolls and my daughter was going to be cutting the hair I didn't want there to be other hair on the babies' heads to get in the way.
RELATED... ULTIMATE GUIDE THE TEACHING SCISSORS SKILLS

Then I folded a sheet of construction paper lengthwise and cut along the folded line. Then I used my scissors to cut the paper into thin strands leaving the bottom of the sheet intact. This will be the part that will go around the baby's head.

I grabbed one of the babies and put the 'wig' around the it's head. You want the 'wig' to fit tightly on the baby's head so that it does not slip off as my daughter was cutting it hair.

Wrap the construction paper around the head and secure it with a piece of tape. I placed the tape on the head band of the wig so that it did not come in contact with the baby.

On some of the babies I placed construction paper wigs with the hair sticking up and some with the hair sticking down.

Finally, I invited my daughter to come and give the babies haircuts and she immediately dived right in! I told her to hold the baby by the neck in order the babies head from tilting as she cut.

Total Hit

My five year old absolutely loved this baby doll haircutting activity! She talked to the babies and reassure them that cutting their hair wouldn't hurt at all. Styling the hair as she went. I initially made 5 but quickly created 5 more so she could continue her baby doll hair salon!

This would be a great activity to do for a child with a fear of getting their hair cut.

Skills Developed

This cutting activity is a great way to help develop and scissors skills.

Supplies

(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)

Pre-order your copy of my new book of sensory bins: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids: 60 Easy Creative Play Projects that Boost Brain Development, Calm Anxiety and Build Fine Motor Skills coming out October 27, 2020!

WILL YOU TRY BABY DOLL HAIRCUTS WITH YOUR PRESCHOOLER OR KINDERGARTNER? Pin it for later!

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Baby Doll Haircuts Activity - HAPPY TODDLER PLAYTIME

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Inside: Baby Doll Haircuts is an adorable and easy to create fine motor scissor skills activity for preschoolers and kindergartners using baby dolls! Let your little one give their dolls a real haircut over and over again! RELATED...27 Baby Doll Activities for Kids For this fun activity I gathered up all our baby dolls that did not have hair.

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Here are 50+ super creative activities for babies you can easily create at home. From exciting sensory bags to simple taste-safe sensory bins to fun contact paper baby sticky walls, there are tons of ideas here for you and your baby to explore.

This list is the ultimate collection of all the ideas I had collected from Pinterest and from kid activity blogs of fun and easy activities to do with babies aged 3 to 15 months.

These are all the ideas I used with my children when they were infants. From balloon kicking, to Easter argh water play all of these ideas are easily accessible for you and beneficial for infants.

I wanted to share them with you because sometimes we want to do more with our babies. And that's great because these activities are great for developing our babies brains. These activities are great to do in between reading, talking, snuggling and singing to you mr baby.

I have organized the list according to age 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-15 months, however, many of the activities can be interchanged and older babies would definitely enjoy many of the ideas listed for younger babies.

RELATED... 45+ Sensory Bags for Babies & Toddlers

OK, so let's get started!

Easy Activities for 3-6 Month Olds

Muffin Tin Vegetable Sorting by Happy Toddler Playtime

SIMPLE GRASPING PLAY FOR 3-6 MONTH OLDS by Cando Kiddos

Balloon Kicking by Laughing Kids Learn

Polka Dot Sensory Bag by Mama Papa Bubba

Yarn Activity Gym by Happy Toddler Playtime

Add colourful yarn to your baby's activity gym.

Star Box Sensory Play for Infants by Where Imagination Grows

12 Sensory Baskets for Babies by Pastels and Macarons

Jumbo Pasta Tub by Life Mama Bear

SENSORY PLAY FOR BABIES WHO PUT EVERYTHING IN THE MOUTH by Cando Kiddos

Easter Eggs and Water Play by Happy Toddler Playtime

Place Easter eggs and a small amount of water in a shallow fishing. Place your baby on a pillow in front of the dish and allow them to touch the water with their fingers trying to move the colourful Easter eggs.

3 Learning Activities For Your 3 Month Old Baby by Mom Junction

Five Sensory Experiences for Babies 4-6 Months Old by The Paige Diaries
RELATED... 18+ Easy Sensory Bins for Babies
Easy Activities for 6-9 Month Old Babies

Bottle Sensory Bin for Babies by Happy Toddler Playtime

Baby Water Play by Pink Oatmeal

Baby Letter Grab by Happy Toddler Playtime

Mini Water Blob by Kids Activities Blog

Jello Dig Activity by Modern Homestead Mama

Puzzle Grab Baby Sticky Wall by Happy Toddler Playtime

Simple Ball Play by Simple Home Blessings

Tugging Lid for Baby Playtime By Busy Toddler

Baby Ring Grab Sticky Wall Activity by Happy Toddler Playtime

Sensory Forts for Babies by Messy Little Monsters

Baby Play: Circle Treasure Basket by The Imagination Tree

RAINBOW BOTTLES/MUSIC SHAKERS by Kids Craft Room

Star Box Sensory Play for Infants by Where Imagination Grows

Easy Activities for 9-15 Month Old Babies

Green Pea Sensory Bag by Happy Toddler Playtime

Mess Free Fall Painting by Happy Toddler Playtime

Bubble Wrap Art by Arty Crafty Kids

Flip Top Peekaboo by Happy Toddler Playtime

Spider's Web Discovery Basket by A Train Driver's Wife

Playdough Sensory by Happy Toddler Playtime

Mini Rainbow Sensory Bottles by The Kavanaugh Report

Corn Sensory Bin by Happy Toddler Playtime

Peeling Tape by Making Danish

Mushy Green Pea Sensory Bin by Happy Toddler Playtime

Open Ended Play with Wet Chalk by Lessons Learnt Journal

Puzzle Peek-a-Boo by Happy Toddler Playtime

Push Pull Q-Tips by Jannine Mackinnon

Two Ingredient Taste Safe Finger Paint by Happy Toddler Playtime

UNDER THE UMBRELLA SENSORY PLAY by Best Toys for Toddlers

Rubber Duck Pond Sensory Bag by Happy Toddler Playtime

Mess Free Easter Egg Painting by Happy Toddler Playtime

Exploring Hot and Cold by Mama Papa Bubba

Bubbles Sensory Bags by Happy Toddler Playtime

Taste Safe Sensory Bin by Happy Toddler Playtime

Fun Seasonal Activities for Babies

Valentines Ball Drop by Happy Toddler Playtime

Baby Valentines Sensory Bin by Happy Toddler Playtime

Turkey Sensory Bag by Happy Toddler Playtime

Turkey Sensory Bottle by Happy Toddler Playtime

Simple Christmas Sensory Bin for Babies by Happy Toddler Playtime

Jingle Bell Egg Shakers by Happy Toddler Playtime

Mess Free Snowman Painting by Happy Toddler Playtime

Snowflake Drop by Happy Toddler Playtime

Looking for more fun and easy things to do at home with your 10 to 14 month old baby? Check out 27 Easy Things To Do At Home With Your 12 Month Old.

WILL YOU TRY ANY OF THESE ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR BABY? LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW WHICH ONE AND HOW IT WENT?

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50+ Activities for Babies 3-15 Months - HAPPY TODDLER PLAYTIME

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Here are 50+ super creative activities for babies you can easily create at home. From exciting sensory bags to simple taste-safe sensory bins to fun contact paper baby sticky walls, there are tons of ideas here for you and your baby to explore.

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Easy Activities, Arts & Crafts Ideas for Kids! - Happy Toddler Playtime

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Greet Someone Without Touching | Greet From 6 Feet | Jack Hartmann social distancing song

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Last updated on
5 Fun activities to strengthen toddlers' and preschoolers' scissor skills. Using materials other than paper can be the easiest way for kids to learn how to use scissors. In this post, I'll share several of my favourite materials for cutting practice exercises that you can use with your children.
A couple of questions that I often hear from parents with young children are: " how can I help my child improve her scissor skills", and " when should my child start using scissors". Read on to see how I introduce the toddlers and preschoolers in my daycare to using scissors with a variety of fun and simple materials for cutting.

We don't have an end result in mind when we're using these materials. These activities are all about experimenting, having fun, and the excitement that the children ones express whey they have success.

I've put these cutting exercises in order ranging from easiest to most advanced.

When can your child start using scissors?

You may be wondering when your child can start to use scissors. The answer to this will vary from child to child, but in my daycare, the hooligans start experimenting with scissors at age 2 or earlier. Most of the children are cutting quite well by the time they're three.

Beginner scissors:

As for what kind of scissors to introduce your child to, a pair of basic safety scissors are a great way to start, but if your child finds them difficult to use, these beginner scissors

are super to start off with because they're spring loaded, and the child manipulates them with their whole hand rather than with their fingers.

Pro tip: How to teach kids how to hold scissors the right way:

If you're using regular safety scissors, a good tip to help your child remember how to position his or her hand is to draw a smiley face on the thumbnail of their cutting hand, and remind your child that they should always be able to see the smiley face while they're cutting. This prevents the child from turning their hand upside down while cutting.

5 cutting activities for children:
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Using scissors with play dough:

Whenever the hooligans play with play dough, I set out several pairs of scissors. They're always one of the most popular tools on the table. Play dough is easy to cut through so it's great for helping kids who are just learning how to use scissors. You can give your child regular safety scissors for this activity, or you can use plastic scissors

designed for cutting dough.

Cutting up drinking straws:

. Straws are fun and fairly to cut through so they're one of the hooligans favourite things to practice cutting with. This activity is a lot of fun because the straws make a satisfying snap when they're cut, and they fly into the air causing hysterical fits of laughter.

Bonus: Once your straws are all cut up, you can string some yarn through the pieces to make a necklace.
Colourful plastic drinking straws
Cutting styrofoam meat trays:

Styrofoam meat trays are another favourite for the hooligans to practice their scissor skills with. Like the drinking straws, styrofoam makes a nice sound when you cut through it. Scissors slice through the styrofoam easily, and the pieces can be used later for crafting (see our mosaic art with styrofoam pieces here).

Note: Before crafting with meat trays, sterilize them in your dishwasher first.

Cutting paint chip samples:

Cutting up paint swatches is a popular cutting activity here, and one that the hooligans ask for several time a week.

Kids can practice cutting in a straight line by following the white lines on the paint chip cards. We use the cut up paint chip samples various art and craft projects. Click here to see our Paint Chip Mosaics, Paint Chip Candy Canes and Paint Chip Fall Trees.

Using Scrapbook scissors or scissors with a fancy edge:

Older children who have mastered their cutting skills love using my scrapbook scissors

to make scalloped and fancy cuts. These scissors are sharper than regular scissors so use your best judgement when introducing these scissors to your child.

More Scissor Skills Activities:

Here are Five More Cutting Practice Activities for your kids to try.

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5 Scissor Skills Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers - Happy Hooligans

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Last updated on 5 Fun activities to strengthen toddlers' and preschoolers' scissor skills. Using materials other than paper can be the easiest way for kids to learn how to use scissors. In this post, I'll share several of my favourite materials for cutting practice exercises that you can use with your children.

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Crafty ways to make tooth brushing more fun! 🦷😁

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Tooth Brushing Crafts
Crafty ways to make tooth brushing more fun! 🦷😁
Posted by Kidspiration on Thursday, April 9, 2020

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Toddler and Preschool Crafts and Activities

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Easy Activities, Arts & Crafts Ideas for Kids! - Happy Toddler Playtime

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It's natural to think that mathematics is primarily about numbers. In school, we first learn how to recite numbers and then spend considerable time writing them down and manipulating them on paper. Of course, numerals (the written notation for numbers), along with other symbols, are critical for communicating ideas about quantities and expressing how they relate to each other.

But what appears to be lost in conversations about school mathematics, however, is that mathematics is primarily about thinking.

Rather than debating whether "discovery learning" or "the basics" are most important for children, more attention is needed to support the development of children's thinking about quantities and space.

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Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

A considerable amount of research now shows that children's success in school depends on the extent to which parents and educators encourage them to think mathematically in the years before they arrive there.

It is possible - necessary, even - to focus on children's thinking about numeracy in the early years so they begin their formal education on the right foot.
Talking about math
Imagine you are having a conversation with a group of nursery-age children. You read them a story about two children at grandma's house who are sharing four cookies equally. You engage them in a conversation about how many cookies each child gets. Some of the children take out play cookies and act it out. Others draw pictures to think about the problem.

Then you ask what would happen if two more children came to the table. Would each child get more, fewer or the same number of cookies? How do you know?

In such a situation, children engage in a lively discussion about equivalence, partitioning and distributing and comparing quantities.

There are numerous benefits to these types of conversations. Clearly, there are cognitive and social advantages to children of articulating and justifying their thinking. The point here, however, is that children are engaging with concepts that are foundational to the elementary curriculum: concepts such as the meaning of division, the importance of equal partitions and what happens to each share when the divisor (the number of sharers) gets bigger.

Also important to note is that the children are grappling with important mathematical ideas without writing down formal representations, such as numerals or the signs for division (÷) or equals (=).

No hype, just the advice and analysis you need

Reflecting on concepts and thinking about what they mean is at the heart of mathematics; such activity is not only possible in the early years, it's essential. It needs to be present throughout all the years of a child's mathematical development, in school and out.
Children's mathematical ideas
The students and collaborators in our research lab at Concordia University, Quebec, are finding that children are capable of engaging with many big ideas that span the mathematics curriculum: multiplication, division, estimation, equivalence, place value, fractions and even algebraic reasoning.

This is not to suggest that their ideas are fully mature or that they are proficient in expressing their ideas formally. Indeed, these ideas emerge from explorations with objects and actions in real-world contexts.

Extending and refining children's intuitive, yet deeply mathematical, ideas, and giving them the symbols to more efficiently represent these ideas thus becomes the primary objective of mathematics teaching in school.

For example, a nursery child can understand that if she has five spoons and her friend also has five spoons, they have the same number of objects. A year 1 teacher can then show this student the symbol for expressing numerical equivalence with the use of the equal sign symbol (5 = 5). A five-year-old child can show how three people can share one chocolate bar equally by partitioning a rectangle into three equal parts. Or, a year 1 teacher can show this child how to express the quantity each person receives, both in the words "one-third" and numerically as "1/3".

Such symbols, and the generalisations they represent, can in turn be used to build more complex ideas, thus revealing the cumulative and iterative nature of mathematics learning.

Without a focus on meaning at all levels of teaching, children who spend time in school manipulating numbers on a piece of paper, for example, are unlikely to develop their mathematical understanding.
The early years
We now know that if children are not exposed to important mathematical ideas through activity and conversation in the early years, they will lack important foundations for school and, most importantly, it will become increasingly difficult for them to catch up to their more equipped peers.

This effect is prominent for many children living in poverty who are particularly at risk for early numeracy difficulties. Children often lack key foundational competencies when they enter nursery, having had little exposure to "maths talk" in the home.

Although it is never too late to help a child who is struggling in mathematics, the opportunities to close the gap become fewer and fewer as children progress through the school system.

Preparing young children for learning mathematics in school means having conversations with them about mathematical ideas, but it does not mean, for instance, adapting a year 1 curriculum in early childhood settings.

Rather, it means laying groundwork by engaging children in ideas that will allow for the development of mathematical proficiency throughout their schooling. In this way, there is no qualitative difference between numeracy in early childhood settings and mathematics in primary school.

A first step in engaging young children in foundational numeracy concepts is recognising the continuity in children's development, which will provide a clearer view on how to help them at any age.
Helena Osana is a professor and research chair in mathematical cognition at Concordia University, Quebec. This article first appeared on The Conversation

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Getting toddlers 'thinking' is more important than learning numbers

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It's natural to think that mathematics is primarily about numbers. In school, we first learn how to recite numbers and then spend considerable time writing them down and manipulating them on paper. Of course, numerals (the written notation for numbers), along with other symbols, are critical for communicating ideas about quantities and expressing how they relate to each other.

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Inside: Utilize your household utensils to to build fine motor skills development using this compilation of activities. Great busy activities for toddlers and preschoolers!
Providing great learning opportunities for toddlers doesn't always require purchasing brand new toys and supplies.

In fact, you can create some amazing hands-on experiences with the materials that are already around you.

Tongs, basters, measuring cups, and items from around the house can be utilized for great fine motor activities.

These activities for building fine motor skills using household utensils will inspire your creative outlook on how to utilize items already in your possession for toddler skill-building!

Building Fine Motor Skills Using Household Utensils

Squeezing Water with Turkey Basters - Include various sizes of turkey basters with your water table for toddlers to strengthen their squeezing muscles.

Mixing Colors with a Salad Spinner - Add paper and various colors of paint to an old salad spinner and have preschoolers spin the handle to mix the colors.

Citrus Squeezer for Playdough - Add a citrus squeezer to your playdough table to build handle muscles.

Stacking Blocks with Tongs - Provide some small tongs for preschoolers to grasp blocks with, attempting to line up and stack the blocks. (Planning Playtime)

Peeling Tape - Lay some painter's tape down on a flat surface for toddlers to peel off, practicing their pincer grasp. (Hands On As We Grow)

Colander Threading - Thread various items, such as the stems of fake flowers, through the holes of an upside-down colander. (No Time for Flash Cards)

Clothespin Grasping - Clip clothespins onto a wire basket for toddlers to pinch and unclip. (School Time Snippets)

Pom-pom Whisk - Fill the inside of a whisk with pom-poms for toddlers to grasp and remove. (Hello, Wonderful)

Squeezing Sponges - Add large sponges to your water table for preschoolers to squeeze water out of. (Things to Share and Remember)

Ice Tray Transfer - Provide ice trays to scoop various items into, such as pom-poms and buttons. (The Imagination Tree)

Pouring Station - Gather up a collection of measuring cups and other pouring devices for toddlers to practice their precise pouring skills. (Busy Toddler)

Cooling Rack Weaving - Toddlers will weave pipe cleaners back and forth through cooling racks. (JDaniel4's Mom)

More fine motor activities:
25 Easy Toddler Fine Motor Activities Squeezing Watercolors for Fine Motor Fun Favorite Fine Motor Toys

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How to Build Fine Motor Skills Development Using Household Utensils

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Inside: Utilize your household utensils to to build fine motor skills development using this compilation of activities. Great busy activities for toddlers and preschoolers! Providing great learning opportunities for toddlers doesn't always require purchasing brand new toys and supplies. In fact, you can create some amazing hands-on experiences with the materials that are already around you.

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AHEAD: The best EASY, quick, no- and low-prep toddler activities period! If you are looking for easy ways to entertain your toddler you have come to the right place. Check out these super simple to set up and clean up toddler activities that they will love!

Keeping a Toddler Busy is HARD Work!

First off, we all know how it is to keep a toddler busy. Why? Because they have the attention span of a fruit fly moreover they are just as busy. If your toddler is anything like my twin toddlers (!!) you know that your day will go by much smoother if they are occupied.

Above all, toddlers love staying active. In addition to that they also need repetition so remember an activity that they love and do it again and again in a week or two. For instance, you can try changing it up slightly by adding a new challenge or doing the same type of activity with a different toy. As a result, the time they spend doing the activity will be longer and it will also help to solidify the learning!

Easy Toddler Activities

Book Drop: An Easy Toddler Activity (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Aluminum Foil Surprise: A Fun Toddler Activity (Happily Ever Mom)

Pick A Colour: Fine Motor Game for One-Year-Olds (Days With Grey)

Colourful Pom Pom Wall (Toddler Approved)

Clean the Dishes (Twin Mom Refreshed)

Duplo Color Matching Activity for Toddlers (Happy Tot Shelf)

Toddler Scooping Activity with Garbanzo Beans (Busy Toddler)

Icy Grab: A Fun and Easy Toddler Activity (Happily Ever Mom)

Toddler Tape Roads: A Low-Prep Toddler Activity (Days With Grey)

Pete the Cat Button Drop (Toddler Approved)

Wooden Block Match (Toddler At Play)

Sidewalk Paining with Water (Mama.Papa.Bubba)

Hammering Golf Tees (Hands As We Grow)

Pouring Station Activity for Toddlers (Busy Toddler)

Green Pea Sensory Bag (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Feed the Fish Colour Sort (Happy Toddler Playtime)

DIY ABC Puzzle (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Free the Musical Instruments (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Feed the Animals (Little Ones Learn)

Painting with Water & Cotton Balls (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Feed the Caterpillars (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Magnetic Tile Colour Sorting Boxes (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Pom Pom Colour Construction Site (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Pouch Cap Drop (Happy Toddler Playtime)

UNO Playing Card Colour Sort (Little Ones Learn)

Dot Sticker Hide & Seek (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Spaghetti Drop (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Pom Pom Whisks (7 Days of Play)

DIY Flip Book for Toddlers (Happy Toddler Playtime)

2-ingredient Taste-Safe Finger Paint Recipe (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Formula Tin and Straws (A Crafty Living)

Drop Anything Sensory Bin: The Activity you set up when you just need a minute (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Tubes and Caps: A Quick Toddler Activity (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Rainbow Roads (Microwaved_ Coffee)

Magnetic Tile Shape Match (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Shape Discovery Bags (Little Ones Learn)

More Easy Toddler Activities

Post-it Push (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Create an Aquarium (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Peek-a-Boo Puzzle (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Rolling Pin Art (A Crafty Living)

Alphabet Drop Fine Motor Toddler Activity (Happy Toddler Playtime)

ABC Stacks (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Paper Plate Sort (Little Ones Learn)

Pom Pom Water Transfer (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Magnetic Fridge Letter Alphabet Match (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Rescue the Sea Creatures (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Simple Toy Transfer Activity (A Crafty Living)

Wine Cork Drop: A Fine Motor Toddler Activity (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Cardboard Box Wash & Paint (Happy Toddler Playtime for Toddler Approved)

Vegetable Soup Bath (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Free the Zoo Animals (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Stuck at home and still need more quick ideas? I have you covered! I have tons of roundups of toddler and preschooler activities and crafts. Find them all here.

Pre-order your copy of my new book of sensory bins: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids: 60 Easy Creative Play Projects that Boost Brain Development, Calm Anxiety and Build Fine Motor Skills coming out October 27, 2020!

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50+ Easy Toddler Activities - HAPPY TODDLER PLAYTIME

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AHEAD: The best EASY, quick, no- and low-prep toddler activities period! If you are looking for easy ways to entertain your toddler you have come to the right place. Check out these super simple to set up and clean up toddler activities that they will love!

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AHEAD: In this post you will find 21+ Two-Ingredient Sensory Play Recipes for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners. Lots of amazing and easy to make sensory recipes for hours of endless sensory play!

Want to create a sensory play activity for your toddler or preschooler that doesn't require a ton of ingredients and steps to make? Then you must continue reading to check out this list of sensory play recipes that only require 2 ingredients!
Have a baby or toddler that still puts things in their mouths? Check out these 30+ TASTE SAFE SENSORY PLAY IDEAS & RECIPES Yes, you read that correctly!
Below you'll find 23 unique sensory play recipes that only require 2 ingredients (and yes, if water is man ingredient, it's included as one of the two ingredients!).

