Welcome, Challengers
If you truly want to make life with a toddler more fun by doing activities together, then it all starts right here.
Getting organized and having the right supplies.
Time is the enemy when you’re with a toddler. We are ALWAYS running out of time.
Take back twenty minutes of your life by having all these supplies ready to go for the week. Keep them in ONE spot like a closet shelf or, even better, a dedicated activity bin, so you’ll always know where to find it.
All the supplies you’ll need for this week are listed by day below. When you’re ready, tap the button to jump to the video for the day.
DAY 1
- O-shaped cereal (such as Cheerios or Fruit Loops)
- craft lace (string or yarn is great, too)
- tape
- scissors
DAY 2
- paper
- pencil
- marker
- small toys or objects
DAY 3
- baking soda
- vinegar
- food coloring
- tall glass or vase
DAY 4
- letters
- masking tape
- dry erase marker
- baking sheet (or dry erase board)
Day 1: The Activity That Started It All
Cereal Necklace
This fine motor craft is a classic for good reason. It’s fun to make… and eat! It was also the very first activity we did with our toddler, and we hope it gets you excited to be more hands on with your child as well. (Also, check out the MORE section below if you don’t have O-shaped cereal).
Supplies
- O-shaped cereal (such as Cheerios or Fruit Loops)
- craft lace (or yarn or string)
- tape
- scissors
Directions
- Cut a piece of craft lace about 2 feet long.
- Tape one end to the table.
- Thread cereal on the other end.
- Tie the ends together to make a necklace.
More
- Don’t have cereal? Cut up straws or cardboard rolls. Use round pasta. Or, you know, actual beads. String up paper clips, or milk jug rings, or even soda tabs. Anything! This is your first lesson. If you wait until everything is perfect before you get started, you’ll never start 🙂
- Try making patterns with different colored cereal.
- Using Fruit Loops, sort the cereal by color first, and then make a rainbow necklace!
- Count the cereal once the necklace is complete.
- Or, say a number and challenge your toddler to thread that number of cereal pieces onto the necklace.
Day 2: The Activity You CAn Do Anywhere
Silhouette Scavenger Hunt
I love this activity because it’s easy to make it your own and can be set up in two minutes or less. Pre-make the silhouette page and pack it in a resealable bag with the items for the hunt for an easy activity on the go.
Supplies
- paper
- pencil
- marker
- small toys or objects
Directions
- Round up the objects for the scavenger hunt.
- Trace them on paper using a pencil.
- Go over the pencil outlines with marker to make the silhouettes.
- Keep the scavenger hunt list on the table. Scatter the items for the hunt on the floor.
- Have your child pick up and match the objects with the outlines on the scavenger hunt list.
More
- Use toys or objects that are very different (i.e. not all same-size square blocks).
- Repeat the hunt relay-style. Tape the scavenger hunt list to a table. Hide the objects in a different part of the house and have your child run back and forth to grab the objects and match them to their silhouette.
- Once you’re done with scavenger hunt, color or paint the silhouettes.
Day 3: The Baking Soda Experiment That Never Gets Old
Magic Snowballs
Even toddlers can start doing simple STEM activities using taste-safe ingredients. Magic Snowballs is a favorite of ours. Actually, any baking soda + vinegar activity is a favorite!
Supplies
- 2 cups baking soda
- ½ cup water
- vinegar
- food coloring
- tall glass or vase
Directions
- Freeze the baking soda for an hour to make it feel more like snow (optional). Dump in a large bowl and mix with water.
- Let your child play with the mixture and make snowballs.
- Fill a tall glass a third of the way with vinegar and add food coloring.
- Drop the snowballs in and see what happens!
More
- Add a squirt of dish soap to the vinegar to make the snowballs foam.
- Don’t rush to plop the snowballs in. Play with the snow for a while first!
- Ask questions to activate the senses: What does the snow feel like? What does the vinegar smell like?
Day 4: The Sneaky Way to LEarn Letters
Alphabet Rescue Mission
I love sneaking in letter learning whenever I can. “Rescuing” the letters and putting them in their homes (i.e. matching the magnets to written letters) is a fun way to learn letters without worksheets or flashcards.
Supplies
- masking tape
- baking sheet
- dry erase marker
- alphabet letters
Directions
- Tape the letters to a wall with masking tape. Write the letters you’re using on a large baking sheet.
- Have your child “rescue” the letters from the wall by removing the tape.
- Then match the rescued letter to the written letter.
More
- Tape the letters up with two or more pieces of tape for an added challenge.
- Beginner: Swap the letters for shapes or small toys and trace the objects instead of writing letters.
- Intermediate: Focus on a limited set of letters, like the letters of your child’s name and work on matching just a few types of letters at a time.
- Advanced: Write words on the baking sheet for your child to match the letters to and read.
Day 5: The Activity That Takes Bathtime to a Whole New Level
Foamy Paint
This paint is absolutely irresistible to paint with. It can stain clothes, but it won’t stain the bathtub as long as you just use a very small amount of food coloring.
Supplies
- shaving cream
- food coloring
- muffin tin
- paintbrush (optional)
Directions
- Add a dollop of shaving cream to each cup of the muffin tin.
- Add a few drops of food coloring to each cup of shaving cream and stir well.
- Paint pretty pictures in the bathtub.
More
- Use the paint on a large rimmed baking sheet, on watercolor paper, or even on the sidewalk outside.
- Let your child help stir the food coloring into the shaving cream. Make sure to use a spoon because the food coloring can stain hands.
- If you paint on paper and you want to save it, just wipe the shaving cream off with a dry towel and set the painting aside to dry.
Congratulations on finishing the challenge! You rock! We are so proud of how far you’ve come.
Let’s keep this thing going!
One way to continue making memories and incorporating fun activities like the ones we did this week into your daily routine is by coming up with a plan.
I (Karen) wrote a whole post on making a plan for activities. You can check that out here.
I hope you learned a lot about playtime, your kids, and yourself this week. And I hope you had fun, too!
Thank you for embarking on this one week journey with us.
We’ll see you next time!
-Ben and Karen