The Everything Toddler Activities Book (21 page)

The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round, round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All through the town.

(roll hands)

Other verses:

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish.
The door on the bus goes open and shut.
The seats on the bus go bump, bump, bump.

Although the dinosaurs are long gone, they still capture the interest and imagination of young children. Many toddlers love to learn about these gigantic creatures from the past.

Here is a fun way to show your child how dinosaur fossils were found.
To extend this activity, let your child glue the bones together to create his own creature.
Here are two activities to help dinosaurs come alive again in your child’s imagination.

1. Start with smooth chicken bones. Be sure there are no sharp or splintered pieces.
   
2. Boil and thoroughly clean the bones. You may wish to add a drop of bleach to the boiling water to make them look older.
   
3. Bury the bones in the sandbox for your child to find.
   

Your child will be delighted to crack open the egg to find a dinosaur. Be sure to involve him in making the egg, too. You should closely supervise this activity. Because both the toy and the balloon can be choking hazards, this activity is best for children who no longer put things in their mouths.

1. Slightly inflate the balloon and insert the toy. Completely inflate the balloon and tie.
   
2. Coat the balloon with Papier Mâché (see
   Chapter 5
   )
   
3. Once the Papier Mâché is dry, your child can paint the egg.
   

There is a whole other world beneath the surface of the ocean. You do not have to live near the shore to introduce your child to this fascinating place under the sea. You can find some great props and artifacts such as shells and coral to share with your child.

You can create this cute little sea creature in a flash. If you want to have your child play with the jellyfish in the water, substitute yarn for the crepe-paper tentacles, and coat the tissue-paper-and-felt body with clear fingernail polish.

1. Have your child glue tissue paper onto the margarine tub.
   
2. Once the body is dry, your child can glue on the crepe-paper tentacles and the felt eyes.
   

This activity will engage your child’s imagination and expand her vocabulary as she learns more about the ocean and aquatic life. For added excitement, let your child wear a snorkel mask.

1. Drape a sheet or blanket over a table. Blue is best, but any color is okay.
   
2. Place a variety of deep-sea items under the table. Suggested items include sea sponges, shells, starfish, toy sea animals, and pieces of coral.
   
3. Have your child “dive” under the sheet (sea) and bring back a treasure. Ask her to identify what she found.
   

Your child may wish to make a group of these—if so, she can have a pod of whales.

1. Have your child stuff the bag with crumpled up newspapers. Be sure that she leaves a little room near the opening.
   
2. Draw the bag closed and tie. Leave a little paper past the knot to serve as the tail.
   
3. Let your child paint her whale any way she wants.
   

Birds are everywhere. Take the binoculars outside and look for them. Bring some closer to your home for your child to observe. In your own backyard, you can set up a birdhouse, a birdbath, or a bird feeder to attract them.

If you have the chance, show your child a real-life bird’s nest. Talk about what he would use to build a nest if he were a bird. When this nest is complete, your child might want to put a toy bird or eggs in it.

1. With the poster board as a base, let your child make a mixture of the mud and the leaves and grass.
   
2. Help him form the mixture into a nest shape.
   
3. Let him add the sticks, twigs, and pine needles for interest.
   

Your child will love finding the bird in the cage.
You might help your child make his own bird out of clay to use for this craft.
Remember to collect and dispose of broken balloon pieces, which can be a choking hazard.

1. Help your child insert the bird into the balloon.
   
2. Inflate and tie the balloon.
   
3. Mix the water and glue in a bowl to form a thick liquid.
   
4. Show your child how to dip pieces of yarn into the glue mixture. Have him let the excess glue drip off and then wrap the yarn around the balloon.
   
5. Encourage him to cover about 75 percent of the balloon.
   
6. When the glue is dry, pop the balloon. What will remain is the bird in the cage.
   

Your child will enjoy this cute action rhyme. It is more fun when you exaggerate the voices
and use a high pitch when the birds are talking.

Teach your child the following rhyme and the corresponding movements:

Way up in the sky
(raise arms in the air)

The little birds fly.
(flap arms)

While down in their nest,

The little birds rest.
(curl up arms like holding a baby)

With a wing on the left
(extend left arm)

And a wing on the right
(extend right arm)

The sweet little birdies sleep all through the night.
(press hands together on cheek)

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
(put finger to lips)

They’re sleeping!

The bright sun comes up,
(raise arms in the air)

The dew falls away.
(pat in a downward motion)

“Good morning, good morning”
(wave and flap)

The little birds say!

Exploring pond life is a great way to learn more about nature and the environment. You can introduce your child to concepts of life cycles by observing frogs. You can begin a discussion about habitats, where different animals live and what they eat, too.

Here is a cute way to teach your child a little bit about frogs and help develop her large motor skills as well. If your child is not yet coordinated enough to jump, help her leap or take a big step.

1. Set up carpet squares or mats in a pattern around the room. Be sure that they are placed close enough together for your child to jump from one to another.
   
2. Talk about how frogs live in ponds and jump from lily pad to lily pad. Show your child how to jump like a frog.
   

Promote the development of your child’s fine motor skills with this cute rhyme.

Teach your child the following rhyme and the corresponding motions:

I had a little turtle
(make fist)

Who lived in a box.
(draw outline of a square in the air)

He swam in the water
(swimming motion with arms)

And he climbed on the rocks.
(climbing motion with arms)

He snapped at a mosquito.
(clap fingers and thumb together on one hand)

He snapped at a flea.
(clap fingers and thumb together on one hand)

He snapped at a minnow
(clap fingers and thumb together on one hand)

And he snapped at me!
(clap fingers and thumb together on one hand)

He caught the mosquito,
(tap finger and thumb together and make chewing noises)

He caught the flea,
(tap finger and thumb together and make chewing noises)

He caught the minnow,
(tap finger and thumb together and make chewing noises)

But he couldn’t catch me!
(shake finger back and forth)

This fun game will help your child learn more about frogs while she develops coordination as well. You can get small plastic insects from a dollar store or a bait and tackle shop.

1. Glue Velcro to each insect.
   
2. Attach Velcro to the end of the party blower.
   
3. Show your child how to blow the paper party favor so that it unrolls. Show her how to use this as a frog’s tongue to catch the bugs.
   

Young children enjoy the classic fairy tales and rhymes. By sharing the stories and these activities, you will be helping your child develop literacy skills and imagination!

For a change, let your child drag a favorite toy or teddy bear around.

1. Have your child sit or lay in the center of an old towel or blanket. If possible, do this on a hardwood or linoleum floor.
   
2. Slowly drag your child around and point out imaginary points of interest. Example: While passing the couch you can say, “Oh look, there goes the king’s castle!”
   

You may wish to start this activity by reading the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears first.

1. Tell your child that not everyone is suited for the same things.
   
2. Present the oatmeal and call it porridge and ask your child to pick the one he would want.
   
3. Repeat with the cushions and the shirts. This time, let you child try them out if he wants.
   

Bring the Cinderella story to life and promote problem-solving skills at the same time.

1. Read the story of Cinderella to your child.
   
2. Hide the chosen shoe and ask the child to find it.
   
3. You may choose to hide the shoe in a room or simply within a pile of other shoes.
   

What young child would pass up an activity that encourages him to be loud and rambunctious? Because your child won’t be able to move as nimbly as usual, you need to closely supervise this activity.

1. Cut a hole in the center of each shoebox lid just big enough to fit your child’s foot.
   
2. Securely tape the lids to the boxes.
   
3. Help your child insert his feet into the boxes.
   
4. Once he is able to walk in his shoebox shoes, play some marching music and encourage him to march and stomp in time with the music.