Experiencing Winter

Look for ice outside. Touch the ice and feel how it is cold. Hold some in your hand so your toddler can see it melt. Talk about how the cold turns water into ice.

Play in the snow.

Play in the snow if your toddler likes it. Make snowballs and see how far you can throw them. Make a snowman and dress him. Make snow angels.
From: eHow.com

Including toddlers in Holiday activities

Try as much as possible to include your toddlers in holiday activities. At this age they like to “help”, and if you include them in what you are doing it often reduces the possibility of temper tantrums.

Swapping out DVD’s for the holidays

The holidays are a great time to introduce new DVD’s and CD’s to your toddlers. Yes, Elmo has a decent Christmas DVD. It’s a nice change to the other two Elmo movies they watch every day.

Thanksgiving Craft

A popular craft that offers Thanksgiving fun for toddlers is the stenciled hand turkey! Simply trace his or hand on a piece of white or colored paper, and allow your child to color it. You can make a mobile, with dangling turkeys that each have an “I’m thankful for…” message.
From: Babyminestore.com

Cooking with your Toddler

When preparing for Thanksgiving allow your child to help measure, mash, bake and cook some of the dinner dishes with you. This will help your child develop math and manipulating skills, as well as the knowledge of temperatures.

Reading together is better comprehension

Encourage your children to join in while you read. Pause to let them fill in a rhyming word or repeating line: “I’ll huff and I’ll puff . . .”
From: RIF.org

Toddler game idea

Have fun today, play a “color game” by asking your child to find something in the room that is a certain color.
From: How to Do things.com

Fun (free) activity

Visit your local pet store. Most have impressive collections of dogs, cats, fish, birds, reptiles & hamsters to delight the little ones.

Age appropriate playgroup activities

Playgroup activities should be something that will involve all the children and should be kept age-appropriate.
From: ToddlersToday.com

Sunscreen safety for toddlers

Start applying sunscreen BEFORE you even leave the house. This is extremely important as toddler skin is very sensitive and burns easily. Taking the time to apply sunscreen beforehand ensures that you can get their whole body covered and not miss any spots.

Toddler activity: Potato Stamps

Make stamp art. Cut a few potatoes in half. Carve a design on the end of each potato. Use the potatoes as stamps. Dip them in finger paints and stamp on paper.

Avoid play group meltdowns

Avoid play group meltdowns by keeping the visits short; no more than two hours at once.From: ToddlersToday.com

Keep trips short and sweet

Staying inside all day is a bad, bad idea with this age group and will make time slow until it more or less screeches to a halt.

Rainy day activity

The local library can be a great place on rainy days, some even have special play areas for kids.

Toddler Games

Toddlers are easily entertained, so it is easy to make a game out of practically anything. In fact, sometimes the best games that you can play with your child require no equipment at all. Simple songs and finger plays like “Where is Thumbkin” will delight most toddlers.From: How to Do things.com

Rainy day activity

Zoos can be fun on rainy days. Most zoos have enough indoor exhibits to have a great day seeing and learning about animals while staying dry.

Planned outings and attention spans

Too many parents plan outings without regard for the constrained attention span of a toddler. A trip that lasts under an hour, including travel time, works best.

Leaf craft tip

Make leaf prints by putting a leaf under a sheet of paper and rub a crayon lightly over the surface of the paper to reveal the shapes.

From: parentingtoddlers.com Opens in new window

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toddlers and painting

A toddler finds it easier to paint on an easel rather than a flat surface.

If you can’t afford to buy an easel, make one by cutting out one side of a cardboard box and tape the other three sides together. Set it on the tabletop and set your toddler free.

From: suite101.com.

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