Big Ideas for Your Littles

Below are several activity ideas and toys that help support the the goal of building an independent learner, hands-on explorer and a creative problem-solver.

Activities and Toys That Lead to...

Independence

Help kids thrive on their own, explore and make choices (and mistakes) without adult interruption.

Discovery and Exploration

Encourage hands-on discovery. Experiment, problem-solve, and learn through their own exploration.

Holistic Development

Focuses on the whole child to help develop motor skills, concentration, creativity, and social interaction.

Play Made Easy

See the ideas below or easily snag a play kit designed by experts for your child's developing brain.

Get a Play Kit

Infants: 0-3 Months

Infants: 4-6 Months

The Charmer Play Kit
A culmination of many options listed below to help baby explore with their hands encourage social awareness and practice using both sides of the brain.
Baby Paper
Baby paper is basically crinkle paper housed in a fabric square that provides auditory and tactile sensory exploration for your infant. This was one of the most played-with items for our babies. As they hold and move the square in their hands and arms, they can feel the soft and bumpy textures on one side and the smoothness on the other. Moreover, they'll enjoy the crinkle sound and it'll create opportunities to learn about cause-and-effect relationships.
Jingle Socks
As your baby moves their feet, the bells will jingle, allowing them to discover cause-and-effect in a musical way. You can also create a DIY version by sewing a single bell to the toe of each baby sock or attaching multiple smaller bells around the ankle area.
Hand Kite
The hand kite is a fantastic toy that promotes fine motor exercise and sensory exploration. Your baby will love running their fingers through the ribbons and experiencing the different textures. It's also safe for them to explore with their mouth, providing a multi-sensory playtime experience.
Grasping Beads
Holding on to the beads helps your infant strengthen and refine their grasping skills. They also provide a little relief from teething pain as they chew on them.
Spinning Drum
This activity is designed to promote hand and wrist movements while encouraging reaching. As they turn the drum, they'll be rewarded with the rolling sound of a marble inside, which provides auditory feedback and motivates them to continue spinning the drum.
Mirror
Infants have an innate fascination with looking at faces. Allowing them to spend time in front of a mirror is an excellent way to indulge that curiosity. Whether they're accompanied by you or exploring independently, positioning a mirror at their eye level or on the floor enables them to better see themselves during floor time, sparking self-recognition and visual exploration.
Kicking Ball
Suspend this ball above your infant's feet in their designated movement area, and they'll have a great opportunity to practice their gross motor skills by intentionally kicking it. It's a wonderful way to encourage physical activity and coordination.
Wooden Ring Rattle
Tried and true toy that's perfectly sized for their tiny grip, allowing them to hold on to it securely. As they shake the rattle, they can hear the clinking sound of the rings coming together, and it's a great way for them to experiment with cause-and-effect relationships.
Wooden Ring Teether
Teething can be a challenging time for infants, but these simple ring teethers come to the rescue. They are designed to be easy for your baby to hold, and their shape is just right for soothing their sore gums and providing relief.
High-Contrast Picture Books
These books are designed with black-and-white photos and patterns that captivate your infant's attention. The high contrast stimulates their visual development and enhances their engagement with the 0-3 month cards, aiding in cognitive growth.
Sensory Balls
Balls have always been a hit with infants and toddlers, and now your baby can join in on the fun. Whether you provide them with a variety of textured balls to explore or a single ball with different textures and sounds, these toys will engage their senses and keep them entertained.
Bell Cylinder
At this stage, your infant will find joy in grasping and mouthing the bell cylinder. They will love the soft jingle of the bell inside, which adds a delightful auditory component to their play. It's another wonderful toy for them to discover cause-and-effect relationships.
Scarf Box
A delightful game of pulling, exploring, and refilling, providing entertainment and fine motor skill development. You can DIY this by repurposing a tissue box into a scarf box. Fill it with light silk scarves or soft baby washcloths, and let your baby pull them out.
Musical Instruments
Offering simple musical instruments, such as a maraca, bells, or a small tambourine, is a fantastic way to engage your infant. They can grasp, shake, and explore these instruments, stimulating their senses and allowing them to experience the joy of creating sounds through their actions.

