The Everything Toddler Activities Book
Page 21
Overnight, remove the corn and replace it with the feathers and candy corn. If you want, you can add a little note/poem from the Turkey: “You tried to catch me, but I can’t be beat. So I left some candy for you to eat!”
Thanksgiving Tablecloth
Your toddler will feel that she is truly contributing to the holiday when she helps make this festive tablecloth.
Activity for an individual child or a group
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
1 large light-colored flat sheet (white or yellow works best)
Black fabric marker
Fabric paints
Spread the sheet somewhere with plenty of room for your child to work.
Have your child place her hand on the sheet palm down, with her fingers spread wide. Trace around her hand with the fabric marker. Repeat to create as many turkeys as she wishes. Perhaps the rest of the family will add their turkeys as well.
Allow her to use the fabric paint to embellish the turkeys and to add any other decoration that she wishes.
Chanukah
Chanukah is a Jewish holiday steeped in traditions. Don’t forget to share some of your favorite ways to celebrate with your young child. This holiday lasts for eight days. Here are a few favorite activities to get you started with the celebration.
Handprint Menorah
This activity is a great way to reinforce Jewish holiday traditions as
well as introduce your child to counting concepts.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Blue tempera paint
Yellow tempera paint
2 pie tins
1 sheet construction paper
Pour the paint into separate pie tins. Have your child dip his hands in the blue paint and then press them flat onto the paper. His thumbs should overlap while his fingers should be spread apart.
Show him how the print resembles a menorah, with the thumb prints representing the Shamash. Count the eight candles with him.
Wash your child’s hands. Then have him dip one finger into the yellow paint. Help him press his finger over each candle to make a flame.
Wooden Star of David
Your child will be learning about shapes and geometry while he makes this well-known symbol.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
6 craft sticks
White craft glue
Blue and white tempera paints
2 shallow pie tins
Paintbrushes
Show your child how to arrange three craft sticks to form a triangle. Have your child glue these sticks together. Repeat for a second triangle.
Once dry, show your child how to place one triangle upside down over the other triangle to create the Star of David. Glue the triangles in place.
Let the star dry. Pour paint into pie tins and let your child decorate the star.
I Am a Dreidel
Your toddler will enjoy spinning his body like a dreidel.
The song can be sung to the traditional dreidel tune or to “Row Row Row Your Boat.”
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 5 minutes
Teach your child the following song and then have him spin around while he sings it:
Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
I’m spinning all around.
Going slow and going fast
Until I’m on the ground.
Tube Menorah
With this menorah, you can add all of the flames at once or have your child
add a flame on each night of the holiday.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
Scissors
8 toilet paper tubes
1 paper towel tube
1 piece of cardboard 8 x 11
White craft glue
Holiday gift wrap scraps
Yellow or orange tissue paper
Cut 4 (¼-long) slits on one end of each tube. Fold these tabs back. Arrange the tubes on the cardboard—the tall tube in the center and four smaller tubes on each side. Glue in place.
Have your child glue the wrapping paper on the tubes for decoration. Encourage him to make the tall one (Shamash) stand out from the others.
Show your child how to crinkle a square of the tissue paper and stuff it into the top of a tube to represent a candle flame. Start with the center candle and do the same for all of the others.
Christmas
Even your young toddler will be aware of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. It is hard to shelter her from the music, the commercials, the movies, the decorations, and everything else. She does not have to be a passive bystander, though. These activities will encourage her to contribute festive decorations for your home.
Hanging Lids
This is a simple way to create attractive ornaments.
You may also use plastic lids, although it is harder to punch a hole in them.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Hole punch
Lids from frozen juice cans
Pieces of yarn
Glitter, sequins, stickers, tinsel
White craft glue
Punch a hole ½ in from the edge of each lid. String and loop a piece of yarn so that your child can hang her ornament.
Have your child decorate both sides of the lids with the glitter and craft materials.