First, you'll find 15 different two-ingredient Sensory Play Recipes for kids. After that you'll find five 2-ingredient Paint Recipes. Finally, you'll find three 2-ingredient Fake Snow Recipes!
So many easy recipes! Let's get started!
Two-Ingredient Sensory Play Recipes

Two-Ingredient Paint Recipes

Two-Ingredient Fake Snow Recipes

Supplies

(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)

Pre-order your copy of my new book of sensory bins: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids: 60 Easy Creative Play Projects that Boost Brain Development, Calm Anxiety and Build Fine Motor Skills coming out October 27, 2020!

WILL YOU TRY ANY OF THESE SENSORY PLAY RECIPE IDEAS WITH YOUR KIDS? Pin it for later!

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2-Ingredient Sensory Play Recipes - HAPPY TODDLER PLAYTIME

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AHEAD: In this post you will find 21+ Two-Ingredient Sensory Play Recipes for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners. Lots of amazing and easy to make sensory recipes for hours of endless sensory play! Want to create a sensory play activity for your toddler or preschooler that doesn't require a ton of ingredients and steps to make?

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Creat your own Puzzle from toys and Objects around the house 🥄🏓🍪🔦🔧 !!!

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‼️PLEASE READ‼️ To be added to this group, you must answer the question when you ask to join. We have too many spam accounts trying to be added. This group was created for Creative Curriculum paper...

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Inside: You will love these chalk activities for toddlers and preschoolers! Everything from using them with art, in the sensory bin, and as part of a science activity. Fun and playful ideas!
When I went searching for easy chalk activities, I was amazed at how versatile chalk is!

A big box of sidewalk chalk goes a long ways, indoors and out, in the sensory table, for art projects and science experiments.

I make sure we keep chalk on hand throughout the year in our classroom for our toddlers and preschoolers.

25+ Favorite Chalk Activities that Build Skills

Fine Motor

Hammer it: Place chalk into a bag and hammer it to make powder for paint. (You Clever Monkey)

Spray it: After writing letters on a vertical surface, spray them with water. (Raising Dragons)

Art

Dip it: Dipping chalk into paint creates a creamy texture, perfect for drawing on sidewalks and other surfaces. (Happy Hooligans)

Rub it: Place items under a piece of paper and rub chalk on top. (Lessons Learnt Journal)

Explore with it: Rub colored chalk into salt to make chalk salt.

Tape it: Use tape to make colorful sidewalk mosaics. (Down Redbud Drive)

Trace it: Invite your children to trace their shadows and paint them. (Rhythms of Play)

Freeze it: Make a basic chalk paint recipe and freeze it! Can use different molds, too! (Reading Confetti)

Sensory

Smell it: Involve the sense of smell while squeezing liquid chalk onto surfaces. (Learn, Play, Imagine)

Mix it: Squirt some shaving cream into chalk mixture for a whole new sensory experience. (Growing a Jeweled Rose)

WEAR it: While having fun with chalk and water, see what happens when you rub it on your skin! (Lasso the Moon)

Science and Nature

Hear it: Try a simple science experiment right on your sidewalk and listen to it fizz. (Messy Little Monster)

Find it: Go on a hunt to find natural materials outdoors and add them to your chalk drawings. (The Craft Train)

Math

Count with it: Make a counting garden on the sidewalk. (Fantastic Fun and Learning)

Spray it: Listen and then spray the number. (Fantastic Fun and Learning)

Use dice and count it: Learn numbers through movement. (Days with Grey)

Shapes

Jump on it: After drawing shapes on the sidewalk, invite the children to jump on them. (Craftulate)

Walk through it: Create a shape maze, instructing the children to step on certain shapes. (Creative Family Fun)

Literacy

Write it: Work on early writing skills on the sidewalk. (The Natural Homeschool)

Paint it: Trace chalk letters with water using a paintbrush. (The Preschool Toolbox)

Large Motor

Hop on it: Create your own hopscotch path (free printable). (Fantastic Fun and Learning)

Follow it: Make an obstacle course for your children to follow. (Toot's Mom is Tired)

Twist it: Make a game of Twister using chalk outside. (Danya Banya)

Ride on it: Create a path with sidewalk chalk and ride scooters (or bikes) on it. (School Time Snippets)

Blocks and Cars

Draw it indoors: Create a road on the floor indoors. (Moms and Crafters)

Draw it outdoors: Create roads outdoors for toy cars. (Nurturestore)

More fun ideas for home:
Hands-On Shapes Activities 55+ Ways to Strengthen Fine Motor Skills at Home Building Math Skills at Home

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25+ Favorite Chalk Activities that Build Skills

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Inside: You will love these chalk activities for toddlers and preschoolers! Everything from using them with art, in the sensory bin, and as part of a science activity. Fun and playful ideas! When I went searching for easy chalk activities, I was amazed at how versatile chalk is!

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Easy Peasy Math Activities

Looking for easy counting or early math activities for your toddler or preschooler? Then you're come to the right place! Scroll down and you will find a collection of the best math activities I've done with my daughter when she was 2 and 3 years old and few ones we want to do!
UPDATED... I have now included EVEN more fun and easy early math activities that I created for daughter and twin toddlers. They are all super easy to create and don't require a lot of prep or supplies.

Learning math should be fun and these activities will help foster that in your toddler or preschooler. Before your child starts school they will start to develop their early math skills from the things they see and do everyday.

Early math skills include number sense, learning patterns, measurements and spatial sense among other things. It includes learning about shapes, problem solving as well as learning to count.
Here you will find tons of simple to set up activities to help your toddler or preschooler practice their shapes, number recognition and counting.
This amazing resources is organized into 3 key math and early math skills:

1. Counting Activities;

2. Shape Activities; and

3. Pattern Activities.

Easy Counting Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Paper Bag Counting

Age: 2.5 years +

You'll need: Paper Bag, Black sharpie, counters (such as crayons, Pom Poms, squeeze caps, markers etc.)

TIP: place the objects inside the bag and have your toddler pull them out and count them. Then have them put them back in, counting as they go. You can count for them if they aren't able to.

Counting Flowers Sticky Wall

Age 2.5 years old +

You'll Need: Contact paper, and colourful foam sheets, black sharpie and masking tape.

Cut out green stems, petals, a circlular pistil. Write the numbers on the pistil. Invite your toddler to build a flower and count the number of petals for each flower.

TIP: Create the flowers first and have your toddler remove the foam pieces off the sticky wall and then have them try to build them again with your help.

Age: 2.5 years old +

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Rain Drop Counting Sticky Wall

Age: 2.5 years old +

You'll Need: Contact paper, and colourful foam sheets, black sharpie and masking tape.

Cut out white cloud and rain drops. Write the number on the clouds. Trace the clouds and the raindrops on the sticky wall. Invite your toddler to stick the cloud and the corresponding number of rain drops on the sticky wall counting as they go.

TIP: Count for toddler if they get focused on just sticking the shapes.

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Fast & Easy Shape Activities

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Fast and Easy Pattern Activities

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WILL YOU TRY THESE FUN AND EASY MATH ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR TODDLER OR PRESCHOOLER? Pin it for later!

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Fast & Easy Math Activities - HAPPY TODDLER PLAYTIME

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Looking for easy counting or early math activities for your toddler or preschooler? Then you're come to the right place! Scroll down and you will find a collection of the best math activities I've done with my daughter when she was 2 and 3 years old and few ones we want to do!

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(iStock)

My friend texts a photo from her living room - a mound of yellow and green fringed blankets draped over a chair, framed by a wall of couch pillows.

"I need to go find a dark hole to climb into," she writes. "Like this."

It is her son's fort, which he erected on the first day of remote learning. It is now his reading nook when he ditches online classes. He sleeps there, too.

Being cooped up inside is hard. So in our living rooms, bedrooms and basements, kids are turning to fort-building to create safe havens as the covid-19 world feels out of their control.

In Farmington, Mich., 9-year-old Malia Mitchell has not left her two-bedroom apartment for weeks, except for family drives. She understands why, but also worries about her grandparents' and great-grandparents' health.

So Malia built a fort behind the couch that she calls "my little apartment," stocked with snacks, stuffed animals, blankets and an iPad charger. It is her go-to-place to FaceTime friends, relax away from her parents and baby sister, eat and sleep.

"It takes up the living room, but I'm leaving it there," her mother, Kenita Ware, says. "We don't have a large space, but I feel like she needs her own little place - maybe just to process what's going on or to be alone."

Forts have always been a part of childhood, says David Sobel, professor emeritus at Antioch University's education department and author of "Children's Special Places: Exploring the Role of Forts, Dens, and Bush Houses in Middle Childhood." Sobel researched the developmental function forts play in children's lives across cultures. They are universal, he says, driven by "biological genetic disposition" as children develop a "sense of self," separate from parents.

Kids begin to build forts indoors around age 4, Sobel found, then start venturing outside around age 6 or 7 to construct dens, treehouses and other fort-like structures more independently, a practice that continues into their tweens. Metaphorically and physically, building forts reflects children's growth as individuals, Sobel says; they create a "home away from home," free from parental control. Forts also foster creativity. "A lot of magic happens inside," he adds.

All forts, according to Sobel, share common traits: They are handmade, somewhat secretive and "you can look out, but others can't see in." They are safe - physically and emotionally. "It's your place where you want to be just you, observing but unseen," he says.

Inside, forts are kids' private, secure worlds.

"I feel like you're in a safe place, your own bubble of coziness," says 11-year-old Grayson Drewry, of Port Townsend, Wash. "There are no other things affecting you - you're blocked out from the world.

"Everything is wrong right now, but it's a safe space where no one worries about you," she adds. "If you locked yourself in your room, people would worry, but if you hide in your fort all day, no worries."

Grayson's mother, Tiffany Drewry, agrees, saying that an assigned school fort-building competition lifted Grayson's spirits. Drewry says remote learning has been taxing for Grayson, whom she says is "differently wired" and learns best through doing, especially touch. Grayson has always sought comfort in "nests" and forts - often when stressed. For the school competition, Grayson transformed her room into a pastel-pink tent constructed with sheets and pillows propped up by a mop. She decorated it with photos, created a welcome video and spent most of her day inside. "I needed that!" Grayson told her mom.

Children have more time to be creative right now, says Sobel. Their developing brains crave a break from computers (even if they protest). Forts also encourage play, which is beneficial for kids, especially now. But are quarantine forts any different from the archetypal rainy-day or weekend forts?

"It's the same but intensified," says Emily King, a child psychologist in Raleigh, N.C. "Kids make sense of the world through play. In quarantine, all our needs are amplified." Fort-building can help kids process this unnerving new reality on their own terms - through imagination and most importantly, control.

"Everything is different," King says. "They're facing uncertainty - not knowing how long we're going to be doing this." With so much disruption, "They're feeling what we're all feeling - great loss."

Without familiar routines, children need to feel in control of something, she adds. "Whatever kids create in their imaginative world feels safe and predictable to them. It's like 'Every time I go into this fort, it will be just like I left it.' "

Forts can also help kids regulate their bodies and emotions. Being in an enclosed, dark space with buffered sound and tactile sensations can be especially therapeutic for children on the autism spectrum, or those who have attention-deficit and sensory processing disorders or anxiety.

Forts help children reset their stressed bodies and brains, says Carol Stock Kranowitz, educator and author of "The Out-of-Sync-Child." The darkness inside a fort eliminates the stimulus they do not need and intensifies what they do need - such as physical comfort and solitude.

In the covid-19 world, our nervous systems are on high alert. We are wired to defend ourselves from environmental threats - which feel more acute for kids with sensory issues. Our brains react with "self-therapy" for protection, Kranowitz says. Self-therapy can also be soothing and fun, such as with forts. "It's primal," she says.

Kranowitz adds that everyone can relate to the impulse to build forts. "It's all about safety and control. We seek out comfort. We need to restore order. And in covid, we're doing more of these things." A person who likes chocolate may eat a little more. A walker may go further, longer. A child who builds forts constructs more elaborate ones. And maybe moves in for a while.

Can a child spend too much time in forts? King advises parents to monitor fort time as a "symptom thermometer" for clues about a how a child is coping with quarantine. For example, if a child withdraws for long periods, they need connection, not more alone time.

King, Sobel and Kranowitz agree that forts can nourish parent-child connections, under one condition: Children must be in charge. Parents can help build or enter, but only if invited.

"Don't mess with their fort," King says. Do not take over, alter or dismantle it. If the fort is tolerable, she adds, "let them go to town on making it feel safe and comfortable. It's theirs."

If a child asks for help, "enter whatever world they create," Sobel says.

Six-year-old Nacelle Bumford of Forest Hill, Md., alternates among several forts in quarantine - including a tent she calls her "office," perched on the couch's corner, near her mother's work spot.

"We use them as her safe place," her mother, Linette Bumford says. Inside, Nacelle savors two minutes of "cuddle time," which benefits them both. "She calls me into her 'office' for meetings that we both schedule on her calendar. It makes her feel in control of her day."

Parents and children feed off one another, after all. We absorb and deflect one another's moods. That may be true now more than ever.

"If I were to build a fort or lock myself in the bathroom for time away, everybody would think that something's wrong," Drewry says. "But I think that a lot of adults are doing the same thing now, whether it's in the bathroom, the laundry room or bedroom. I have to tell you it's the same impulse. We all need comfort now."

Susan C. Margolin is a writer who helps business leaders tell their stories. She sought solace in many forts as a kid and now shares her workspace with a cardboard city built by her daughter. Follow her on Twitter: @scmargolin.

Follow On Parenting on Facebook for more essays, news and updates, and join our discussion group here to talk about parenting and work. You can sign up here for our newsletter.

Coronavirus: What you need to read

The Washington Post is providing some coronavirus coverage free, including:
Updated July 21, 2020 Show More Show Less

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Perspective | Why kids love building forts - and why experts say they might need them more than ever

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My friend texts a photo from her living room - a mound of yellow and green fringed blankets draped over a chair, framed by a wall of couch pillows. "I need to go find a dark hole to climb into," she writes. "Like this."

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Teaching Toddlers and Preschoolers has 86,146 members. ➡️ ALL questions MUST be answered or you will not be accepted into the group. ➡️ Self-Promotions are NOT allowed and will NOT be approved....

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It's almost time for back to school and these alphabet activities will come in handy!

How do you teach the alphabet to preschoolers?!

As a preschooler, I don't really think a lot is expected for them to know. Some basics are good though, like colors, shapes, numbers and letters.

To refresh my preschooler's memory of letter recognition in general, as well as knowing the uppercase and lowercase alphabet and getting to know some of the letters sounds, I've been collecting ideas for activities that Henry can do to get him back on track of school. (Check some more out my ABC Learning & More Pinterest Board.)

Not to mention it'll be great to get me back into school mode too!

With any learning activities, it's very important to not crush your child's confidence. Build on what they already know and expand slowly. And only go further when they're excited to learn.

We want our kids to love learning! Not dread it.

So if they're not excited about an activity, put it away until another day.

The big question then is...

How do you make learning letters fun?

Here are 50 alphabet activities preschoolers that do just that.

Hands-on activities that have the preschoolers playing and involving their entire body.

Without them even realizing that they're learning to recognize the letters of the alphabet, both the upper and lower case... or their letter sounds.

Let's get on with it and see how to teach the alphabet to preschoolers in a fun way!

Recognizing Letters of the Alphabet

Identifying the letters of the alphabet can be a fun activity for preschoolers to learn while playing!

Here are 25 Alphabet activities to recognize the letters of the alphabet.

1. An ABC Mat is super handy to have on hand when your child is learning the alphabet! Try an active ABC mat learning game to get them really involved!

2. By singing the ABCs the child can find his way through an alphabet maze! Use vehicles or a ball, or even a doll to walk their way through the maze.

3. Squirt the Letter.

4. Make learning magical with magic letters that the kids reveal as they paint over them.

5. Do a letter search and find and match the pieces back together. (Little Hands, Big Work)

6. Make a sensory bag to find the letters.

7. Get creative and have her feed the monster letters as you call them out. (Little Family Fun)

8. Use sticker letters to match to letters that you write on a paper towel tube! (Activity Mom)

9. Make letters from pipe cleaners. (Make and Takes)

10. Have fun stacking letter tiles! The catch? Name the letter before you can add it to your tower! (Stay At Home Educator)

11. Try a magic trick like Playdough to Plato does with a ABC cup hunt game! Which one is the pom pom under?

12. Find the letter and trash it! A fun idea from Motherhood on a Dime.

13. Playing House does a bean bag toss into a letter tub that you call out.

14. A twist on musical chairs, play musical alphabet and identify the letter you stop on! Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas can make this more difficult for older kids too!

15. Fish for Letters from First Palette. Can you identify your 'catch'?

16. Letter "I Spy" with Grown Up Board Games from A Heart for Home.

17. Make these simple 'building blocks' so your child can build a letter and then tell you what it is! (Simple Real Moms)

18. Write the alphabet on the sidewalk and water the 'garden'. (Toddler Approved)

19. Magnetic letters matching from NutureStore make great alphabet games!

20. Simply make it a race! Lay out some letter cards and shout out a letter, have your child run as fast as they can to find it and bring it back to you. (Frugal Fun 4 Boys)

21. A classic from my childhood. When in the car and traveling, do an alphabet hunt. (Teach Mama)

22. Let the children play on a typewriter, or old computer keyboard. (picklebums)

23. NurtureStore reinforces alphabet identification by baking the alphabet.

24. Another use for the ABC Mat is to play twister! (Learners in Bloom)

25. Homemade letter sponges for the bath from Learning 4 Kids are a fun learning addition to bath time!

Additionally, these products are excellent to have on hand when learning letters.

These do include my affiliate link that helps to support Hands On As We Grow® at no additional cost to you if you purchase. We truly appreciate the support, thank you.

These provide amazing opportunities for letter or alphabet games and activities to do at home!

Learning Uppercase & Lowercase Letters

Lowercase letters tend to be harder for preschoolers to identify as well as match up with their uppercase counterparts.

1. Got on a letter hunt and match the found letters to a set of lowercase letters!

2. Match uppercase and lowercase hearts using a free printable.

3. Write lowercase letters on clothespins and have your child match and clip them onto an uppercase letter that's printed (or written) out. (I Can Teach My Child)

4. Bring out the Easter Eggs. Label each side with corresponding upper and lowercase letters! Can your child put the eggs back together? (Teachers Pay Teachers)

5. Learn letters on the go with two paper plates, one with lowercase, one with uppercase letters. No Time for Flash Cards has the how to.

6. Make learning the ABCs a big event! Turn the floor into a mega doodle of letters and then match corresponding letters to it! (Filth Wizardry)

7. Match upper and lowercase letters on the sidewalk.

8. Practice writing while also learning both upper and lowercase letters by using a tray of salt. (Teach Preschool)

9. Play a game of alphabet bingo. (Teach Mama)

Here are 9 alphabet activities to help preschoolers distinguish between upper and lower case letters.

Letter Sound Activities

1. Go on a hunt for toys that start with the letters and then got to punch through for a prize in our letter sound punch alphabet game.

2. Make an alphabet game to sort by beginning letter sounds.

3. An active way for the kids to learn their letters is simply with a ball and shouting out words that start with a letter! The Pleasantest Thing gives us many variations of this alphabet game in her guest post!

4. Take learning outside with a sidewalk letter sound scavenger hunt like I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar.

5. Another version of this would be to spray the letter that makes the sound from Train Up a Child.

6. Indoors, set out some cups and letters on them and have the kids find as many toys as they can that start with each letter. (PreKinders)

7. Simple. Kids love to pretend to 'work'. Give them tees and a hammer and pound the sound idea from Happy Brown House.

8. Add letters to muffin tins and toss a small object. Where it lands the child has to tell you what sound that letter makes. This idea's found at ABC & Learning by Playdough to Plato.

9. Do a beginning letter sound toy wash!

10. Climb up the stairs when you get the right letter sound from A Mom with a Lesson Plan.

11. Make a collage from magazine cutouts for letter sounds. (Carrots are Orange)

12. Get active with a letter sound jumping game from The Imagination Tree.

13. A Run N Spell alphabet game from Having Fun At Home gets the kids moving and learning starting letter sounds.

14. "Baking" the Alphabet on a hot day from Not Just Cute. Hungry for a banana? Fill up the letter b-b-b-B!

15. Alphabet bowling with letter pins from Toddler Approved

16. Use letter pops (sticks with a letter on the end) to have the kids identify objects from around the room or house that start with the same letter. (Dr. Jean & Friends)

17. Match toys to letters with this hands-on sound activity from No Time For Flash Cards

Many of the activities that are listed for recognizing the letters of the alphabet can also be adjusted for learning the sounds of the letters too!

Here are 16 alphabet activities to work on the sounds of the letters!

Fantastic books for learning letters:

Supplement these learning activities with books and your preschooler will be singing, reciting, spelling and sounding out the ABCs in no time I bet!

I'd love to know.

When was your child able to identify some letters of the alphabet?

Henry learned his alphabet really early it seemed. Identifying a few letters when he was 20 months old and knowing almost the entire alphabet when he was just over 2 years old.

George on the other hand has no interest yet at 22 months so it's not on our radar.

If you have an eager early learner, these beginning learning letter activities are perfect for toddlers!

Onto numbers! 40 number activities for preschoolers too!

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50 Simple Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers | Hands On As We Grow®

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It's almost time for back to school and these alphabet activities will come in handy! As a preschooler, I don't really think a lot is expected for them to know. Some basics are good though, like colors, shapes, numbers and letters.

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Inside: This collection of simple toddler sorting activities are a fun addition to the natural sorting they do in their everyday life. A fun way to introduce math to young children!
When toddlers explore their surroundings they start noticing how some things are alike, and some things are different.

They might start grouping the red blocks, for example.

Or line up the blue cars separately from the red cars.

Toddlers are also naturally sorting when they help with everyday tasks, such as putting toys away.

When putting together math activities for our toddlers, we always add some sorting activities as they are simple and hands-on.

These 20+ toddler sorting activities can be done in the home or classroom, at the table or on a tray or even on the floor.

They are meant to be a fun addition to the natural sorting they do in their everyday life.
Scroll down to find your free printable list of things to keep toddlers busy!
20+ Simple Toddler Sorting Activities
Make sure to also check out our collection of 25+ number games for toddlers!
Valentine's Counting and Color Sorting - Great for Valentine's themes, toddlers will sort heart shapes into proper colors using this free printable mat.

Color Sorting Bear Activity - While learning about hibernation, preschoolers will sort these cute bears into their colorful sleeping dens.

