Toddler Trays 5: Glue, Flap Books, Brown Bear Matching, Duplos with Ribbon, Letter Puzzle, and More

If you want to know a little more about Toddler Trays and why I started doing them with my son you can read more here: Toddler Trays: The What's, Why's, and Where's.

(All of these activities were completed when my son was 2 years 6 months of age.)

1. Construction Paper, Glue, and Stickers-  Simple, yet fun and engaging for young children.  I cut shapes out of construction paper.  I give B a glue stick and allow him to glue the shapes onto another sheet of construction paper adding stickers as he desires.
2. Mini Alphabet and Number Books-  These books were passed down to us from B's cousins.  I have not been able to find them, but B really enjoys them.  They include numbers, colors, and various pictures to help children learn.
3. Brown Bear Matching-  Most children enjoy Brown Bear Brown Bear.  This is a way to further engage them by encouraging matching.  These free printables can be found at DLTK (she has a number of free resources).  I read the story while he finds the corresponding animal.  
4.  Duplo Play with Ribbon-  This is another activity that I came across while searching Pinterest. Blog Me Mom shared the idea of adding string to your building blocks.  I thought it was a great idea since B plays with his Duplo's on a daily basis.  He had the most fun using the ribbon to make a Duplo train that he was able to pull around the house.

1. Flap Books-  Most parents with toddlers own a few flap books, but they often get forgotten.  B rarely chooses a flap book during story time, so I will occasionally pull the 3 we own out for him to explore or to look through during quiet time.
2. Melissa & Doug Self-Correcting Letter Puzzles- My son loves this puzzle, but he loves letters (there is a better photo of him playing with it below).  This puzzle is great for letter recognition, letter sounds, and matching the letter with the object that begins with the same letter.
3. Melissa & Doug Joey Magnetic Dress-Up-  I found this magnetic set on sale when B was really enjoying magnets.  It is great for fine motor skills, pretend play, encouraging self dressing, and matching.
4. Dinosaur Tracks with Play-Doh- My friend Branson's son loves this activity.  B lost interest rather quickly, but it is an easy activity and almost every kid loves Play-Doh.

You can read and see more Toddler Tray ideas here:

• Toddler Trays: The What's, Why's, and Where's
• Toddler Trays 2 
• Toddler Trays 3
• Toddler Trays 4

Toddler Trays 4: Geometric Stacker, Alphabet Dot Paint and Tracing, ISpy Bottle, Counting Cans, Pipe Cleaner Threading, Feed the Hungry Caterpillar, Letter Sensory Bin

If you want to know a little more about Toddler Trays and why I started doing them with my son you can read more here: Toddler Trays: The What's, Why's, and Where's

(All of these activities were completed when my son was between 2 years 5 months to 2 years 6 months of age.)

1. Melissa & Doug Geometric Stacker-  This toy is excellent for fine motor skills and advanced problem solving as one peg has shapes that will only fit on the peg if stacked properly.  Here is a post of 5 other ways to use the Geometric Stacker.  I was fortunate to find a used one for $3.  New it currently costs $12.19 on Amazon.  
2. Alphabet with Dot Paint- Carissa from 1+1+1=1 is a great resource for free printables and tons of ideas.  You can print 26 pages of alphabet dot paint fun.  B really loves this one.  He will sit for 15-20 minutes, which is a long time for a 2.5 year old.  
3. Alphabet Tracing- Again Carissa from 1+1+1=1 created this free printable and it is FANTASTIC!!!  He can't trace them perfectly (yet), but he loves trying.  
4. iSpy Bottle- We had these from the Busy Bag Swap Anna and I hosted.  A plastic bottle is filled with rice and various small objects that can be found on the photo he is pointing to in the photo above.  The goal is to find each object listed in the photo.

1.  1 to 10 Counting Cans- We purchased these with a gift certificate that was given to B for his birthday.  It is really helpful for learning to count and is a lot of fun if your child enjoys to pretend grocery shop and/or cook.  Each can has a number and a fruit/veggie printed on the outside.  The inside contains that number of fruit/veggie.  This day we were stacking the cans, counting the fruit/veggies, and hiding various fruit/veggies in our nesting barrels and guessing what was inside. 

