Building Sticks and Printable Idea Book

These velcro building sticks are a fun addition to any playroom or busy bag! 

Use any craft sticks and velcro pieces to create your own set. 

Make shapes, letters, or stick the matching colored sticks together. 

This free, printable Velcro Sticks Idea Book from Living Life Intentionally is full of colorful photos of shapes and designs for your child to make with these sticks! 

DIY Dora File Folder Games

                                                                                                                                                        
LM loves Dora the Explorer, especially the character Swiper.  So when I came across a $1 pack of Dora stickers, I knew I had to "swipe" them so that my little guy could have some learning fun. 

FRONT

For my learning center, I used a file folder.  I decorated the front just for fun and motivation and created 5 learning activities.

INSIDE

The inside contains 3 learning activities.

1.Patterns (1st activity)

2. Counting (use game pieces stored in the back of center)

3. A Counting Board Game- you will need one character each and a die. Roll the die to help Dora. Whoever gets to the finish first wins! 

BACK

On the back, I put this little pocket to hold the game pieces for the different activities.  I made the matching game by placing the stickers on a sheet of construction paper, cutting out the stickers, and then laminating them. These are to be used inside for the counting activity, for the matching games, and for a rice hunt.

Matching Ideas
1. Put all of the pieces in a pile facing upward.  Take turns picking one and finding it's match.
2. For older children, put the characters facing down and play the traditional matching game.
3. For younger children, place 5 characters on a tray and mix up the 5 matches.  Have them find the match and place it next to the ones on the tray.

Rice Play
1.Hide all of the Dora characters in the rice.  How many Swipers can you find?  Find the swipers and count.  Next, Where are all of the Doras?  Count.  Do this with all of the characters.
2. Another variation- hide one set of the characters in the rice.  Place the others on a tray.  Have your child find a character and then match it with the one on the tray.

If your child doesn't like Dora the Explorer, keep in mind that you can make something similar with your child's favorite characters!

One pack of stickers, many possibilities!

Written by Jen

Announcement - Expanding the Store!

We are so excited to announce that we are expanding our store from Etsy to our own website! 

www.timefortotslearningkits.com 

To celebrate we are offering an AMAZING deal this week only!

Buy ANY Time for Tots Learning Kit (from our new site) and get the Summer Themed Kit FREE! 

Toilet Paper Tube Crafts - K is for Kite

K is for Kite

Color or paint the tube.
Draw the outline of the kite and have your child design their kite.
Cut the sides of the kite so it pops out from the tube.
Write the letters Kk.

Check out the other Alphabet Tube Crafts! 

Learning with Your One Year Old

G is 12 months old and we've just started doing some learning activities together.

Here are two of our favorite activities that are great for a 12 month old!

Jar and Buttons

I picked up some giant buttons at our local teacher supply store (here are some) and gave G a handful of buttons and a wide-mouthed jar.

I let him explore the buttons (and yes, he put one straight in his mouth but I'm always supervising these types of things and they are way too big to go in his mouth completely).

On his own, he started dropping them in, getting excited with each satisfying clink the buttons made on the glass.

As he played, I narrated by naming the colors or shapes.  I know he wasn't totally paying attention to me, but I try and always provide a language-rich environment.

He would hand me buttons, which provided a great opportunity for practicing our signs for "thank you!" and "more," as well! 

Pompoms and Muffin Tray

For this one, I gave him a small bowl of sparkly pompoms and a silicone muffin tray.

For quite a while, he just enjoyed touching the pompoms, turning them over in his hands, and shouting, "Ball!"

And since little ones this age are still learning through taste, he did pop a couple in his mouth.  But, the sparkly poms did not appeal to him and he'd immediately spit them out.  Again, just supervise!

He had fun tossing them, as well as handing them to me.

And then, I showed him how to put them in the tray.

He put a few in the tray until he decided that it was more fun to chew on the tray.  

Which is, of course, just fine, too.  :)

If your one year old seems ready for some learning fun, then go for it!

Written by Jill

Catch a Bug

A simple and fun Science activity for Summer is to catch a bug. 

Catch an interesting bug and observe it for the day. 

Draw a picture of it. 

Write a story about it. 

Find out more about it online.

Or just talk about it. 

Then observe it when you release it. 

Does it fly away? 

Run away? 

Stay in one spot? 

Busy Bags

One of the greatest activities I've ever set up for M (now 4.5) is our collection of busy bags. We take these bags everywhere.  Seriously, they come to restaurants, doctor appointments, on vacations, and even during quiet time in M's room (our substitution for nap time).