Parts of a Flower - This toddler sorting activity also helps to teach about flowers, and allows for a discussion about what the different parts do for the plant. (Munchkins and Moms)

Sticker Sorting - This color-sorting sticker activity is a great quiet busy activity for preschoolers, and very easy to assemble. (Busy Toddler)

Happy and Sad Face Sorting - Toddlers will sort the photos of faces by emotions of happy and sad into the pockets. This is a great activity for teaching emotion recognition. (Having Fun at Home)

Felt Shape Sorting - So easy to make yourself using different colors of felt! (My Bored Toddler)

Printable Cereal Sorting Mat - For very little ones, this is a great beginning to teaching the colors, and includes a free printable mat to use. (I Can Teach My Child)

Color Sorting Sticks - Use color circles, popsicle sticks, and cups for a super simple color matching game. (The Measured Mom)

Rainbow Color Sorting Busy Bag - Take this color sorting activity on-the-go for an educational color learning activity in the car. (Learning and Exploring Through Play)

Sorting, Counting, and Graphing - Create a giant graph with your toddler by sorting their cars or other toys by color, and count which category contains the most. (Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls)

Sorting Colored Buttons - This simple sorting activity involves toddlers sorting buttons into size category jars. (Learning 4 Kids)

Apple Sorting - Toddlers will sort apples into green or red baskets; great for a fall theme or apple theme. (The Resourceful Mama)

Fall Leaf Sorting - A great fall activity in which toddlers will sort out fall leaves into categories. (Kids Activities)

Sticky Window Color Sorting - Toddlers will sort tissue paper by color onto cling wrap on the windows to add a fun element to color sorting. (Hands On As We Grow)

Egg Carton Color Sorting - This simple pom-pom color sorting activity also helps young toddlers to strengthen their fine motor pinching skills. (The Imagination Tree)

Coin Sorting - To help teach preschoolers about currency, have them sort different coins into categories. (Rhythms of Play)

Muffin Tin Color Sort - For very young toddlers, this scooping activity is a great way to practice their controlled motion by scooping the ball into the colored muffin tin. (Moments with Miss)

Lego Printable for Colors and Patterns - These free printable mats are a great introduction to pattern-making using legos to sort by color. (I Can Teach My Child)

Sorting Shapes - This sensory bin will allow toddlers to sort shapes into different cups while strengthening their hand muscles. (Learning4Kids)

Foam Cut and Sort - This is a simple and easy to set up sorting activity that will allow toddlers to practice their colors and pinching skills. (Childcareland)

Bean Sort - This is a great sorting activity for any gardening or cooking themes in which toddlers sort various beans into categories. (Busy Toddler)

Sorting Fruits and Vegetables - Another activity for a gardening theme where toddlers sort produce photos into fruit and vegetable categories. (The Natural Homeschool)

Fun ways for toddlers to learn the alphabet:

More ideas for toddlers:
10 Toddler Science Activities that are Full of Fun 20 Super Fun Toddler Learning Activities 30+ Toddler Indoor Activities that are Super Fun
Download your free list of activities that are perfect for busy toddlers:

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20+ Fun and Simple Toddler Sorting Activities

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Inside: This collection of simple toddler sorting activities are a fun addition to the natural sorting they do in their everyday life. A fun way to introduce math to young children! When toddlers explore their surroundings they start noticing how some things are alike, and some things are different.

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🧽WIPEABLE COLORING BOARD🎨 Keep watching, there's a car paint shop too 🚙🚗. I've been wanting to make a makeup board for my girls for the longest time 💄....

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No-Mess Bubblewrap Roller Painting - Fun Sensory Play

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We love bubblewrap painting. But you see, my little girl hates to get her hand dirty. It's a sensory thing. This momma is always trying to find ways for her to enjoy things without the full effect of getting messy. Here's what I came up with!

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Learning about the is so important for young children. It's the perfect unit for preschoolers because exploring the world with the senses is their natural inclination. Set up easy centers for each sense at the science center and try this Sound Matching Game as a circle time lesson.

Sense of Sound Matching Game

Step 1

To create the center, gather 12 plastic easter eggs - 6 of each in 2 different colors (like purple and orange.) Plastic eggs are often sold at the dollar store or local big box store in the spring time.

Step 2

Filled pairs of eggs with different items. The goal is to have 1 of each color egg filled with the exact same noisy object.

Addition good fillers for Sense of Sound:

Step 3

Tape the sound eggs together to prevent any "peeking" or rearranging of the items. The students use their sense of hearing to match the purple egg with the same sounding orange egg.

After teaching the Sense of Sound game during circle time, find a place to display the game for additional practice. Students can play the sound matching game independently or with a small group during center time.

It requires a bit of cooperation and can help students develop their social-emotional skills, problem-solving abilities, and negotiation.

More 5 Senses Activities for Preschoolers:

5 Senses - Sense of Touch Board

5 Senses - Sense of Taste Activity

My 5 Senses - 15 Hands-On Activities for Preschoolers

5 Senses Interactive Bulletin Board

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Learning about the is so important for young children. It's the perfect unit for preschoolers because exploring the world with the senses is their natural inclination. Set up easy centers for each sense at the science center and try this Sound Matching Game as a circle time lesson.

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Looking for something to do with all those tops from baby wipes? This is a fun way to work on fine motors. Kids love to see familiar faces especially their families.

Materials:
Tops from baby wipe packages
Pictures of your family
Paper
Glue

Print out a picture of each person in your family. There are 5 people in my family so I traced 5 tops from baby wipes. . I wrote My Family at the top. I put one picture in each space. Then I wrote our names under our pictures. Next I hot glued the tops from the baby wipes to the paper. I laminated the paper to make it stronger. You could also use a piece of cardboard. I put the tops on the top row in a different direction then the tops on the bottom row to make it a little more challenging.

Here is a link to our facebook post!

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Looking for something to do with all those tops from baby wipes? This is a fun way to work on fine motors. Kids love to see familiar faces especially their families. Materials:Tops from baby wipe packagesPictures of your familyPaperGlue Print out a picture of each person in your family.

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Toddler and Preschool Crafts and Activities

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Toddler and Preschool Crafts and Activities has 16,323 members. A place for parents and caregivers to share age appropriate ideas for crafts and other...

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Teaching Toddlers and Preschoolers has 86,146 members. ➡️ ALL questions MUST be answered or you will not be accepted into the group. ➡️ Self-Promotions are NOT allowed and will NOT be approved....

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Inside: Our favorite collection of preschool fine motor activities! Each one involves some sort of squeezing that strengthens the hands and fingers, getting them ready for writing. A free fine motor checklist is included for you to download today!
Parents and teachers are concerned if their preschoolers cannot write.

Their preschoolers might get frustrated when given writing tools. Hold on! Their little hands and fingers need to be strengthened. Good news! I have a collection of squeezing activities that can do just that.

We start working on strengthening fine motor skills in with our toddlers. You know those puzzles with the knobs? And play dough? Yep, that's a start! But even as they transition from a toddler to a preschooler, their hands and fingers continue to need strengthening.

We work on fine motor activities every day, in playful ways. Our children have no idea the reason behind it, of course. They just know it's fun!
Bonus! Scroll down to find a free printable list of easy fine motor activities you can do with your preschoolers this week! Ready to introduce some squeezing activities into your children's day?

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17 of the Best Preschool Fine Motor Activities that Involve Squeezing

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Inside: Our favorite collection of preschool fine motor activities! Each one involves some sort of squeezing that strengthens the hands and fingers, getting them ready for writing. A free fine motor checklist is included for you to download today! Parents and teachers are concerned if their preschoolers cannot write.

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Wondering what to do if you're stuck inside with your kids all day? Our huge list of active indoor activities will keep your kids - from toddlers to teens - busy and burning energy!

It doesn't matter where you're located, or what the weather is like outside your window, there are always times when you have to be inside. And as Moms, I think we all understand that Kids + Energy + Inside is an equation that can equal chaos and inevitable disaster.

That's why we teamed up with one of our favorite brands of all time, Tea Collection, to test out their all-new active wear line, and bring you an epic list of active indoor games and activities that will get your kids up and moving, even on the gloomiest of days.

These activities will not only fight boredom (which equals less whining, woohoo!) but will also challenge their minds and muscles - strengthening their bodies and releasing all that pent-up energy - ultimately leaving you with stronger kids (albeit a little sweaty), that won't fight you when it comes to hitting the hay. A worthy outcome indeed.
Please note: this post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our d isclosure policy.
Pin so you have this life-saving list at hand when snow or rain strikes:

Tape Games

A simple roll of low-tack Painter's tape (like this one for delicate surfaces) will be your new best friend once you try these genius ideas that get kids exerting their energy in all sorts of creative ways.
(editor's note: just bringing out the roll of tape got Ooos and Ahhs from my kids - these activities were extremely well received and have now been added to my Boredom Buster bag of tricks!)

Tape Shape Game: Use this tape to put a variety of shapes, letters and/or numbers on your floor. Have your child stand on their favorite one then give them instructions to follow that will lead them to their next destination (for example: "bear crawl to the square", "hop like a Frog to the T", "Run to the rectangle"). We love that this game from Toddler Approved keeps your child moving, but also helps them learn their shapes, letters and numbers!

Tape Lines: Make 5-10 separate lines of tape, each about a foot apart, on your floor or carpet. Label the first one the "start" line and then give your kids simple instructions:

Long Jump: See how many lines they can jump over. Have them try and beat their best score each time. Experiment with arm swinging vs. arms behind their backs.

Run 'n' Jump: Now let them take a running start and see if they can jump even further!

Long Jump Backwards: Increase the difficulty by performing the tasks jumping backwards.

Hop: How far can they jump on one leg?

Reach 'n' Stretch: How far can their leg reach with one foot on the "start" line?

Create a Race-Car Track: Use your painter's tape (or opt for this super cool race-track tape) to make a huge road system for your kids' matchbox cars. Think outside the box and have the track scale furniture and other obstacles (just make sure it's something you don't mind toy vehicles being "driven" over). The key to making it active is to make it large-scale, so they are engaging their core muscles while crawling all over. (Pic via PopSugar and Pinterest - source unknown)

You can even make it super-sized for ride-on vehicles like the pics here from Hands On As We Grow.
RELATED: For our top tested picks for indoor ride-on toys see The Best Indoor Gross Motor Toys For Active Kids (To Get That Energy Out!)

Hopscotch: Make a simple hopscotch "board" and your kids will think it's just the coolest thing that it's inside! (pic via Brit+co)

Number Squares: Make a large square with your tape and then divide it into 9 or more small squares, marking random numbers in each one. Now ask your child to perform a specific movement to get to the next number like "jump to 10", "zoom to 3", "slither to 67". ( via DreamGYM)

Balloon Games

Has your child ever received a balloon at a birthday party and been totally enamored by it? Take that fascination to the next level by adding in a few "rules" and they'll be happily moving around developing their gross motor skills while burning off some of that rambunctious energy.

Try some of our favorite balloon games and always keep a few handy to pull out when the going gets tough.
**Just a reminder that pieces of burst balloons can be a serious choking hazard, so if you have younger kids, make sure they are supervised during these activities at all times**

Try adding stuffed animals to the mix for extra fun. Have your child pick their favorite stuffy and hold it in their hand so it is essentially the one hitting the balloon. You'd be surprised how this one simple variation can boost their engagement even further!

Penguin Waddle: Place a balloon between your child's knees and have them waddle across the room without dropping it. Make it more challenging for older kids by having them go around a few obstacles. If they drop it, they have to go back to the start.

For multiple kids, have them play as a team with the balloon placed between their hips. Once they get the hang of it, get out your timer to see how fast they can do it.

Balloon Paddle Ball: Use a fly swatter, tennis/badminton racket or make your own paddle using a paper plate and over-sized popsicle stick (or use a paint stir stick or plastic spoon), then use it to play the games above.

These paddles are also fun for balancing your balloon. Have your kids try to keep their balloon on the paddle as they navigate through obstacles or run around the house. Not as easy as it sounds!

Balloon Foot Balance: For a real challenge, have your kids lie on the ground with their legs up in the air and try and balance the balloon on their feet. It's not an easy task and requires a lot of concentration. It's also a great core workout!

Balloon Volleyball: Make a "net" by tying a piece of string between 2 chairs and then have your child hit the balloon back and forth by running from one side to the other, trying to keep it off the floor. If you have 2 or more kids, have them hit it over the net as many times as they can without it falling.

Balloon Hockey: Use a small kiddy hockey stick or make your own out of cardboard ( see full tutorial on Creative Connections For Kids) to navigate a balloon into a net (use a laundry basket or box on its side if you don't have any smaller ones to bring indoors).

Fun/Silly Moving Games

Just a warning - you're going to have a hard time deciding which of these fun (and often giggle-fit-inducing) games to play first. They're so entertaining that you'll be wanting to join in too!

Sticky Spider Web: Use painter's tape to make a web-like design on a doorway opening (idea via Hands On As We Grow). Give your kids some newspaper to scrunch up and throw up at the web. Or get creative and use other light-weight objects like balloons. Have them count how many objects stick versus how many don't for extra learning points.

Sticky Note Wall Bop: Attach 26 sticky notes to the back of a door and write a different letter on each one (in random order). Make a "start" line a few feet away from the door (more if you have older kids), and have your child stand behind it with a soft ball, bean bag, stuffed animal or pair of rolled up socks. Now instruct them to throw their object to try and hit the "A" or the "T". Players with more advanced aim and spelling skills can try and hit all the letters in specific words (to make it even tougher, if they miss one of the letters, have them start all over again!).

Alternatively, write different point values on each sticky and give your child 10 throws. For each target they hit, mark down the number of points. At the end of the round, tally up to crown a winner (or if playing solo, have them try and beat their previous score). (editor's note: make sure your kids are retrieving their throwing object themselves...running and bending down to pick it up over and over again is all part of the exercise!)

Floor Bop: Take Wall Bop to the floor. Instead of aiming up high, your kids will now have to toss an object to land on pieces of paper on the floor. The same rules as above can apply.

You can also use these colored "mats" to instruct your child to do fun tasks such as "bounce like a bunny to green", "tiptoe to yellow" and "high knees to red".

Ping Pong Ball Catch: Get out those plastic red Solo cups and a few ping pong balls (or any small object that will fit in the cup) and have your kids toss the ball to a partner and try and catch it in the cup. Start out close together and then keep taking a step backwards to increase the challenge. For a single-player, they can simply throw the ball in the air and try and catch it.

Alligator Alley: One of our favorite go-to inside games of all time. Simply scatter some "islands" or "boats" across the floor (use pillows, stuffed animals, books, etc) and then have your kids jump from one to the next without falling into the "water" and risk being eaten by a hungry alligator. Bonus points if Mom plays said hungry alligator and chomps after them when they stumble!

Crab Walk: Teach your child how to do the crab walk, then see how fast they can scurry across the room. Have races with siblings (or yourself!) and then increase the level of difficulty by having them balance a stuffed animal on their stomach. If it falls, they have to scramble back to the beginning and start again!

ABC Exercise Cards: Download these fun printable cards from Home School Share which outline an active task for each letter of the alphabet. Have your child do all the ones that make up their name, or simply pick at random. In addition to getting in some healthy physical movement, they'll also be learning their letters!

Movement Chain: You need at least 2 players for this interactive game where the first person starts by performing a certain movement - this could be something simple like jumping 2 times, or more complex like holding a plank for 30 seconds. The next person has to perform the first movement, and then add on another, forming a chain. The following person does the previous 2 movements, plus adds their own. You continue in this fashion until the chain sequence is broken (usually forgotten!) and then that person is out. The last one standing is the winner.

Potato Drop: The Potato Drop ( via Parenting) is another one of our favorites because kids think it is good ol' silly fun (we do too). Have all participants place a potato between their knees and race to a finish line where they have to drop it into a designated bowl or bucket. If the potato is dropped, or if hands touch it, they have to go back to the start and try again. (editor's note: this is actually a great party game for big groups of kids - split them up into 2 teams and relay race to see which one can get all their potatoes into the bucket first!)

Mirror, Mirror: Stand face to face with your child, about a foot apart, and have them attempt to copy all your movements. Reach up and stretch to the sky. Do 10 jumping jacks. Run in place. Act like a monkey. Make it fun and you'll both be working up a sweat in no time. Then switch roles and copy your child - they won't be able to hold back the laughter (and neither will you!).

Airplane Landing: Make paper airplanes and throw them. The catch? You have to collect it and bring it back to the start line without walking - this could be running, hopping, skipping, twirling, crawling...let them get creative!

Crib Mattress Slide: This is another one of our go-to activities when we're stuck inside - it's super simple but kids think it is a riot! Take a crib mattress and prop it up on a bed or soft chair so it creates a slide to the ground. Now your kids can climb on up and slide down over and over again (just make sure you keep a hand on it at the top so it doesn't slip down).

Pillow Case Race: On hardwood or tile floors, sit on a pillow case (or a t‑shirt) and use your arms and legs to scoot around a "race" course.

Target Practice: Set up some targets (empty water bottles or paper towel rolls work great) and have your kids try and knock them down with Nerf guns or throwing soft objects. The exercise comes in when they have to keep going back and forth between retrieving their objects and the start line.

Hunts

Although we may hunt for things all the time (hello keys, wallet, phone!), your kids don't always get the same chance at discovery. So set them up with a hunt all their own with these incredibly creative ideas:

Lego Color Hunt: You have to try this one, it is a kid-favorite and super easy to execute. Select 4 pieces of colored construction paper and then collect 10 Lego pieces that match each one (ie. 10 yellow Lego pieces for a yellow piece of paper). Now hide all of the Lego pieces in one room/area of your house and lay out the colored paper on a table or the floor nearby. Start the clock and have your kid(s) start hunting.

Once they've found a Lego, they need to return it to the piece of paper that matches in color. See how long it takes them to find them all (tell them there's 10 of each color so they can count to see if they're missing any themselves), and then re-hide so they can try and get a lower time. (editor's note: for my 2 older kids I hid 5 Duplo Legos and 5 regular Legos of each color and then assigned them a size - that way they each had the opportunity to find the same amount...and big brother couldn't sweep them all up leaving little sis with nothing!)

Once they've had enough of the game, challenge them to have a little quiet time and make a cool rainbow structure out of the Legos (while Mom drinks a cup of coffee...score!)

Puzzle Piece Hunt: This is a genius idea courtesy of No Time For Flash Cards. Hide all the pieces of a wooden board puzzle and have your child search for them - returning each piece to the board as they go. This game gets them moving, and their brain working at the same time, and kids love having a goal to complete. They'll beg you to hide them again!

Paint Chip Color Hunt: Pick up some brightly colored paint chips from your local hardware store and ask your kids to find items that match each color as closely as possible (again, keep a timer going so they quicken their pace). Don't have Paint Chips? Use colored construction paper instead like Simple Play Ideas!

ABC Hunt: Have your kids go around the house with a basket, collecting items that start with each letter of the alphabet (A for apple, B for Barbie, C for Crayola, etc) - give them a checklist to mark off each one as they go. Time them so they run!

Scavenger Hunt: Use this Scavenger Hunt Printable from Living and Life Designed to send your kids on a fun hunt around the house collecting various items that you've listed. Make it fun by including specific things like "your favorite bath toy" or "a pink sock" to more general categories like "something that begins with the letter T". And yes, set that timer!

Maze + Obstacle Course

These incredible ideas for making your own DIY maze or obstacle course will test your child's strategic skills while getting their heart pumping.

Mission Impossible Obstacle Maze: Using either Crepe Paper or Flag Tape (held in place with Painter's Tape), create an intricate maze in a hallway for your kids to navigate their bodies through. Put the tape up high and down low, forcing them to step over and crawl under at various points. The only problem with this one is that once you make it, your kids will constantly be begging you to make another! (Idea via Brassy Apple)

Life-size Book Maze: This creative idea from Preschool Powol Packets uses books (but other household items: clothing, brooms, and sports equipment like bats and sticks would all work well) to create a large scale maze that will challenge your kids to find their way out. Once they have the hang of it, have them crawl, hop, or walk backwards through it! This one is great for preschoolers to work on their spatial awareness and problem solving skills - in addition to getting them up and moving.

Obstacle Course: This tried-and-true idea is always a huge hit with kids, and can be made different every time so it never gets old. Make sure to create an engaging course that includes a variety of motions (jumping, crawling, balancing, etc.) and uses a large area. Have your kids help make the course (which is half the fun!) using some of these creative ideas:

Hula hoops to jump through

Line of tape to balance on

Couch cushions to hop between

Table to crawl under

Blanket over 2 chairs to crab walk through

Tupperware containers to hurdle over

Stuffed animals to roll over

Plastic cups to run around

We love that obstacle courses are great for kids of all ages to participate in - the younger tots enjoy just being able to complete all the obstacles, while older kids can race against each other or the clock. You could even have them attempt it balancing a bean bag or stuffed animal on their head, or with 1 hand behind their back.

Take 10 minutes to set-up a super engaging course, and you'll benefit from happy, worn-out kids.

Use your garage

Sometimes the most obvious ideas don't dawn on you until it's too late. If you have a garage, why not move out your car and let your kids go wild in the open (but covered) space. Depending on its size, they could use their scooters, bikes and other outdoor ride-on toys, or play a game of tag, catch, soccer or street hockey. The best part about this is that your kids really feel like they're getting outdoor play time, and are getting some fresh (well, fresh- er) air at the same time.

Bring outdoor toys inside

If using your garage isn't a viable option (where are all the hoarders at?!), then consider bringing some of your child's outdoor toys inside. These can be smaller items like jump ropes and soft balls, or larger items like scooters, ride-ons and our all-time favorite fold-up slide (editor's note: this slide has been in and out of my house for years - it fits in our playroom in the winter and is used with a stuffed animal landing pit and in obstacle courses. It then goes outside in the summer as a fun slide into our blow-up pool!)

sports games

Another way to bring the outdoors in, is to adapt your child's favorite outdoor sports games to be indoor friendly. Try out these variations for plenty of sweaty fun:

Basketball: If you have a Little Tikes basketball hoop or an over-the-door one, then you're all set to play with a soft foam ball. But no worries if you don't, just grab some laundry baskets or beach buckets and place them on the floor, stairs or hang from a door handle or hook. Make-shift your own balls with a wad of newspaper, bean bags, soft toys or rolled-up socks.

Play a game of HORSE or see who can make the farthest shot. Set-up lines of tape to see how many shots they can make from each one. Or set a timer for 1 minute and challenge them to make as many baskets as they can (running to retrieve the ball after each missed shot!).

Figure Skating: Clear an area on your floor (you can even "rope" off an actual "rink" if you'd like), grab you hat and mittens, and pretend you're gliding across the ice. There's several fun ways to make it feel as real as possible:

Use dryer sheets - they provide just the right amount of slide and won't scratch your floors!

Paper Plate Skating from Hands On As We Grow: Simply grab 2 paper plates, step on them with bare feet (they'll "stick" better) and then slide away.

Put a pair of wool-like mittens on your feet (kids think this is pretty silly which adds to the fun)

Construct wax paper booties using string or tape

Save old tissue boxes and kids can simply place their feet through the opening!

Lacrosse: Lacosse is a tough sport to safely practice inside, unless you have this genius training device. The CradleBaby is a regulation Lacrosse ball with a tether strap that attaches to the head of a Lacrosse stick. So your child can practice their stick skills all over the house without creating any damage!

Bowling: Set up your bowling "lane" with some painter's tape and use plastic bottles or cups for pins. Use any type of ball to bowl, attempting to knock down as many pins as possible. Keep track of the score, or simply aim to knock them all down in one turn. Create a plastic cup pyramid to up the fun-factor even more.

Soccer: Bring outdoor nets inside, or set up a goal using 2 cones (or plastic cups), a chair (score by getting it through the legs) or a simple piece of tape. Use any soft ball, or a super fun gliding ball like this one!

Mini Golf: If you already have mini-golf putters, all you'll need are a few "holes" to start your round of golf. Tape some plastic cups lying on their side to the ground, or create tunnels with pieces of construction paper. If you don't have putters, use long rolls of wrapping paper, hockey sticks, or pool noodles!