1. Pipe Cleaner Threading- We simple use pipe cleaners and thread them through a colander.
2. Feeding the Hungry Caterpillar-  I found a free printable for each item from the book on Make It Cozee.  I printed and laminated them, then taped the Hungry Caterpillar to a gift bag.  As I read the story, B fed the caterpillar the food.  At the end of the story, we walked outside to get a green leaf to feed to him, so that he wouldn't have a stomach ache any more.  This was a really fun activity.
3. Letter Bean Sensory Bin-  We use beans and rice for most of our sensory bins.  Here B is searching for specific letters, placing them in the container, and covering them with beans.

You can read and see more Toddler Tray ideas here:

• Toddler Trays: The What's, Why's, and Where's
• Toddler Trays 2 
• Toddler Trays 3

The Legend of The Candy Cane Sensory Play

Have you read The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Wallburg?  Following a recommendation, I purchased the book this Christmas season to read to my son.  The reviews were fantastic and the book did not disappoint.  Besides Room for a Little One, it is by far my favorite Christmas book for children that I have read thus far.

A man refinishes a community store front, but the members of the community are unsure what he is going to open.  A little girl decides to find out and ends up helping him organize and open a candy store.  He also tells her the story behind the mysterious candy cane.  Eventually they share the story with everyone in their community.

This book tells the story of the birth of Christ and His sacrifice for us on the cross in a simple way that children can understand.  My son sat captivated by the story from the first time we read it.

So now that I have raved about the book, here is how we used it for sensory play.

I used our rice sensory bin and added objects discussed in the book:

• real candy canes
• plastic candy canes from a Christmas train set my parents bought for B last year
• candy cane ornaments from our tree
• a male and female lego character to represent Mr. Sonneman and Lucy
• magnetic letter J's
• sheep (I originally forgot to add them)

and a few extras for color and fun.

I read the story while B played.

Then, he ate his very first candy can before playing some more.

After playing in the sensory bin we colored a candy cane that was a free printable from Confessions of a Homeschooler.  She has some fantastic free printables.

I reiterated the truths from the book using the objects in our sensory bin.

• J is for Jesus
• The candy cane looks like a shepherd's staff.  Shepherd's were the first to find out about baby Jesus
• The red stripes remind us of Jesus suffering and His blood
• The white stripes remind us that his blood washes our sins away making us white as snow

*I was not paid to review this book, but truly believe it is a fantastic book that tells the redemption story in a way that is easy for children to understand.  While I was not paid to review this book, the link above is an Amazon affiliate link in which I benefit, but it is of no cost to you.

Click the links for more Toddler and Pre-Toddler ideas.

Linking up with Living Life Intentionally

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:

• Toddler Trays: The What's, Why's, and Where's
• Toddler Trays 2 

Toddler Trays 2: Felt Board, Dot Paint, Pegboard, Noodle Lacing, Brown Bear Matching, Pattern Blocks/Boards, Cooking with Water Beads, Letter Matching

Here is the original Toddler Tray post if you would like to know more of the what's, why's and where's.

1. Seasons Felt Board (by Betty Lukens)-  We have 4 felt boards that I pull out from time to time, but mostly use for  long car rides.  These make great gifts.
2. Character painting with Dot Paint -We LOVE dot paint!!!!!  If your kids have never used dot paint consider buying them a set.  I got online, searched free coloring pages (these were Veggie Tales), and printed them for him to paint.  I usually search for coloring pages based on his current interests. 
3. Quercetti Pegboard Set- We love this set.  There are several picture cards that fit under the clear peg board.  There are blue, green, red, and yellow pegs that can be used to match the color on the picture card.  
4. Pool Noodle Lacing- We had these from the Busy Bag Swap Anna and I hosted.  At 2 1/2 years old Bennett still struggles to hold the string while lacing the pool noodle, so I hold the string and encourage him to place the numbers on correctly.

