Toddler Activities

Although D won't be in "official" preschool for more than a year, he is definitely in the school of LIFE right now.  He spends quite a bit of time doing practical life and sensorial activities.  Here are just a few:

Baking cookies - although his bowl is just pretend, it has all the real ingredients (except egg) for him to stir.  Didn't taste too bad either.  I was mixing the real batch while he practiced.

Vacuuming - D is obsessed with the vacuum these days and if we won't turn it on for him, he'll make the "vrmmmmmm" sound himself.  In this picture, it's actually turned on.

Transferring Beans - D loves to play with these dried beans, whether pouring, spooning, transferring by hand, or spilling on the floor.  We're working on not spilling!  (The red, white and blue thing he has in his hand is an Independence Day craft I made for him.)
Pouring Water - This was NOT a planned activity.  D had a small glass of water to drink in the kitchen.  He found a one cup measuring cup in the cabinet and brought it all into the living room where he proceeded to pour the water back and forth several times, without spilling a drop! (Why can't he do that with the beans?)

Reading - Of course D can't actually read yet, but that doesn't stop him!  He loves his books.  In the first picture, he's humming the "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" song, because that is what the book is about.  I guess I've sung it to him a few times for him to remember!

Busy Bags - We recently participated in a "Busy Bag" exchange, which are great activities for young toddlers.  If you haven't heard of it, just google it and you'll be overwhelmed.  The first above is a classic pool noodle threading activity.  The second is a Mr Potato Head felt board.  He's put on two pairs of pants and is currently putting on a hat while saying "hat head".

 

Communing with Nature - We're at the beach and D runs off, chasing a seagull and shouting "Duck, Duck!!"  The seagull wasn't bothered enough to fly away.  He just hopped a few yards each time D was too close.  I guess that seagull has seen toddlers before!

Hammer & Nail - This is a classic favorite.  D cannot manage the hammer well enough to actually hit a "nail" (golf tee) on the head yet, but if he puts all 50 in the "wood" (Styrofoam) with his hands, then he can bang away at random and sometimes hit one or two.