Sorting M & M's
Looking for some basic ideas for hands on learning fun for your littlest ones? Or maybe some simple activities that your toddler could do alone while you work with an older child? I have collected a bunch of different simple activities that I could do together with my toddler each day in between spending learning time with my older daughter. Many of these activities can be done independently. I have compiled them in a pdf document for your own use or to simply help give you some inspiration. Many times my four year old wants to join in the fun too! It provides such a fun springboard for focused quality time with my toddler which he enjoys immensely. There are approximately 25 different activities that can be sprinkled throughout the month.
I wrote each activity on an individual 3 x 5 card. Bind index cards together with a simple hole punch and string for safe keeping and collect all your supplies and store in a basket for easy access all in one place. This way we could easily access an idea to do each day without running around the house trying to find the supplies.
Our toddler activity supply basket
These 25 activities can easily be rotated to complete on a monthly basis to keep reinforcing and building skills. Let your child choose the activity if desired and play together. The document includes a master supply list, specific activities with the supplies needed for each activity, additional hands on learning toys that we recommend, and a list of fun songs to sing with your toddler.
Download Toddler Learning Activities document here.
Have fun!
Look at Me activity
Thanks for this post! I pinned this a few weeks back and just finished gathering my supplies today
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Absolutely love your list of ideas for the toddlers.. Thank you soo much..
This is a great resource, thanks for putting it together and sharing it with us!
I am so thankful for all the hard work you do even with 3 kids! I can’t wait to use these with my son. I just feel so out of ideas.
I absolutely love these ideas! I was wondering however if there are ideas for baby learning activities as well. I have a 19 mo old as well as a 9 mo old who I babysit. I guess in Lindsay’s home, she does these as one-on-one time with toddler, but are there any ideas anyone has for including a younger or what to do with baby at a different time? Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing! I just had to say, I can’t get over how much your daughter looks like you! You have a beautiful family!
oh goodness…thank you so much lindsay. i’ve been looking for things to do w/ my almost 2 year old & drawing blanks. to have 25 ideas all in 1 place is such a blessing. thanks for sharing w/ us.
My goodness! It’s been a long time. I home schooled my kiddos and now that they are grown with children of their own–one of which is here in my home on a daily basis–I’m very glad to have seen this post. I had a similar box that I kept handy after my kids were bigger and had a nephew here with us during the day time. While we were doing our school activities; he got to work on his “school work” … I’ve forgotten most of them. This is a great refresher!
I downloaded your list of activities– and hope to put a box together this week.
My Granddaughter is going to love these little activities.
Thanks so much for this idea. What an awesome way of keeping things simple. I am going to make one for me and one for my sister as well.
So appreciate your love for sharing with others what you’re learning and using with your children! Thank you!!
I just came across your site and the first thing I read is this post and it is perfect. I have three little ones at home (the oldest is 4 and youngest is 7 months) and I’m always looking for ways to keep the older ones busy and having fun. These ideas you came up with are perfect! Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you so much for these ideas, Lindsay. You always put together such THOUGHTFUL, helpful resources. Thank you for being such an encouragement and inspiration to me; seeing your true love for your kids, the way you INTENTIONALLY raise them, with much prayer and prep and fun, it helps me so much on those days when I’m so tired, or just want to give in and let my daughter watch a video. =) Your blog is such a favorite of mine, I always come back to it and am always searching the archives for things I want to look up (eg. cloth diapering, natural cold remedies, recipes, etc!) I have so many of your blog posts bookmarked under the headings of “project ideas”, “great recipes”, etc. Thank you!
PS. May I just say your children are adorable??? What blessings they are, what rewards from the Lord you have! And it’s so sweet how Karis looks JUST like you and Titus looks JUST like your husband! A lovely family of 5 you have! God bless you all!
Thank you Daniella for your sweet encouragement!
Lindsay, Thank you so much for sharing your hard work when you have so much on your plate right now. As a homeschool mom of three, I am praying for you right now as I really struggled when my third one came along (thinking that it was going to be a piece of cake! Ha! Ha!) But God is so good! After she was born, God used women like you and Ann Voskamp to point me back to the Word and inspire me to be the wife and mother that He wants me to be. I look forward to using these ideas with my now 18 month old while I teach my 4 & 7 year olds. Thank you again!
Thank you for sharing this! I have a toddler and a brand new baby. I have been trying to figure out activities for her that will be both fun and educational while I need a rest or while I tend to baby! This is great!
Lindsey, you are a lifesaver! My husband’s job has temorarily relocated us to China for a couple months. We’re living in a hotel so I packed very few toys for my 18 month old. I was going to send out an email to my other mom friends asking them for entertainment ideas. We have this great patio as part of our room that she loves to play on. But I don’t really have anything for her to play WITH out there.
I’m going to adapt some of these to a younger audience & use them for my bug! Thanks again!
Abby
What a wonderful resource! Thank you for sharing!
Yay! I love posts like this. Love all your posts, really. Im always looking for simple, fun, educational activities to do with my toddler. I let her watch waaay too much Sesame Street during the last two weeks of my pregnancy and first two weeks of my baby’s life…now I’m rested up and its time to get serious about fun and learning and togetherness again. Thanks for blogging, I read it every day.
I love how you put all this together in a basket! The hardest part sometimes is getting stuff together for the preschool activity. Thanks for the great ideas!
Thanks for the fun ideas!
Such a great idea! Thanks for sharing! On a side note – your kids are getting so big!! When did that happen?
Thank you! These activities will be great for my 3-year old (and maybe my 1-year old would like them as well!)
So fun! Thanks Lindsay!!
I love the top picture of Karis! Reminds me of my daughter with the disheveled hair….and I’m pretty sure it looks like she’s sneaking an M&M in her mouth. So cute! Love the ideas too!