1. Animal matching while we read Brown Bear, Brown Bear-  I simply read the book and he finds the matching animal.  The animal printables can be found at DLTK for FREE.  I printed and laminated them.
2. Pattern Blocks and Boards by Melissa and Doug-  B is hit or miss with these.  Sometimes he loves them, other times not so much.  At 2 1/2 years old, he recognizes most shapes and can complete the pattern.
3. Cooking with Water Beads-  Water beads are wonderful for sensory play and they're cheap.  I found these for $0.49/package at Tuesday Morning.  We use them in various capacities, but here we are making pretend soup, stew, and other delicious meals.
4. Letter Matching-Eric Carle Letter/Animal Flash Cards and Wooden Alphabet Blocks-  B was obsessed with letters for a while, so we were able to play all kinds games and activities.  Here, he was matching the letters, but mostly he wanted to build a tower and put the letters in order, so that's what we did.

Toddler Trays- The What's, Why's and Where's

What are toddler trays?

I have previously shared that my son is not the best at independent play.  I have also shared that like most children he stops playing with his toys if their left in his line of sight for prolonged periods.  It's like they become wallpaper.  This, friends, annoys the heck out of me!!!  So, prior to little sister's arrival I decided to begin organizing 3-4 activities, 2-3 times per week that would encourage play, exploration, creativity, and learning.  The idea was solidified after reading all about the Tot School  Carisa shared on her blog 1+1+1=1.

Then, I began sharing them on Instagram and my friend Branson, who also enjoys organizing activities for her son, joined in.  She began tagging her posts #toddlertrays, so I joined in and that is how it all began.  

Why?

Every morning Bennett was struggling to play.  I was getting so frustrated.  This may sound crazy to some of you, but he is very mechanical, so he loves fine motor activities.     He is also very social and wants someone interacting with or around him.  At his current age of 2 1/2 years old that is typically an adult, because they don't take his toys....HA!  The trays give me a starting point.  I organize them the night before that way they're ready to go after breakfast.  The trays are as much for me and my sanity, as they are for him.

What's my goal?

Carisa says it best, "...exposing early learning skills through FUN play.  Tot School is not forced, is always fun, sometimes doesn't happen the way I plan, and is always focused on my tot."

Some days he loves every tray.  Some days he barely plays with any of them.  Most days he enjoys one more than the others and I get at least 20 minutes of play out of him.  

Some activities he will ask to do again the next day or again later that evening.  As long as the activity doesn't require a lot of time or preparation I encourage him to play it as much and as often as he desires.  

Some days I lose focus of my goal and get frustrated that he didn't enjoy an activity like I thought he would, then I re-focus and remember it's not about completing an activity a certain way, but about exposing him to different opportunities to learn while he plays.  I don't want to force learning on him.  He is only 2 1/2 years old.  It should be fun!!!

Where do I get ideas?

• I mostly use toys we have.  As mentioned above, I stopped leaving all of B's toys out, because he wasn't playing with them.  Now, I rotate them and for the most part he will play with them again for a little while.  I also re-purpose the toys and games we have.  Here is an example using the game Rummikub
• I pay attention to what B is interested in.  For example, if he is talking a lot about cars I try to organize activities based on cars.  This is particularly facilitated by the cartoons he most enjoys.  I have organized activities based on tools (Handy Manny), letters (Letter Factory and Super Why),  etc.
• I have a number of blogs I follow (that I will link to as I share photos of our toddler trays) where I get ideas.  
• Pinterest rocks and is a never ending list of ideas.  Here is my kids activity board and children's book board if you would like to follow along.
• Books!  We love the library.  I go to our library online and reserve books based on certain topics.  When I check them out I am often thinking about how I can organize an activity based on the book.  We also use the books we own.  Sensory play while reading is one example I've shared.
• Toy swap.  Occasionally, I am able to incorporate a new to Bennett toy which we borrowed from a friend.  We have been fortunate to do this pretty regularly and I would recommend it to all momma's.  If you have a few good friends with children around the same age, ask if they would like to borrow one of your child's toys for a few weeks and do a little swap.

