Make a Snake Toddler Activity
Snake activities are great for the letter S. It reinforces the sound the S makes that can be difficult for many children to master. Also it can be alot of fun slithering around, pretending to be a snake. Other fun games include peek a boo with the snake. Many toddlers will already know at a young age that snakes are dangerous and simply love jumping back and saying "Watch out, a snake!" So many possibilities too. You can use snake activities for the Letter S, Letter R for reptiles, or even Color Themes (depending on the color of your snake), so start your snake activities by making a snake with your toddler!
You will need for this activity Polyfill fiber, a tie, glue/needle and thread/iron on bonding or instant seam, googly eyes or buttons, craft or fabric glue, and red felt.
Have your child stuff the tie with the polyfil fiber. Once the tie is fully stuffed, you will need to close the edges. You can glue the seam back together or sew it. Another option is to use a type of iron on bonding like Steam a Seam. You will have to complete this part for your toddler. Next have your toddler put the eyes on the snake with craft or fabric glue. To finish, cut a tongue out of the red felt and have your toddler glue it in place. Your toddler will have a lot of fun making this snake and playing with it as well.
Your child will practice in this activity fine motor skills by stuffing the snake and gluing the pieces together. Additionally, it provides a good opportunity to develop language and words when talking about where the pieces go (learning where eyes go and where the mouth is).Make sure when you are finished to practice gross motor skills, by slithering on the floor with your snake!
You can also visit here for more Toddler Activities and Crafts!
Got a great Letter S or Snake Activity, or an idea to adapt ours? Leave us a comment!
~Parentint Tip~
Toddlers absorb so much knowledge and quickly too, which is why as parents, caregivers, and teachers it is important to make learning fun and unique. This will encourage their education process for the future and increase their self esteem. If a child believes in themselves, they will be more willing to study and practice later on because they will have confidence that they can complete the task at hand.
There are several ways to make learning letter sounds fun and interactive, try some of the few we have listed!
~ Try rhyme time. Young toddler will not be able to rhyme independently, but will have a lot of fun imitating your sounds. Start by focusing on easy sounds and leave a space for your toddler to repeat. For instance, try the "ot's" ie. Hot, bot, not, rot, dot, jot, cot, lot, ect… This will also give them the opportunity to hear the repetitiveness of sounds, which is a great way to practice auditory skill building.
~ Try listing words with same sounds. Try using this game when pushing your toddler on the swing, or going for a walk. They will be more apt to concentrate on you if they are less distracted. List as many words as you can with the same letter or sound. For example, mom, make, my, more, money, mmm, mouse, ect…. Emphasize the sound you are focusing on, or trying to learn , make that sound louder and longer than the remainder.
~ As your toddler grows, your games can as well. You can try memory or matching games to say the word or sound, alphabet games, singing and dancing games, and more!
Remember that repetitiveness is an important step towards learning to read. When toddlers are learning language, they are doing this by using their auditory skills. Building these skills is a key factor in developing your child's vocabulary and jump starting their reading readiness!