Here are 8 fun and simple activities for toddlers that will keep them engaged and busy with sensory, fine motor skills, problem-solving and curiosity!
- Make instant ice cream
What better way to keep little ones cool in the summer months then making and eating icecream? Instant icecream recipes such as this one are a fun way to teach children how to make a yummy dessert in under 15 minutes. All you need is milk, sugar, ice, vanilla extract and some salt.
- Build a bug hotel
The RSPB have a great step-by-step guide and video on how to create a bug hotel using materials such woodchips, logs, old bamboo canes, moss, old leaves and wooden pallets. These structures can be adapted to suit any space and you could even give your bug hotel a name!
- Take children on a sensory journey
You can take children on a wonderful sensory journey with their feet by filling trays with a variety of materials like dry sand, mud and leaves; leading them in a line from one tray to the next. If you make the last tray clean soapy water and let them step through onto a towel, they’ll have clean and dry feet at the end too!
- Create bird feeders
Apple bird feeder, pine cone or fruit hoop bird feeder? The Cbeebies website shows you how to make all three! Hanging these bird feeders on branches or trees near a window means children can watch bird wildlife without interrupting it.
- Make messy play rainbow spaghetti
Making rainbow spaghetti gives children a great sensory experience which helps develop their motor skills around gripping and picking. You’ll need to cook up some spaghetti, separate them into bowls and add in food colouring. Why not add letters or ‘treasures’ to mix into the gloop which children can have fun picking out?
- Put together a water wall
You can create a water wall from a board, wooden fence or chain link fence. Then, you’ll need to attach plastic bottles and hosing to wood using a staple gun, or use zip-ties for chain link fences. Line up the containers to check their placement before you fix them permanently in place.
- Make a sensory play tub
Combine storytelling, props and water play for a great sensory experience! The ‘5 Little Ducks’ song is great for counting up and back down again from 1 to 5. Fill a tub with water and add 1 plastic mother duck and her 4 babies, subtracting one duck during each verse until there are none left. You could also attach foam numbers to a window and have children hide a number during the countdown.
- Build a weather station
You can check the weather each day during circle time and record what you find using a class magnetic weather station. You’ll need a magnetic surface like a baking tray, some magnetic letters, 4-5 sheets of foam, 4 magnets, a marker, scissors and glue. Then, follow the step-by-step guide to create your own weather station here and watch as your children learn to become little meteorologists!
What fun activities do you do at your setting during summer? Share your ideas with us @TheParentaGroup