Fun Ideas for the Pre-toddler

I have been searching ideas for Smiles. She is a pre-toddler now. I am very blessed to be able to spend lots of time with her.  I plan to do several of the activites from the link below. Then I will post my thoughts as we do them.
http://www.icanteachmychild.com/1-2-years/

Her 2 favorite activities are playing ball. I roll to Smiles and Smiles rolls to me.  Her other favorite activity is pulling scarfs and objects from a box. I bought the toy from
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/p%7CJJ909~~f%7C/Assortments/Lakeshore/ShopByAgeOrGrade/018moinfant/greatgiftsforkids.jsp?cs=PDP_3_JJ909

Where has time gone? I am going to try and get through each of these activities and give my thoughts on each come this fall.

Fun Letter and More Dice

While at Michaels I came across the small boxes. Then it clicked. I could use these. The first set of boxes have letters on them.  I use the boxes when they are eating. I roll the "dice".  Smartypants and Sweetheart take turns naming the letter, letter sound and coming up with a word with that particular letter. Both kids love this game. Now I want to make more with the following ideas:
Rhyming words
math problems
name the word
one with questions:
tell a funny story
talk about the day
what makes you happy
say something nice about daddy, mommy, sister, brother, nanny, yourself
name a farm animal animal
name a zoo animal
name a vechile
name a sports car

name a water vechicle
name something that flies
name a color
name a beverage
name an something that is red, orange, yellow, blue, black and white, brown,green

the ideas are endless. I even show Smiles the letter. She may not understand, however she does hear Smartpants and Sweetheart. In time she will begin to understand and participate.
Let the fun begin.

Ghost Tree

I saw following project on the following site
http://www.toddlertoddler.com/halloween-ghost-tree.htm

I plan to change it up a bit. I will have Smartypants and Sweetheart cut their tree trunk and then use their feet for the ghost.  For Smiles I will use her arm and hands for the tree and branches. Then use her feet for her ghost or 2.

I love the idea of preseving there handprints and footprints every month. Each of the kids have their own art book. so, if once a month did a handprint....priceless. May do a footprint as well.

I did not get to do this activity last yr, so I am hoping this year we will be able to get it done.

Tools to paint with

If I ask Sweetheart what she wants to do she will say painting. So, I am seeking all different kinds of tools to paint with or to paint on.  Really anything can be used. 
Here is a list
paint brushes all sizes
sponges of different sizes and shapes
toothbrush
q-tips
cars
monster trucks
fingers/hands/feet
plastic bottles (the bottoms...some have a flower pattern)
bubble wrap
yarn
spatulas
plastic animal toys
legos
wooden blocks
sticks all sizes and shapes
rocks all sizes and shapes
potato wedges
apple wedges
forks
any utentil with holes
golf balls
marbles
comb
brush
cookie cutters
eye droppers
straw painting

tin foil
wax paper

Learning letters, words, numbers

This was so easy and both Smartypants and Sweetheart loved this new game.  I found balloon borders at the Dollar Tree. Each border has 8 balloons.  For both I wrote letters in each balloon. They take a clothepin and match the letter. The clothepin has a letter to match. Using a clothepin is for their fine motor. For Smartpants I wrote "at" and "og" words on the balloon and clothpin. Smartypants matches the word as well as says the word.  Sweetheart I did numbers up to 16. The first 8 she had no problem. The second 8 she did great as well. Just have to have her say the number as she puts the clothespins.

I plan to do this activity again in the fall. Plus, have Sweetheart count out objects of each numbers.

August 2012
I am now back. The kids are older and wiser. Smartypants is now 6 and a wonderful big brother and friend. He is always willing to try new activities. He also has become quite the artist. I am very proud to be his nanny. He is a math whiz and an excellent reader. This past April he learned and can name all 50 states. In June I showed him a blank map of the US and I am proud to say he can name all the states.  In just over a month he will be in 1st grade.