Infants: 7-9 Months

The Inspector Play Kit
During this stage you'll dive into into the world of textures, nesting, stacking, and understanding how things work. This kit is a culmination of many things you'll find below to give them opportunities to explore and learn about object permanence.
Interlocking Discs
These discs are awesome for helping your baby develop their hand-to-hand transfer skills. They fit perfectly in their little hands, making it super easy for them to pass the discs from one hand to the other. Because they wobble and roll across the floor, your baby also has a fun target to keep crawling after.
Touch and Feel Books
Touch and Feel books are a big hit during this stage. Your baby can now reach out and touch specific things they see. The variety of textures in these books will captivate their attention as you tell them the names of the items they're feeling and seeing in the pictures.
Themed Treasure Basket
You can make a themed treasure basket filled with items from the same category, like kitchen utensils, sea animal figurines, or nature items. Let your baby explore the basket independently, touching and discovering the items. You can also name the items during other playtimes to boost their vocabulary.
Bell Cylinder
A great toy for baby to push across the floor and crawl after. The jingling sound adds an extra dose of fun to the adventure.
Pop-Up Toys
This is a simple pick-up but great for your baby to start pulling the pegs out of the holes and eventually practice placing them back in. Eventually, they'll learn to match the pegs to the correctly colored holes. Down the line, they'll discover the joy of popping the pegs out all by themselves. It's definitely a toy that grows with them.
Single Shape Large Knobbed Puzzle
Time to put those hand-eye coordination skills to the test with a shape puzzle. Your baby will love fitting the puzzle pieces into the board, unknowingly learning about basic shapes along the way. Start with the circle, the easiest shape to master, and rotate through the different shapes to keep the challenge going.
Sensory Fabrics
You can DIY this or click the link above. Buy or gather up fabric scraps, cut them into small squares, and let your baby explore with their senses. Keep the colors similar so they can focus on the different textures without getting distracted. It's a simple but engaging sensory experience.
Balls
A tried-and-true staple here. Balls are still a hit at this stage as your little one starts scooting and crawling. Get a collection of balls with different patterns, colors, and textures to keep them entertained. Watch as they chase after the balls, developing their motor skills and having a blast.
Sensory Shakers
Here's a DIY activity for you. Grab a few empty spice jars and fill them with different household pantry items like rice, beans, or spices. Glue the lids shut for safety, and let your baby shake, look, and listen as they explore the sounds and textures of each shaker.
Peekaboo Sensory Board
Here's another cool DIY project using snapping lids from baby wipes packs. Glue them onto a piece of cardboard, then get creative by adding various textures like burlap, pipe cleaners, pom poms, etc. inside each lid. Encourage your baby to lift the lids and explore the different textures with their little fingers. It's a peekaboo game with lots of touchy-feely surprises.
Wooden Stacker
This wooden stacker is the perfect first challenge for your little one's hand-eye coordination. It'll take time, but it's a great way to get their motor skills in gear.
Using Utensils & Drinking from a Cup
Your baby can join in on meal time by using a fork, spoon, and a small glass for water. Show them how to use the utensils and encourage them to practice, even if it gets a little messy. (Which it definitely will.) Help them hold the cup in the beginning, but as they show more independence, let them give it a try on their own. In time this will help develop their fine motor skills and foster independence.