Before I move on to sharing some of our toddler trays know that I am not super mom.  So many times I have followed blogs and thought, "How do they do it all?"  I, then, remind myself they are only sharing the highlights of their day.

What you see here is the activity and a quick photo of my son playing with the activity.

What you don't see are the moments he looks at an activity, walks away, and I fight yelling at him.

What you don't see are the moments when I forget my goal and try to force him to complete the activity the "right" way.

What you don't see is sometimes we only play with these for a total of 20 minutes and I question whether it's worth it.

What you don't see are the times we laugh and act silly.

What you don't see are the moments he teaches me a new way to play.

What you don't see is the activities usually only occupy an hour of our day and only occur 2-3 times per week.

*The photos are from Instagram, so I apologize for the quality.

Here is one of the first sets of toddler trays I organized:

1. Cheerio Number Boards- We had these from the Busy Bag Swap Anna and I hosted. 
2. Camping Felt Board (by Betty Lukens)-  We have 4 felt boards that I pull out from time to time, but mostly use for  long car rides.  These make great gifts.
3. Jenga blocks-  I pulled out one of our adult games and he really enjoyed playing with the "new to him" blocks.  We built towers, animal pens, etc. 

Do you rotate your child's toys?  Do you swap toys with your friends?  Do you prepare activities for your child?

Toddler Activity: Do you have Rummikub?

Two to three days per week I try to have 3-4 toddler trays (I am hoping to do a post about them soon)  prepared for B when he awakes in the morning.  These activities help him to focus on something besides watching television and/or aimlessly walking around while whining.  Yes, at times I wish my child was better at independent play, but he's not, so I organize the trays to help facilitate play and to keep this momma from going nuts.

I have learned young children often enjoy playing with adult games.  For example, Monopoly money, Jenga blocks, dominos and Rummikub number tiles among others.

Do you have Rummikub?  Have you heard of Rummikub?  Well, its a game that I used to play, but since becoming a mom it has mostly been gathering dust until now.

Sorry to state the obvious, but DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CHILDREN UNATTENDED during this activity.  You know your child, so use common sense and do not give him/her small objects that he/she can not play with appropriately (i.e. put in mouth, throw, etc.).  I am fortunate that my 2.5 year old rarely puts objects in his mouth, up his nose,etc, but I realize some children are not safe with small objects until 3+.  You know what your child can and can not do, so don't complete this activity unless you know he/she is able to do so safely and under supervision.

Here are the activities we played with number tiles from the game Rummikub.

• He enjoyed lining the tiles up in the trays.  I tried to encourage him to place the numbers in order, but he didn't want to, so I just let him play.

• I made, printed, and laminated a page with the numbers 1 through 10.  I, then, placed several tiles in a bowl and shook them up.  I had B draw a tile and place it on the correct number.  He didn't enjoy this until I started using my "Game Show" host voice and proudly saying, "Ding, ding, ding, you got it!!!!"

• Rummikub has multiple tiles with the same number, so we also built number towers.

• Lastly, we used the bowls from our Counting with Bowls activity and placed the number tiles in the corresponding bowls.

This was a fun take on an old game that I hope to resume playing when my children are a little older and able to enjoy it with us.  

Here are links to other Click. Pray. Love activities:

Pre-Toddler Activities

Toddler Activity #1:  Flip Top Lid Fun
Toddler Activity #2:  Make Your Own Character Match Up Blocks
Toddler Activity #3:  Play Time in the SINK
Toddler Activity #4:  Make Your Own Bathtub Paint (a Pinterest idea)
Toddler Activity #5:  Counting with Bowls
Toddler Activity #6:  Paper Towel Roll Downhill Slide
Toddler Activity #7:  Colors and Sorting
Toddler Activity #8:  Sensory Play While Reading
Toddler Activity #9:  Play-Doh Creations