My favorite Toddler/Preschooler Posts on this blog
Toddler/Preschooler materials
Most of these came from discount places like Marshalls, TJMaxx, Tuesday Morning, or Walmart. I do not like paying full price for anything. You may even get lucky and find some things at garage sales.
shell assortment
polished river stones
bead stringing (beads came from Montessori Services)
buttons (great for sorting by color, size or shape or for counting)
Mancala for Kids (okay, we don’t play the game at this point, the kids just play with and sort the colored animals)
3-D Textured feel and find (we use our own hand embroidered bag I got from a garage sale).
Three bear puzzle
Bear sorting (The bear sorting activity was purchased at Walmart around September. We also use the buckets to sort colored pom-poms, buttons,lego bricks, and monopoly hotels)
Sorting erasers (these erasers came from Target in their $1 bin, I bought about 3 packs).
Lacing cards
Animal/habitat matching game (another find from Walmart, they also have opposites, and they are wooden)
Geometric Counting Cylinders
Pattern Blocks
My 3 year old did this one
Other things we’ve done:
1. Putting things into other things – like poker chips into a coffee can with a slit cut into a lid. Do this with supervision.
2. Count things.
3. Play with blocks: regular blocks, chunky legos, lincoln logs.
4. Get outside and look for bugs, dig in the dirt. Collect pinecones, acorns, leaves.
7. Sensory/texture play – Supervised: play with sand, water, beans/rice and toys, fingerpaints, white shaving cream and food coloring on a tray (or pudding so they can eat it). Draw shapes and letters into the shaving cream or pudding. Make swatches of different textured fabrics.
8. Sort things:
by shape, color, size, blocks vs. vehicles, etc.
9. Visit all the parks around your area. The newer parks have great large motor skill equipment.
10. Listen to kids cds in the car.
11. Play with your child – play dress-up, pirates, superheros, restaurant, store etc.
12. Play games outside like red-light green light or bean bag toss, Simon says.
13. Do felt board stories and fingerplay or stories with puppets.
14. Work on throwing and catching things – balls or bean bags.
101 Things to do with Your Toddler
101 Activities to do with Your Toddler
Chasing Cheerios has some Toddler Activity Bag ideas which are great ideas to take anywhere.
Hi,
I’m interested in the animal/habitat matching puzzle. Which brand is it? Would you happen to remember what’s called? Thanks.
Mamamiow – I don’t remember what “brand” it was. It came in a medium sized green flat box. I think they would be considered like a “generic” brand (I seem to recall the word “connections” in the title, but can’t be sure). But I have looked high and low for a animal/habitat matching game in stores and online for printable ones and I never found one. When I found it at Walmart, I picked it up. I’m not fond of the fact that it’s made in china, but it’s one of the more popular educational toys we have. My now 4 year old still chooses it to play with.
Thank you for the respond. The same story here, I have looked high and low for something like this as a tool to teach my kid about animals and their home. I was so excited when I saw your post. I googled every possible word combinations I could think of. I included the word “connections” as well after I got your reply. Sadly, nothing came up. If you happened to see it again, would you mind grab one for me. We can arrange the payment to your convenience. It’s one in a millions kind of puzzle.
I was actually going to suggest I do something like that. I will go to Walmart sometime this week and see if I can’t find it again. It wasn’t very expensive ($6 maybe).
I will post back if I can find it, or at least the name of the brand again.
That’s very kind of you. You can grab two if you see it again. I know a person who would be happy to have it for her kid.
Mamamiow – I did check our Walmart and they don’t have it any more (or any toys with the brand I’m thinking of). I don’t know if they will bring it back around the Christmas holiday or not, but maybe they will.