activities for toddlers

E is for Elephant

Dear Sis,

Elephant Cinnamon Biscuits

Elephant Cinnamon Biscuits
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1 pkg. refrigerated biscuits
  2. cinnamon sugar
  3. raisins
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven according to package instructions.
  2. Place half the biscuits on a baking sheet. Cut the other half into thirds. Press the outer thirds onto the whole biscuits to create elephant ears. Press the center thirds onto the lower center of the whole biscuits to create elephant trunks.
  3. Sprinkle each elephant biscuit generously with cinnamon sugar.
  4. Press two raisins into each elephant biscuit to create eyes.
  5. Bake according to package instructions.
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/

Our Daily Reading

Our fiction selection for the day is Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss. This is one of our favorite Dr. Seuss books. Aside from the obvious entertainment value, Horton reminds us that handwork and dedication are worth the time and effort!

Our non-fiction selection for the day is Baby Elephant Joins the Herd by Ben Richmond. This book follows an elephant from birth to maturity. The photography is framable! 

“E” is for Elephant Letter Craft

Parent Preparation

  • Print 2 copies E is for Elephant Letter Craft from Miss Maren’s Monkeys, on white card stock. You need 2 copies because the E and the ear templates overlap.
  • Cut out E, ear, tail, and trunk templates.
  • On gray or light blue craft paper, trace and cut out templates. 
  • Draw toe nails and tail hairs on with a black pen.
  • Provide a sheet of craft paper, glue stick, and large wiggly eye.

Student Assembly

  • Paste E on craft paper.
  • Paste ear, tail, and trunk in place.
  • Paste wiggly eye in place.
  • Write or ask your grown up to title, name, and date your work, for your homeschool portfolio.

Elephant Size Sorting

Print page 7 of Elephant Printable Packet by Mudpies & Make-up, on white card stock. Cut out and laminate for durability. We sort largest to smallest and smallest to largest:)

Feed the Elephant Counting Mat

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Match number cards with numbers on puzzle, so student can count to figure out forgotten number names.
  • Place a number on the counting mat and add that number of peanuts.
  • Check your work, by counting aloud with your grown up.

Love,

b

 

E is for Egg

Dear Sis,

Our Daily Reading

Our non-fiction selection is from the Cat in the Hat Learning Library collection: Who Hatches the Egg? by Tish Rabe. This book has great content, written in verse, and even follows a chick embryo through its stages of development.

Our fiction selection for today is Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. Sam-I-am might be a nuisance, but he reminds us we don’t know if we like something until we try it!

Green Eggs Shape Mat

Print Green Eggs Shape Matching Mat from AUThentic Creation’s Teachers Pay Teachers account, on white card stock. Place shape mat in a page protection, and cut out and laminate shapes, for durability.

Green Eggs & Ham Alphabet Cards

Print Green Eggs and Ham Letter Match Game by The Cozy Red Cottage, on white card stock. Cut out and laminate for durability.

These game is designed for kids who are learning to match upper case and lower case letters. William is not at that point yet. He is still learning his alphabet. We started our lesson, by singing through the alphabet song a few times together. Then we used the upper case cards as flash cards. I told him letter names and a few words that start with that letter and he repeated the information back to me while studying the card.

Green Eggs Counting Mat

Print Green Eggs Math Mats for Counting, Addition, and Subtraction from A to Z Teacher Stuff, on white card stock. Also print Number Cards by Tag Sis, You’re It! Draw a square in the upper corner of the counting mat for number placement. Place mat in a page protector. Cut out and laminate eggs and numbers.

Lunch: Green Eggs & Ham

Green Eggs & Ham
Yields 12
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 6 eggs, boiled and peeled
  2. 2 - 3 T mayonaise
  3. green food coloring
  4. 12 slices ham cold cuts
Instructions
  1. Slice eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks, place in a mixing bowl, and crush until smooth with the back of a fork.
  2. Stir in mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in food coloring.
  3. Place egg mixture in a pastry bag with a large star tip. Pipe into egg whites.
  4. Roll slices of ham and secure with toothpicks.
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/

Love,

b

E is for Eyes

Dear Sis,

Our Daily Reading

Today’s first non-fiction selection is My Eyes by Lloyd G. Douglas. This book is simplifies the sense of sight in to a quick and easy read.