Hockey: Create your own version of indoor hockey using balloons and pool noodles for young kids, or a knee hockey set like this one featured in our Gift Guide: The Best Indoor Gross Motor Toys For Active Kids

Dress the Part

If you're stuck indoors for the long haul, pick several of the activities from our list and announce to your kids that you have some fun indoor activities planned. Instruct them to put on their favorite active wear and meet back at a designated spot in a few minutes. Just the act of getting into "special clothing" will snap them out of boredom and get them excited about what's to come!

A big thank-you to our incredible partner, Tea Collection, for providing us with samples of their new Active collection to test. We've been avid fans of Tea's globally inspired clothing for years, and their latest endeavor did not disappoint. Our kid-testers stayed cool in their colorful tanks, shorts and leggings thanks to the moisture wicking, made-to-move fabrics.

We love that you can mix and match pieces from Tea Active with their everyday collection, and bonus: they're made with UPF 40 protection, so they'll keep your kids comfy and protected both indoors and out.

Check out Tea Active and all their latest arrivals here.

Classic Games + Activities

Some games are classics for a reason: they're just simple good ol' fun. These ones are our favorites, updated for modern indoor play:

3‑Legged Race: Tie your kids' outside ankles together with something soft and stretchy like a long ski sock, PJ pants or bandage wrap. Now they'll have to work as a team to coordinate their movements to get from point A to point B. This is one of our favorites because it not only builds gross motor coordination, but is great for sibling bonding too!

Wheelbarrow Puzzle Walk: Take your average Wheelbarrow race to the next level by having your child complete a puzzle in this brilliant idea from Stir The Wonder. Set-up a wooden puzzle board and scatter the pieces around a room. Grab your child's ankles (or hips to make it a bit easier for little ones) and hold them up so they can walk on their hands to collect them. They have to bring each piece back 1‑by‑1 and fit it into the board until the puzzle is complete. (editor's note: this is one of my kids' favorites and is great for upper body strengthening!)

Hula Hoop: If you have a Hula Hoop, now is the perfect time to dust it off and bring it back to life. Make it fresh by turning it into a game like who can do the most circles around their waist, arm or ankle. Try rolling it back and forth between 2 people, or see if your child can put some backspin on it and make it return to themselves. For little ones, put it on the floor and practice jumping in/out, side-to-side or have them pick it up and use it as a steering wheel to drive an imaginary car all around the house!

Jumping Limbo: Do the Limbo in reverse: instead of going under, have your kids jump over! Using something flexible like a stretchy exercise band, crepe paper or jump rope, have 2 people hold it (or attach it to something on one side) and start it on the ground. Have your kids run in a circle and then jump over it. After a few successful jumps, raise it an inch or two. Keep raising it until they can't jump any higher!

Red-Light, Green-Light (Purple Light?!) Do your kids go nutty for this game every single time like ours? We like to add in a few different colored lights as the game goes on to keep it interesting:

Yellow Light: Slow crawl on the ground

Green Light: Jump like a frog

Blue Light: Try and touch the sky

Purple Light: Do a silly dance

Hide-and-Seek: Make it more active by having them hide on different levels of your house every time, that way they're going up and down stairs every few minutes. Or, have the player that is found first perform a "penalty" that can include classic exercises like jumping jacks, burpees or sit-ups!

Simon Says: Get your child on board to play a game of Simon Says and they'll do whatever active motions you dream up. But make sure you still make them a little silly - think animal movements, dramatic actions and anything on one foot.

Parachute: Grab a bed sheet and get your whole family involved - everyone taking a side and rapidly moving your arms up and down. Put some small balls or balloons on top and try and fling them off. Kids love this one!

Activity Dice

We love these fun, interactive games where your assign a get-up-and-move task to each side of a cube. Kids simply roll the cube to see what activity they need to perform, and for how long. You can create different themes like animal movements (think "run like a Cheetah", or "Hop like a Frog") or go for classic exercises (jumping jacks, sit-ups or planks anyone?) and scale them appropriately for your child's age and ability.

Kids really love these simple yet silly games, and you can easily change them up with new tasks to keep it fresh. A few of our favorite variations include:

(1) Lego Super Hero Action Dice: We love this free printable from Life Over C's and so will any Super Hero loving kids. Simply print and roll and they'll be soaring like superman, zooming like the Batmobile and Running like Flash!

(3) Animal Action Dice: This adorable printable dice from Playdoh to Plato features creative animal movements like "Wander like a moose" and "Scurry like a squirrel".

(9) Animal Dice Game: Another fun option for animal movements are these free printable dice from Twitchetts which combine instructions on 1 die like "act like..." and "run like..." with different animals on another die.
BONUS IDEAS!
These may not be printable, but they're super easy to execute and are still extremely engaging.

Assign-a-Dice: On a piece of paper assign each number from 1-6 a movement or action. Have your child roll a dice and perform the task assigned to the corresponding number. Make it active yet silly for best results. A few fun ones to try:

Do 10 burpees...blindfolded!

Crab Crawl backwards around the edge of the room

Fly like a bird to the bathroom and back

Army crawl for 20 seconds

For extra fun, use 2 dice and assign movements to one die (running, jumping, etc), and animals to the other. Roll them both and your kids will be "slithering like a monkey", "hopping like a fish" or "skipping like an elephant" amidst fits of laugher.

Uno Movement Game: OK, so this Uno Movement game from Still Playing School isn't technically an activity dice game, but it works in a very similar manner. Grab a deck of Uno Cards and assign actions to each number. Flip a card over and everyone gets up and completes the task.

Get dramatic

This won't be a problem for most kids, as drama is often a skill that is practiced daily (whether they realize it or not!). Have your kids channel that drama in these exciting activities that will also reduce their restless energy.

Movement Charades: Pretend to be your favorite animal, superhero or sports player by imitating their signature moves (no sounds allowed!). The rest of the players try and guess who they are - the first one to do so correctly, gets a point. If your kids have trouble thinking on the spot, write down some suggestions and place them in a hat to draw from when it's their turn

Create a Show: Invite your kids to create their very own play (you'll provide the audience!). The only catch is that they have to create it around an active prompt you give them - this could be a sport, activity (karate, dance, gymnastics) or our personal favorite, a Circus Show full of juggling (attempts at least) and jumping through hoops. Once they're ready to perform, video tape it so it feels like a real production (plus kids love to watch themselves on tape so you'll get a moment of rest while the replay airs).

Put on a Fashion Show: Kids love to dress-up, and this idea brings that love to the next level. Create a long runway out of tape or kraft paper and invite your fashionistas to perform their best walk while you pump the music. You can play the judge awarding points for style, creativity and their overall strut.

Choreograph a Routine: If your child is into dance, theatre or just loves to be the star of the show, challenge them to choreograph a one minute solo routine that they'll have to perform in front of their loyal fans (ahem, you). Not only does this get kids thinking creatively and working independently (aka Mom gets a break), it also gets their blood flowing as they practice over and over again until it's just right.

Imaginative Play

Exercise your child's body and mind with these active imaginative games.

Make Elephant Feet: Stomp around the house with these inventive DIY Elephant Feet from Martha Stewart. Click here for the full tutorial.

Musical + Dance

Time to pull out your best '90s dance moves and crank up the music. With these games your kids will forget all about the rain or snow outside, and instead they'll dance up a storm of their very own.

Dance Party! Turn on the high-energy music and have a dance off! Make sure you have a large open space (clear of toys to trip on) and twirl, twist and shimmy your way around the room. Add in musical instruments or turn off the lights and break out some glow-sticks to prolong the party.

Freeze Dance: Add-in a game to your dance party where one person stops the music and everyone else must instantly freeze. If you catch someone moving, they're out. The last one standing (or dancing in this case), wins.

Exercise Videos!

Let's face it, most kids would love to sit in front of their iPad on a rainy day for hours on end, but an explosion of pent-up energy at bedtime is not exactly our idea of fun. Instead, turn their "device" time into exercising fun by turning on some kid-friendly YouTube Exercise Videos.

Some of our favorite YouTube channels and videos for getting your kids up and moving include:

GoNoodle: This channel provides the greatest variety of get-you-moving videos for kids. Do a little exploring and you're bound to find the perfect one for your kids (editor's note: a current favorite in our household is this one from Trolls)

Koo Koo Kanga Roo: If you can get past the kitchy mustache and fanny pack on this dynamic duo, you kids will be totally intrigued by Koo Koo Kanga Roo's dance-a-long songs, including our favorite Dinosaur Stomp.

Learning Station: This channel boasts "healthy music for a child's heart, body and mind", offering educational videos with lots of active participation geared towards toddlers, preschoolers and elementary aged kids. Some of our top selections: " Move and Freeze" and " Shake Your Sillies Out ".

Jack Hartmann Kids Music Channel: Jack Hartmann is another great channel with lots of videos to explore, and features educational themes (learn counting, numbers and more!) with dance and movement. Check out the short Brain Breaks and Physical Education songs, plus our favorites " Animals in Action" and " Top Dog ".

Move To Learn Channel: Pair educational songs with easy-to-follow exercise moves, and you've got engaged kids burning tons of energy. We love " King Shapes" for youngers kids and " Football Fractions " for slightly older kids (especially those sports-obsessed!).

Saskia's Dansschool: This incredible dance school in The Netherlands films their talented dancers performing high-energy dances to popular songs. Head to their " Kids Dances" section for choreographed routines danced by a group of skilled kids to hits from the likes of Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake and Meghan Trainer. These videos have millions of likes on YoutTube and your kids will love playing them over and over again to pick up all the moves (plus many of them even have their own choreography step-by-step tutorial videos!).

Make sure you check out the " Forget You " CeeLo choregraphed dance which features child dancers.

Play with active toys

Head over to our Gift Guide: The Best Indoor Gross Motor Toys For Active Kids (To Get That Energy Out!) for our kid-tested recommendations for the best ride-on, balance, swinging, climbing and jumping toys, plus active "board" games.

Armed with this list of indoor activities, we hope you'll now be prepared for any type of weather or situation that forces you and your brood inside. What's your go-to activity for a rainy or snowy day? We'd love to hear about it - let us know in the comments section below.

Found this helpful? We'd love to continue to make your life (with kids en tow) easier and have you join our What Moms Love community. We'll hook you up with all of our exclusive resources, including our popular 10 Screen-Free Toys For Guaranteed Quiet Time, our fun Holiday/Birthday Coupon Book for Kids and the inspiring 35 Food Subs & Swaps for Healthy Family Meals.

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87 Energy-Busting Indoor Games & Activities For Kids (Because Cabin Fever Is No Joke)

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Parents! This list of active indoor activities is the best we've ever seen, with fun Gross Motor games & creative ideas for high-energy kids. Perfect for Winter (snow days!), Spring (rainy days!) or for when Cabin Fever strikes. Awesome Boredom Busters and Brain Breaks for Toddlers, Preschool and beyond.

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Inside: It's easy to strengthen fine motor skills at home with toddlers and preschoolers. I've put together over 55 fun activities that your kids will love!
Fine motor development is an important part of the toddler and early childhood years. In order to learn how to draw and write, the hands must be strong enough to hold writing tools.

Fine motor is also necessary for independence. Think about zipping a coat, buttoning pants, opening a door, getting a glass of water. These all require fine muscle control.
Bonus: I've created a free printable checklist for you to download, as well as free fine motor printables. Scroll down towards bottom of this page for the link.

55+ Ways to Strengthen Fine Motor Skills at Home

Note: This is Post #1 in a series of At-Home activities for parents and caregivers. Make sure to also see our other posts in this At-Home series:

According to some studies, children are entering kindergarten lacking fine motor skills. And then the question is asked how? How can we help our young children build strong hands? I hear this question often from my own preschool parents. And so I thought I'd put together a list of fine motor skills activities that can easily be done at home.

This collection of fine motor skills activities is geared for children ages 2-5. Some will be more suitable for younger children, some for older. Choose the activities you feel are best for your children and build on them as they are ready.

Add basters to a tub of water or the bathtub.

Transfer water to an ice cube tray.

Squeeze watercolors on a vertical surface.

Use dot markers on a white board.

Use cut straws to make a necklace.

Thread beads onto pipe cleaners.

Pick up plastic caps with tongs.

Paint with Q-Tips.

Press small items onto sticky paper.

Squeeze playdough through the holes of a citrus or garlic press.

Press circle stickers onto the letters of your name. (Busy Toddler)

Thread beads on matching colored feathers. (The OT Toolbox)

Sort cereal by color and transfer the pieces with tweezers. (The Resourceful Mama)

Place buttons on drawn lines and zigzags. (Learning 4 Kids)

Drop pom poms through a cardboard tube. (The Imagination Tree)

Use gloves while putting pieces together. (Stir the Wonder)

Hammer tees into styrofoam blocks. (Modern Preschool)

Transfer blocks to a muffin tin using a spatula. (Busy Toddler)

Use a hole punch with paper. (The Resourceful Mama)

Push sticks through holes. (Playdough to Plato)

Thread pasta with straws. (Laughing Kids Learn)

Wrap rubber bands around cut pool noodles. (And Next Comes L)

Pick up small plastic animals and match them. (Inspiration Laboratories)

Color on sandpaper. (I Can Teach My Child)

Drop watercolors onto coffee filters using a medicine dropper. (Messy Little Monster)

Push pipe cleaners through holes in a cardboard box. (The OT Toolbox)

Cut paper for a fun decoupage activity. (Mama Smiles)

Make patterns while pounding golf tees. (Buddy and Buddy)

Draw in colored sand. (Buggy and Buddy)

Practice cutting skills with these free printable patterns. (Fun with Mama)

Use different tools to drop pom poms. (Crafty Kids at Home)

Count and smash playdough. (Stir the Wonder)

Use a water pistol for painting outdoors. (Messy Little Monster)

Draw on erasable wall decals. (Artsy Momma)

Transfer pom poms into the cups of an egg carton. (The Stay-at-Home Mom Survival Guide)

Wrap rubber bands around a can. (HOAWG)

Push pipe cleaners into playdough and add beads. (Fun with Mama)

Clip clothespins onto numbered cards. (Fun with Mama)

String buttons onto pipe cleaners. (Preschool Powol Packets)

Peel masking tape off a table. (The Stay-at-Home Mom Survival Guide)

Collect your toys and wrap them in paper. (Little Worlds Big Adventures)

Thread straw pieces onto pipe cleaners to make an octopus. (Buggy and Buddy)

Drop colored rock salt into a jar to make a rainbow. (KC Edventures)

Tie a knot. (HOAWG)

Use the thumb to press beads into playdough. (The OT Toolbox)

Create a pouring station. (Busy Toddler)

Drop Beads through the holes in the lid of a jar. (Modern Preschool)

Stretch rubber bands around pine cones. (The Imagination Tree)

Balance pom poms on cut pool noodles using tweezers. (Learning 4 Kids)

Build a sponge tower. (Toddler Approved)

Push Q-Tips through cut straw pieces. (Mess for Less)

Pinch clothespins on a basket. (School Time Snippets)

Stack foam blocks in water. (Still Playing School)

Draw on tinfoil that is covered with shaving cream. (Pocket of Preschool)

Drop pony beads onto small sticks. (School Time Snippets)

Put rubber bands around the bottom of a muffin tin. (And Next Comes L)

Squeeze and drop watercolors from pipettes onto colored dots. (You Clever Monkey)

More Fine Motor Resources

You've asked about these particular subjects, so here they are:

Vestibular Activities (The OT Toolbox)

What is Tactile Defensiveness (Touch Sensitivity)? (Griffin Occupational Therapy)

Stages of Pencil Grasp Development (OT Mom)

Free Printable Fine Motor List

Click on the photo below for the pdf download:

Free Fine Motor Printables

Bonus! Grab your copy of this fun scissor practice packet:

32 pages total of scissor practice activities in a age appropriate and developmental sequence. For preschool through 1st graders.

Download your PDF digital product now!
More fine motor skills fun:
Join me over at Melissa & Doug's blog to find more fine motor activities that can be done at home!

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55+ Ways to Strengthen Fine Motor Skills at Home

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Inside: It's easy to strengthen fine motor skills at home with toddlers and preschoolers. I've put together over 55 fun activities that your kids will love! Fine motor development is an important part of the toddler and early childhood years. In order to learn how to draw and write, the hands must be strong enough to hold writing tools.

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I feel like Everett, with the exception of walking, has hit every developmental milestone earlier than his older sister. He sat up, crawled and spoke his first word earlier than she did. Yeah yeah yeah, I know you aren't supposed to compare your children but I'm sorry: I am human and I will compare them sometimes. Plus, as a speech pathologist AND mommy, I have always been fascinated with development in general, so I find it interesting how my two children have developed a little differently.

At a year old, it was like a switch was turned on and Ev started pointing and "talking" about EVERYTHING. This kid is obsessed at pointing at things and "discussing" them with us. You know, very intelectual conversation. For example-"babababaguhdadadadada" or "guhguhguhguhbababababamamamamama".

Yes, he is a pointing and babbling machine these days. Which, is very different from his older sister at the same age. She never pointed this much!

When I am doing an assessment on a child, one of the questions I always ask is does the child point to objects of interest. I have had many a parents wonder why this is so important. As an SLP I have always known why it is so important, but now that I have children I know firsthand how important it is.

Let's look at what happens when our infant or toddler points to something. Let's see the various things that their pointing can make US do...

It makes us look at what they are pointing at.

When your toddler points at something, generally the first thing you do is look at what they are are pointing at. This pointing is your child initiating joint attention. That is, your child wants you to attend to the same item of interest as they are attending to. Joint attention is a very important communication and social skill.

"The frequency with which infants engage in joint attention is related to their language acquisition, even when variance associated with general cognition is controlled (e.g., Morales et al., 2000; Mundy et al., 2007). Joint attention is also associated with the depth of information processing in infants (Striano, Chen, Cleveland, & Bradshaw, 2006), as well as with individual differences in childhood measures of IQ, self-regulation, and social competence (Mundy et al., 2007)." (Mundy & Newell, 2007). Children who do not initiate joint attention can have great difficulty learning language, participating in symbolic play, understanding social cues, and learning by observing/watching others.

(Click HERE to read the whole article Attention, Joint Attention, and
Social Cognition by Peter Mundy and Lisa Newell that I quoted above.)

It makes us label what they are pointing at.

When your child points to something, one of the first things you may find your self doing is simply labeling the item of interest. For example, let's say your son points to an airplane in the sky... you probably will say something like "Look! It's an Airplane!" This is how your child will learn the names of many objects, by pointing at them and showing you.

It makes us describe what they are pointing at.

After you have labeled the airplane, you may find yourself describing it. You may find yourself saying something like "Yes, that's an airplane. It is flying high in the sky. The pilot is flying the plane! " Now your child is learning more words like flying, high, sky, and pilot in addition to the label airplane. So far, your child has been exposed to five new words, simply by pointing out an object to you!

It makes us ask them questions about what they are pointing at.

In addition to labeling and describing, you may also find yourself asking your child questions about the object that you know they can't actually answer yet. For example, you may say something like "Do you hear the sound the airplane is making? It's going rrrrrrrrrrrr!" Or maybe when it starts to get farther away "Where is the airplane Johnny? Where did it go?" Asking your child these questions, even though they can't answer them yet, is providing your child with a model for asking questions. Children learn from what they hear and see.

When should we expect a child to be pointing?

Like any developmental skill, there is a range of "typical". When I was doing research for this post, there was a pretty large range for pointing: most sites said around 12 months with a range of 9-15 months, with one site even saying 18 months. However, it is important to note that this range includes all forms of gestures, and not just pointing. This includes gesturing towards items, clapping, waving, or using other gestural communication. A gesture is defined by the use of a bodilyaction (hands, face, head or other parts) that is used to convey some sort of message, either without speech or paired with speech. So if your child is 12 months and is not pointing but he is using other forms of gesturing to communicate, hold tight because it probably going to come soon! That said, if your child is not pointing to share with you items of interest by 15 months, I would consult your pediatrician just in case.

What can I do to help teach my infant/toddler to point?

First of all, model, model model. I do wonder if many Ev is pointing so much because he has his older sister to model. Modeling pointing is very important.Walk around your home and point out and label objects. Do the same at the park, the grocery store, in the car.

Play pointing games with your toddler. Point to your body parts and his body parts while labeling.

Blow bubbles for your child, and practice popping them with your fingers...many children will naturally use their first finger to try to pop them. Model both pointing at the bubbles and popping them. Make sure you are using language the whole time.

When your child does start to point, the best thing to do is get REALLY excited about whatever it is he is pointing to! Give lots of attention about the pointing, which will provide positive reinforcement resulting in more pointing.

Some children with delays, like those with autism, may need more direct teaching on how to point, like hand-over-hand instruction with immediate reinforcement. This type of instruction needs to be tailored to the specific child by a professional (and then taught to the parents) such as a speech-language pathologist or a board certified behavior analyst.

Most children will start pointing to objects on their own. Modeling, and modeling often, is the best course of action in the beginning. If your child is not pointing by 15 months, or is not using any gestures by 12 months, you should bring it up with your pediatrician just to be safe.

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The Importance of Pointing - Playing With Words 365

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I feel like Everett, with the exception of walking, has hit every developmental milestone earlier than his older sister. He sat up, crawled and spoke his first word earlier than she did. Yeah yeah yeah, I know you aren't supposed to compare your children but I'm sorry: I am human and I will compare them [...]

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Visual Learning for Life on Facebook Watch

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PAINTING OVER CHALK PATH WITH WATER // How fun is this! Skills addressed: - Visual Motor Integration - Figure Ground Perception - Shoulder...

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Your baby may be halfway (or more!) through her first year of life, but she'll experience many more physical, mental, and social and emotional changes before that first birthday actually arrives. Not only is she more interested in the world around her, she'll soon be crawling, cruising, or walking around in it. There's no stopping her progress into toddlerhood, and with a little TLC, you can help her reach the next stage.

"Playing and connecting with our babies gets their brain development going," says Roni Cohen Leiderman, Ph.D., dean of the Mailman Segal Center for Human Development at Nova Southeastern University and co-author of Let's Play and Learn Together. "Our love, attention, time, and touch with our baby are the most important parts of developmental activities. Everything is underlined with parent-child interaction."

Wondering the best ways to encourage baby's growth? Dr. Leiderman and two other experts offer these simple but powerful development-boosting activities.

Materials needed: Small toys or books, blanket

What to do: Place a toy or book under a blanket, leaving part of the object showing. Then ask your baby, "Where is it?" and encourage him to look for it. "Babies will usually grab it and dig under the blanket," says Robert Myers, Ph.D., a child and adolescent psychologist, founder of the Child Development Institute, and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. "If yours doesn't, you could remove and then replace the blanket."

Variations: After your baby has mastered finding a partly hidden object, move on to hiding it completely under the blanket.

Skills learned: Fine motor skill development, object permanence

Materials needed: Plastic measuring cups

What to do: Take turns stacking the cups and knocking them down. You can also have a "race," where you both stack cups at the same time.

Skills learned: Understanding cause and effect, fine motor skills

Materials needed: Wooden puzzles

What to do: Around her first birthday, your baby will be ready for large wooden puzzles, Dr. Myers says. He suggests ones with colorful shapes or pictures. "Show and tell them first how it works-you may have to guide their hands," he says. "Clap and cheer when they are successful."