Handprint Wreath
This is a personalized holiday decoration. You may wish to do one with each member of your family.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 25 minutes
Scissors
Paper plate
Green and red construction paper
Pencil
White craft glue
Cut the flat center out of the paper plate so that only the rim remains.
Have your child spread her fingers and lay her hand flat on the green construction paper. Trace around your child’s hand with the pencil to create a hand template.
Cut out a dozen hands from the template.
Cut out three red circles, about the size of a grape.
Help your child arrange the hands around the plate. You want the hands to overlap and the fingers to reach outward.
Help your child glue the hands to the plate. Let her glue on the red “berries” for a finishing touch.
Lacy Balls
You will be surprised at the elegant and delicate appearance of these ornaments.
Remember that balloon pieces can be a choking hazard for young children;
only an adult should pop the balloon and discard the pieces.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 1 hour
Plastic bowl
1⁄3 cup white craft glue
2⁄3 cup liquid laundry starch
Lengths of yarn 1–7 long
Small inflated balloon
In the bowl, mix the white craft glue with the liquid laundry starch.
Show your toddler how to dip yarn into this mixture and drape around the blown-up balloon.
Have her repeat with additional yarn strands until a desired pattern or design is created. She should leave some gaps and not cover the balloon completely.
Once the yarn is dry, pop and remove the balloon.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a relatively new holiday. Take this opportunity to share with your young child the heritage and history of African Americans.
Kwanzaa Placemat (Mkeka)
This is a personalized holid
ay decoration. You may wish to do one with each member of your family.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
Black, green, and red construction paper
Scissors
Masking tape
Fold a piece of black construction paper in half crosswise.
Cut slits from the folded center to about 1” away from the edge. Space the slits 1 apart. Unfold the paper.
Cut out red and green strips just a little thinner than 1and as long as the black paper.
Help your child weave the strips through the black paper. Alternate the red and green strips and be sure to push each one snug against the previous one. Don’t worry if the pattern is not perfect.
Secure any loose ends with the tape.
Kwanzaa Colors
Here is a simple way to introduce your child to the traditional colors of Kwanzaa.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 18–30 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
White craft glue
Water
Paper cup
Paintbrush
Green and red tissue paper
Black construction paper
Mix the glue with a small amount of water in a paper cup. The glue should be thin enough to paint on the paper with a brush.
Let your toddler tear the tissue paper into shreds.
Have him lay out the tissue paper on the black construction paper.
Help him paint over the tissue paper with the glue solution. Be careful he does not saturate the paper so much that it is soaked through.
CHAPTER 18
Party Time
A birthday party can be a special and memorable occasion for your child. However, it can also become a time of stress, overexcitement, and chaos. The best way to plan for a successful children’s party is to lower your expectations. Toddlers are easily impressed, so you don’t need to hire the most popular performer around and a cast of thousands to entertain your guests. Your best bet is to keep things very simple. Invite only a few of your child’s playmates, and keep the party short and uncomplicated. Refreshments, gift opening, and two or three simple activities is plenty.
Theme Parties
You don’t need to have a fancy theme to have a successful birthday party for your child. But there are advantages to a theme party. It may be easier for you to decorate and plan for a party that revolves around a theme. You can adapt just about any menu or activity to fit your theme. For example, the game Pin the Tail on the Donkey can fit into any of the themes below if you simply change it to Pin the Ears on the Teddy Bear, Pin the Nose on the Clown, or Pin the Tiara on the Princess!
Teddy Bear’s Picnic Theme Party
This is a great theme idea for an outdoor party.
Activity for a group
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 1 hour
Encourage children to bring their own teddy bears to join in the festivities. Be sure to have a few extra on hand for those who attend the party solo.
Weather permitting, serve refreshments outside on a picnic blanket. One themed menu idea is Teddy Grahams.
Put on some music and have guests dance with their teddy bears. They can also form a circle by holding hands with each other and the bears to play Ring Around the Rosy.
