Rubbing alcohol
Food coloring in various colors
Zip-top plastic sandwich bags (1 for each color used)
Uncooked rice or pasta
Waxed paper
White craft glue
Construction paper
For each color, mix ¼ teaspoon rubbing alcohol and a few drops of food coloring in a zip-top bag. Add ¼ cup of rice. Seal the bag and shake well.
Spread the rice on waxed paper and let dry.
Let your child use the glue to make designs on the construction paper. Sprinkle the rice over the wet glue to create a brightly colored picture. Let dry.
Natural Dye Collage
This activity will produce some very pretty fabric swatches. You may wish to use the resulting collage to make another project from the fabric, such as a kite or doll dress.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Muslin fabric
Natural materials such as berries, flowers, and leaves
Spread the muslin on the ground. Measure to middle of the fabric swatch and mark the center line so that fabric is divided in half.
Working on one half of fabric, help your child place his chosen materials into any pattern or design he wishes.
Fold the fabric in half with the items inside.
Let your toddler pound the items through the muslin with a small hammer or mallet. Very young children can also stomp on the fabric to flatten the materials.
Open the fabric and brush away the remaining materials to reveal the collage design.
Other Art Media
Art is creative. Look around, and you will find many items and materials to use for art projects. Recycled materials often make super art materials. Oatmeal boxes can become drums, and margarine lids make great coasters. Try keeping a box of miscellaneous materials available for your child to create with.
Bubble Prints
You will be amazed at the unique look of this project!
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Food coloring
Bubble solution
Pie tin
Plastic drinking straw
Paper
Mix a few drops of food coloring into the bubble solution. Pour solution into the pie tin.
Have your child use the plastic straw to blow bubbles into the solution. For young children, poke a few tiny holes near the top of the straw to keep them from sucking up any of the bubble solution.
Spread a sheet of paper gently on top of the bubbles to make a print.
Homemade Stickers
Does your child love stickers? Now you can make some from just about any image! This recipe is for adults to prepare. You will then have finished stickers for your child.
Activity for an individual child
Makes ½ cup sticker glue
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 45 minutes
½ cup vinegar
4 packets of unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
Sticker materials, such as drawings, cartoons, or magazine pictures
Small brush
Boil vinegar in a small saucepan.
Add the gelatin, then reduce to low heat and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add extract and mix well.
Let the mixture cool before painting on the back of chosen images. Once dry, you will have stamps or stickers the child can use by moistening with a dab of water.
Floating Art
Your toddler can create some very pretty and novel pictures using this technique.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
Shallow baking pan
Water
Colored sidewalk chalk
Cupcake liners or other small containers
Construction paper
Fill the pan with water.
Help your child grate the chalk into powder. Place powder into the cupcake liners.
Help your child sprinkle the powder onto the water, letting her choose the colors, amounts, and patterns.
Have her spread a sheet of paper on top of the water to absorb the chalk design.
Hang the wet picture up to dry.
Spin Art
You may remember creating spin art paintings at the local amusement park when you were a child.
Here is a simple homemade version to try.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Paper plates
Salad spinner (an old record player works well, if one is available)
Markers
Push the paper plate onto the record player by pushing the center peg though the plate. If you are using a salad spinner, you may need to trim the disc of paper before placing it into the spinner.
Crank the salad spinner to make paper spin.
Show your child how to hold the marker to draw on the paper while it spins.
What Remains
Your child will enjoy squeezing the glue to make different patterns,
and she will be amazed to see her designs glitter and shine!
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Table salt
Glitter
Sequins or small pieces of foil (optional)
White craft glue
Construction paper or poster board
Mix salt and glitter in equal proportions. Add sequins if desired.
Help your child squeeze designs with the glue onto the paper. Swirls and squiggles look better than large puddles.
Show your toddler how to sprinkle the glitter mixture all over the glue design.
Shake the paper to adhere all loose glitter mixture possible to the wet glue. Tilt paper to discard remaining glitter mixture.
Crafts
Although crafts tend to be more structured, remember to let your child’s originality rule whenever possible. Start with the basic format but do not be afraid to let children make their own alterations and variations to the pattern. So what if they paint the sky yellow, or the puppet has three eyes?
Sun Catchers
Here is a simple craft piece that your child will enjoy making and that you will enjoy displaying.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Hole punch
Clear plastic lid, as from a deli container from the grocery store
String
Colored tissue paper or cellophane
Scissors
White craft glue
Punch a hole in the lid and attach string for the hanger.
Your toddler can help tear tissue paper into scraps. The cellophane will need to be cut.
Have your toddler glue the scraps onto one side of the lid.
When the lid is dry, hang in a sunny window.
Shrinky Things
You may remember the commercial version of this craft from when you were a child.
Now you can make them at home in a flash!
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Scissors
Thin sheets of Styrofoam (such as the butcher trays that come with hamburger or other meats, washed well)
Hole punch
Markers
String
Cut the Styrofoam into desired shapes. Punch a hole at the top if you wish to hang the finished product.
Help your toddler decorate the shapes with the markers.
Microwave the creations for just a few seconds, and you will see them shrink!
Thread string through the hole if you wish to hang the finished project.
CHAPTER 6
Sensory Activities
Modern psychological research has determined that flashcards, drills, and worksheets are not effective ways of teaching young children. Your young child is not able to grasp abstract concepts. Instead, he learns by doing and by using his five senses. Sensory activities help your child learn while he has direct, concrete, hands-on experience with the world around him. This chapter provides all sorts of interesting sensory activities that are perfect for a toddler.
