Monday, December 3, 2012

Toddler Trays 3: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Play, Painting Shells, Beanbags, Lacing Cards/Buttons, Nesting Barrels, Animal Flashcards, Dinosaur Colors/Sorting, Bean Sensory Bin



  1. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Magnetic Letters - This summer B really enjoyed the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom , so I searched the internet for a free printable of the tree to use with our magnetic letters.  The blog, That's What {Che} Said had just what I wanted.  I printed the tree, taped it to a cookie sheet, and we were able to make our letters climb the tree while reading the story.
  2. Painting Shells- We live in Florida, so we always have sea shells around the house.  Why not paint them?  
  3. Mini Cornhole- My mom gave us this set this summer.  I, honestly. was most excited to have some smaller bean bags for B to use.   The goal is to throw the bean bag in the hole.  You could use a laundry basket or cut a hole in the top of a box to achieve the same thing.
  4. Lacing Cards and Buttons- B enjoys lacing the buttons, but could care less about the cards.  This activity is great for fine motor skills. 
  1. Nesting Barrels - I found these for $2 at a local used toy store.  They are fantastic and often lead to play that stretches B's imagination.  
  2. North American Animal Flashcards- B really enjoys looking at different animals, so when I saw these in the $1 bin at Target I decided to buy them.  Each card has a picture of the animal, it's name and a few other facts.
  3. Dinosaur Colors and Sorting -I wrote an entire post about this activity.  Plus, I can't say enough about the MiniDinos Counters seen here.  We use them all the time.  We use them to make shadows.  We line them up for a parade.  We put them in water and freeze them.  We count them, sort them (color and type), and so much more.  Amazon also has a Mini Motors Counters.
  4. Bean Sensory Bin- We play in our bean sensory bin on a regular basis.  This day we were talking about colors and hiding the colored blocks under the beans.  We were also filling the Nesting Barrels with beans and making shakers.

You can read and see more Toddler Tray ideas here:


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