I started out by picking up about a dozen zippered pencil pouches from Wal-Mart (I think they're $0.97 each). Then, I filled them with all sorts of fun, themed activities.

Busy Bag Ideas: 
(almost all supplies were from Dollar Tree, Target, or just from around our own house):

-Play Store: calculator, price stickers, pencil and notebook

-Little Artist: markers, crayons, paper

-Miss Sticky: tons and tons of stickers, small notebook

-Open and close: a bunch of bottles, pouches, and tubes to open and close (with a handful of coins included to hide in objects)

-Finger puppets (check out Ikea for a great selection and awesome prices!)

-Cut it Up: scissors and things to cut (straws, small tub of play dough, ribbon, paper strips)

-Fix-it Kit (M's favorite): eye glass repair kit and small sewing kit (both from Dollar Tree)

Written by Jill

Toilet Paper Tube Crafts - J is for Jelly Jar

J is for Jar of Jelly

Color or paint the tube purple or red. 

Color or paint a "lid" at the top of the tube. 

Make a Jelly label on the jar and write Jj. 

Check out the other Toilet Paper Roll Alphabet Crafts! 

Learn and Play with Water Balloons

All children love water balloons! At least my children are itching to get their hands on them once the weather starts getting warmer.  There are many ways to take a fun summer pastime and turn it into a learning opportunity for our kids.

Color Sorting - I had a green, a blue, and a pink bucket on hand, so I chose these colors for LM to sort.  Total cost- $1 for water balloons.  If you need colored buckets, you can get them for a dollar each at your local dollar tree.  Another idea- use laminated construction paper.  You can sort more colors this way! 

Number Racing (all ages) - Mark balloons with the numbers 1-5 and place them in a bucket. (Repeat) Your children will race to see who can get all five balloons in the other bucket first.  They must place them one at a time in number order.  Supplies (10 water balloons, permanent marker, 4 buckets)
Adaptation for toddlers- change from a race to a fun activity- help your child to identify numbers from 1 to 5 and place in the bucket. 
Tip: make sure the marker dries before playing. Otherwise it will wipe off onto your child's hands.

Relay Racing (all ages) - My kids balanced a water balloon on a cup and raced from one end of the yard to the other.  Great for gross motor development and balance.  Also wonderful for family team building!

Math Target (all ages) - Practice addition skills with this summer fun game.  Draw a target with chalk on a fence or sidewalk.  Give each section a value. Each player gets 3 balloons.  Add the total of 3 tosses.  The winner has the highest score!  I was concerned that the chalk would wash off with the first toss, but it actually stayed on the fence.

Hot Potato (all ages):  Pass a water balloon around the circle while singing a song- ABC's, Twinkle, Twinkle etc.  The object of the game is to not have the balloon once the song is finished. 

Spell Your Name - Put the letters of your children's names on the balloons.  Mix them up in a bucket.  Have your child pick out a balloon.  Is it a letter in their name?  If so,they can keep the balloon.  If not, put back in the bucket.  Take turns until each child spells their own name. 

Adaptation:  for older children.  Mix up their full name in a bucket.  Have them race to spell out their name.  Whoever finishes first wins!

Parachute Toss (all  ages) - Using a tarp, put water balloons in the center.  Have fun shaking the tarp. How high can you toss the balloons in the sky? 

Adaptation: For older children and large groups... Have two tarps and play keep it up.  Put one or two balloons in the center and toss back and forth from tarp to tarp.

$1 bag of balloons,

Supplies around the house,

Add Water....

Summer Learning Fun!

Written by Jen

Activities on a Budget

Time for another Dollar Store Challenge!

If you live near a dollar store (or any place with a dollar spot, like Target or Michaels or Joanns), try this out.  Give yourself a budget (um, $5 is plenty!) and see what learning activities can be created from your shopping spree.

BBQ Tongs

Last time I was at the dollar store (I frequent The Dollar Tree most often), I picked up this divided tray in the serving ware section.  This time, I picked up a pair of BBQ tongs.  They are gigantic and fun and M loved transferring pompoms into the sections of the tray.

Peg Game

Have you ever seen these wooden games?  They're a buck and they are great for fine motor development!  This particular one has tees but I amp up the learning by adding in a bowl of marbles.  M has to push the tee through the hole and then balance the marble on top of the tee.  It's challenging, tricky work that requires a lot of concentration!

Pill Boxes

Pick one of these up next time you're out and toss it in your purse or diaper bag.  I promise you this: Your tot will be amazed by his ability to open and close all the tiny doors!  We add in a handful of tiny shells or buttons or snacks and M can sort, hide, and play while we wait for appointments or reservations.