Today’s second non-fiction selection is Tell Me Why I Need Glasses by Jennifer Colby. William is curious about glasses. I wear them all the time, but daddy only wears his for work and occasionally at home when  he has a lot of reading to do. This book explains why some people wear glasses from a child’s world view.

Alien Eye Counting Cards

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Match alien numbers cards with puzzle numbers, so young ones can count to figure out forgotten number names.
  • Place the correct number of eyes on each alien.
  • Check work by counting aloud with your grown up.

5 Senses Puppets

Parent Preparation

Student Assembly

  • Color puppets as desired.
  • Cut out or ask a grown up to help you cut out the puppets.
  • Paste a craft stick to the back of each puppet.

Science: How Sight Works

I found this worksheet as a jpg on Pinterest and I wasn’t able to trace it back to a linkable source. 

I Spy

This toddler version worked well for us, but any I Spy book will do the trick:)

Love,

b

D is for Dolphin

Dear Sis,

Our Daily Reading

Today’s first non-fiction selection is Dolphin Baby by Nicola Davies. This book is written like a story that follows baby dolphin from birth to adulthood. Additional information is placed to the side on each side, in case your little is extra interested:)

Today’s second non-fiction selection is Dolphin Talk: Whistles, Clicks, and Clapping Jaws by Wendy Pfeffer. This book takes great measures to relate to the young reader, by comparing dolphin communication to human communication. A very interesting read:)

“D” is for Dolphin Letter Craft

Parent Preparation

  • Print two copies of D is for Dolphin Coloring Page from Education.com.
  • Use one copy to cut a dolphin template and the other to cut a D template.
  • On white card stock, trace and cut out letter D.
  • On gray craft foam, trace and cut out dolphin. Use pen to create fin details.
  • Provide blue paint, brush, and paint apron, glue stick, and wiggly eye.

Student Assembly

  • Paint D blue. Set aside until dry.
  • Paste dolphin in place.
  • Paste wiggly eye in place.

We had a play date with William’s friend Carter today, so we included him in our letter craft and snack:)

Feed the Dolphin Counting Mat

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Choose a number card at random. Name the number. If the student doesn’t remember the number name, find the number on the puzzle and count together to find the number name.
  • Place that number of fish on the counting mat.
  • Count the fish aloud together to check work.

Ocean Bingo

This free Ocean Bingo Printable made by Little Miss Kim’s Class can be downloaded from her Teachers Pay Teachers page. We laminated ours for durability and used fish crackers as place markers.

Dolphin Snack

Dolphin Snack
Serves 1
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1 banana
  2. 1/3 c blueberries
  3. 6 graham cracker fish
Instructions
  1. Trim tip of banana stem, so it has a fresh smooth tip. Slice stem in half across the length to make the dolphin's mouth. About halfway down the banana, cut the banana, taking care to make the cut edge straight enough for the banana to stand. Draw an eye on each side of the banana with a black permanent marker.
  2. Place the banana is a small dish. Wash and place blueberries around banana to look like water.
  3. Place a fish cracker in the dolphins mouth and the rest over the blueberries, so they look like they are swimming in the water.
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/
Love,

b

D is for Dog

Dear Sis,

Our Daily Reading

Today’s fiction selection is Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman. This book is a great early reader that preschoolers love, with all the repetition, focus on opposites like up/down, day/night, colors, etc.

Today’s non-fiction selection is Pet Dogs Up Close by Erika L. Shores. This book was a compromise. I was looking for a non-fiction book that wasn’t all about breed/s or training. This is what I found, but please let me know if you find something better!!!

ABC Puppy Chow Activity

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Choose a letter at random out of the bowl. 
  • Name the letter, with adult help as needed.
  • Name a few words that begin with that letter, with adult help as needed.
  • Identify the letter on the worksheet and circle it.