Skills learned: Problem solving, fine motor skills, visual skills

Materials needed: Board or cloth picture books

What to do: Regularly read books to your baby, pointing to the pictures as you read and engaging her by changing your voice for different characters. Invite your little one to participate by encouraging her to laugh or act surprised by the story, touch the pictures, and turn the pages.

Skills learned: Language development, listening skills

What to do: Around 6 to 8 months of age, your child will learn to clap, Dr. Leiderman says, so encourage her with this rhyme:

Clap, clap, one, two, three

Clap, clap, clap with me.

Clap, clap, four and five.

Clap, clap, clap, bees in hive.

Clap, clap, six, seven, eight.

Clap, clap, clap, you are great.

Clap, clap, nine and ten.

Clap, clap, let's do it again.

Skills learned: Imitation, rhyming

What to do: Sing songs with real or made-up words that rhyme, like "thump, thump, thump, bump, bump, bump, jump, jump, jump." You might feel a little silly, but all that rhyming is another way to boost your baby's language development. "Like touch, talking with your baby is like food for their bodies and their minds," Dr. Leiderman explains. "A child's receptive understanding of language starts long before their expressive language, so we want to use as many opportunities as possible to drench them in language."

Skills learned: Develops auditory discrimination

Materials needed: Empty 16-ounce bottle, colored rice or pasta

What to do: Fill the bottle with the rice or pasta, and glue the top back on so your baby can safely watch and hear what happens as he shakes, rattles, and rolls the container. "A bottle doesn't usually make this noise," says Dr. Leiderman, "so now they are hearing new and novel things, which brings an element of surprise. Babies this age are also learning so much about cause and effect, which is an exciting new skill."

Skills learned: Fine motor skills, auditory discrimination, cause and effect

Materials needed: Cheerios, opaque plastic cups

What to do: Create your own version of the old-fashioned shell game by hiding a Cheerio under a cup and seeing if your baby can find it. This simple activity reinforces object permanence, a major concept.

Variations: Using two different-colored cups, put the Cheerio under one cup and move it around to see if she can remember which one was the hiding place. After she has found the Cheerio under the first cup, show her you are now putting it under the second cup and see if she remembers that the Cheerio has moved.

Skills learned: Attention skills, memory development, object permanence

Materials needed: Colored plastic containers, mini flashlights

What to do: Turn on some mini flashlights, and drop them into empty water bottles, Tupperware, or any colored, lidded containers. Place your baby in tummy time in a dark room and let him explore the colorful lighted containers on the floor in front of him. "The harsh light of the LEDs will be diffused for little peepers, while any loose or removable parts will be safely away from baby's mouth," says Rachel Coley, an occupational therapist, author of Begin With a Blanket: Creative Play for Infants, and founder of CanDoKiddo.com. "Closely supervise as your little one grasps and turns, bangs and rolls the containers."

Variations: Take a flashlight out of a container, place your baby on her back and simply move the light slowly on a dark wall. "Pause on objects and talk to or with your child about what she's seeing," Coley adds.

Skills learned: Visual sensory stimulation, eye movement skills, sustained attention, socialization, bonding, body movement

Materials needed: Washable finger paint, a gallon-size zippered freezer bag, tape

What to do: Squeeze a couple of dark colors of washable finger paint into a zippered baggy and seal tightly. Add duct tape for extra security. Spread the paint around to coat the inside of the bag, then place it on the floor in front of your baby during tummy time. Show him how to make marks on the outside of the bag with his hand or finger. "To preserve your little one's artwork, simply cut the edges off the bag and then peel off the top of the artwork, and lay flat to dry," Coley says.

Variations: Have an independent sitter? Try this activity in a high chair.

Skills learned: Sensory development, fine motor skills, understanding cause and effect, early writing skills

Materials needed: Small toys, container

What to do: Place a few toys in a container with an opening a bit bigger than balls or pegs, plastic links, or other smaller items. Hand the container to your baby, who will probably turn it over and over, causing some toys to tumble out. "Eventually, your baby will realize that something is rattling around inside and that toys seem to be falling out of it, so she will start shaking, banging, and reaching inside the container," Coley says. Reload the container periodically until your kiddo figures out how to do it on her own.

Variations: Once she's gotten good at putting items in the container, you can extend the activity by choosing a narrow-mouthed container and longer toys, like rectangular blocks, pegs, and plastic spoons. "Your baby will learn through trial and error that she has to turn the objects to fit them into containers," she adds.

Skills learned: Object manipulation and orientation skills

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Your baby may be halfway (or more!) through her first year of life, but she'll experience many more physical, mental, and social and emotional changes before that first birthday actually arrives. Not only is she more interested in the world around her, she'll soon be crawling, cruising, or walking around in it.

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All activities should be supervised by an adult. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use. This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.

If you're looking for easy and low cost indoor activities for kids - we have a list of over 100 ideas for you! From simple activities to fun crafts that can keep kids busy during school breaks or on a rainy day. You can even cross off each one as you do them!

RELATED: Summer Bucket List for Kids

To make it easy, we have created a printable list of the 100+ Activities for Kids so you can easily print off the list.

We also have all of the ideas in this post if you need them. You can copy and paste to create your own printable, or use the one that we have already created for you! We only ask that if you are reprinting in a community newsletter or school newsletter that you credit our website as the source.

Indoor Activities for Kids - Over 100 Ideas!

We've organized the ideas by crafts, activities, games and educational. Hopefully this list will also provide inspiration for you to think of other ideas too!

And if you love making crafts with things you have around your home, check out our Recycled Crafts for Kids book. It has 60 crafts for kids with things you can use from around your home and a few other simple supplies.

SENSORY PLAY CRAFTS ACTIVITIES

Build a Fort

Have a Pillow Fight

Write a Story

Make Ice Cream in a Bag

Make Homemade Gummy Bears

Make Fruit Roll-Ups

Have a Movie Day

Put on a Fashion Show

Bake Cupcakes or Muffins

Do Yoga

Build an Obstacle Course

Make Dinner Together

Play with Magnetic Tiles

Build Something With Lego: You can even make your own travel lego case!

Build a Stack of Cards

Put on a Puppet Show

Make a Treasure Hunt

Make Your Own Indoor Bowling. Use paper towel rolls as your bowling pins and use a ball to bowl

Learn to Draw

Put on a Play

Make Indoor Hopscotch. Use masking tape to make your own hopscotch on tiles in your own

Do a Family Chore Together

Have a Dance Party

Have a Tea Party

Play with Water In a Bin With Toys

Set up a Play Store. Grab a shopping basket and set up the merchandise. We like this play cash register too!

Make a Sock Toss Game. Use mismatched socks and fill them with beans or rice. Then try to see how many you can 'score' in a laundry basket.

Make Perler Bead Art

Write in a Journal

GAMES

Play Would You Rather

Play I Spy

Play Simon Says

Play Board Games

Play Hide and Seek

Have an indoor scavenger hunt

Play Bingo

Play Card Games

Do a Puzzle

Play Charades

Build Your Own Game

Play Freeze Dance

Play Hot Potato

Play Marbles

Play Keep the Balloon Up

Play Dominoes

Play Hangman

Play Tic-Tac-Toe

EDUCATIONAL

Read Books

Do a Science Project

Learn Origami

Learn About a New Animal

Learn a New Card Game

Learn to Sew

Learn to Knit

Do Brain Teasers

Learn a New Language

Learn About a Country

Over 100 ideas are included in this indoor activities for kids free printable. Get the PDF printable delivered straight to your inbox as a gift for subscribing to our newsletter.

To get a PDF printable of the list above, subscribe to our email list and you'll receive it as a free gift. Make sure to check all folders for the confirmation email.

And for more ideas, see our book - Fun and Easy Crafting with Recycled Materials. This book is bursting with recycled crafts that use things you can find around your home. There are chapters with egg cartons, cardboard, newspaper, popsicle sticks, jars and more!

And if you want outdoor summer activity ideas, see our Summer Bucket List for Kids.

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100+ Indoor Activities for Kids (with Free Printable)- The Best Ideas for Kids

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All activities should be supervised by an adult. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use. This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here. If you're looking for easy and low cost indoor activities for kids - we have a list of over 100 ideas for you!

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12 FUN PROCESS ART PAINTING ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES | Infant activities, Painting activities, Toddler learning activities

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Apr 29, 2016 - 12 FUN PROCESS ART PAINTING ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS - It's never too early to start introducing creative activities to children!

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Babies can do so many things! They are so eager to learn about just about everything - they just love exploring and playing. Here is a compilation of all of our activities for babies. This list is perfect for little ones who are sitting on their own. For babies from newborns to around 4 or 6 months - check out this post on First Sensory Experiences. The rest of these activities are designed for infants who are 6 months and up. They may be enjoyed through the toddler years and some even beyond that! You'll find lots of baby art and baby sensory play ideas to keep your baby entertained. Some items may present a choking hazard depending on their size (talk to your pediatrician if you're not sure what size would cause a risk) and all edible sensory plays are not intended to be consumed in full, but rather are safe if infants try a few mouthfuls as they play.

In no particular order, here are over 50 creative ideas for playing with your baby. Click on each link to get to the post with the full details (and photos!):

All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.

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Babies can do so many things! They are so eager to learn about just about everything - they just love exploring and playing. Here is a compilation of all of our activities for babies. This list is perfect for little ones who are sitting on their own.

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Know

Family Engagement: What Is It?

What are your feelings about working with families? What do you enjoy about it? What seems difficult? While you may feel motivated to develop relationships with families and to support family engagement, it is common to feel more success in focusing on your teaching practices and your direct care of infants and toddlers. It may not seem simple to combine these practices.

Family engagement has different meanings for different people. In many cases, it relates to an ongoing partnership between you and families. Early care and learning programs are committed to engaging and involving families in meaningful ways, and families are committed to actively supporting their child's learning and development. The literature around family engagement highlights the following characteristics:

Strong, trusting relationships between caregivers, families, and community

Recognition, respect, and support for families' needs, as well as differences

Strength-based partnership where decisions and responsibility are shared

Activities, interactions, and support increase family involvement in their child's healthy development

Families take responsibility for their child's learning

Acknowledgment that family engagement is meaningful and beneficial to both families and the early care and learning program

It's important to realize that family engagement can look different and take on many forms. What family engagement means and looks like depends on the unique characteristics and the individual comfort levels and understanding of each family.

To help make sure that families are committed to their child's learning and engaged in their infant or toddler's early care and learning program, families should be invited to participate at whatever level they feel most comfortable. Does participation mean monthly meetings or taking part in a parent advisory committee? (And are meeting minutes from the parent advisory committee shared with all parents?) Does participation mean donating cookies for a bake sale? Reading a book to all of the toddlers in the care setting? It is important for families to feel supported and recognized for the ways in which they are able and choose to participate and engage-from bringing their infant or toddler to the care setting each day to sharing their concerns or serving on committees. See handout, Ways to Support Family Engagement, for additional ideas and considerations.

Importance of Family Engagement

Family engagement in early learning can benefit infants, toddlers, parents, families, caregivers, and program quality in various ways. Can you remember what caring adults in your family, community or early care program did to help you grow and develop?

When you encourage families to care for and nurture their infants and toddlers, the likelihood increases that children will grow up to be healthy individuals who experience success. Infants and toddlers need support and responsive care from their most important adult caregivers to learn the skills to become caring and supportive later in life.

Families are their children's first teachers and they have a powerful effect on their young children's development. Family engagement during the first years of life can support an infant's or toddler's readiness for school and ongoing academic and lifelong success. Research shows that when children have involved parents, the results are very positive, especially over the long term (A New Wave of Evidence, 2002).

When families are involved in their infant's or toddler's early care and learning program, they may also feel more vested in what happens there and more competent in their role as parents. Through these interactions and relationships, families may learn additional strategies from you to promote development and learning at home. Such strategies include pointing to and naming objects, following their child's lead in play, or identifying feelings and emotions.

Infants and toddlers feel secure when the adults in their lives are working together on their behalf. The engagement in the early care and learning program and relationships between families and caregivers are a network of support with the well-being of the infant or toddler at the heart of it all.

Relationships With Families

Think about a relationship you have with someone special and how it developed. What is it about this person (their characteristics and their actions) that supported your relationship development? Was this person upbeat, consistent, flexible, respectful, a good listener, reliable, honest? Some of these same characteristics and supportive interactions can lead to positive, trusting relationships with families.

To effectively build relationships with families, you, as a caregiver, must first understand yourself and what "relationships" mean to you. You can spend time thinking about the importance and influence of your family and family relationships. For example, ask yourself, "What messages did I receive about relationships from my family and culture?" "Do I build relationships and interact with others in the same way important adults interacted and behaved with me when I was a child (e.g. playful, joking, patient, honest, cautious)?"

By first understanding yourself, you can better recognize the importance of family in the lives of others and create an environment where different values and traditions are respected and honored.

When you build respectful, trusting relationships with families, you help create a network of support for infants and toddlers that provides for healthy development and well-being. These relationships are critical to providing the best care for infants and toddlers and to fostering a sense of safety and attachment.

You can work together with families to build strong relationships that support consistent sharing of strength-based information regarding an infant or toddler's development and learning progress. For example, share something positive about a toddler with her family: "Trinity used the cleanup basket today when I asked and she helped pick up all of the blocks!"

You can also make sure that families have access to and are provided developmental information that is understandable, meaningful and specific to their infant or toddler. As families share information about their infant's or toddler's interests and successes at home, together, you can use this information to establish and work toward goals for their child in the early care and learning setting, home, and community. Lesson Three, Communicating With Families, will offer additional information and ideas for sharing developmental information with families. You can also:

Create and provide families with newsletters, calendars or postcards with developmental topics.

Take photos of infants and toddlers engaged in various play activities and write captions for the photos, such as, "Bobby is making a new friend."

Observe families interacting with their infant or toddler and share how certain behaviors are typical of a developmental stage. "Toddlers are busy bees! I bet she keeps you moving quickly, too!"

Family engagement starts by meeting families where they are and engaging them in interactions and experiences they choose and that feel most comfortable to them. When families have trusting, consistent, and responsive relationships with others (such as community members, service providers, caregivers, teachers), they are more likely to have positive relationships with their children. In essence, if you think of yourself in partnership with families, you will be attuned with family-centered practice that you learned about in lesson one. The benefits are rewarding!

Sometimes these goals may differ.

Helping Families Feel Welcome

Begin by thinking about what it might mean for families and new parents to consider your program for their infant or toddler. Families often experience uncertainties and feel scared when seeking a care setting for their child. As caregiver, you can do the following to support families during this sensitive time:

Invite families to visit before their infant or toddler's start date

Send families a personal welcome note before the infant or toddler's start date

Ask families how they would like to participate in the program

Ask families about their infant or toddler's daily routines and care - update the information as the infant or toddler develops and as the care routines change

Ask families about their infant or toddler's routines, strengths, interests, likes and dislikes

Ask families to share key words and phrases they use at home in their primary language

Ask families about and encourage them to bring a comfort item for their infant or toddler from home, such as a pacifier, favorite stuffed animal or blanket

Ask families to share their hopes, dreams and goals for their infant or toddler

Maintain a family bulletin board with information about current program activities, upcoming meetings and events, and community opportunities that are of interest to families

Ask families to record themselves reading a storybook or singing a favorite song - share these recordings with infants and toddlers throughout the day

Make sure you ask families about their preferred method of communication and ways to stay connected to their infant or toddler's day

Include photos, toys and books that reflect and honor the diversity of the families supported by your program

Display photographs of infants, toddlers and their families - hang them on the wall where they can be seen or in durable photo books that infants and toddlers can hold and explore

Include objects that families have brought from home that are safe for infants and toddlers to explore

Encouraging Families to Be Involved

Families want to be included and involved in their infant or toddler's life within the care program. There are a number of ways to encourage and support family participation, such as:

Inviting family members to share special talents (e.g., play an instrument, read a book, sing, engage in an art activity)

Offering family members jobs (e.g., help repair broken toys, create books or special photo albums)

Meet regularly with families to review and evaluate the goals they have for their infant or toddler. Talk to them and ask, "What do you see happening? What do you think is working? What is not working? What could we do differently the next time?"

Asking a family to create a community storybook using photos or drawings of their neighborhood

Inviting families to observe their infant or toddler with you

Asking families to help plan activities of their choice based on their strengths and interests

Creating and sending out a short survey to families asking about their ideas and suggestions for ways they might like to participate

Scheduling opportunities for families to join their infant or toddler for breakfast or lunch

Encouraging families to share suggestions or concerns with you

Within your program, there should be a specific plan as to how to engage families throughout the year. Though families' participation is voluntary, it is your job to make them feel welcome by actively encouraging involvement. Program activities should reflect families' interests and motivate them to participate. Additionally, your program may have a family involvement committee. This committee is composed of family members who encourage communication and involvement with the goal of strengthening and supporting the well-being of children and families. This committee is a resource and asset to your program as families may discuss issues or concerns and suggest changes to improve family satisfaction and involvement. Collaborate with a trainer, coach, or supervisor to promote family involvement.

Families teach the skills that enable their infant or toddler to relate positively with others and to engage in activities. In addition, research has found that home-learning opportunities and parental responsiveness are significantly related to motor and social development, language competence, and achievement test scores across poverty levels and different ethnic groups for children birth to age 13. By offering a variety of ways that families can choose to be involved in your program and continue learning at home, you are helping to enrich infant and toddler learning through stable, nurturing relationships.

See

Watch this video to hear a parent share her experiences within her child's program and what family engagement means to her.

Watch this video about the importance of learning about families' unique needs, ideas, and goals.

Do

Here are some ideas to help you continue to engage families, to increase their involvement in the program, and to build relationships:

Communicate with families and take time to observe their body language to help you measure their comfort level in the care setting. Find ways to ask them how they are feeling about the program, such as a family survey, and discuss any concerns they might have.

Smile and greet families by name.

Arrange the environment in a way that encourages families to spend time there. Keep the entrance area open and uncluttered with simple but attractive signs welcoming them. If possible, have a space for families' coats or belongings. Consider setting up a large board on a wall near the center of the room for parents to leave daily messages. Include some comfortable spots, such as pillows on the rug or a small sofa, so parents can read a picture book to their child or a small group of children.

Spend time observing families as they interact with their infant or toddler to learn strategies for supporting them while in your care. For example, watch a parent change an infant's diaper and notice the interaction and steps taken to support relationship building during this routine.

Show families where important supplies and other items are stored so they have access to things they might need for their infant or toddler when in the care setting.

Include special materials or customs from a family's culture.

Establish regular times to meet with families face-to-face and help families design a plan or create activities to reach the dreams and goals they have for their infants or toddlers.

Share observations and other strength-based information about their children.

Ask families questions about their infant or toddler.

Share something personal about yourself (e.g., "My mom tells me I struggled falling asleep for nap, just like Carlos. She said I never wanted to stop playing!").

Offer multiple ways to communicate daily with families (e.g., note home, share a photo of an infant or toddler playing, communication sheet with information about routines, phone call, newsletter).

Create rituals around hellos and goodbyes.

Invite families to share what they see and hear their infant or toddler doing at home or in the community.

Watch this video to learn more about the ways you can welcome, engage and build relationships with families. Additionally, this resource outlines ten reasons why engaging fathers in your program benefits children:

Watch this video to learn more about the ways you can welcome, engage and build relationships with families.

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What are your feelings about working with families? What do you enjoy about it? What seems difficult? While you may feel motivated to develop relationships with families and to support family engagement, it is common to feel more success in focusing on your teaching practices and your direct care of infants and toddlers.

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Infants & Toddlers Communication With Families: How To Involve Families in the Classroom | Scholastic

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Inviting parents to spend time in your program builds bonds. This article offers ideas for encouraging family involvement in the classroom. It includes a list of question

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Criterion 7

Minimal Evidence

Communicating with Families: The curriculum does not offer materials or strategies for communicating with families about their children's development or about the curriculum's learning experiences.

Engaging Families: The curriculum provides minimal guidance on how to engage families in children's learning and development. This guidance is limited to including parents in the creation of a portfolio and the completion of the ASQ ®. The curriculum lacks any further information on how to engage families in the classroom or how families can extend children's learning at home.

Moderate Evidence

Communicating with Families: The curriculum provides a range of strategies and materials to foster two-way communication with families. Some of these strategies include home visits, face-to-face interactions at drop-off and pick-up, and creating personal spaces for families in the program. The curriculum includes forms to invite families to share aspects of their culture, values, traditions, hobbies, and daily routines at home (e.g., "All About You!," "Developing an Infant Care Plan Based on Parent Input"). The curriculum suggests that enrollment materials should include photos that reflect the cultural diversity of families in the program. The curriculum also points out several ways culture can affect communication and interactions, such as personal space, smiling, eye contact, silence, and touch. Finally, the curriculum suggests translating materials (e.g., enrollment materials, bulletin board announcements) into languages other than English depending on the linguistic background of families in the community.

Engaging Families: Tender Care and Early Learning provides guidance on how teachers can create a welcoming environment for families and encourage parents to participate in the center. Let's Play and Learn Together offers tips and activities for families to support children's active learning at home (e.g., including toddlers in self-care routines, exploring objects). This book briefly mentions a couple of examples that reference families' cultures (e.g., hosting a cultural potluck, inviting families to do a cooking activity, learning about food names and families' cultures). However, the curriculum lacks additional guidance on how to engage families who speak languages other than English. The curriculum also lacks direction for engaging parents with disabilities or other special needs.

Moderate Evidence

Communicating with Families: Welcome to Frog Street Infant provides some guidance on how to communicate with families (e.g., the parent bulletin board, sending home letters), but most of the suggested strategies describe unidirectional communication (from program to family). The Planning and Assessment CD provides materials to use to communicate with families, including an Infant Daily Report Form and 24 Parent Letters. All forms for communicating with families are translated into Spanish, but there is no further guidance on how to communicate with families from diverse cultures or who speak home languages other than English.

Engaging Families: Welcome to Frog Street Infant provides some guidance on how to engage families in the program (e.g., invitations to staff training; encouraging use of the school resource library). The 24 Parent Letters provide specific tips for "What You Can Do" at home to extend children's development and learning (e.g., read to children daily as part of their bedtime routine; provide a variety of rattles and musical toys for children to explore cause and effect). The Parent Letters are translated into Spanish, but there is no guidance on how to engage families who speak languages other than English and Spanish, are from diverse cultures, or who have disabilities or other special needs.

Moderate Evidence

Communicating with Families: Welcome to Frog Street Toddler discusses the importance of two-way communication with parents and offers some guidance on how to communicate with families (e.g., the parent bulletin board, parent letters). The Planning and Assessment CD provides materials for communicating with families, including a Toddler Daily Report, All About Me form, and 52 Parent Letters. The Toddler Daily Report and All About Me forms invite parents to share information about their child with the teacher, such as the child's daily routines at home, likes, and dislikes. All forms for communicating with families are translated into Spanish, but no further guidance is provided on how to communicate with families from diverse cultures or who speak home languages other than English and Spanish.

Engaging Families: Welcome to Frog Street Toddler provides some guidance on how to engage families (e.g., invitations to staff training, encouraging use of the school resource library). The 52 Parent Letters provide specific suggestions for how to extend children's development and learning at home (e.g., singing songs in the car; helping children develop self-care skills at home, such as washing hands or serving food during mealtimes). The Activity Guides prompt teachers to share the Parent Letters with parents at the end of each week. The Parent Letters are translated into Spanish, but there is no further guidance on how to engage families who speak languages other than English and Spanish, are from diverse cultures, or whose adult members have disabilities or other special needs.

