Yoga for Toddlers

We started doing yoga with O this week, and it is so much fun. Its sleepy time yoga, so we do it before nap and at bedtime. Last night, O's daddy joined us, and she thought that was great. We are so glad that Aunt Bobby ordered this great book for the library, but I think we may have to get a copy for ourselves.

B-I-N-G-O

A new activity that we have been doing for the past 2 days is singing and spelling O's name to the tune of "BINGO," while pointing to the wooden letters spelling out her name on her wall. O LOVES this activity, and I'm hoping that she is learning to spell her name!

Toddler Activities

Here's a list of activities to do with your toddler. I found this list before O was born, and I haven't looked at it again until today. Its full of fun ideas. I can't wait to get started!

1. Keep a stack of old magazines and let your toddler have at them 2. Give your toddler a set of doubles when you have pictures developed 3. Stash a few dollar store toys and pull them out when you have a busy day ahead of you 4. Let your toddler dress their dolls or bears in their old infant clothing 5. Give your toddler an assortment of buttons to play with (oversized ones) 6. Put in home videos for your toddler to watch 7. Have your toddler collect pinecones for home decor 8. Give your toddler shells, beans, or beads and an egg carton to sort them 9. Show them how to twist pipe cleaners into shapes 10. Give your child a pair of safety scissors and let the child trim green beans for dinner 11. Have your toddler draw pictures for a local nursing home 12. Have your toddler thread jingle bells on a string to play with 13. Show your child how to hold her baby with a sling, feed her from the breast and change diapers 14. Open a snack while shopping at the grocery store to keep them busy 15. Buy garage sale books and let the child cut out pictures to decorate their room or papers 16. Show your toddler how to make noodle necklaces 17. Let them make art projects from dry foods like macaroni, pretzels and beans 18. have your toddler match socks for you while you fold laundry 19. Let your toddler help you cook by handing them pre measured dry goods to add, cracking eggs, etc 20. Have your toddler make faces on paper plates and glue them to popsicle sticks for plays 21. Let your toddler stamp envelopes while you pay bills (even give them 100 1 cent stamps to put on their own envelopes) 22. give your child oversized buttons to string for a toy 23. Have your toddler make home made pizza with small bowls of ingredients and ready made crust 24. Make a fort with sheets and chairs 25. Let your toddler stick bows on gifts at Xmas 26. Give your child her own spray bottle of water and a rag to help you clean 27. Have your child design gift bags with paper, crayons and paints 28. Let your child draw as you make dinner at the counter 29. Ask your toddler to tear the lettuce for salad 30. Let your child look at their own baby book 31. Have your child sort and string cheerios or other round cereals 32. Show your child how to make PB and J by themselves 33. Save scrap cardboardfor drawing supplies 34. Give your child a piece of sticky tape and let them play! 35. Involve your children in store shopping decisions, like which soup to buy 36. Have your child help put away unbreakable dishes 37. Play 'I Spy' 38. Give your child a box full of packing popcorn to play with 39. Try to spot things on car rides -- give your child a list of five pictures of common things to see outdoors, and have them point them out when they see them 40. Sing the day's activities...eating, diaper changes, clothes, etc 41. Pop in an exercise video for your child to jump along to 42. Make homemade beanbags to play with 43. Keep a clipboard, paper and crayons for car trips 44. Make snacks into faces...cheese grapes, and crackers 45. Let your toddler s with a straw 46. Have your toddler collect leaves and flowers, and iron them flat between two pieces of wax paper -- add crayong shavings for extra color! 47. Give your toddler a basket and tell them to collect rocks for apinting 48. Make dolls out of pantyhose and pillow stuffing...have your child draw faces on them 49. Race your child to see who can put away toys the fastest...make sure you lose! 50. Have your toddler close doors, close dryer doors, push empty baskets or even sweep as you do the same.

"What's Moving?"

For this activity you need a blanket, 2 or 3 objects, and some string. Tie a piece of string to each object and cover them with the blanket. Then slowly pull on a string and ask "What's moving?" O had so much fun with this activity, and she guessed the right object almost everytime. She really enjoyed pulling the strings by herself and pulling up the blanket to find the object. This activity develops: language interaction, visual discrimination, eye-hand coordination, independence, and problem solving. This activity comes from Slow and Steady Get Me Ready by June R. Oberlander.

"Where is it?"

For this activity you need 3 different-sized cans and a small object. Put the object under one of the cans and ask your child to guess which can it is under. Change the position of the cans, but always keep the object under the same can. The aim of the game is to get the child to pick up the can that the object is under 3 times in a row. This activity helps your child learn to use clues (size, shape, etc) to make decisions. O LOVED this activity! We plan on doing it again, and next time I'll used different colored cups and put the object under the same color cup each time.

O's Porch Playroom

We set up a playroom for O on our screened porch a few months ago. We have lots of fun playing out there in her rice pit and at the nature table.

"Pick Me Up"

O is signing "hug" along with the song. Her form isn't perfect, but thats ok.
Signing "up" while listening to "Pick Me Up." Can you tell she loves this activity???

I recently received an excellent book and cd in the mail! "Pick Me Up" is a program for teaching ASL signs to children from 7 months to 7 years of age. The book has the lyrics and shows the signs. We have had a GREAT time with it so far. O loves to sign, and she loves to dance.