Dog Shape Craft

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Color dog as desired.
  • Cut out or ask your grown up to cut out the shapes.
  • Identify all the shapes by name and group those that are the same. Use the puzzle as a reference as needed.
  • Paste the shapes to craft paper.
  • Paste wiggly eyes in place.
  • Write and as your grown up to name and date you work, for your homeschool portfolio.

Dog Number Puzzles

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Match dog house and puzzle numbers.
  • Count the number of dogs on each dog card and match it with the dog house with which it corresponds.
  • Count the dots on each bone and match it with the dog house and dog cards with which it corresponds. 

Lunch: Hot Dog Cars

Inspired by Go, Dog. Go!

Hot Dog Cars
Yields 1
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1 hot dog
  2. 1 hot dog bun
  3. 4 bread and butter pickles
  4. 2 grapes, halved
  5. 4 toothpicks
Instructions
  1. Cook hot dog according to package instructions and place inside bun.
  2. Use toothpicks to secure pickle and grape wheels to hot dog bun.
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/
Love,

b

D is for Dinosaur

Dear Sis,

Our Daily Reading

Today’s non-fiction selection is Dinosaurs! by Gail Gibbons wonderfully explains the study and history of dinosaurs as we know it. Many dinosaur books for kids overwhelm with multitudes of different dinosaur names. This one contains names too, but wisely emphasizes the six groupings of dinosaurs and their features as a group.

Today’s fiction selection is Curious George’s Dinosaur Discovery by Margret & H.A. Reys. During a visit to a dig site, George gets into trouble as expected, but also manages to be the hero by discovering dinosaur remains. 

“d” is for Dinosaur Letter Craft

Parent Preparation

  • Print d is for Dinosaur Letter Craft found on Preschool Crafts.us (original source unknown), on white card stock.
  • Cut out d, head, tail, and one foot.
  • On a sheet of craft foam, in the color of your choice, trace and cut out d, head, tail, and two feet. Add toe nails and smile details with a pen.
  • Provide a sheet of green craft paper, glue stick, and wiggly eye.

Student Assembly

  • Paste d onto craft paper.
  • Paste head, tail, and feet in place.
  • Paste wiggly eye in place.
  • Write or ask your grown up to title, name, and date your work, for your homeschool portfolio.

Science: Dino Dig

We used the Discovery Kids Dinosaur Excavation Kit, but any kit will do the trick. I’ve even seen D.I.Y versions on Pinterest.

Dinosaur Shape Matching Activity

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Review shape names using the shape puzzle.
  • Match the foot print shapes with the corresponding puzzle shapes, reviewing shape names as you work.
  • Match the dinosaur shapes with the corresponding puzzle and foot print shapes, reviewing shape names as you work.

Snack: Fossil Cookies

Print and gather ingredients for Jurassic Park Dinosaur Cookie recipe from Sugar & Soul.

Note that dough needs to chill 1-2 hours before shaping and baking. It may work best to make the dough the night before, or first thing after daily reading, so it will be ready to shape and bake as the final part of the lesson.

Love,

b

D is for Desert

Dear Sis,

Our Daily Reading

Today’s fiction selection is Way Out in the Desert by T.J. Marsh & Jennifer Ward. This book teaches about dessert animals in verse, while counting to ten. It is very catchy! William loved that there is an I-Spy element on each page, to find the number. In the back of the book, there is sheet music. The whole book is also a song. We plunked it out together on the piano and sang the first verse a few times:)

Today’s non-fiction selection is Desert Biome by Grace Hansen. This book provides great information in a density that won’t overwhelm small children.

“D” is for Desert Letter Craft

Parent Preparation

  • Print Letter D Template and Desert Template from Must Have Mom, on card stock.
  • Cut out D and cacti templates.
  • On blue craft paper, trace and cut out D.
  • On green craft foam, trace, cut out, and draw details of cacti.
  • On yellow craft foam, trace a circular object and cut out a sun.
  • Provide brown craft paper, glue stick, hot pink buttons or mini pom-poms to use as cacti flowers, and sand.

