For The Tots: Toddler Activities of the Week

Curls Activities of the Week

Curl's Montessori inspired shelf with activities

 With Curls now hitting the 15 month mark, I have been busy preparing more and more fun educational activities for him to experience and work on, ahead of starting a more focused learning time when he hits a year and a half.  (3 more months, yikes!)  Pulling inspiration and ideas from many different methods and forms of early education, I have found that I especially feel inspired by the Montessori method and have implemented many of its practices in my home.

What I have found that's great about the Montessori method is that so many of its ideas are already used in the home by many parents.  Most parents I know have a few shelves within their toddlers reach filled with toys or objects their little ones can manipulate.  I also know several (myself included!) who believe in introducing their little ones to chores early (even if the adult completes them in the end).


Curl's has an area all his own in our living room with his activity shelf and educational charts that we use everyday.  He's had this area for quite awhile, but until recently the shelves held a few books and random toys that I brought out from his room.  Since he turned 15 months, though, I have been using the shelves more for focused educational activities that I create with simple things I have around the house. 

It's not hard at all to come up with activities for your toddler to learn with, and you don't have to spend much money on them either.  If you just break it down to basics there are only two rules: (1) think outside the box, and (2) make it about play!  Keeping that it mind, here are the activities that I made for Curls to do this week:

The Mystery Bin

A simple spray painted oatmeal container with a hole cut in the middle of the lid becomes a fun sensory exploring toy that gives you the opportunity to introduce different textures and opposites vocabulary.  This week Curls is exploring soft (the powder poof) and hard (the rock).  To make it 'mysterious' I add a piece of tissue paper under the lid that Curls has to push his hand through to reach in and find out what's in the bin.  You could easily use the container every week for a couple years, putting things associated with the color, shape, letter, or word you're working on!  All from an empty oatmeal container. 

Muffin Tin & Poms

This is a simple activity that is so quick to prepare, yet it teaches a few skills at once.  It works one-to-one correspondence, the pincer grasp, and the Montessori method's practical life skills all just by the toddler placing a pom pom in each cup of the muffin tin.  That's mathematics, fine motor, and practical life skills all in one activity!

Two Color Sort

A football chips and dip tray from the local dollar store and ten playing pieces from Princess and Dirty D's Connect Four game and you have a simple color sorting tray activity.  I've actually done this with Curls quite a few times, with different things in different colors to sort.  It's simple, self correcting, and best of all, Curls sees it as a game!

Open/Close Basket

Curls is at that age where he enjoys opening and closing anything with a door or a lid.  So, as an interest led activity, I put four different empty containers in a basket for him to practice opening and closing.  Again, this activity deals with a couple skills at once...fine motor skills when the containers are being opened and closed, logical skills matching lids to the right containers, and the whole open/close process is a practical life skill in itself.

Open Ended Play 

Open ended play (play that has no structure or specified finish) is a must for early childhood!  In fact, free daily access to blocks is required in an early childhood setting, such as preschool and daycare.  Curls always has a bin of blocks in his shelf, and I change out accessories every week.  This week he has three mega-block vehicles.  Open ended play plays a vital role in promoting creativity and imagination, something that children this day in age are starting to lack as a result of the digital revolution.

The final shelf is reserved for books, because reading should be done everyday!  This week Curls has From Head to Toe by Eric Carle on his shelf.  He loves to watch me and the older two make the movements from the book, and imitate the ones he can.

Here are the charts we have on the wall in Curls little area.  The Alphabet with a corresponding picture, the numbers 1-10 with ten frames, basic shapes, and colors.  I found them in various places on the internet, printed them on card stock, slid them into a page protector and taped them with clear tape to the wall at Curls height.  The only time we go over them is when Curls is pointing at them himself, and then only as long as he is interested.  As long as you keep it fun and don't force your toddler to 'study' the information, they will keep coming back to go over them!

 In addition to the shelf activities, I also like to get some art in a couple days a week, whether it be crayon scribbles or finger painting.

Now, I don't pull out an activity and sit it in front of Curls and tell him to do it.  I simply start the week off by introducing each activity by pulling it out, completing the activity on my own in his view, rearrange the activity and replace it on the shelf.  Then thru the week we will do whatever activity he pulls out together until he loses interest, then I'll show him how to clean up and put it away.  It's that simple!  Remember, if you keep it playful, and follow the child's lead, they will return again and again because it's learning that's fun!

Here's where I linked up!