Favorite Activities

Ok, we’re busy being parents and don’t need to spend countless hours on this blog looking for ideas.  In an effort to help simplify, here are J’s favorite activities.   I am your average mom that wants to entertain and engage my son BUT still needs time to clean the house, do the laundry, run errands, work (ok, just a little), and relax!! I promise these are activities that ANYONE CAN IMPLEMENT.  

These activities got (or still get) lots of mileage.   They are fairly easy to implement and easy to clean. They entertain for a realistic period of time (according to age group). They are cheap and they encourage development.

Notice the repeats for the different age groups. These activities would be the ones to definitely try out for yourselves!

Babyhood (6-12 months)

• Family Board Book
•  Family magnets/cards
•  Homemade Texture Cards
•  Hide and Go Seek in Stacking Cups

Pre-Toddler (12-18 months)

Games/Toys:

• Pipe Cleaners in a Bottle (old and new version)
• Egg Cartons
• Sorting and Transferring
• Family Board Book
• Family Photo Magnets
• Texture Cards
• Connect Four

 Crafts:

• Clean Painting
•  Papertowel Painting
•  No Glue Collage
•  Dot Art

Early Toddler (18-24 months)

Games/Toys:

• Pushing Puff Balls
• Stringing Sponges
• Sidewalk Chalk Paths (and this post too)
• Family Prayer Book
• Pipe Cleaners in a Bottle (old and new version)
• Egg Cartons
• Sorting and Transferring
• Connect Four
•  Hunt in the Dark

Crafts:

• Sticker Sorting
• Clean Painting
•  Papertowel Painting
•  No Glue Collage
•  Dot Art

Toddler (2 to 3 years)

Games/Toys:

• Magnetic Pompoms
• Homemade Highways
• Color Wheel
• Pipe Cleaner Toy
• Stringing Sponges
• Sidewalk Chalk Paths (and this post too)
• Connect Four
• Hunt in the Dark
• Sorting and Transferring

Crafts:

• Cars and Animal Sticker Sorting, more Sticker Sorting and Sticker Counting
• Shape Pictures
• No Glue Collage
• Dot Art

Early Preschooler (3-4 years)

*Keep in mind that J is currently 39 months*

Games/Toys:

• Magnetic Pompoms (and here)
• Maps and Geography games
• Homemade water table
• Mother May I?
• Games with Sidewalk Chalk (Follow the shape; Arrows; Math game; Roads)
• Lucky Charms Charting
• Nursery Rhymes
• Mini Car Wash
• Homemade Highways
• Hunt in the Dark

Crafts:

• Snow Paintings
• Sticker Sorting (here and here and here)
• Dot markers (here and here)