Infants: 10-12 Months

The Thinker Play Kit
Everything you'll need at this stage to build hand-eye coordination, practice solving problems and encourage your baby to define and organize information.
Object Permanence Box
A toy you may have seen that's all about helping your little one understand that things don't disappear forever. They drop a ball into the boxI and it vanishes for a moment – but then rolls back out into the tray. Rinse and repeat.
Pull Toy
Is your little one already walking like a champ? If not, it'll happen soon, I promise. But if they are, a pull toy is a fun add to trail behind them as they strut their stuff. It's a great way to refine their gross motor movements and balance coordination. Let them lead the way and enjoy their independent walking adventures.
Colored Ring Stacker
If you haven't already, a colored ring stacker is a great thing to introduce. They'll have a blast figuring out how to take the rings off the dowel, working on their hand-eye coordination. Putting them back on will come later, but for now, it's all about mastering the art of ring removal.
Graded-Sized Circle Puzzle
If your baby has conquered single-shape puzzles, they're ready to level up. Introduce them to a knobbed puzzle with multiple pieces, starting with circles (the easiest shape). It's a cool challenge for them to figure out which circle fits into the matching hole. You can even try making one yourself with spare cardboard if you want to do a DIY approach.
Egg & Peg in Cup
These 3D puzzles are a way for your baby to try placing the egg into the cup. Once they've nailed that, they level up to the peg (which is a bit trickier). It's awesome for their hand-eye coordination, focus, and concentration skills
Walker Wagon
Some babies are in the walking stage, while others are still enjoying crawling. If yours is getting ready to take those first independent steps, a walker wagon can be helpful. It gives them the freedom to practice walking on their own, without adult support. They can push it around, work on their balance, and eventually use it to transport toys all over the house. You can even consider a mini shopping cart which our kids absolutely loved pushing around the house.
In and Out Work
If your little one loves the egg/peg in cup activity, they're probably really into the whole "in and out" thing. They enjoy putting objects into containers and taking them out, over and over again. If you notice them engaging in this kind of play independently, you can offer them a simple setup like a pail, bucket, jar, box, or basket. They can drop in a ball, wooden peg, block, or figurine. A box with hidden compartments is also a winner, as they can uncover little surprises inside.
Ball Tracker
This one's all about visual tracking and hand-eye coordination. Your baby drops a wooden ball in the top of the ball tracker and watches as it makes its way down, level by level, until it reaches the bottom. Then they can do it all over again with the other balls. You can make your own DIY version using some spare cardboard, a ping pong ball, and a dash of creativity. Fun times ahead!
Bean Bags
Picture this, my friend. Soft bean bags filled with rice or some squishy material. Babies love exploring their soft texture and weight by grabbing, rubbing, transferring them between hands, stacking, lifting, and dropping them. You can make your own DIY bean bags if you're handy with a sewing machine or just grab a set online. Either way, they're a hit!
Cards in a Wallet
Pincer grasp development alert! Save some used gift cards and stash them in an old wallet. Let your baby investigate and try to remove the cards. If they manage to pull them all out (or even just a few), you can offer to put them back and give them another shot. It's all about honing those fine motor skills, my friend.
Infant Coin Box
Time for a fun challenge that boosts your baby's hand-eye coordination and understanding of object permanence. They have to fit coins into the slot on top of the box and realize that they're still inside when they open the drawer. You can get creative and make a DIY version by cutting a hole in an empty food container like an oatmeal canister. Or try other variations, like a slot for expired gift cards or a hole for pushing pompoms through. It's all about keeping those little minds engaged!
Language Basket
It's never too early to boost your baby's vocabulary, my friend. Grab a basket and fill it with 3 to 4 objects from the same category, like fresh fruit, animal figurines, or kitchen utensils. Show your baby each object, name it out loud, and let them explore the basket as long as they want. It's a cool way to get those word connections going early on.
Musical Instruments
Looks like your baby is getting serious about exploring music! They're no longer just randomly banging on instruments; they're actually starting to show some intention. Time to provide them with new instruments to tinker with and see where their musical journey takes them.