Moderate Evidence

Communicating with Families: The curriculum provides strategies and materials for communicating with families.For example, it suggests different methods to share information with families about children's development and learning (e.g., discussing information from assessment, completing a "Communication Sheet" about children's daily experiences). The curriculum also encourages teachers to learn from families in a variety of ways, such as organizing an interview to learn about families' parenting styles and expectations for the child's school experiences. The curriculum provides some guidance on how to communicate in culturally responsive ways (e.g., sharing decision-making, using multiple forms of communication), but lacks support on communicating with families in linguistically responsive ways.

Engaging Families: The curriculum emphasizes the parents' roles as children's first and most important teachers. As such, it provides specific guidance embedded throughout all curriculum materials on how to engage parents and families in children's development and learning. The curriculum activity books feature "Innovations in Parent Partnerships," which provide examples of how families can participate in the program (e.g., sharing materials with the classroom, attending a parent meeting). They also provide a series of "Parent Postcards," which provide useful information on child development and how families can support children's development and learning at home. The curriculum promotes sensitivity to cultural differences when planning events which include parents, but it lacks guidance on how to engage families who speak languages other than English. It also lacks direction on how to engage parents who may have disabilities or other special needs.

Full Evidence

Communicating with Families: The curriculum offers specific guidance on communicating with diverse families. Volume 1: The Foundation provides several communication strategies that encourage both learning from and sharing information with families. Some ideas for sharing information with families include a whiteboard that describes the learning experiences of the day, a daily communication form, email, and newsletters. The curriculum also encourages teachers to learn from families in a variety of ways, such as by conducting home visits or using the "Individual Care Plan-Family Information Form" to learn about children's daily routines and activities at home. The curriculum provides support on how to communicate with families in ways that are culturally responsive (e.g., observe how families interact with their child; communicate with families to learn how their culture affects childrearing practices, beliefs, and goals) and linguistically responsive (e.g., provide messages in families' home languages, provide translators).

Engaging Families: The curriculum provides multiple resources to support parent and family engagement. Volume 1: The Foundation offers a variety of ways for families to be involved in the classroom and program (e.g., classroom jobs, family playtime). Volume 2: Routines and Experiences includes letters to parents and families that focus on how to support children's development during routines and extend their learning at home. In addition, The Creative Curriculum® Learning Games are activities for families to do at home with their children; they are available in both English and Spanish. The curriculum gives general guidance on engaging diverse families (e.g., learn about strengths and needs of each family to individualize approach, connect with social services and family support workers).

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Criterion 7 Minimal Evidence Communicating with Families: The curriculum does not offer materials or strategies for communicating with families about their children's development or about the curriculum's learning experiences. Engaging Families: The curriculum provides minimal guidance on how to engage families in children's learning and development.

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Early care and education professionals are in a prime position to support the development of dual language learners. The early childhood environment may be a dual language learner's first unknown social environment as well as their first time in a different cultural environment. When teachers provide dual language learners with positive environments that support children's language development, relationships with adults and peers, and connections to home, they support children in making the most of their "bilingual advantage" and help prepare them to make the most of later learning opportunities.

Create a welcoming and positive environment

A welcoming and positive environment in the classroom is key to fostering the development of dual language learners.

When children experience a welcoming and positive environment, they are more likely to develop confidence and positive self-esteem; effectively communicate their feelings; concentrate and learn; and succeed in group situations. Welcoming and positive environments send a message to children and their families that they are valued and respected.

An important first step toward creation of an environment that supports learning and development is to get to know children's families and backgrounds and build partnerships with families. Effective home-school partnerships help early care and education (ECE) professionals learn about children's families, involve families in children's learning, and create welcoming environments. To learn about children and families, ECE professionals need to gather information about children's early learning experiences and abilities. Each family's interests and home language, and children's abilities and needs, acquaint professionals with the unique characteristics and needs of their children.

The early childhood environment is an excellent setting for supporting the development of children's listening and speaking skills. Reading aloud to children helps to promote their language and literacy development. Offer a variety of books from different cultures and languages to create a welcoming and positive learning environment. Display environmental print, materials, and resources labeled in both English and the native language to provide visual cues to support learners (Espinosa and Magruder 2015). Incorporate materials that reflect children's cultural backgrounds to promote an appreciation for and understanding of diversity.

Promote positive relationships

Positive relationships with children serve as an important foundation for ECE professionals to promote the development of dual language learners.

Professionals can enhance their relationships with children when they are involved in learning with children, are consistent and firm, support children's positive behaviors, use classroom organization, and keep predictable classroom routines (Howes and Ritchie 2002). Positive adult-child relationships are especially important when monolingual English-speaking ECE professionals work with children who are dual language learners.

Dual language learners may feel withdrawn, insecure, and under stress (Saarni 1990). As dual language learners begin to learn their second language, they may have difficulty communicating, following directions, expressing ideas and feelings, and responding to questions consistently (Santos and Ostrosky 2002). They may go through a nonverbal period where they begin to gather information about how to communicate with their peers and adults in their second language. During this period, children often choose not to speak and may isolate themselves and take on the role of observer.

Teachers and children can communicate with each other using verbal and nonverbal approaches. Gestures, facial expressions, and other body movements like head nodding can be helpful for communicating in nonverbal ways. Use of phrases-greetings, invitations, directives, and compliments-in a learner's home language can help a teacher communicate with a dual language learner in a positive manner and avoid use of the home language only for discipline (Castro and Gillanders 2010).

Promote positive behaviors in children, support positive peer relationships, and create opportunities for children to play together to help integrate dual language learners into the classroom environment and community.

"I think the goal for early education in general is to try to promote language development, expose children to language, and make them talk as much as possible. When you are working with children who are dual language learners, the same principle applies, but in this case, what we need is to support them to talk and be exposed to language as much as possible in two languages, not just English." - Dr. Dina Castro

Build home-school partnerships

Effective home-school partnerships enhance the learning and language development of dual language learners.

Part of creating effective home-school partnerships involves finding effective ways to communicate with families of dual language learners (Breiseth, Robertson, and LaFond 2011). Staff members who speak the home language of dual language learners can help facilitate daily communication and develop a reliable process for translating documents and communicating by phone. ECE professionals can also look for ways to involve parents in the school community. Involvement may include classroom volunteering or sharing activities that draw upon parents' skills and hobbies. Family feedback on ways that they would like to be involved can help identify opportunities for family involvement.

To learn more about how to support dual language learners within your program, use Better Kid Care's module " Dual Language Learners: Strategies for Successful Opportunities in ECE "

Resources

Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute:

Head Start:

NAEYC:
References

Breiseth, L., K. Robertson, and S. Lafond. 2011. "A Guide for Engaging ELL Families: Twenty Strategies for School Leaders." Colorín Colorado. Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/sites/default/files/Engaging_ELL_Families_FINAL.pdf.

Castro, D.C., E.E. García, and A.M. Markos. 2013. "Dual Language Learners: Research Informing Policy." Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Center for Early Care and Education-Dual Language Learners.

Child Trends. 2014. "Dual Language Learners." Child Trends Data Bank. Retrieved from http://www.childtrends.org/?indicators=dual-language-learners.

Espinosa, L.M., and E.S. Magruder. 2015. "Practical and Proven Strategies for Teaching Young Dual Language Learners." In Getting it Right for Young Children from Diverse Backgrounds: Applying Research to Improve Practice with a Focus on Dual Language Learners, 2nd ed., edited by L.M. Espinosa, 76-113. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Santos, R. M., and M.M. Ostrosky. 2002. Understanding the Impact of Language Differences on Classroom Behavior. What Works Briefs, Rep. No. 2. Champaign, IL: Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning.

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Dual Language Learners: Strategies for successful opportunities in ECE (Better Kid Care)

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In the United States, the number of children under the age of 17 living in non-English language households increased from 28% to 32% between 2004 and 2013 (Child Trends 2014). In two-thirds of these homes, Spanish is the language spoken-about 16 million children.

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Calming Infants

Take a look in the Parenting section at any major bookstore and you'll find a wide selection of books promising to make your baby the happiest in the neighborhood or so quiet and calm that others will think that you have some sort of magic touch.

What these books don't tell you is that everything you need to know to calm your baby, you already have right at your fingertips.

There's no magic technique and certainly no formula that can be applied to EVERY baby EVERY time he or she is upset. Take some time to get to know your baby and yourself, and you may find that you know just what to do to bring about that calm, cuddly, sweet, and cooing baby you always imagined yourself enjoying.

Many of the calming techniques suggested in these books are things that you may find yourself doing naturally and that your mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother have done for years before you. They are things that you'll see veteran mothers doing absent-mindedly any time they're in the same room with a crying baby...whether they're holding that crying baby or not. They are actions you may use without even realizing that they're techniques.
Some of these techniques are:

Feeding, changing the diaper, putting the baby to sleep Before trying anything else, make sure that these basic needs have been met.

Changing the environment Overstimulation or boredom can create cranky kids. If the environment is too overwhelming to the senses, turn off the lights, change the music, stop demanding eye contact and interaction, and allow your baby to chill out. If your baby is lacking stimulation, provide something to interact with...keep in mind that your face is the most preferred play item!

Swaddling Wrapping your baby firmly provides a similar sensation to the tightness he or she felt when snuggled in your womb. Swaddling can help provide proprioceptive input that can regulate and organize behavior. For some babies, swaddling even beyond three or so months is warranted.

Bouncing, swaying, rocking, patting These movements are soothing and again, can mimic the movements your baby experienced while he or she was on the inside. This is why babies will frequently fall asleep in the car or in the stroller (both of which can be good calming strategies).

Shushing, singing A gentle and constant chant in your baby's ear can distract your baby and allow him or her to attend to something other than what's causing the fussing.

Massaging You don't need to have taken any special class to know how to touch your baby and firmly yet gently massage his or her muscles. This kind of deep, yet gentle touch can be calming and can help regulate and organize behavior.

Again, there's no magic formula able to make every baby stop being fussy, and you should be leery of literature that suggests this.

Fussiness is a form of communication and frequently, the most powerful and effective way for your baby to get your attention. Teaching your baby early on that his or her needs will be met swiftly and effectively will reduce the necessity for fussing. And on those days that nothing from your bag of tricks seems to work, rule out ear infection and any other physical ailment and then call your local veteran mother to come to the rescue!

Calming Toddlers/Preschoolers

Teaching self-soothing can be more challenging with some kids. These kids just don't seem to come equipped with that internal calming mechanism and may continue to need some external help well into school age. An Occupational Therapist trained in Sensory Integration can be helpful in these situations and an evaluation could be warranted.

In the meantime, here are some strategies to try:

Keep routines and structures simple and clear. For some kids, too much time without structure can lead to disorganized behavior. Find ways to create structured activities and assign tasks to everyday routines.

Use frequent physical touching and guiding. Sometimes children need more than just verbal input to process a request.

Establish a Calm-Down spot in your home or classroom. This spot should be free of many visual and auditory distractions but should allow for some movements like jumping, pounding, swinging, rocking, etc.

Continue to use techniques that provide deep pressure, such as swaddling (with a much bigger blanket than you used with your infant!), massage, squishing between sofa cushions, etc.

Provide fidget toys during highly structured activities like circle time or any other setting that requires your child to sit and attend. These items should be small and quiet toys that do not distract other children but that provide some sort of calming stimulation for your child. This can be a Koosh ball, a water tube, a vibrating teether, etc.

If your child seems to have extreme difficulty calming, talk to your doctor about your concerns and perhaps follow up with an Occupational Therapy evaluation.

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Techniques for Calming Your Infant or Toddler - Day 2 Day Parenting

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Calming Infants Take a look in the Parenting section at any major bookstore and you'll find a wide selection of books promising to make your baby the happiest in the neighborhood or so quiet and calm that others will think that you have some sort of magic touch.

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As much as you hate to see it in your own child, every child throws tantrums and has meltdowns, sometimes in the middle of the grocery store. This can be even more prevalent if your child has a language delay and doesn't understand or can't communicate what he wants. Your job as a parent or teacher is not to prevent the child from ever getting upset. We've seen those kids, we call them "spoiled" and they have a long road ahead of them because they aren't always going to get their way. Instead, your job is to teach your child how to deal with getting upset. In particular, it can be extremely helpful to teach your child calming strategies to calm himself or herself down. There are many calming strategies that you can teach your child to get through those awful meltdowns faster and without requiring you to bribe your child with ice cream and toys to make it stop. This process may take a while, especially if you have a child who can really let it rip, but have patience and keep working on it. It will get better. Calming children with self-calming strategies has worked for children across the world, and it can work for your child, too!

If this method is going to work at all, you HAVE to stop giving in to your child's meltdowns. Seriously, this is VERY important so listen well. If you try to teach your child these calming strategies but you eventually give in after he's been screaming for 5 minutes (even if you only give in sometimes), the calming strategies will NEVER be as effective as throwing that tantrum so the tantrums will never stop and the calming strategies will never work. You have to stop giving in!! I know this can be so hard to do because you don't want to see your child hurting and you don't want to cause a scene in whatever public place you may happen to be, but this is crucial. If your child starts throwing a fit about something, you CANNOT give in, even if you were just about to change your mind anyway. Your child will feel like the tantrum worked to get him what he wanted and the next tantrum will be even bigger. Here's what you should do at this point if your child is tantruming:

Remain calm, don't show any emotion to your child. If you have to walk away so you can compose yourself, do that. If you need to tag in your spouse to handle the problem because you're too emotional, do that.

Try to wait the tantrum out for a bit. See if it goes away on its own if you don't give it much attention. Just monitor your child for safety and make sure that your child doesn't put himself in any dangerous situations (like throwing a tantrum in the knife aisle at Bed, Bath, and Beyond). If he does, calmly move him away from danger without making a big deal out of it.

Remove your child from the situation. Carry him out of the store (if you can do so safely) or back to his room. Try to isolate him from any attention he may get for the tantrum.

Wait till it passes. Because it will. Eventually, your child will tire and that's when he will need a hug. Be there with his hug when he's ready for it and have faith that the rest of these steps will make these tantrums better. (But again, don't give in to what he wanted, even after the tantrum stops).

The first thing you need to do is teach your child the difference between being calm and being upset. You will want to do this with your child when she is calm. I like to use a mood thermometer for this. A mood thermometer has a happy face at the bottom, an angry face at the top, and sometimes a few faces in between indicating someone who is on their way up or down the continuum.

Show your child the thermometer and say "when we are happy and calm, we are down here at the bottom". Explain to your child that she is calm right now and show her where she is. You can even show her pictures of other children who are calm and happy. Then, tell her that when we are not happy, we are the top of the thermometer. We are upset. Show her pictures of children who are upset. You can type "child tantrum" into Google image search and get some pretty great upset children. Have her help you figure out which children look calm and which children look upset. You can also talk about some emotions in between, such as sad or scared. These often will lead to being upset if not dealt with early. Those will be the best times to try some calming strategies with your child. Keep working on labeling these emotions until your child is starting to understand them. You can even label her own emotions when you see them. For example, if your child is starting to get upset, show her the thermometer and say "You look sad" while pointing to the sad face. Just help her understand what those emotions look like and how they feel. I've even had some parents take pictures of their children displaying different emotions and use those to show their children. Be creative and talk about emotions a lot. Once your child starts to understand, move on to step three.

Think about your child when he's in the middle of a tantrum. Do you think now would be a good time to teach him a new skill? Probably not, I'm guessing he wouldn't be listening very well at that point. So the best time to teach calming strategies is while your child is already calm. It sounds counter-productive but we'll get to the actual calming part later. Try a whole bunch of calming strategies with your child and see which ones he seems to do well with or he seems to like the most. Keep trying them until you get about 4 that your child can do fairly well. It helps if each strategy has its own picture to go with it so your child can learn what they are. You can create your own pictures (like take pictures of the child doing the strategy) or you can use the ones I've created:

Here are some strategies to try with your child. Show him how to do each one and then have him do it with you. After you've practiced them several times, have your child do them by himself so you can see which ones he's learning the best. This will help you pick your four.

The Balloon: Have your child hold his hands in front of his mouth like holding a small balloon. Tell your child to blow up the balloon. As he blows, he spreads his hands apart to pretend the balloon is getting bigger. Once the balloon is as big as it can get, your child claps his hands together to "pop" the balloon.

The Pretzel: Have your child fold herself into a pretzel and squeeze. Have her wrap her legs together and fold her arms across her chest like she's hugging herself. When she is as twisted as she can possibly get, have her squeeze hard.

Take a Walk: Have your child take a walk to cool off. Sometimes just walking around a bit can help.

The Bunny: Have your child pretend to be a bunny. He can get down on the ground like a bunny or just sit on his bottom. Have him breathe like a bunny does in short, quick breaths. Don't let your child do this too long or he might get dizzy but a little bit of shallow breathing can bring his breathing back under his control. Follow this up with some long deep breaths, like hissing like a snake or blowing out candles.

Write a Letter: Have your child "write a letter" about why she's mad. Get out a piece of paper and a big fat crayon. Have your child scribble violently all over the paper. This should release some tension. If your child is older, you may actually be able to get her to write down why she's mad. When she's done, have your child read it to you or just crumple the paper and throw it away. If this strategy works for your child, you can have a calm-down bucket or stash that has paper and a crayon just for such an occasion.

Count or Sing the ABCs: Have your child count as high as he can or sing/say the alphabet. Many times this is enough to bring the breathing back under control to quell the tantrum.

Hug a Pillow/Stuffed Animal: Have your child pick a pillow or stuffed animal to hug. Tell her to squeeze it hard so she can get all of that upset out. She could also tell her stuffed animal why she's upset.

Choose the four strategies that work best for your child (and feel free to use your own if you know of something that works for your child) and put them together on a board. It's best if you get some sturdy poster board for this as it may be thrown across the room in anger at first. Cut out the pictures from my printout or make your own and put the four pictures (with descriptions) on the board. You should also put the mood thermometer on the board so you can use it to show your child. While your child is still calm, show her the board and say "this is what we will use when we are upset. When your body is red (point to the red on the thermometer) and you are upset, we will use these calming strategies to make your body green and help you calm down." Have your child practice each of the calming strategies while she's calm so you know she can do them. You could also pretend to be upset at some point and go over to the board to show her how to use it. Role playing is great for young children and those with language delays. You can also create a smaller version of this board to stick in your purse in case you need it on the go.

Now that your child knows the strategies, it's time to put them into action. The next time your child starts to get upset, try to catch it before he gets completely out of control mad. Say "Your body doesn't look green, let's get our calming board". Bring him the calming board and show him where he is on the thermometer. Label his emotion for him by saying "You are upset" or "you are mad". Then, ask him to pick a calming strategy to try. If you're lucky, he'll remember his training and pick a strategy so you can help him through it. More likely though, he will be so mad about it that he will refuse to choose and possibly even try to cause harm to your board. Remain calm, this too will pass. If he doesn't want to pick a strategy, you pick one for him and demonstrate it. Don't force him to do it with you. Then, wait a minute or two and try that whole process again. Eventually, he should calm down enough to be able to do a strategy. However, the first several times you try this, it may take a while, especially if he's just now getting used to you not giving in to his tantrums. Just keep trying it every few minutes until he's ready to do one with you. If you stay calm, that will bring him down even faster. Eventually, your child should be more willing to do this. If you do it consistently with him, he will get to the point where you can say, "You look like you need to calm down, why don't you go pick a strategy. When your body is green again, we can talk (or I can give you a hug)". Then, he should be able to go calm himself down using the strategies you have practiced so many times. Keep in mind it may be a long way down the road before he can do this on his own, but that's the overall goal. Once your child is calmed after a tantrum, talk with your child calmly about what happened and what you can do to solve the problem. Now is the time to work through the problem, now that he's calm.

Keep calm and be persistent and you can teach your child these calming strategies as well. Be sure to use the social media buttons below to share this post with your friends and family so others can benefit from this info on calming children as well!

This guide, along with 38 others, is included in Ms. Carrie's E-Book: Speech and Language Therapy Guide: Step-By-Step Speech Therapy Activities to Teach Speech and Language Skills At Home or In Therapy. This guide includes detailed information on teaching various speech and language skills, including this one, along with worksheets, handouts, sample IEP goals, data collection, and video demonstrations.

More Resources for Speech-Language Pathologists:

Looking for more therapy ideas and resources to help you provide the BEST services to your clients? Join us in The SLP Solution, our membership program for speech-language professionals! Inside the membership, you'll find:

Step-By-Step Guides for teaching a variety of speech/language/communication skills

Pre-Made Worksheets and Therapy Activities for hundreds of different topics

Training Videos for dealing with difficult disorders or problems

Answers to Your Questions in our exclusive SLP community

Tools and Resources to help you with your paperwork and admin tasks

Continuing Education through our monthly webinars and webinar recordings

To join us in the full SLP Solution, or to snag a free membership, click on the button below!

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Calming Children: Self Calming Strategies

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Click here to download the free PDF of the Self-Calming Visual Aids Calming Children with Self-Calming Strategies As much as you hate to see it in your own child, every child throws tantrums and has meltdowns, sometimes in the middle of the grocery store.

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Inside: These science-backed calm down strategies for kids are easy, engaging and will help your child develop strong emotional regulation skills.

When it comes to children's emotional development you're going to be hard-pressed to find another skill as important (and as predictive of future success) as emotional regulation.

Due to your child's immature nervous system and still under major construction, developing frontal cortex, it makes sense that they often lack the skills that help them to successfully manage their emotions and feelings (and if you're being honest, I bet you'd say you're still working on this particular ability too- even as an adult!).

One of the most helpful things you can do as a parent (and when it comes to how to raise an emotionally intelligent child) is to support your child in exploring different calm down strategies for kids that help foster your child's emotional regulation.

You may have mistakingly assumed that these skills would appear naturally on their own, but it's only through a lot of trial and error, repetition and teaching, that your child will develop strong Emotional regulation skills and the ability to consistently seek out healthy coping and calm down strategies when experiencing intense emotions.

(**This post contains affiliate links which allow me to make a small commission of your purchase to support our mission of raising emotionally healthy kids- thank you!)

What makes this list of calm down strategies for kids different?

You might be wondering what makes these calm down strategies for kids different than other's you've tried. These strategies are proven effective and are research-backed because they:

1) are grounded in the neuroscience of emotional regulation, or how your child's brain functions when processing stress and intense emotion

2) include activities that utilize co-regulation, or a child's need to have close connected support from a caregiver in order to return to a physiologically regulated state

3) focus on physical movements that provide calming and organizing sensory input to the brain and nervous system

Check out or PIN for later: Anger management for kids: A child therapist's no Fail Secrets to Calm

75 Calm Down Strategies for Kids that they'll love!

1. Breathe.

We have to start with this one because it's powerful. Breathing exercises for kids are the quickest and most efficient way to disengage your child's limb system and decrease stress bodies stress response. .

2. Cuddle with a warm compress (my kids love these cute animal ones)

3. Play/cuddle with a pet.

4. Write a letter.

Write a letter to someone you'd like to share your feelings with, or about a challenging topic or situation.