You can also create simple party hats for your guests. Create a headband from folded brown construction paper. Cut out brown bear ears for the children to glue on.
Princess Theme Party
Make your birthday girl feel special and make her princess for a day.
Activity for a group
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 1 hour
Let your guests get into character by making some props, such as crowns and magic wands. Be creative!
Be sure to have some old dresses and fancy accessories for the party guests to play dress up.
Before your guests sit down at the table for refreshments, have them decorate folding chairs to create their own thrones. Provide each child with an old pillow case. Cut off half of the length. Let the children decorate the pillow case with fabric paints. When they are dry, simply slip the covers on the backs of the chairs to create thrones.
Circus Theme Party
There are many fun ways to celebrate a circus theme. If you are considering inviting an entertainer for the party, keep in mind that many toddlers are fearful of clowns.
Activity for a group
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 1 hour
Let the children put on their own circus. Set out three hula hoops for the rings. Invite each child to take a turn stepping inside the ring to dance or perform.
Stretch a thick rope on the ground and challenge the guests to walk along it as if they were in a high-wire act.
No circus is complete without face painting. You will find a recipe in Appendix A.
Birthday Parties for Two-Year-Olds
Your child’s second birthday will not hold much meaning for him. Recognize that children this age often have difficulty playing together. Have different options on hand that will let your young guests play on their own if they are not ready to join the group.
Follow the Path
You will need a fairly large space for this activity. Be sure that children are supervised so that they do not pick up the rope and tangle it around a playmate or themselves.
Activity for a group
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Use a thick rope or cord to create a path for the children to follow. The more twists and turns you can make, the better. You can tape or weigh down sections of the rope to make them stay put.
Set up a surprise at the end of the path, such as a basket of party favors or the birthday cake.
Clap Your Hands
This is an easy music and movement activity to teach young children.
Use it when you sense your guests are getting restless.
Activity for a group
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Teach the children the following song and movements:
Clap, clap, clap your hands,
Clap your hands together.
Clap, clap, clap your hands,
Clap your hands together.
Refrain: (hold one arm over your head and spin in a circle)
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
Other verses: Stomp, stomp, stomp your feet; Shake, shake, shake your leg; Bend, bend, bend your knee; Nod, nod, nod your head.
Birthday Blocks
Not all birthday games need to be group activities.
Two-year-olds often do best when simply playing side by side. Here is a fun play activity to have available.
Activity for an individual child or A group
Age group: 18–40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Scissors
Tape
Gift wrap
Wooden building blocks
Clear contact paper
Use scissors and tape to wrap each building block like a miniature gift. Cover it in contact paper to keep the wrapping paper intact. Give the blocks to the children to build with.
Birthday Parties for Three-Year-Olds
For your child’s third birthday, you can plan more involved activities. Children of this age have a longer attention span and are better able to follow directions.
Flour Bombs
This is strictly an outdoor activity and makes a fun alternative to water balloons. You may wish to set up a target or just let the children bomb the trees, pavement, and walls.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of acti
vity: 15 minutes
Paper napkins
Flour
Masking tape
For each flour bomb, fill ½ of a paper napkin with flour. Bring up the ends of the napkin and twist. Secure the bomb with a little bit of masking tape.
Party Hats
Skip the store-bought party hats this year. Your guests will enjoy making their own.
Activity for an individual child
Age group: 30–40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
Construction paper
Stickers
Ribbons and bows
Confetti
White craft glue
Stapler
Let each child choose a sheet of colored construction paper. Have them decorate one side with stickers, ribbons, bows, and confetti.
When the paper is dry, you can fit the hat for each child. Roll each piece of paper into a cone so that the opening fits on the child’s head. Staple the cone closed along the seam.
Group Craft Projects
A group craft project can be a fun way to involve all of the party guests, young and old alike. These activities focus more on the process than on the finished project.