Salt Shaker 

You might not even need to go to a dollar store, because this one might be right in your kitchen!  Go grab an empty salt shaker (I stuffed some tissue paper in the bottom of mine) and shove a couple pipe cleaners through the holes (or, have your tot do that!).  Place a bowl of pony beads with it and see if your tot can carefully string the beads onto the pipe cleaners!

So there you have it!  For $5 (including tax!), we created four new games that make learning fun!

Written by Jill 

Alphabet Find and Match

I hid a few letter magnets in this colored rice for N (28 Months) to find. I used four letters that are in her name. I wrote the letters on a piece of paper and put it next to the bowl. 

When she found a letter she'd say the name of the letter and match it to the letter on the paper. 

Then she stamped the letter with a dot painter. She did this activity a couple of times and had a lot of fun with it. 

And then she decided to have fun scooping and pouring the rice. 

Other Ideas: 

When you find the letter say the sound it makes. 

Hide uppercase and lowercase letters in the rice to find and match. 

Hide different colored objects and match them to the same colored paper. 

Vote for my So Good, So Sweet Moment!

Vote for my So Good, So Sweet Moment (my two little ones reading together). Precious! 

There are so many touching stories to check out and read.

10 Ways to Make Summer Reading Fun

Summer is just around the corner!  Keep your kids reading with these motivating and fun suggestions.

1. Family Book Club: Take turns choosing a book weekly that everyone will read. Have each member keep a reading journal. Discuss and share ideas at the end of the week.  Older children may enjoy planning a craft to go with the story!

2.  Summer Book Bin: Have books readily available in a decorated book bin or cardboard box.  Also, having books in the car has helped motivate my children to read while we are on the go! 

3.  Book Marks: Spend some time as a family creating book marks.  Use stickers, glitter, and other craft materials. 

4.  Library Reading Programs:  Sign your child up for summer reading programs at your local library.  Visit the library often for activities and for picking out new books. Often babies and toddlers can participate as well.  Look for book stores and other companies that  offer incentives for kids during the summer. I keep all of this info. posted on a summer bulletin board. (See below)

5. Themed Reading Activities:  Choose a theme to study over the summer.  Choose fiction and non-fiction literature based on this topic.  One summer we enjoyed learning about dogs and reading dog stories. PBS parents provided the book lists and activities based on Martha Speaks. 
An Ocean/Beach theme would be fun!

6.  Read a Variety of Genres: Post a Genre Wheel for each child to encourage reading different types of literature.  (a pizza graphic would be fun.  Write in each slice.  Celebrate when filled with a pizza party!)

7.  Family Reading Buddies: Partner read and enjoy spending time with one family member.  Rotate reading buddies though out the summer. 

8.  Independent Reading Time:  Set apart some time each evening for independent family reading. It's great for kids to see Mom and Dad reading!  Turn the TV and electronics off and all should participate even if it's just for 15 minutes.  Have books, magazines, and comics available.  My kids love National Geographic Kids! 

9.  Reading Picnic:  Have a reading picnic!  Pack a basket and a blanket and don't forget the book!

10. Rent Movies: Rent movies based on books your child has read.  Pop some popcorn and compare the book to the movie.  My kids enjoy Charlotte's Web, Stellaluna, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Ramona and Beezus. My little guy enjoys watching animated storybooks on Youtube- such as Goodnight Gorilla. He also loves The Cat in the Hat live theater. (found on Netflix)

Enjoy reading with your family this summer!

Written by Jen

Toddler Activities Using Containers

On the shelf, off the shelf, on the shelf.... Then I decided- I would purchase these mini storage containers. (10 for $1) Just because I didn't have anything in mind at the moment, didn't mean I wouldn't have a good, practical use for them.  I brought them home and then explored the possibilities.

 Our shape for the week is a square, so I chose this shape for us to count.

How many orange squares are in the container? How many blue squares?

LM would take them out and count them and then put them back in the container.

LM loves doing anything we these gems, so he loved this!

These little foam frogs fit perfectly in the small containers.

LM (age 28 mths) played with the containers for quite some time. 

Fill each container with the amount of beans written on the lid.  Have your child choose two of the bins and create a math problem.  Solve by counting the beans in each bin.

Container Activities: 

Counting

Putting the lids on and off (fine motor skills)

Stacking with the lids on 

Stacking with the lids off- putting each container inside the next one

Finding objects around the house to hide in the containers

Building

Addition or Subtraction

Sorting 

Color Matching