Ah, the toddler years. They’re fun, but they’re busy years! Toddlers have a natural yearning to explore anything and everything, which is why they seem to be non-stop. And just when you think you’ve finally found an activity that will keep your toddler occupied so you can get some things done around the house, your toddler has already moved onto a whole new activity. Which is exactly why it is important to always have several activities and games planned to occupy their busy minds throughout the day.

At Strong Start Early and Education, we are focused on building a strong foundation for your young child to help them grow into confident learners. Our new childcare facility in Trumbull is the perfect place for your children between the ages of infancy to preschoolers to have fun and develop strong learning skills. If you are seeking new ways that you and your family can enhance your child’s learning at home, we have prepared a list of fun and easy ideas for you to try!

Toddler Sensory Activities

Create a few bins that are filled with sensory activities. That way it’s easier to go from one activity to another. Take a quick trip to your local dollar store and buy a few safe and dry sensory objects that you can use in each bin. Items such as:

• Cotton balls
• Bag(s) of dry beans
• Bag(s) of dry pasta
• Package of small rubber toys (lizards, dinosaurs, farm animals, etc.)
• Kitchen utensils (spatulas, wooden spoons, tongs, etc.)
• Decorative rocks
• Decorative sand (different colors)
• Coffee scoops
• Toothbrushes
• Container of oatmeal
• Funnels
• Foam alphabet set
• And, of course, shaving cream

Feel free to get your toddler involved in building out each bin. Start with a base substance, like the sand, pasta, rocks, and oatmeal, at the bottom of the bin. Then add some of the small toys and alphabet letters to each bin. You could add water to each bin and make “messy bins”. Which leads us to the shaving cream. Most toddlers like to make a mess, and giving them the permission to get messy is exciting! Add the funnels and rubber toys inside and let their imagination run wild.

Toddler Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts is an easy way to teach your toddler focus and to build their imagination. Plus, you’ll have a lot of cute keepsake items that you can hold on to. Here are a few fun craft ideas for your toddler:

• Paint with watercolor paint in squirt bottles
• Make stamps out paper towel/toilet paper tubes and stamp away!
• Make a collage out of scrap pieces of paper
• Create tape-resistant art. Spell their name with the tape and let them paint over it.
• Make holiday wreaths, donuts, flowers, and masks out of paper plates. Use markers or paint to decorate.
• Create a paper snake out of a paper chain
• Finger painting

Free Play for Toddlers

Toddlers are at an age where they are learning what they like and don’t like. Not all toddlers like to get messy. And not every toddler is interested in structured activities like arts and crafts. Allowing your toddler to use their imagination in free play activities will break up their focused and constructive activities and burn off some energy. Need some ideas for free play activities? Here are just a few:

• Sort pom-poms by color
• Poke pipe cleaners into a colander
• Build a fort out of couch cushions and pillows
• Make a clubhouse out of cardboard boxes and let your toddler doodle on the outside.
• Stack plastic cups
• Play with pots and pans
• Go on a scavenger hunt

Free play activities rely solely on imagination so there is no limit to these activities. At this age, it is important for toddlers and preschoolers to express their creativity. It is crucial to your child’s growth and development to use their imagination just as much as they learn how to focus their attention.

At Strong Start Early Care and Education, our instructors are committed to responding to your child’s natural curiosity and interests, while teaching skills that are necessary for their academic growth. Our childcare center in Trumbull is equipped with state of the art resources to support infants, toddlers, and preschoolers learning. Contact Strong Start today and schedule your tour at our Trumbull child care center!