Sweetheart is now 4 yrs old and quite the character.  She is a kind, caring sister. She is always willing to share and she looks out for her little sister.  This fall she will be going to preschool 4 afternoons a week. She is very excited to go and can't wait to do to art activities and then hang them up at home.  I am looking forward to spending the mornings with her and and her sister come this fall.

Smiles is growing up so fast and wants to do everything her siblings do. She is very sweet most days.
Her fine motor skills are excellent. One her favorite activities is putting tooth picks into a cheese grater and putting toothpicks into a styrofoam square.

Fine Motor Skills

I am a huge fan of introducing fine motor at a young age.  Infants, toddlers, and preschool children need to develop their fine motor skills so they are able to write, dress and play independently.

I am providing a list of various infant, toddler and preschool fine motor activities and ideas to help them develop foundational fine motor skills they will need! And remember, help them have FUN doing it.

I love playdough for children of all ages.  I just introduced Smiles (10 months) to playdough just the other day. She loved it. Of course, her natural reaction was to put in her mouth. I just encouraged use your fingers. I let her know what I wanted her to do. I would poke the playdough and she would laugh.  With time she will stop putting it in her mouth. It was homemade, so I was not as worried if she did try and eat it.
I used this recipe

Playdough Recipe
Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Food coloring by drops

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a pan and stir. Cook over low heat, stirring until a ball forms.
2. Add food coloring and mix thoroughly until desired color.
3. Store in covered container. I used a ziplock baggie.

The following preschool activities support young children's fine motor development and will help to build the strength and dexterity (quick and precise movements and coordination of the hands and fingers) necessary to hold a pencil appropriately.

More preschool fine motor skill activities:

Rolling play dough into tiny balls using the palms of the hands facing each other and using only the finger tips.

Cut out shapes from cardboard (circle, square, etc.) and let your child trace them.
Using toothpicks to make designs in play dough.

Give your preschooler pair of tweezers. Provide two bowls with small items. Challenge them to get all the items from one bowl to another using only the tweezers.
Tearing newspaper into strips and then crumpling them into balls.
Lacing and sewing activities such as stringing beads.
Using eye droppers to "pick up" water.
Play with Legos, miniature cars, small blocks, action figures, and other small toys.
Working puzzles
Rolling small balls out of tissue paper, then gluing the balls onto construction paper to form pictures or designs.
Scissor activities
Clapping games
Connect the dots activities
Trace around stencils
Work on a chalkboard
Paint at an easel
Make crafts using scissors and gluing
Finger painting
Tying bows or tying shoes
weaving
geo boards
biggie beads

I have done many of these activities and I am always seeking more ideas. I think I will have to come up with 2 fine motor skills to use each week. Lately, it has been gluing and more gluing. Sweetheart will cut and then glue away. 



I found this list of fine motor activites for preschoolers
The following preschool activities support young children's fine motor development and will help to build the strength and dexterity (quick and precise movements and coordination of the hands and fingers) necessary to hold a pencil appropriately.

More preschool fine motor skill activities:

http://www.preschoolactivitybox.com/preschoolfinemotorskills.htm

Rolling play dough into tiny balls using the palms of the hands facing each other and using only the finger tips.

Cut out shapes from cardboard (circle, square, etc.) and let your child trace them.

Using toothpicks to make designs in play dough.

Give your preschooler pair of tweezers. Provide two bowls with small items. Challenge them to get all the items from one bowl to another using only the tweezers.

Tearing newspaper into strips and then crumpling them into balls.

Lacing and sewing activities such as stringing beads.

Using eye droppers to "pick up" water.

Play with Legos, miniature cars, small blocks, action figures, and other small toys.

Working puzzles

Rolling small balls out of tissue paper, then gluing the balls onto construction paper to form pictures or designs.

Scissor activities

Gross motor activities: Wheelbarrow walking, crab walking.

Clapping games

Connect the dots activities

Trace around stencils

Work on a chalkboard

Paint at an easel

Make crafts using scissors and gluing

Finger painting

Tying bows or tying shoes