Toddlers: 13-15 Months

The Babbler Play Kit
A complete set of toys to help offers new challenges in balance, object permanence, and spatial awareness.
Gross Motor Movement Work
Let your child explore different ways of moving their body. Provide a rocking horse, a junior slide, a Pikler triangle, or create a homemade obstacle course with pillows. They can also run and climb at the playground or use the stairs at home.
Ball pounding bench
Kids can improve their hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills with a ball pounding bench. They'll have a blast pushing and pounding the balls into the holes. Start with their hands and then introduce a wooden hammer.
Fitting Lids to Containers
Grab a bunch of small containers with different lids like jars, Tupperware, or empty food canisters. Your child can practice taking the lids on and off and improve their fine motor skills.
Colored ring stacker
Help your child improve their hand-eye coordination with a ring stacker. They can try placing the colored rings onto a vertical dowel. They might not get the sizes right yet, but it's all about practice.
Multi-Shape Large Knobbed Puzzle
Puzzles are a hit at this stage. Start with a simple one that has a few shapes. Let your child replace the puzzle pieces and have fun with different shapes.
Taking Care of Themselves
At this stage, don't underestimate your little one because they're ready to tackle some self-care activities i.e. hand washing, teeth brushing, and hair brushing. Show them the ropes, guide their hands if needed, and let them take it slow. If you're lending a hand, back off as soon as you see them trying to do it themselves. Just a heads up, hand washing might get a bit messy while they're still learning, so keep a towel handy for any unexpected messes and teach them how to clean up when they're done.
Food Prep
Nowadays, your kiddo is more than capable of lending a hand in the kitchen. Get them involved by having them add chunky ingredients to a recipe. Making a smoothie is a perfect start. They can proudly drop frozen fruit or veggies (you provide the options) into the blender, one piece at a time. And of course, let them taste the final result of their hard work.
Keeping Things Tidy
This is the age when kids want to be just like you, doing all the chores they see you doing. Instead of shooing them away (I'm very guilty of this), invite them to help. Give them a cute little sponge or washcloth to wipe down the table after a meal or handle minor spills. They can even join in on the laundry fun by loading and unloading the washer and dryer with you. Same with the dishwasher or dish rack by handing you plates, cups, and bowls one by one. Believe it or not, they actually do want to help with chores. Note that you'll have to actively set aside your perfection of doing things "right." Perfection isn't the goal.
Shakers and Sticks
Create a DIY activity by using a sugar shaker/spice jar with large holes and thin wood dowels. Show your child how to place the sticks into the holes and let them remove them to repeat the activity. You can even color-coordinate the sticks and holes for a color matching game.
Imbucare Box
Teach your little about shapes and hand-eye coordination with an imbucare box. Begin with a simple shape like a circle and then move on to more complicated ones. You can even create your own version using an old shoebox and cardboard shapes.
Nesting Boxes, Cups & Bowls
Kids love figuring out how things fit inside each other. Give them a set of nesting boxes or cups, or even use measuring cups or mixing bowls from your kitchen. Start with a few pieces at a time and let them practice ordering by size.
Discs on a Horizontal Dowel
Once your child masters the vertical dowel ring stacker, challenge them with a horizontal dowel. It's a bit trickier as they have to cross the mid-line of their body to slide the rings onto the dowel.
Open and Close Work
Kids are fascinated by opening and closing containers. Fill a basket with bags, purses, wallets, and different types of containers with various closures. Start with easy ones and gradually introduce more challenging closures. You can even hide little treasures inside for them to discover.
Scribbling
Let your child explore their artistic side with a simple scribbling activity. Give them a piece of paper and a washable crayon. They can scribble however they like, expressing themselves freely. Just make sure to have a wet sponge or cloth handy for stray marks which are almost guaranteed.
Chalk
Kids enjoy experimenting with chalk, whether on a chalkboard or outside. Give them a chunky washable chalk stick and let them draw freely.
Transfer Work: Moving Large Items with Hands
This is a great practical life activity for your child. Start by having them move large items like balls, pom poms, or wooden blocks from one bowl to another, and then back again. They can repeat this as many times as they like.
Transfer Work: Moving Big Stuff with a Spoon
Once your little one gets the hang of moving things from one bowl to another by hand, it's time to step it up a notch. Give them a cool child-sized spoon (think gravy ladle) and let them try transferring items using that.