Sand Activities
Sand is a great sensory material for children to explore. It is versatile and easy to find, and it even changes properties when water is added. You do not need to have an elaborate sandbox or table for sand-play activities; simply use a plastic dish bin. Add a shovel, a funnel, and other simple tools, and your child will have all he needs. You will need to tell your child that the sand must stay in the container.
Pirate’s Treasure
Your toddler will enjoy searching for the buried treasure!
You may choose to think of other interesting things to bury.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Gold spray paint
Small rocks (large enough not to pose a choking hazard)
Sand box with sand
Paint the rocks and let them dry.
Hide the rocks in the sandbox and let your child dig for treasure!
Roadway
This activity combines the fun of sensory play with your child’s imagination.
You can also adapt this activity for any outdoor dirt area.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
Flat spatula
Sand box with sand
Small toy cars and trucks
Small blocks (optional)
Toy or handmade mini road signs (optional)
Show your child how to use the spatula to draw roads and passageways in the sand.
Let him create the roadways and then drive the vehicles around.
Sand Squiggles
This simple project is very easy and yet creates a beautiful result.
Add some glitter to the sand for a special effect.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
White craft glue
Construction paper
1 small spoon
½ cup of sand
Glitter (optional)
Show your child how to squeeze the glue bottle to drizzle a design onto the paper. You may need to put your hand over his to guide him. Fine squiggly lines work better than big blobs.
Have your child use the spoon to sprinkle sand all over the picture.
Help your child tilt the paper over a garbage receptacle so that the excess sand falls off. Let the picture dry.
Water Activities
Water play is soothing. Splashing and dipping in water is a stress reliever for both children and adults. You may find that your toddler is drawn to water, wanting to play in the sink or puddles. You must always supervise your young child around water. Drowning can occur with even a small amount of water.
Boats That Float
Your toddler will enjoy helping to make these boats as much as playing with them.
You can also use plastic container lids for small craft.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Waterproof markers
Thin sheets of Styrofoam (such as butcher trays that come with meat in the grocery store, washed well)
Scissors
1 sheet white construction paper
1 small drinking straw
Small blob of Playdough (see Appendix A)
Let your child use the markers to color and decorate the Styrofoam.
Cut a small paper triangle with 2 horizontal slits.
Thread the paper triangle onto the straw to make a flag.
Place the blob of Playdough in the bottom of the tray to hold the flag.
Glacier Creatures
This is a good opportunity to talk about temperature and melting.
Be sure to choose toys that are not a choking hazard.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 3 hours
Small toys
Small clear plastic containers (Tupperware works well)
Warm water
Place a toy in the plastic container.
Fill the container with water and freeze.
When the “glacier” is frozen, remove from the mold and add to your child’s warm play water.
Water-Play Accessories
Most young children love to play in the water. If you don’t have a sand/water table,
a dish bin will work just as well. Your toddler may enjoy simply splashing in the water,
but you enhance her enjoyment by adding a few props.
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 30 minutes
Sand/water table or a large shallow dish/tray
Assorted toys
The next time your child is playing with water, try adding some of these toys and props:
Plastic or metal tubes or pipes
Straws
Squeeze bottles
Corks
Strainers or sieves
Funnels
Basters
Floating toys
Natural Materials
Your toddler is naturally inquisitive, and he loves to explore. You don’t have to look far to find fascinating sensory materials for him to play with. Don’t be afraid to let him or her get dirty—that’s half the fun!
Etch a Sketch
This activity can get a bit messy, so you may want to have your child do it outside or over a bin.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Salt or cornmeal
A flat tray with edges, such as a cookie sheet or shoebox lid
Put some salt or cornmeal on the tray to a depth of ⅛.
Show your child how to use his finger to create designs. You may wish to guide your child in practicing shapes and letters, too.
To clear the picture, the child can either gently shake the tray or just smooth over the design with his hand.
Mud Paint
It’s okay for young children to get dirty when they play. Why not? Just be sure to do this activity outside.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
1 cup of water, or more as needed
Dirt
Old spoon
1 sheet poster board
Either find some mud outside for your child to use, or help him make some mud by adding water to dirt. Use a spoon to whip the mud up to a creamy consistency. Add more water if needed.
With the spoon, place a blob of mud on the poster board for your child to finger paint with.
Rock Painting
These make handy gifts as paperweights.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
Rocks
Poster or tempera paint
Take your child outside and help him find rocks for painting. Large smooth stones work best.
Let him paint his rocks with poster or tempera paint.
Playdough and Clay
Long before you could buy commercial Play Doh in a can, people were modeling with clay. Playdough and clay activities let your child use her imagina
tion. She can create and destroy as much as she wishes. She can preserve her creation or she can squish it down and start all over again. Don’t be surprised if your toddler is more interested in the process of working with this material than she is in creating something specific. You will find many recipes for homemade Playdough in Appendix A.
Playdough Cooking
Making pretend food is just one of many creative uses for Playdough.
You may wish to use older kitchen utensils or pick some up at a garage sale.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 30 minutes
Playdough or craft clay
Kitchen utensils
Provide your child with various tools and utensils for cooking up a pretend Playdough meal. Try these tools: garlic press for making pasta, cookie cutters, rolling pin, and measuring cups.
Playdough Textures
Enhance your child’s playdough fun by adding texture activities.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 30 minutes
Various tools and materials to add texture to the clay
Playdough or craft clay
Provide your child with various tools and utensils for adding interesting patterns and textures to the Playdough, such as a meat mallet, potato masher, corrugated cardboard, or screen or netting.