Educational Activities for Toddlers
If you’re looking for educational activity ideas for your toddler, look no further. Here are some fun, device-free games that will engage your toddler and even prepare him or her for preschool or kindergarten.
Post-it number hunt game. Clearly write some numbers on post-its, and distribute them around the house or backyard. Ask your toddler to find them in order. Once he or she has mastered that, move on to random number recognition.
Balloon and dice game. In a clear and open space, roll a die. Whichever number is face up is the number of times your child has to keep a balloon up in the air and off the floor.
Color wheel hunt. Take a selection of different colored paper or card stock. If you’re out of colored paper, take white paper and color it in. Arrange the paper or card stock in a circle on the floor. Ask your toddler to go around the house to collect items matching that color, and then place the items on the corresponding colored paper.
Egg carton color sorting game. Recycle cardboard egg cartons by cutting out or breaking apart each section. Paint each one a different color and, after they’ve dried, ask your toddler to stack them by color.
Alphabet Bingo. Good old-fashioned Bingo never fails to please toddlers. Making the cards is an activity itself. For toddlers already familiar with the alphabet, challenge them by throwing in upper and lower case letters.
Post-it alphabet hunt game. This game is set up just like the post-it number hunt game above, except with letters. This game could also involve colors and upper and lower case letters.
Magazine shape hunt. Go on a shape discovery hunt with your child. Take a magazine and identify the shapes on a page. Too easy? Use a timer and ask your toddler to find five circles (or squares or triangles) before the timer goes off.
Saltbox discovery game. Draw shapes on a piece of paper and cut them out. Put the cut-out shapes in a container and cover them with salt so that the shapes are completely hidden. Ask your toddler to find the shapes by pushing the salt aside.
Engaging your child in fun, educational activities is easy, and requires only simple materials. Your child will be entertained and more prepared for school life without even knowing it!
