The Chirping Moms

Guest Post: Crayon Freckles shares some AWESOME toddler ideas!

We are SO excited to feature one of our favorite bloggers, Andie from Crayon Freckles, today on The Chirping Moms.  Since this week is all about toddlers—Andie, one amazing and creative mom, will feature some GREAT activities to keep our little ones engaged.  Check out her blog for SO many more wonderful ideas, including a Tuesday link up party full of kid activities.    Make sure to check in later today for our regular Where To Wednesday post as well!

I’m so excited to be guest posting at The Chirping Moms today.  A few weeks ago, I was honored to have Julie and Courtney on my site, Crayon Freckles, to give some insight into their mommy lives as a part of my in {her} shoes series.  You can read their post here. 

As a stay-at-home mom, it’s important for me to make sure that my little man is able to explore, have fun, and learn.  Here are some examples of the activities that do just that, plus how children can learn from them. 

Shaving Cream Play

Not only is playing with shaving cream a fun sensory activity, but it will clean most marker stains off of your plastic tables 🙂  This activity does have to be done with just the shaving cream, either.  We’ve also paired it up with toy bulldozers/snowplows for winter fun.
What they learn: Using the sense of touch allows toddlers to explore textures and cause and effect as they scoop and smoosh.
Painting with Legos
Using non-traditional items like legos or kitchen utensils to paint with can help draw children in to a new and exciting activity.  We generally try to use items that are easy to clean.  For this activity, I just put the Legos straight into the dishwasher when we were done.
What they learn: By using items for something other than their intended meaning, toddlers are encouraged to explore and use creative thinking skills.




Basic Math: Color Matching

The math with tongs activity pictured is our #2 post ever.  If you don’t have craft balls, you could easily use duplo legos or balls of colored paper.  Using tongs to pick up colored craft balls and sort them into muffin tins a wonderful activity with many hidden educational benefits.
What they learn: Using tongs lets tots practice identifying colors, hand-eye coordination and the small motor skills that will help them write. 
Spice up the Playdough
We love to add extra things to our playdough.  Again, non-traditional items win hands-down.  Some of the things we’ve used are sticks and birds, Mr. Potato Head pieces, toy construction trucks.  For added excitement for your toddler, consider making your own playdough.

What they learn: Creativity.  Allow your child to have free reign as to how they create and design their playdough masterpieces




Mess-Free Sensory Pouches 
Sensory pouches made with quality plastic bags and any type of oozy product: paint, lotion, hair gel, etc. allow sensory exploration for tots who have an aversion to getting their hands busy.  To add another element, you can insert flat pieces such as decorative plastic confetti or laminated pictures to it.
What they learn: These can also be used to introduce letters if you “write” the letters in the gel/paint.
 
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Andie Jaye is a former preschool teacher turned SAHM of two kiddos. Her blog, Crayon Freckles, is an eclectic mix of play, art, and learning activities. Mingled in are her perspectives on being a crunchy momma, having a long-haired hippy boy and using follow-your-gut parenting. See more of Andie on Crayon Freckles, Facebook or Pinterest.

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