Student Assembly

  • Paste D to brown craft paper.
  • Apply a lot of glue to the bottom of the D. Working over the trash or outside, pour sand over paste and press. Shake off extra sand.
  • Paste cacti and cacti flowers in place.
  • Paste the sun in place.
  • Write or have your grown up label, name, and date your work, for your homeschool portfolio.

Cacti Shape Matching Activity

Parent Preparation

  • Print Cactus Shape Cards from Life over C’s, on card stock. Cut out and laminate for durability. This printable was designed as a memory game. We use it in a different way… read more below.

Our Process

  • First, identify shapes by name, using only the shape cards, assisting when the student can’t remember the answer.
  • Next, match shape cards with the corresponding cactus card. Reviewing shape names as you work.

Desert Animal Counting Cards

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Count the number of animals on the counting card.
  • Identify the written number that corresponds. If your student, is still learning to identify numbers, use that numeral puzzle to count to find what the number looks like, so the student can find it on the counting card.

Desert Animal Board Game

Parent Preparation

Game Play

This game is styled after Candyland. We reworked the directions to work forward, instead of forward and back, for quicker game play.

  • Starting with youngest player, begin turn by drawing the top card from draw pile. 
  • Move place marker forward to the nearest unoccupied animal space that coordinates with the drawn card. By “unoccupied” we mean, if another player is on the nearest forward space, skip to the next forward space with that animal.
  • If a player lands on an arrow space, slide to the suggested position.
  • The player to get exactly to the final fox space first wins.

Love,

b

D is for Duck

Dear Sis,

We took some time off school when baby sister was born, so Daddy suggested schooling on weekends until we get back on schedule. Hence Saturday morning lesson:)

Our Daily Reading

Doreen Cronin is one of our favorite children’s authors, so naturally we chose the humor filled Giggle, Giggle, Quack by Doreen Cronin as today’s fiction selection.

Our non-fiction selection is Ducks! by Gail Gibbons. It is packed full of great information and great illustrations, that young people can appreciate.

“D” is for Duck Letter Craft

Parent Preparation

  • Print D is for Duck Template from Kid Soup, on white card stock.
  • Cut out D, head circle, heart beak, and webbed foot.
  • On yellow craft paper, trace and cut out D and head circle.
  • On orange craft paper, trace and cut out heart beak and webbed foot.
  • Provide a sheet of blue craft paper, glue stick, two yellow feathers, and one wiggly eye.

Student Assembly

  • Paste D to blue craft paper.
  • Paste webbed foot, head, and beak in place.
  • Paste tail and wing feathers in place.
  • Paste wiggly eye in place.
  • Write or have your grown up title, name, and date your work, for your homeschool portfolio. 

5 Little Ducks Song

We printed this 5 Little Ducks lyric sheet From ABC to ACTS. The printable also includes duck puppets. We decided to use rubber ducks instead:)

We sang through the song twice. Stopping at each verse, to count how many ducks remained. When there were no baby ducks, we called that zero. 

Lucky Ducks Game

We played the Lucky Ducks Game as our shape lesson today. If you haven’t played before, this game takes two AA batteries to make the ducks swim round in circles. Each player sits in front of the shape they wish to collect. Taking turns, each player looks at the bottom of one duck to see if it matches their shape. If it does, they keep it. If it doesn’t, they return it to the board. Whomever collects all three of their ducks first wins!

Rubber Duck Counting Activity

Parent Preparation

  • Provide 10 rubber ducks. We found ours in packs of three at Dollar Tree.
  • Provide water in a tub, sink, dish bin, water table, or pool.

Our Process

  • I called out a number of ducks to add or take away from the water. William counted aloud with each addition or subtraction.
  • Then, we counted the ducks that were still floating around. We kept at it until I felt like we’d had enough practice.

William played with his ducks another 20 minutes before returning indoors:)

Love,

b