Toddlers: 16-18 Months

The Adventurer Play Kit
At this stage you can let them experiment with cause and effect, two-handed coordination, and explore gravity and direction shifts. This box has everything you'd for this age.
Water Beads
If your toddler is beyond the stage of putting things in their mouth, they can have a sensory adventure with non-toxic water beads. Give them cups, spoons, and bowls to scoop and transfer the beads. Just keep a close eye on them for safety!
Kinetic Sand
Kinetic sand is another fascinating sensory activity. Consider creating a sensory table with something like the IKEA Flisat.
Shape Sorter
If your toddler has already tried imbucare boxes, it's time to level up to a shape sorter. They'll get to sort different shapes all at once, which boosts their early math skills and hand-eye coordination.
Small-Knobbed Peg Puzzles
Toddlers at this age are getting pretty good at those peg puzzles with smaller knobs. They can show off their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination by completing puzzles with tiny knobs. There are tons of different puzzles out there, so pick one that matches their interests!
Stacking Boxes
Watch your child's excitement as they stack boxes by size. It's a fantastic activity for their coordination, size discrimination, and gross motor skills. Don't worry if you don't have fancy stacking boxes; you can reuse empty boxes and cover them with wrapping paper to make them visually appealing.
Play Dough
Play dough is a timeless favorite. Provide them with tools like a mini rolling pin, cookie cutters, a child-sized butter knife, and a wooden dowel. They'll have a blast squishing, patting, rolling, cutting, and poking.
Object-to-Object Matching
Grab a basket and fill it with pairs of objects that look the same. It could be kitchen utensils, animal figurines, or nature items like pinecones and rocks. Then challenge your child to find the matching pairs. It's not only fun but also helps with language development when you name the items.
Colored Discs on 3 Dowels
Great for teaching toddlers how to sort and differentiate colors. If you're looking for a budget-friendly option, you can try a similar toy where your child gets just one of each colored ring. Plus, when they're older, you can use it for counting too.
Matryoshka Nesting Dolls
These nesting dolls are great for improving fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and cognitive development. As your toddler figures out how to take them apart, they'll also enjoy discovering how to nest them back together.
Realistic Vehicles
Your little one might start pretending to drive those toy cars in a more realistic way. Get them some vehicles that resemble the real deal and create DIY ramps from cardboard for extra fun.
Locks and Latches
Have you seen those cool latch boards or lock boxes for toddlers? They're perfect for little explorers who want to improve their fine motor skills. They might not be able to open and close all the latches just yet, but with practice, they'll become master lock openers.
Daily Practical Life Activities
Your little one loves imitating you, so let them get involved in daily tasks around the house. They might show interest in dusting, sweeping, or mopping. It's super cute and also helps with their physical coordination. If you can, grab child-sized tools to make them feel extra special while helping out.

Toddlers: 19-24 Months

The Realist Play Kit
A complete kit to introduce early lessons in counting, build concentration and dexterity.
The Companion Play Kit
Ideal for months 22-24, this entire kit was designed to help your toddler process and manage emotions and practice fine motor skills.
Stacking Peg Board
The peg board is not only great for fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination but also for learning colors, patterns, and sorting. Your toddler can create endless combinations by stacking those T-shaped pegs on the board.
Gluing
Mess is a hassle for us a parents, but it's healthy for littles. Your toddler is ready to explore the wonders of glue. Hand them a glue stick or a small bottle of liquid glue, along with some paper scraps or cutout shapes. They'll have a blast sticking them down and creating their own masterpiece.
Lacing
This activity is all about practicing finger skills and hand-eye coordination. Your little one will have a blast threading a shoelace through those chunky beads and creating their own string of awesomeness.
Sorting
Grab a bunch of small items like buttons, beans, or pom poms and let your toddler sort them based on a single quality like color or size. It's a fantastic way to introduce them to early math concepts.
Threading
If you're on the move or need something to keep your toddler occupied for a while, a threading block is the way to go. It's like lacing beads, but in a neat and compact package. It's a great way to develop those fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Watercolor Painting
Time to unleash the artist within! Set up a tray with paper, a jar of water, a sponge or cloth, and a watercolor tablet in one of the primary colors. Your toddler will love experimenting with watercolors and creating beautiful works of art.
2-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
It's puzzle time! Start with a simple two-piece jigsaw puzzle to introduce your toddler to the world of puzzles. As they get the hang of it, you can gradually move on to puzzles with more pieces.
Object-to-Picture Matching
Take matching to the next level by pairing objects with pictures on cards. It's a bit more of a challenge for your little one's developing brain, but it's a great way to boost their abstract thinking. You can use flashcards or make your own by taking pictures and laminating them.
Throwing, Catching & Kicking a Ball
Let the sports training begin! Get your toddler involved in throwing, catching, and kicking sessions with their favorite ball. They'll have a blast practicing these skills and improving their coordination. Roll the ball up an incline for catching practice and show them how to kick it across the floor.
Transfer Work: Dry Objects with Various Utensils
It's time to practice the art of transferring objects. Give your toddler a variety of utensils like jumbo tweezers, wooden tongs, and training chopsticks to pick up and transfer dry objects from one bowl to another. It's a great way to enhance their fine motor skills and concentration.
Transfer Work: Spooning/Scooping
Let's scoop and pour! Teach your toddler how to use a spoon or small wooden scoop to transfer dry materials like beans, rice, or corn kernels from one bowl to another. They'll love the sensory experience and the satisfaction of pouring and scooping.
Transfer Work: Ice
Show your toddler how to use a cooking ladle or slotted spoon to transfer ice from one bowl to another. It's a fun and refreshing activity that helps develop their hand-eye coordination.
Transfer Work: Sponging
Demonstrate to your toddler how to soak up water with a child-sized sponge and transfer it from one bowl to another. Encourage them to transfer all the water using the sponge. It's a great way to engage their senses and improve their coordination.
Transfer Work: Turkey Baster
Teach your toddler how to use a turkey baster to move water from one bowl to another. Guide them through the steps, including squeezing the bulb, releasing the squeeze, and emptying the baster. It's a challenging but rewarding activity.
Transfer Work: Dry Pouring
Pouring time! Give your toddler two small cups or pitchers, one filled with dry materials like beans, rice, or corn kernels. Show them how to pour it from one cup to the other with care. It's a great exercise for developing their pouring skills and control.
Transfer Work: Wet Pouring
Level up the pouring game! Once your toddler masters dry pouring, let them practice pouring water from one cup to another. As they become more skilled, they can even try pouring from a pitcher to a cup or multiple glasses without spills. It's a great way to improve their pouring technique and coordination.

