We are all set to start our brand new year with the Tot school and the first theme is Snow. For January it is a perfect theme to go with and we are looking on to more Snowfall at our place. So let’s get cozy and learn on. Here’s the plan that I have put together for this week.
I usually set up the activities in trays while she naps. That gives me ample time to set it up without having a toddler hanging on my legs. And once she is up after a snack we can get to work instantly!
Here’s the tray set up for Day 1 of the theme.
• Beginning sound objects bin ( I used Snowman, Star, Sun, Snake, Strawberry, Seal,Spider,Shell)
• Dot marker page & pom pom magnets (
• Snowman Counting with Buttons
• Cotton balls & Tongs Transfer work
• Cotton Ball and Dyes Rice Snowman bin
• Cupcake liner Snowman Craft
It was hard to take pictures while she was working and at times she got distracted by it. But still I managed to get some. Her favourite activities was Snowman craft and of course the sensory bin which I have detailed about in another blog.
She also loved the letter S work with pom pom magnets. If you don’t know how to make pom pom magnets just buy a pack of medium size poms from any craft store and also some round magnets( Walmart will have those) Just hotglue the magnets to poms and voila it’s ready. These are great for dot marker pages and very much hands on. You have to use cookie sheet( mine from dollar tree) for this activity.
• Letter S object magnets on cookie sheet
• Coloring Cards & Crayons
• Snowman pattern block mat
• Qtip Snowflakes
• Shaving foam play
• Felt Snowman
Coloring the stars were her favourite activity today and she could by far identify and name the purple color. So all the rest I had to finish up for her.
Making the snowman using patten block is a great fine motor work. I am happy that I invested on the magnetic pattern blocks. It helps with the frustration of moving blocks for toddlers and it comes with some preset patterns too to have fun. A great toy worth buying!
Shaving foam play was super messy and fun overload for kids. Even if I couldn’t give the snowflake designed tray for them( it got dried up by the time they came) I quickly set up something on the Ikea flisat table along with some animals to soak and rinse.
Qtips activity was ignored completely and with a little push I could get her do just one on the paper. But all that matters is the focused time and some learning along the way!
❄️ Letter S book ( The measured mom)
❄️Letter S playdough mat and beads
❄️ Snowflake visual discrimination cards
❄️ Cotton ball Toss game
❄️ Playdough Tinker Tray
❄️ Snow painting
Today I caught her in a pretty good mood and she swept through the activities smoothly. Letter S Playdough mat was an instant hit. She loved squishing in the blue beads once I made out the shape for her( still needs lot of practice for her to roll the snake and twist & turn to make the letter but modelling is important). She loved to have the snack next to her while doing this 😊
She tried to match the cards but She could match only the bold outlined ones and I think she couldn’t do that much detail discrimination.
We played the cotton ball toss along with her brother R. He was mire inclined to do a point based game and wanted me to play with him. Soon M lost interest in throwing and she grabbed all balls and put them in cups up front.
Playdough tinker tray was super hit and the kids loved making snowman and snowflakes. Her creations do not have any shape or structure so far but loves poke things and cutting the playdough
Not much interested in the snow painting and she tried to take apart the corton from clothespin. She was more inclined to learn how to pinch and open clothespin than painting. But I kept painting next to her and we sang some snow songs
Here’s the set up for next day activities!! We took a break on new year’s day and may have to do some activities over the weekend to catch up( if at all I feel upto it)
❄️ Letter S Flashcards & Leapfrog letter
❄️ Prewriting pages
❄️ Circle dot page & dot stickers
❄️ Paper strip cutting
❄️ Melting Snowman
❄️ Snowman painting
She loves dry erase markers and so the prewriting pages were hit! She copied me over the lines but eventually went on scribbling around.
Dot stickers and the circle printable is a great fine motor work. Peeling the stickers and placing on right spot requires good hand eye coordination.
Snowman painting using toilet paper roll is another fun toddler art activity. Dip the tube end on white paint and stamp on blue paper. Use some Q-Tips to make body parts. You can also fill up the inside of snowman using qtips. She stamped some circles on the paper and called it done.
These are all some simple fun activities to work with your toddler while stuck at home during the winter. Have fun and squeeze in some learning too!!