5. Breathe in a favorite scent.

Essential oils work amazingly for this! The brain's olfactory center overlaps with areas that control emotions, so scent has a major impact on our emotions. Here are some safe, kid-friendly options we love!

6. Count your heartbeats.

7. Get wrapped up tight in a blanket like a burrito.

8. Tell a grown-up what you need.

9. Draw/color what your feelings would look like.

10. Squeeze something (these are the best squishies that don't break!)

The reason 'squeeze balls', putty, squishes work is they send the brain calming proprioceptive sensory input (from compressing the joints). Try it yourself and you'll feel what I mean!

11. Do animal walks (bear, crab, frog jumps etc)

12. 'Yell your anger' into a pillow/blanket/sleeve.

13. Watch an animal.

Animal watching is a great way to teach mindfulness with kids

14. Make a fort to hide in.

15. Cuddle up with a cozy blanket.

16. Do a handstand.

Inversion (or handing upside down) is a proven technique that quickly affects the autonomic nervous system, slowing down the body's stress response.

17. Try a short guided meditation for kids (learn more about other mindfulness activities for kids )

18. Play with water.

19. Listen to music.

20. Jump.

21. Visualize a 'happy place'.

22. Stretch.

23. Do a downward-facing dog yoga pose (you can find more in this yoga routine for kids )

24. 5-4-3-2-1 Challenge.

Name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This helps pull us into our bodies senses (which has a grounding effect), and out of our overly-activated 'emotion center' of the brain.

25. Go outdoors.

26. Give yourself a hand massage.

27. Slow down your breathing with an expandable ball.

28. Squeeze a stuffed animal.

30. Get in touch with nature.

Just holding something from nature or watching nature on TV has been found to produce calming effects on the brain!

31. Do wall push-ups.

33. Ask for a hug.

34. Drink a glass of water

35. Push your palms together, hold, then release and repeat.

This is one of the quickest, easiest and most convenient ways to give the brain calming sensory input.

36. Put on noise-canceling headphones for quiet.

37. Turn off the lights.

Related read >>> The 50 Most EPIC Anger Management Tools for Kids

38. Run/walk around the outside of the house a few times.

39. Get a back scratch.

40. Take a warm bath.

41. Read a book about emotions.

43. Rock back and forth.

44. Do a 'brain dump' in a journal.

45. Rip up or crumple a piece of paper.

46. Name 5 favorite things.

Focusing on gratitude will help soothe and de-activate the emotion center of the brain.

47. Chew gum or a chewy.

48. Rock yourself like a baby.

49. Cover up with a weighted blanket.

50. Color or read on your stomach.

This is referred to as 'prone position' and will help regulate your nervous system.

51. Go to the park.

It's an amazing way to improve a child's behavior and mood!

53. Find a cozy space to crawl into.

54. Do 15 squats.

55. Squeeze your fists as tight as you can.

56. Count backward from 50.

57. Remind yourself it's ok to be angry/upset/hurt etc.

58. No, seriously. Go outside!

(Here's 40 Benefits of Outdoor Nature play for Kids )

59. Go for a bike ride.

60. Try a yoga video on Youtube.

61. Make a pillow trail and crawl over it.

62. Learn about why it's hard to control your emotions sometimes.

63. Close your eyes and tune out the world.

64. Give yourself a tight squeeze.

65. Sit with your feelings for a few minutes and allow yourself to experience them.

66. Call a friend.

67. Pray

68. Eat a crunchy snack.

69. Knit/crochet or create something with your hands.

71. Look at a magazine.

73. Recite the alphabet backward.

Focusing on a specific cognitive task helps de-activate your brain's 'emotion center (amygdala) and activate the 'thinking center' (frontal lobes).

74. Climb.

75. Remind yourself emotions are like waves, they come and they go.

Important points to remember about these calm down strategies for kids

When it comes to emotional development in children there's no 'one size fits all' option.

Every child will differ with what their nervous system needs to down-regulate or slow down in order to regain emotional control. Their preferences will also change with different stages of development, seasons or ages.

A large part of raising an emotionally intelligent child is helping them to understand how to take care of their brain and body when experiencing emotional intensity and this list of calm down techniques for kids will get you off to a running start!

Grab your free printable list of calming strategies!

This post comes with a free printable list of calming strategies! (It's hard to remember 75 things (even before having kids!) so let's make things easy)

Here's a peek at it...

1. Download the calming strategies list. You'll get the printable, plus join 10,000+ parents who receive my weekly insights, tips, and strategies on how to raise emotionally healthy kids who will change the world, every week!

2. Print.

3. Place it on your refrigerator or in a centralized area (and experiment with what your child responds best to).

Related articles you'd enjoy:

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75 Easy and Fun Calm Down Strategies for kids {printable}

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Inside: These science-backed calm down strategies for kids are easy, engaging and will help your child develop strong emotional regulation skills. When it comes to children's emotional development you're going to be hard-pressed to find another skill as important (and as predictive of future success) as emotional regulation.

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One of the easiest ways to get toddlers interested in reading is to fill their environment with engaging and inviting literacy materials. One way to do this is by creating toddler reading spaces that both you and your toddler can enjoy together.

{THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS TO MATERIALS I RECOMMEND. ANYTHING YOU PURCHASE THROUGH THESE LINKS HELPS SUPPORT LEMON LIME ADVENTURES. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR CHOOSING TO SUPPORT US.}

Early literacy is such an important development skill for children to learn. In fact, it is one that can be started as soon as a baby is born (some might argue, before). However, when babies become toddlers it can be tricky to harness their energy long enough to read them a story. That is why I am over at Melissa & Doug today, sharing some simple tips for encouraging early reading skills with toddlers.

Creating a space for your toddler to read can be incredibly fun if you have some inspiring examples to look at. One of my favorite places to decorate in our home is actually our reading space. I am constantly adjusting and changing to encourage all of my children to read, especially my toddler. Setting up your own toddler reading space can be a lot of fun, especially if you follow a few simple tips.

Tips for Creating Awesome Toddler Reading Spaces

1. Keep it simple

2. Put books on toddler's level

3. Make it cozy with pillows and blankets

4. Make it inviting with your toddler's favorite stuffed animal or doll

5. Create the space in a well lit area or near the window for natural light

6. Use baskets and bins to hold the book to make it easier for your toddler to access the books.

7. Mix up the area with a variety of reading materials and types of books.

10 Inspiring Toddler Reading Spaces
Baby & Toddler Nursery with Simple Shelves
Living Room Reading Space for Toddlers | Allternative Learning

Simple Cozy Reading Corner with Charm | Two-daloo
Cozy Corner Reading Space

Montessori Inspired Homeschool Space for Toddlers | Natural Beach Living

Cozy Closet Book Nook | Mama.Papa.Bubba

Budget Nursery Reading Nook | Pink Oatmeal

DIY Reading Fort | Powerful Mothering
Cardboard Box Rocket Reading Space
Toddler Reading Space Makeover | Childhood 101

Remember how I said I kind of love reading spaces? It was no exaggeration. In fact, I love all sorts of learning and play spaces for kids. That is why I have added my Pinterest board for Awesome Learning and Play Spaces so you might be able to find something that inspired you.

Follow Dayna :: Lemon Lime Adventures's board Awesome Spaces for Learning and Playing on Pinterest.

More Reading Resources for Toddlers

Ten Tips for Reading with Babies | The Pleasantest Thing
Designing Intentional Reading Spaces | Lemon Lime Adventures
10 Reasons to Read to Your Child | Wildflower Ramblings
How to Foster a Love of Reading | Your Modern Family

Reading Spaces for a Toddler | Teach Preschool

Do you have a favorite space for your toddler? Is it the reading space? I would love to know. Better yet, I would love to see! Please come connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribe by email so you don't miss our next adventures.

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One of the easiest ways to get toddlers interested in reading is to fill their environment with engaging and inviting literacy materials. One way to do this is by creating toddler reading spaces that both you and your toddler can enjoy together. {THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS TO MATERIALS I RECOMMEND.

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Baby & Toddler Math Activities | Toddler math, Math activities, Fun math

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Jan 22, 2015 - Want to instill a love of math from the very beginning? Check out this list of 10 toddler math activities!

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Math starts with understanding concepts that develop as early as infancy. Babies explore the world using their senses. They look, touch, smell, hear, and taste. Infants are curious and want to know everything about their environment. Provided in the links below are activities that can be done with your child, in small groups and in the classroom. We offer Math activities for young children to elementary aged children.

More Math Activities and Games

Activities to Introduce Math Concepts

Basic Math Concepts

Numbers and Number Sense

Counting

Recognize (Read) Numbers

Represent (How many is three?)

Quantity (More, Less, Equal)

Simple Addition and Subtraction (numbers less than 10)

Patterns, Sorting and Classifying (Algebra and Functions)

Sorting Objects by Attribute (color, size or shape)

Comparing Objects (color, size, shape)

Simple Patterns

Pictorial (Identifying patterns or classifying objects through pictures)

Measurement (Geometry)

Length, Weight, Capacity of Objects (by Comparing: which object is shorter, longer, lighter)

Time Concepts (morning, afternoon, yesterday)

Measuring Time (clock, calendars)

Days of the Week, Months

Identify time (nearest hour)

Graphing (Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability)

Data Gathering (Collecting information about objects by drawing pictures or making picture graphs)

Helpful Toddler Math Tools

For Older Toddlers and Young Children

Kids Calculators

Counters (bears, dinosaurs, etc)

Clock Puzzle

Kids Stopwatch

Cash Register and Play Money

Tangrams

Floor Puzzles

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Flash Cards

Snap Cubes

Mega Bloks

Large Lego

Interesting Facts

Infants begin to learn about size by sensing that some things are smaller and some are bigger by sight and touch.

Infants learn about direction as they learn to crawl and walk as they go over, into and under things.

Children learn about weight as they lift different objects.

Infants start to learn about shapes by the many toys we give them.

Toddlers learn the concept of sets. They sort things, by color, size, or the same shape.

Benefits Gained from Introducing Math Concepts

It becomes a natural part of a child's vocabulary.

Vocabulary is enhanced as they learn to describe things using numbers, colors, shapes.

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Toddler Math: Activities, Counting, Numbers, Sorting, Patterns and Graphing

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Math starts with understanding concepts that develop as early as infancy. Babies explore the world using their senses. They look, touch, smell, hear, and taste. Infants are curious and want to know everything about their environment. Provided in the links below are activities that can be done with your child, in small groups and in the classroom.

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Rocking and Rolling: Why Teaching Infants and Toddlers is Important

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Adults working with infants and toddlers sometimes shy away from thinking of themselves as teachers because they worry the name is associated with more structured and adult-led activities than babies are ready for.

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© 2018 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved

What is "baby sign language"?

The term is a bit misleading, since it doesn't refer to a genuine language. A true language has syntax, a grammatical structure. It has native speakers who converse fluently with each other.

By contrast, baby sign language, also known as baby signing, usually refers to the act of communicating with babies using a modest number of symbolic gestures.

Parents talk to their babies in the usual way - by speaking words - but they also make use of these signs. For instance, a mother might ask, "Do you want something to drink?" while making the sign for "drink."

Does baby sign language work?

The short answer is yes, it works -- in the sense that babies can learn to interpret and use signs. As I note below, research suggests that many babies can start producing signs by the time they are 8-10 months of age.

But the same can be said for spoken words, and, as we'll see, it's not clear that teaching babies to sign gives them any special, long-term advantages.

What signs do people use?

It depends. In some cases, families might co-opt the gestures that arise spontaneously during everyday communication.

For example, you and your baby see a butterfly, so you flap your hands as you say the word aloud. Or you notice that your baby waves her hand dismissively when she doesn't want something, as if she is trying to push it away.

Such gestures represent a kind of pantomime. You're acting out what you're trying to say.

But people often use the term "baby sign language" to refer to something different: teaching babies a set of signs provided by charts, books, or videos. And many of these signs lack the pantomime element.

As Lorraine Howard and Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon (2014) note, there has been a trend for commercial baby language programs to borrow signs from languages for the deaf, like American Sign Language (ASL).

Some of these have the quality of iconicity. Their form resemble s the idea they stand for.

The ASL sign for "drink," for example, looks like you're holding a cup to your mouth:

But other signs are not iconic. You can see this here, in the signs for "play," "hurt," and "mother," all adapted from ASL:

The mapping of the gestures to their meanings is arbitrary, just as it is for most spoken words.

Does it matter if a sign is iconic (pantomime-like) or arbitrary?

Research suggests that it does. As long as you possess the necessary background information (that people drink from cups), you are going to find it easy to connect the sign (the ASL gesture for "drink") with the idea (drinking). And that will help you learn and remember the sign going forward.

Studies confirm that babies tend to learn iconic signs more readily than arbitrary ones(Thompson et al 2012).

So should you teach your baby signs? What are the benefits of baby sign language?

Teaching a baby to communicate using gestures can be exciting and fun. It's an opportunity to watch your baby think and learn.

The process might encourage you to pay closer attention to your baby's attempts to communicate. It might help you appreciate the challenges your baby faces when trying to decipher language.

These are good things, and for some parents, they are reason enough to try baby signing.

But what about other reasons -- developmental reasons?

Some advocates claim that baby signing programs have long-term cognitive benefits.

They claim that babies taught to sign will amass larger spoken vocabularies, and even develop higher IQs.

Others have claimed that signing has important emotional benefits.

According to this argument, babies learn signs more easily than they learn words. As a result, they communicate more effectively at an earlier age. Their parents understand them better, reducing frustration and stress.

Does the research support these claims?

Not really. But it depends on what you mean by baby-signing.

If by "baby signing" you mean "teaching babies signs derived from ASL or other languages," then there's no compelling evidence of long-term advantages.

But if you're thinking of the more spontaneous, pantomime use of gesture, that's a different story. There is good evidence suggesting that easy-to-decipher, iconic gesturing can help babies learn.

To see what I mean, let's take a closer look at the research.

Do baby signing programs boost long-term cognitive skills?

Overall, the evidence is lacking.

The very first studies hinted that baby sign language training could be at least somewhat advantageous, but only for a brief time period (Acredolo and Goodwyn 1988; Goodwyn et al 2000).

In these studies, Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn instructed parents to use baby signs with their infants. Then the researchers tracked the children across 6 time points, up to the age of 36 months.

When the children's language skills were tested at each time point, the researchers found that babies taught signs were sometimes a bit more advanced than babies in a control group.

For instance, the signing children seemed to possess larger receptive vocabularies. They recognized more words.

But the effect was weak, and detected only for a couple of time points during the middle of the study.

For the last two time points, when babies were 30 months and 36 months old, there were no statistically significant differences between groups (Goodwyn et al 2000).

In other words, there was no evidence that babies benefited in a lasting

And more recent studies -- using stringent controls -- have also failed to find any long-term vocabulary advantage for babies taught to sign ( J ohnston et al 2005; Kirk et al 2012; Fitzpatrick et al 2014; Seal and DePaolis 2014).

For example, Elizabeth Kirk and her colleagues (2012) randomly assigned 20 mothers to supplement their speech with symbolic gestures of baby sign language.

The babies were tracked from 8 months to 20 months of age, and showed no linguistic benefits compared to babies in a control group.

Although some advocates have claimed that baby sign language training boosts a child's IQ, the relevant research has yet to appear in any peer-reviewed journal. On this question, it's safe to say that the jury is still out.

What about enabling better communication during infancy? Is it true that babies can sign before they can speak?

This is an interesting idea, and it has been championed by advocates of baby signing programs.

The proposal is that babies are capable of communicating via sign language months before they are ready to communicate with spoken language.

Is there compelling scientific evidence for this claim? Once again, the answer is no.

The best evidence available on the question comes from a few, small studies of children raised to sign from birth. For example, two of the most relevant studies feature samples of fewer than a dozen children for a given age range.

In these studies, the average timing of first signed words appears to be a bit younger than the average timing observed for children learning spoken language.

But there is big problem. The sample sizes are just too small to draw any firm conclusions.

For example, one long-term study (tracking the same babies from an early age) featured only 11 infants (Bonvillian et al 1983).

Another study relies on data collected from only a few individuals each age group -- for instance, just five individuals between the ages of 12 and 13 months (Anderson and Reilly 2002).

When we use such small samples, we run a high risk of getting results that are skewed: It's relatively easy to end up with a group of individuals who aren't representative of the population as a whole.

And this is especially true when there is a lot of individual variation, as is the case for the timing of language production. For instance, at 13 months of age, it's normal for some children to produce as few as 4 words, while others might produce more than 80.

What if by chance your small sample includes mostly early bloomers? Or late bloomers?

Finally, there are methodological problems to be solved. We need to make sure we use similar standards when we count signs and spoken words, and different studies aren't always comparable in this respect.

But surely there are situations where signing is easier than speaking?

I think that's very likely. For example, the ASL sign for "spider" looks a lot like a spider. It's iconic, which may make it easier for babies to decipher. And it might be easier for babies to produce the gesture than to speak the English word, "spider," which includes tricky elements, like the blended consonant "sp."

The same might be said for the ASL signs for "elephant" and "deer."

So it's unlikely that a baby is going to find one mode of communication (signing or speaking) easier across the board.

And the social and emotional benefits? Is there evidence that baby signing reduces frustration or stress?

Individual families might experience benefits. But without controlled studies, it's hard to know if it's really learning to sign that makes the difference.

It's also hard to know if the effect is general - something most families would experience if they tried it.

To date, claims about stress aren't well-supported. One study found that parents enrolled in a signing course felt less stressed afterwards, but this study didn't measure parents' stress levels before the study began, so we can't draw conclusions (Góngora and Farkas 2009).

Nevertheless, there are hints that signing may help some parents become more attuned to what their babies are thinking.

In the study led by Elizabeth Kirk, the researchers found that mothers who had been instructed to use baby signs behaved differently than mothers in the control group. The signing mothers tended to be more responsive to their babies' nonverbal cues, and they were more likely to encourage independent exploration (Kirk et al 2012).

So perhaps baby signing encourages parents to pay extra attention when they communicate. Because they are consciously trying to teach signs, they are more likely to scrutinize their babies' nonverbal signals.

As a result, some parents might become better baby "mind-readers" than they might otherwise have been, and that's a good thing. Being tuned into your baby's thoughts and feelings helps your baby learn faster.

But of course parents don't need to participate in a baby sign language program to achieve these effects. The important thing is tuning into your baby, and figuring out what he or she wants.

And this begs the question: Does teaching your baby signs (from ASL or other languages) necessarily give you more insight into what your baby wants?

Families can communicate quite successfully without using formal "baby signs"

For example, consider this snapshot of a baby making the sign for "more," borrowed from ASL.

It's a perfectly useful sign, and many babies have learned it. But what happens if you don't teach your baby this sign?

Will your baby be incapable of letting you know that he wants more applesauce? Will your baby somehow fail to get across the message that she wants to play another round of peek-a-boo?

When parents pay attention to their babies -- and engage them in conversation, one-on-one -- they learn to read their babies' cues.

A baby might pat the table when he wants more applesauce. A baby might reach out and smile when she wants to play with you. They aren't signs borrowed from a language like ASL, but, in context, their meaning is clear.

When we respond appropriately to these spontaneous gestures, we are engaged in successful communication, and we are helping our babies build the social skills they need to master language.

That doesn't mean there is no reason to teach formal signs. You might find that some signs are helpful -- that they allow for communication that is otherwise difficult for your baby.

But it's wrong to think of formal signs as the only gestures that matter. From the very beginnings of humanity, parents and babies have communicated by gesture. And research suggests that gestures matter. A lot!

In fact, this is so important, it's worth considering in more detail. Whether or not you decide to teach your baby sign language, you should embrace the use of gestures when you communicate.

Why everyday gestures can have a big impact on your baby's development

1. Our nonverbal cues can help babies learn language

Imagine I stranded you in the middle of a remote, isolated nation. You don't speak the local language, and the locals don't recognize any of your words. What would you do?

Very quickly, you'd resort to pantomime. And as you tried to learn the language, you'd soon appreciate that some people are a lot more helpful than others.

It isn't just that they're friendlier. Some people just seem to have a better knack for non-verbal cues. They follow your gaze, and comment on what you're looking at. They point at the things they are talking about.

They use their hands and facial expressions to act out some of the things they are trying to say. And they're really good at it. When they talk, it's easier to figure out what they mean.

Researchers call this ability "referential transparency," and it helps babies as well as adults. The evidence?

Erica Cartmill and her colleagues (2013) made video recordings of real-life conversations between 50 parents and their infants - first when the babies were 14 months old, and again when they are 18 months old.

Then, for each parent-child pair, the researchers selected brief vignettes - verbal interactions where the parent was using a concrete noun (like the word "ball").

The researchers muted the soundtrack of each vignette, and inserted a beeping noise every time the parent uttered the target word. Next, they showed the resulting video clips to more than 200 adult volunteers.

They asked the volunteers to guess what the parents were talking about. When you hear the beep, what word do you think the parent is saying?

The researchers were pretty tough graders. They didn't, for example, count guesses as correct if they were too general (like guessing "toy" when the correct answer was "teddy bear").

Nor did they give volunteers credit for guesses that were too specific (guessing "finger" when the correct answer was "hand"). They also tried to eliminate vignettes where it was possible for volunteers to read the parents' lips.

So the test wasn't easy, and it might give us an idea of how challenging it is for babies to decipher unfamiliar words. The outcome?

It turns out there was a lot of variation between parents. Some parents spoke with referential transparency only 5% of the time. Others were more like expert foreign language teachers, making their meanings clear up to 38% of the time.

And - here's the part with implications for the long-term - there were links between a parent's referential transparency score and her child's vocabulary three years later.

Babies who had more "transparent" parents tested with larger vocabularies when they were four and half years old.

The link remained significant even after controlling for the babies' vocabularies at the beginning of the study. And there were other interesting points too.

Although the sheer number of works spoken by parents predicted a child's vocabulary, it was high-quality, transparent communication that mattered most.

And while researchers replicated a well-known finding - that parents of higher socioeconomic status (SES) use more words with their kids - there were no links between SES and referential transparency. Parents of high SES were no more likely than other parents to speak to their babies in a highly transparent way.

What do we make of these results?

We can't be sure that referential transparency caused larger vocabularies. Maybe parents who scored high on referential transparency did so because they possessed a heritable trait - one they passed on to their kids - that makes people both better communicators and better verbal learners.

But remember: Parents with high referential transparency were easier for adult volunteers to understand, and these adults were unrelated to the parents.

So it isn't hard to imagine how referential transparency could lead to long-term language gains. And other research suggests that we can help our babies by being responsive to our babies' spontaneous gestures.

For example, consider the importance of pointing.

2. Babies learn words faster when we label the things they point at

Most babies begin pointing between 9 and 12 months, and this can mark a major breakthrough in communication.

By pointing, babies can make requests (e.g., "Give me that toy"). They can also ask questions ("What is that?") and make comments ("Look at that!").

But the impact of this communicative breakthrough depends on our own behavior. Are we paying attention? Do we respond appropriately?

As psychologists Jana Iverson and Susan Goldin-Meadow have noted, a baby who points at a new object might prompt her parent to label and describe the object.

If the parent responds this way, the baby gets information at just the right moment-when she is curious and attentive. And that could have big implications for learning (Iverson and Goldin-Meadow 2005).