Toddlers: 25-30 Months

The Helper Play Kit
This Play Kit gives everything you'll need to try practical life activities and routines and improve problem solving skills.
The Enthusiast Play Kit
A culmination of many things listed below to give your toddler opportunities to refine their motor precision and experiment with weight and balance.
Mystery Bag Fun
Here's a fun guessing game idea. Grab a loose drawstring bag and fill it with different objects. Your toddler's challenge is to feel inside the bag without looking and find a specific object or identify what they've grabbed. Make sure the objects are distinguishable by touch alone.
Puzzles
If your toddler has mastered the simpler puzzles, it's time to try 4- and 8-piece jigsaw puzzles. They'll love the challenge of putting the pieces together and completing the picture.
Get Cutting
Alright, time to introduce your little one to the world of scissors! Grab a pair of those safe spring-action scissors and some thin paper strips. Show them how to hold the scissors properly and let them have fun cutting off pieces. Start with blank paper strips and then move on to strips with bold lines for them to cut along.
Stamps and Stickers
Draw a line or shape on a piece of paper and let your toddler go wild with self-inking stamps or colorful dot stickers. They can stamp along the line or stick the stickers accurately. It's a fun way to explore creativity and precision.
Threading Fun
Get those pipe cleaners or stiff strings ready! Give your toddler a bowl of pasta noodles, pony beads, or cut straw pieces and let them practice threading them onto the string or pipe cleaners. It's all about threading them one by one and having a blast.
Color Box Bonanza
Let's learn some colors! Lay out paint swatches of the primary colors and tell your toddler the names of each color. Encourage them to match the swatches to their corresponding colors. It's a great way to refine their visual sense.
Geoboard Fun
Challenge your toddler to stretch elastic rubber bands across a geoboard to create shapes and patterns. They can start with freeform patterns and then try to match specific patterns on cards.
Unleash Creativity
Bring out the blocks, wooden train sets, and magnetic tiles! These open-ended construction materials provide endless opportunities for creative play. Encourage your toddler to build and create to their heart's content.
Independent Dressing
Let your toddler choose their own clothes from a limited selection and encourage them to dress themselves. They can put on their shirt, underwear, pants/shorts, socks, and shoes (preferably slip-ons or with velcro fasteners). It might take some practice, but it's important for their development. You can even teach them a catchy rhyme to remember how to put on their pants.
Incorporate Some Practical Life Activities
Clearing dirty dishes from the table
Assisting with loading the dishwasher
Dish washing (using a child-sized sponge, 2 bins of soapy & clean water, and a drying rack)
Sweeping & mopping (with more accuracy than in the past)
Window washing (with child-sized spray bottle & cloth or squeegee)
Polishing wood surfaces or leather shoes
Matching socks from the clean laundry (to put away)
Pet care (pouring food & water)
Plant care (cleaning leaves of houseplants, watering, tending a garden)
Table setting (using a learning placemat)
Getting Involved in the Kitchen
Cutting vegetables (with a butter knife)
Spreading butter/jam/cream cheese onto crackers or bread
Pouring a drink (milk/juice)
Filling a steamer basket
Grinding with a mortar and pestle
Peeling an orange
Making orange juice
Peeling and slicing a banana (with a butter knife)
Removing strawberry tops
Pouring and mixing ingredients
Scrubbing potatoes
Mashing avocado/potatoes
Egg peeling & slicing
Making a smoothie
Rinsing berries or lettuce greens

