Welcome!

Here are some great games to play with your toddler.
Have fun as you try to burn off all that toddler energy!


Memory/Matchting
Bag-o-Fun
Scavenger Hunt
Indoor Olympics
Post Office
Dried Beans

Rice Play
Exlporation Sand Box
Puppets
Colorforms
Drawing Guessing Game
Water Play
Flower Arranging
Doorway Puppet Show
Matching Game 2
toybar
Memory/Matching

It is very simple. You get little cards that are all the same size, 6-8 to start, you can make more later. Then you draw or paste pictures that are the same on two of them, so that each one has a match. For our Halloween lesson we did jack-o-lanterns and had to match faces. You can play many different ways. Flip them over and play like your basic memory game, or, for your younger players just lay one half on the table or floor and hold the other half. Then hold up a card and have the child find the match. Or you can hold up two and ask "Are these the same or different?" This game can be adapted to any season.
~elemessa
Make a few sets of matching picture cards. Use clear pictures of things that are familiar to your toddler, such as two pictures of the same dog or two of the same cup. Put one card from each pair where the child can see them. Then help the child find the matching pictures and put them on top of their mates.
~parentsoup.com(elkayem)

toybar
Bag-o-Fun

Write different activities on slips of paper and put them into a bag (have a tea party, scavernger hunt, dance, play dolls, read a book, etc.).  Have your child pick from the bag to see what to do next.
~parentsoup.com(elkayem)

toybar
Scavenger Hunt

I write a list of about 30 items for them to find -- something round, something red, something that makes noise, something that bends, etc.
~parentsoup.com(elkayem)

toybar
Indoor Olympics

You can also have the Indoor Olympics, with events such as the cotton ball throw, the broad jump, the marshmallow-on-a-spoon race, etc. You can premake medals if you like. It's best to make medals for each child. This way, they won't compete against each other, but try to go farther, or better, each time, so they are only competing against themselves.
~parentsoup(elkayem)

toybar
Post Office

I made a mail box with a cardboard box. We use index cards for the mail. We use rubber stamps & ink pads to make our postage stamps.   The kids each have their own baskets to use for incoming mail. They love to play this game and even sing a song from the TV show "Blues Clues". They are so funny, I always end up laughing so hard with them.
~jenbug2522

toybar
Dried Beans

Sometimes I will put dried beans (pinto, red, green) into a large tub & I let the kids play with them. They like to scoop them up, pour them out, line them up, etc. This keeps them busy from 1/2 an hour to an hour
~jenbug2522

toybar
Rice Play

Fill a dishpan with about 4 inches of clean, dry rice. Put a few plastic cups, bowls, spoons, and small toys in the rice. Talk to your toddler about how the rice feels. Suggest your child bury the toys in the rice.
~parentsoup.com(elkayem)

toybar
Exlportation Sand Box

  Supplies needed:
   - Magnifying glass
   - Large shoebox (filled with sand)
   - Small shells
   - Small rocks (with fossil imprints, if possible)
   Directions:
   Hide a variety of rocks and small shells in the sand-filled shoebox. Children love digging their hands into the sandbox to look for shells or rocks that are hidden and it is fun for them to see how many different   items they can unearth. Help them explore the different textures using a magnifying glass. For variety, make sure that you hide lots of different rocks and shells in the sandbox, particularly for new explorations. If you are worried about the mess, take the box outdoors!
~tipomatic.com(elkayem)
We do this also with dry beans make sure to clean them all up so no one gets them put up their nose.
~mampixie
Place a large sheet under the box of rice and when the kids are done, take up the corners and dump the "spills" back into the box, and vaccuum up the minimal amount that gets on the floor. You could use a large "under-the-bed" storage container. Then you don't have to think of a place to store it!
~onionwidow

toybar
Puppets

Puppets tell a story. Use a hand puppet to tell a short story to your child. If possible, us a puppet that is part of the story. You can use a puppet to say rhymes, sing songs, and even give your child instructions.
~parentsoup.com(elkayem)

toybar
Colorforms

Colorforms are great story makers. I use to love them as a kid and broke out strawberyy shortcake and raggety ann and andy for my little girl. We write the stories we make in a composition book and sometimes will add more later. I notice too now they have those sticker books with reusable stickers. I am sure they work well too.
~mamapixie

toybar
Drawing Guessing Game

Draw an object on a piece of paper with a white candle. The get your toddler to paint it (with quite thin paint) and see if they can guess what it is.
~fiona_m_99

toybar
Magic Drawing

You'll need two pieces of white paper the same size, some colored chalks, one wax crayon, some tape and a pencil. Lay paper out with widest side at bottom
1st piece of paper- color the page in thick (about 3cm) vertical strips of different colored chalk (i.e one color for each strip) Try to make sure there are no white spaces.
2nd piece of paper- Color one side only with a single color of crayon. Make sure you get complete coverage.
Then place the two pieces together with the colored sides facing each other. Line up carefully and secure each side with a bit of sticky tape. You should then have two clear sides of paper.
Place it onto the table with the paper that was crayoned pointing upwards. With an ordinary pencil (it helps if its slightly blunt) draw a picture, just the outline and press firmly. Keep the drawing very simple,  say a fish or cat.
Once done, carefully separate the picture. The drawing should have transferred onto the chalk side and leave a negative on the crayoned side.
~fiona_m_99

toybar
Water Play

We all know how much children generally love to play in the bathtub. Your child can have a similar experience with a simple dishpan, some small plastic toys, water, and a little food coloring. Try this with your child. You can pretend the toys are swimming at the beach, etc.
~parentsoup.com(elkayem)
As with all water safety, please never leave your children alone with water!
~elkayem

toybar
Flower Arranging

I went out and purchased plastic/fake flowers. When I bring them out I also give them each a plastic pitcher (to use as a vase). This activity usually keeps their attention for about an hour before interest is lost.
~jenbug2522

toybar
Doorway Puppet Show

You can encourage imaginative play by creating a puppet curtain that can be used in a convenient doorway. All you need is a tension-mounted curtain rod and a bright colored square of fabric that will fit half the doorway height from the floor. Either hem the bottom or cut it with pinking sheers, and then hem the top of the curtain to thread onto the rod. (An old cloth shower curtain cut in half to fit the doorway is ideal.) Have your child kneel down in back of the curtain after you hang it and cut an opening just the right size for a puppet stage opening. You can bind the opening with bias tape and let your child cut out felt decorations and small curtains and glue them on to finish the look.
-emazing.com (elkayem)

toybar
Matching Game 2

We save the lids from frozen juice containers and make a matching game out of them. We buy stickers that come in twos and put them on. Then turn the lids over and have fun!!
~undonestitches

toybar
Matching Game 2

Use some stiff wire and some  beads. Just bend the ends down so the beads won't fall off. This is good for learning patterns and coordination.
This last week we made a felt board to take to Church and it worked great. I hardly heard a peep out of him the whole time. We made a castle, a little hero guy, a spider, some trees, a moon, a sun and more fun little things. You can take ideas from their favorite books, video games etc and create you own playset. We are only using this on Sundays though so he won't get to tired of it and maybe I will add some more stuff for when he does.
~elemessa

Home
Baking
Crafts
Games
Outdoor
Seasonal/Holiday
Guestbook

Graphics by Shawna