Experiments have confirmed the effect: Babies are quicker to learn the name of an object if they initiate a "lesson" by pointing. And if the adult tries to initiate -- by labeling an object that the baby didn't point at? Then there is no special learning effect (Lucca et al 2018).

So there's good reason to think that gestures affect learning. But the trick is to emphasize easy-to-decipher gestures.

We want to be like that those language tutors in the remote, far-off country - the ones who respond to other people's requests for information, and who have a knack for supplementing speech with easy-to-understand pantomime.

Does this mean that abstract, non-iconic signs pose a problem? Can baby sign language delay speech development?

That's a reasonable question, given that baby signing programs feature signs that are non-iconic. Could the difficulty of learning such signs be a roadblock?

Studies haven't found that babies trained to use signs suffer any disadvantages.

So if you and your baby enjoy learning and using signs, you shouldn't worry that you're putting your baby at risk for a speech delay. In essence, you're just teaching your baby extra vocabulary -- vocabulary borrowed from a second language.

Still, it's helpful to remember that iconic gestures are easier for your baby to figure out.

For example, in one experimental study, 15-month-old toddlers were relatively quick to learn the name of a new object when the adults gestured in an illustrative, pantomime-like way.

The toddlers were less likely to learn the name for an object when the spoken word was paired with an arbitrary (non-representational) gesture (Puccini and Liszkowski 2012).

What's the takeaway?

Non-verbal communication is crucial for language development. Gestures can provide babies with important information, and help them decipher your meaning.

But not all gestures are equally helpful. Research suggests that the most effective approach is

1. to pay attention to our babies, and respond appropriately to their spontaneous attempts to gesture and verbalize; and

2. to communicate with babies using a combination of speech and transparent gestures -- like pantomime and pointing.

In addition, I suspect it's beneficial to build on those signs and gestures that you and your baby spontaneously invent. They already have meaning to your baby, and they are probably easier for your baby to remember.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't also teach your baby sign language, including some arbitrary, non-iconic signs. It can be fun and interesting, and your child might end up learning signs that are very useful.

But to help your baby learn, it makes sense to emphasize gestures that are easy to decipher, and which have personal meaning to your baby.

Tips for teaching baby sign language

Whether you opt for the spontaneous, do-it-yourself approach, or you want to teach your baby gestures derived from real sign languages, keep the following tips in mind.

Babies begin learning about language from the very beginning. They overhear their mothers' voices in the womb, and they are capable of recognizing their mother's native language - distinguishing it from a foreign language - at birth.

Over the following months, their brains sort through all the language they encounter, and they start to crack the code. And by the time they are 6 months old, babies show an understanding of many everyday words - like "mama," "bottle," and "nose."

Many babies this age are also babbling - repeating speech syllables like "ma ma ma" and "ba ba ba."

If a 6-month-old baby says "ba ba" after you give her a bottle, could it be that she's trying to say the word "bottle"? If an infant sees his mother and says "mama," is he calling her by name?

It's entirely possible. And as noted above, research suggests that many babies are speaking their first words by the age of 10 months. (Read more about it in my article, " When do babies speak their first words?")

So we might expect that babies are ready to observe and learn about signs at an early age -- even before they are 6 months old.

2. Introduce signs naturally, as a part of everyday conversation, and don't try to "drill" babies.

Babies learn words and signs by being repeatedly exposed to them, and by using them in real conversations. So let your signs come up naturally, and avoid turning these episodes into parent-driven lessons. Remember the experiments about pointing. Babies learn when they're the ones who initiate.

3. Keep in mind that it's normal for babies to be less than competent. Don't pretend you can't understand your baby just because his or her signs don't match the model!

Just a baby's first attempt to say "bottle" falls short ("ba ba,") his or her early attempts to gesture will likely be less than perfect.

Baby sign language instructors call these attempts "sign approximations," and they recommend that you run with them. In some cases, your baby might lack the manual dexterity to form the correct version of the sign.

Pretending that your baby didn't really communicate effectively to you -- because your baby's gesture isn't exactly what you want -- is counterproductive. Don't forget: Babies develop better language skills when their parents are tuned in and helpful!

More reading

Interested in gesture? You should be! Research suggests that gesture does more than help babies learn language. It can also help kids grasp mathematical concepts, and more. Read about it in my article, "The Science of gestures."

References: Baby sign language

Acredolo, LP and Goodwyn SW. 1988. Symbolic gesturing in normal infants. Child Development 59: 450-466.

Acredolo L and Goodwyn S. 1998. Baby Signs. Chicago: Contemporary Books.

Anderson D and Reilly J. 2002. The MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory: Normative data for American Sign Language. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 7: 83-106

Bonvillian JD, Orlansky MD, Novack LL. 1983. Developmental milestones: sign language acquisition and motor development. Child Dev. 54(6):1435-45.

Cartmill EA, Armstrong BF 3rd, Gleitman LR, Goldin-Meadow S, Medina TN, Trueswell JC. 2013. Quality of early parent input predicts child vocabulary 3 years later. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110(28):11278-83.

Crais E, Douglas DD, and Campbell CC. 2004. The intersection of the development of gestures and intentionality. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 47(3):678-94.

Fenson L, Dale PS, Reznick JS, Bates E, Thal DJ, Pethick SJ. 1994. Variability in early communicative development. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev. 59(5):1-173.

Fitzpatrick EM, Thibert J, Grandpierre V, and Johnston JC. 2014. How handy are baby signs? A systematic review of the impact of gestural communication on typically developing, hearing infants under the age of 36 months. First Language. 34 (6): 486-509.

Goodwyn SW, Acredolo LP, and Brown C. 2000. Impact of symbolic gesturing on early language development. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 24: 81-103.

Howard L and Doherty-Sneddon G. 2014. How HANDy are baby signs? A commentary on a systematic review of the impact of gestural communication on typically developing, hearing infants under the age of 36 months. First Language 34(6):510-515

Iverson JM and Goldin-Meadow S. 2005. Gesture paves the way for language development. Psychological Science 16(5): 367-371.

Iverson, J.M., Capirci, O., Volterra, V., & Goldin-Meadow, S. (in press). Learning to talk in a gesture-rich world: Early communication of Italian vs. American children. First Language.

Johnston JC, Durieux-Smith A and Bloom K. 2005. Teaching gestural signs to infants to advance child development: A review of the evidence. First Language 25(2): 235-251.

Lucca K and Wilbourn MP. 2018. Communicating to Learn: Infants' Pointing Gestures Result in Optimal Learning. Child Dev. 89(3):941-960.

Mayor J and Plunkett K. 2011. A statistical estimate of infant and toddler vocabulary size from CDI analysis. Developmental Science 14(4): 769-85.

Meins E, Fernyhough C, Fradley E, and Tuckey M. 2001. Rethinking maternal sensitivity: Mothers' comments on infants' mental processes predict security of attachment at 12 months. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Discipline 42: 637-648.

Meyer RP. 2016. Sign language acquisition. Oxford Handbooks Online. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935345.013.19

Oller DK. 2000. The emergence of the speech capacity. Lawrence Erlbaum.

Petitto LA. 1988. "Language" in the prelinguistic child. In F. S. Kessel (ed.), The development of language and language researchers: Essays in honor of Roger Brown (pp. 187-221). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Petitto LA and Marentette PF. 1991. Babbling in the manual mode: Evidence for the ontogeny of language. Science 251: 1493-1496.

Puccini D and Liszkowski U. 2012. 15-Month-Old Infants Fast Map Words but Not Representational Gestures of Multimodal Labels. Front Psychol. 2012;3:101. Epub 2012 Apr 3.

Seal BC and DePaolis RA. 2014. Manual Activity and Onset of First Words in Babies Exposed and Not Exposed to Baby Signing. Sign Language Studies 14(4): 444-465.

Thompson R, Vinson DP, Woll B, and Vigliocco G. 2012. The road to language learning is iconic: Evidence from British Sign Language. Psychological Science 23: 1443-1448

title image of gesturing baby boy and father by David R Tribble / wikimedia commons

image of pointing infant on the lap of his father by Quinn Dombrowski / flickr

image of baby signs by Dr. Michael Fetters, University of Michigan

image of mother holding gesturing, vocalizing baby by Lindsay Shaver/flickr

image of boy signing for more by Joe Szilagyi/flickr

image of mother in park reaching towards toddler by Bob B Brown/flickr

Portions of this text appeared in an earlier version of the article by the same name. In addition, some of the sentences about Cartmill's study original appeared in a blog post for BabyCenter.

Content last modified 1/2019

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Baby sign language: A guide for the science-minded parent

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What is baby sign language? Should we teach our babies to sign? There's no compelling evidence that baby signing programs yield long-term developmental benefits. But there is good reason to think that our everyday, spontaneous, pantomime-like gestures help babies learn.

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Babies are born learning. Very young children are learning through play, the active exploration of their environment, and, most importantly, through interactions with the significant adults in their lives.

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Babies are born learning. Very young children are learning through play, the active exploration of their environment, and, most importantly, through interactions with the significant adults in their lives.

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Let's face it, infants and toddlers are experts at tinkering. What better materials to tinker with than loose parts? Loose parts are essentially any open-ended material that can be used in a variety of ways.

Introducing loose parts to infants and toddlers can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. With 3 simple steps, we will break down how to introduce loose parts to infants and toddlers.

1. Start small

When planning to introduce loose parts to young children, plan to start small. You don't want to overwhelm them with too many options. A good rule of thumb is to start with 3-5 options for a classroom of 8-12 infants/toddlers. From there, you can slowly introduce more and rotate out as needed.

2. Think BIG!

Remember loose parts do not have to be small pieces. For infants and toddlers, it is best to offer larger loose parts since they are still very oral and most objects are a choking hazard.

Large plastic cups are great loose parts for fulfilling toddlers love of stacking!

3. Provide a variety of textures and aesthetics.

Infants and toddlers thrive on sensory experiences. By providing loose parts that feed their sensory needs, you are allowing them to build deeper connections as they build their knowledge of the world around them.

This block area features a variety of textured loose parts: Soft cotton balls, rough wood cookies, shiny metal, and smooth blocks. The mirror also adds a reflective depth to add to the sensory experience.
Looking for ideas on what loose parts to introduce? Click here for a list of my favorite loose parts for infants and toddlers. Do you have a tip to share? Drop it in the comments below! Also, click here to check out my other blog posts about Loose Parts! It's a must-read for loose parts lovers!

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How to Introduce Loose Parts With Infants and Toddlers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Let's face it, infants and toddlers are experts at tinkering. What better materials to tinker with than loose parts? Loose parts are essentially any open-ended material that can be used in a variety of ways. Introducing loose parts to infants and toddlers can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be.

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Here is a collection of simple and engaging fine motor skills activities for babies and toddlers that help to encourage muscle strength, co-ordination and concentration, all through playful fun! There are so many other benefits to these activities too and they are simple and meaningful for small minds, using materials from around the home and are so quick to prepare.

Babies and toddlers learn through their senses and interact with materials around them as soon as they can grasp, pinch and grab at them. Younger babies don't need too much stimulation in a world that's already over-full of images, colours and moving objects and flashing screens. You can set up a simple and engaging play area for 0-6 months old like our Montessori and Reggio inspired play space here, and more open ended play for 6-18 months + in the developed space we made here.

As well as these open-ended play discovery spaces, there are some lovely engaging activities you can play alongside baby for short periods of time, following their lead and interest.
Explore textures in a treasure basket Drop objects into an adapted milk jug Pull fabric pieces from a tissue box Play with giant felt pieces Open, fill and empty egg cartons Stick and separate hair rollers Put rolls into muffin tins Drop, pull and roll these DIY motor skills toys Explore how stickers attach to felt Stack with nesting bowls Drop and shoot pom poms Stack and knock over piles of cups Paint with water over coloured chalk Stick and remove foam on the window or the bath-tub Squish and mark-make with DIY finger-paints
I would always suggest starting with a treasure basket and move on to the other ideas from there. Click on the purple linked words to take you to the full articles and read how we made and played with the items.

Want to see more ideas and activities for baby play and creativity? Search our archives here!

Looking for fine motor activities for older toddlers, preschoolers and school aged kids? Here are over 40 in this very popular collection:

If you enjoyed this post please share it! Pin it for future reference using the Pin It button at the top of the post. Thanks

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Fine Motor Skills Activities for Babies - The Imagination Tree

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Here is a collection of simple and engaging fine motor skills activities for babies and toddlers that help to encourage muscle strength, co-ordination and concentration, all through playful fun! There are so many other benefits to these activities too and they are simple and meaningful for small minds, using materials from around the home and are so quick to prepare.

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Here is a collection of 40 fine motor skills activities for young children that are easy to set up and promote a whole range of skills. They're creative, open-ended, appropriate and varied with ideas for practising motor skills through art, sensory play and simple manipulative games, and there are so many to choose from!

One of the most important ways we can help our children while playing with them at home or in a childcare/ classroom setting is through setting up simple activities that help to develop fine motor skills. Young children need to be able to hold and use scissors and pencils appropriately before using them in a classroom context. We cannot expect them to be able to write if they haven't yet developed the strength needed in their hands and fingers.

There are plenty of easy ways to strengthen these muscles, practise co-ordination and develop hand:eye co-ordination using simple, everyday materials and a bit of creative fun! Here are 40 that we have done over the past few years with babies to 5 year olds. There are a million variations you could make from each of these to cater for your own child's particular interests and learning dispositions. Use these as a springboard and pin it for future reference too!

[ Herbal play dough with natural materials to explore]

My personal favourite tool for developing all fine motor skills is the humble ball of homemade play dough. It can be used in SO many ways by adding other combinations of materials to it, and automatically strengthens little hands as they roll, squeeze, twist and build with it. Here is a whole post about the benefits of playing with play dough and a handy guide to starting out with building your own play dough tool kit. Of course, baking with real dough is another wonderful way to play and learn simultaneously!
The many benefits of play dough (and a tool kit)
Other activities we have loved have included exploring sensory play materials, transporting small parts, threading beads, hands-on art projects, cutting and sticking, tearing and scrunching papers, opening and closing fastenings and countless others. Here is a selection of some of those favourites, all of which can be adapted for different age groups and abilities.
Threading with beads onto pipe cleaners Threading, posting and slotting toys for babies and toddlers Poking straws into holes Pasta necklaces Monster play dough Weaving around cardboard Fairy sparkle playdough Pipe cleaners and colanders Beads on spaghetti Hair rollers sticky construction First sewing basket Edible fingerpainting Making marks in fairy dust Decorating play dough eggs Mark making and scooping in lavender sensory salt Building 3D models Sorting and pattern making with shells Patterning with lego Lid posting game Snipping and doodling sticky stained glass windows Whisking up coloured sensory soap Salt dough alphabet modelling Pebble sorting Stacking cups Play dough cupcakes Foam and water window art

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40 Fine Motor Skills Activities - The Imagination Tree

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Here is a collection of 40 fine motor skills activities for young children that are easy to set up and promote a whole range of basic learning skills.

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If you know me well, you know that one of the many things I would LOVE to do one day is facilitate sensory-rich art and play classes for little ones and their parents or caregivers. It's been a dream of mine ever since Miss G was four months old and she and I attended Kindermusik classes in a fellow expat mama's home during our first stint in Kuwait ... I just loved that the instructor was creating this awesome little community of expat mamas while doing something she loved and getting to stay home with her kiddos all at once - a dream come true, really.

I was lucky enough to get a little taste of facilitating sensory and art classes when I taught at a creative play and learning centre during our second stint in Kuwait, but what I'd really love is to have a gorgeous little studio in the backyard {I'm picturing bright white walls and loads of light pouring in through big windows} dedicated to bringing parents and their littles together through playing and creating. As much as it would be a space for parents to connect with their kids, it would be a space for parents to connect and form friendships too... There would be time for free play, books woven into our time together, and the projects would be as sensory-rich and open-ended as possible. Ugh - doesn't it sound amazing?? {ONE DAY!!}

Until then, I'll enjoy all of the fun play and art projects with my own kiddos and since the weather recently perked up in the Okanagan, Sam and I have been doing just that!

Below are 5 open-ended, sensory-rich art activities that he's absolutely loved recently... In all of these, we used one or more products from Crayola's 'My First Crayola' line aimed at meeting little ones in the early stages of their development. The art tools are sorted by stages rather than ages, which I love because as we all know, all kids develop and progress differently. The 3 stages are:

1) Scribble - for kiddos making their first random marks

2) Doodle - for little ones who can repeat different types of lines

3) Draw - for kids who can draw shapes and basic pictures

Now while I'd say that Sam is pretty much in Stage 2: Doodle at the moment, there are definitely Stage 1 tools he still loves using and there are even a couple of Stage 3 products he's able to use independently. In the end, you know your child best, so go with what works for them!

This post is sponsored by My First Crayola. I've been a Crayola fan for pretty much my entire life... {tell me - was there anything better than opening a brand new jumbo box of crayons with the sharpener built into the back as a child?! Nope. There really wasn't.} as always, all of the opinions in this post are my own.

Alright, ready?? Here are 5 super fun, open-ended, sensory-rich art activities to try with your little one...

Rip & Stick Sticky Collage
The materials:

Crayola construction paper {we used full-sized sheets from the huge pad we always keep on hand as well as half sheets from the Preschool Readiness Kit simply because the colours are so beautiful}

clear contact paper

clear tape

Crayola safety scissors {from their stage 3 line} optional

Cut out several construction paper frames, adhere them onto a large roll of clear contact paper, and then cut away the extra contact paper. Hang the frames up onto a wall or window sticky side out and include a little basket or tray of small construction paper squares and the safety scissors {if including them} nearby.
The process:
Invite your little one to rip {and or cut} the construction paper squares into small bits. Sam's not quite ready for scissors just yet, but he was very interested in them and gave them a go. Ultimately, we went back to ripping because it's more appropriate for his current abilities and he loved it! While it can come off as simply destructive, ripping paper actually provides a great fine motor skill workout and provides both auditory and tactile feedback - win-win!

With the paper bits ready to go, invite your little one to stick the bits up onto the frames. The contact paper is a great way for little ones to explore the concept of sticky and makes creating collage-style art a breeze.

Another perk? A contact paper collage means no glue necessary, so this is virtually a mess-free activity.
The finished project:
Isn't this beautiful with the sunshine streaming through the window? I especially love this project because it can be left up for days and added to when the mood strikes.
No Paint Watercolour Painting The materials:
Using painter's tape, secure the watercolour paper to a flat, easily washable surface. This will not only keep it in place as your little one creates, but will also leave a beautiful white border around the edge of the piece that will make the finished project pop and look super polished. Remove the caps from the tripod markers and stampers and place them in a tray for easy use and prepare a jar with some water and the paintbrushes in it for a little later on.
The process:
Invite your little one over to draw and stamp on the large piece of watercolour paper.

The more colour the better in this case, so it's perfect that the little shape stampers we used basically beg to be coloured in. {Just look at that concentration, will you?!}

This is also the perfect time to experiment with different types of lines... Slow ones, fast ones, straight ones, wavy ones, crazy ones - anything goes!

Alright, now for the magic! Once your little one is done colouring and drawing, tuck the markers and stampers away and bring out the water and paintbrushes.

Invite your little one to paint their picture with water and watch as they observe with wonder.

When the painting process is complete, leave the piece to dry. Later on, gently remove the painter's tape to reveal white border.
The end result:
Stunning, isn't it?
Upside Down Drawing The materials:
Using masking tape or painter's tape, secure a piece of bristol board to the underneath side of a low table {coffee tables and kid-sized tables are perfect for this}. Trim the bristol board first if needed. Set out a variety of crayons in a tray or basket under the table.
The process:
Invite your little one to draw upside down! Sam totally got a kick out of this.

While this may seem like such a simple activity, the upside down element really brings a sense of excitement to the project and requires some gross motor planning that just isn't required when drawing or colouring in the usual manner.

Depending on your little one's interests and abilities, he or she may experiment with different kinds of lines and formations like Sam, or he or she may compose more of a traditional picture - both of which are great. There's no right or wrong here and the activity can be left out and added to for as long as you like.
The end result:
This is what I found under our coffee table a few days ago after more than a week of adding to it. Obviously Miss G jumped in on the fun at least once and fun was had. It may look like nothing more than scribbles, but the purpose with open-ended art is the process of course.
Foamy Painting The materials:

a large tray with a raised edge {even a baking sheet will do}

watercolour paper

water

Crayola Fingerpaint {this stuff is super washable - even after sitting on our easily stained white table for 45+ minutes}

dishsoap

cornstarch

a blender

a paint tray of some sort

Crayola Jumbo Paintbrushes

1/4 cup of water

2 to 3 tablespoons of fingerpaint

1 tablespoon of dish soap {while natural formulas will work, the foam made by a traditional formula seems to last longer}

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

Simply place everything into a blender and blend on high for approximately 30 - 45 seconds. Repeat for each colour, working quickly as the foamy bubbles do disappear over time.

Trim your watercolour paper so that it will fit on your tray or baking sheet. Whip up foamy paint, place it into a tray of some sort, and set it out with Crayola's Jumbo Paintbrushes {I love the sensorial element these add to painting projects}.
The process:
Invite your little one to create a masterpiece using the foamy paints you made. I tend not to give Sam any instructions with projects like this one... The more open-ended the better.

Although the foamy paint will thin out with time, the beauty of pairing it with these Crayola Jumbo Paintbrushes is that their sponge-like textures totally have the ability to reactivate the bubbles. Sam discovered this on his own as I sat back and observed and he was so pleased with himself.

Allow your little one to explore the paints with his or her hands too if desired! This is as much a sensory play activity as it is an art activity and this homemade paint is super washable, so nothing to worry about there.

When done, carefully remove your little one's piece from the work tray leaving all of the bubbly foam in place and set it somewhere to dry. If you have something that will allow it to get some airflow on the bottom too, even better! {The cooling trays you use while baking are amazing for this purpose.}
The end result:
How unique is this finished texture?! It almost reminds me of the moon's surface.
Bubble Wrap Stomp The materials:
Set your drop cloth out and secure the bristol board to it using the white border method. Place your paints into a paint tray of some sort and designate one paintbrush per colour. Trim a piece of bubble wrap so it's the size of your bristol board or smaller.

The process:

Invite your little one to paint on the more textured side of the bubblewrap. For this project, you may want to encourage him or her to be generous with the paint as it tends to turn out better when a good amount is used.

Next, flip the bubble wrap over onto the bristol board canvas and invite your little one to {carefully} walk, dance or stomp on top of it. You want the bubble wrap to stay as flat and still as possible, so if you can hold down the edges while your little one dances and stomps, I'd recommend it.

You may also want to put on some tunes for this step - I mean, what doesn't a little ' Baby Shark ' make better??

Carefully lift the bubble wrap and invite your little one to do some more painting on it.

Then repeat the walking / dancing / stomping process again and again until the bristol board is covered in layers of textured, bubbly-looking paint.

And if all that stomping and dancing tires your little one out, why not let them have a little lay down on their artwork, right? {HAHA!}
The end result:
Beautiful, right? I love how the colours gently blend together in some spots while the individual bubbles are quite evident in others.

Well, that's it. Five super open-ended art activities for little ones that are all about experiencing the process rather than creating something with a specific finished product in mind.

What do you think... Would your little one enjoy any of these?

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