Toddlers: 31-36 Months

The Investigator Play Kit
A great play kit designed to build on jumping balancing and tossing as well as memory skills.
The Free Spirit Play Kit
They're almost three! This box is an excellent add with play essentials to support their blossoming language skills, imagination and problem solving.
Craft Hole Puncher
Let them have fun with a craft hole puncher to help develop your toddler's fine motor skills. Instead of the usual round holes, these punchers come with fun shapes. Grab a small piece of construction paper and let your little one squeeze the puncher to create holes along the edges. It adds an extra touch of creativity to their artwork!
Dressing Frames
Your child can practice using fasteners like snaps, velcro, zippers, and buttons with special frames made just for learning.
Picture-to-Picture Matching
Your child gets a bunch of photo cards that are exactly the same. They lay out one pile of cards and then find the matching card from the second pile. It's a fun memory game!
Early Counting Work
If your older toddler is showing interest in numbers and counting, why not try some early counting activities? Grab a wooden number board or peg board and give them some small wooden balls to place into the holes below each number. They can count as they go along and trace the numbers with their fingers or a wooden stylus. This hands-on approach helps them understand the connection between number symbols and quantities. You can even make your own DIY version using index cards with sandpaper numbers and glass vase gems as counters.
Smelling Jars
It's all about the nose! Fill jars with different smells and have your child match the scents. It's like a fragrant version of the sound cylinders activity. You can use empty spice jars to make your own set.
Fabric Matching
Time to refine those senses! Your child will match fabric squares blindfolded. It's a fun challenge to see if they can find the matching pairs. If blindfolded is too tricky, you can do it without the blindfold too.
Matching Animal Heads and Tails
It's picture-to-picture matching, but with a twist. Instead of regular pictures, we're using animal heads and tails. Your child will have a blast matching them up. You can print some free cards or make your own with any animal pictures you like.
Peeling Vegetables
Get your older toddler involved in mealtime preparation by letting them help with peeling vegetables. Grab a Y-shaped peeler and carefully supervise as they peel vegetables with thin skins like carrots or cucumbers. It's a great way to develop their motor skills, and the best part is they'll be motivated to eat those veggies they've personally prepared. It's a win-win.
Sound Cylinders/Boxes
Let's listen carefully! Your child will get to play with different containers filled with stuff that makes different sounds. They have to match the sounds and find the pairs. It's a cool way to develop their hearing skills.
Lock and Key
Time to unlock some fun. Your child gets a lock and a key and has to figure out how to open it. As they get better, you can give them more locks to tackle. It's like being a secret agent!
Folding Napkins/Cloths
Let's get folding! Your toddler can learn some basic folding skills by practicing with napkins or cloths. They'll be a pro at folding them in no time.
Clothespins Around a Basket
Get ready for some clipping action! Your child will use wooden clothespins to clip them onto a basket. It's a great activity for developing their hand-eye coordination.
Transfer Work: Eyedropper
Your child will learn how to transfer water using an eyedropper. It's a cool way to improve their fine motor skills and have some watery fun.
Pin-Prick Work
Your older toddler can use a pushpin to create little holes in paper or cork board along a shape. It's a fun way to refine their hand-eye coordination.
Sandpaper Letters
Is your older toddler curious about letters and their sounds? Introduce them to sandpaper letters! You can purchase them or make your own using index cards, a black marker, and dried glitter glue. Start with three letters at a time and trace them with your fingers while making the corresponding sound, like "/a/," as in "apple." Let your child trace the letters and say the sounds too. It's a great way to begin their letter recognition journey. Once they're familiar with the letters, you can lay them out and ask them to point to the right sound. Take it one step at a time and remember, always set them up for success!

Remember: Every Kid is Different

Every child develops at different paces. Don't stress if your little one is still hooked on an activity you've introduced before. Keep those activities around until they're no longer interested. Let them lead the way and have fun exploring.

Meal Time Struggles?

If your kids happen to struggle with eating, my friends Megan and Judy created an amazing course to make meal time less of a battle. (Which is what it felt like until I took the course.) It's definitely worth checking out if you have difficult eaters.

If you're interested, click the link below for a discount on courses.

Feeding Littles