Spring Theme Toddler Activities
Kite Bites
This recipe is perfect for a windy day and is a great accompaniment to a day of kite making. Your toddler will love eating this tasty treat!
You will need Diamond Shaped Cookie Cutters, Bread, Sandwich meat, String Cheese or Red Licorice String, and Squirtable Cheese.
Place the bread slices on a cutting board and then cut out the kite shape with the cookie cutters. If you do not have a diamond shape, you can always hand cut one out with a knife. Then top with the lunch meat. Next place the string cheese or licorice at the bottom of the sandwich for the kite string. Decorate the top of the kite sandwich with the squirtable cheese.
These are truely adorable sandwiches!
Ladybug Pet Rock
Try a Lady Bug pet rock! First you need to find an oval rock, the perfect size for a toddler. Then paint the whole rock red and let it dry. You may want to do this part yourself if your young one is still putting things in their mouth. Additionally, it is good to do this step ahead of time so that it has time to dry. If not, you could do the craft in two sections. Next, use a black permanent marker to color the front for a face. Draw a line down the middle and let your toddler make the dots. Toddlers love polka dots and they are good at it too! Finish with gluing googly eyes on the black face! To complete the project, read a book with your new pet rock about Lady Bugs or Insects. A great suggestion is "Ladybug Baby Bug" by Janice Perkins, it is cute and is sure to keep your toddlers attention.
This Activity is also great for studying about the Letter L!
Painted Pots
A great activity for toddlers is to paint pots. You can find small terra cotta ones at Wal-Mart for a very good price and once your child has decorated it will be a treasure forever. Age and skill level doesn't matter on this project, the messier and more unique the better. If you need to, you can always paint outside. After your pots are finished, plant a seedling and watch it grow.
This is a perfect craft to include when you are talking about the Letter P. A great idea is to make a pot each year and continue to use them in your house. It will be a nice treasure to watch your child's artwork grow through the years.
Rain Cuttings
This activity is great for the letter R and is also for the older toddler as it requires use of scissors. You will need for this activity scissors, white construction paper, and aluminum foil.
Give your child the pair of safety scissors and let them cut out little pieces from the paper. Any shape will do. Then let you toddler glue his creations, big or small onto the paper for their rainstorm. Glitter pastes and glue can be helpful in covering the shapes , adding sparkle, and gluing at the same time. Cutting is facinating for a toddler once they master some control of the scissors. This control will assist them later in learning to write.
Rainy Day Cake
This cake recipe is a perfect treat for a week studying Rain or the letter U for Umbrella.
You will need 1 Pre-Prepared Pound Cake, Colored Powdered Sugar Icing, Umbrella Shaped Cookie Cutters, Waxed Paper, 6" Skewers or Lollipop Sticks, and Sprinkles.
You will want to prepare most of this recipe ahead of time and save the decorating for your toddlers as their patience may not last the duration of the recipe!
Slice the pound cake into 1/2" Slices. Place them onto waxed paper and cut into Umbrella Shapes. Next insert the lollipop sticks or the skewers into the bottom edge of the umbrella-shaped cake. (This will be the umbrella handle.) Ice the top of the cakes and allow your toddler to apply the sprinkles. If your little one is old enough, you can allow them to do all the decorating.
To Serve: Place the umbrella cakes on a large platter and use a sprinkling of lemon drops for the rain!
Thumbprint Caterpillars and Butterfly Art
Children love to express their creativity in the form of art and this activity is perfect for doing so. This toddler artwork activity will be perfect for a Spring Theme or theme on Bugs. You could also pair it with a Letter B for Butterfly week or Letter C for Caterpillar week for fun!
For this activity you will need finger paints or ink, paper, and magic markers or crayons for decorating.
Allow your child to make thumbprints on the paper of construction paper. For a caterpillar, have them press at least three together in a row in a straight line. Then let them make the feet with the crayon or marker. You can even make the feet and antenna for them if they are too young. For butterflies, press two thumbprints next together for wings and draw the rest of the body. You can even do a block of four thumbprints and just draw the body. The options are endless and your child will love making these little art pieces. It is also a great keepsake for parents to remind them of those times their toddler had such tiny fingers!
Your toddler will be practicing their creativity in this activity along with matching and reasoning and fine motor skills!
Tulip Garden
For this activity you will need, poster board, paint (acrylic or tempera), construction paper, safety scissors, and glue.
This project will need to be completed in two different phases. To begin, take the poster board and have your toddler paint the entire page blue. They will have fun doing so and you will not have to worry about staying in the lines. Let this dry for a day. Next gather the pieces for the drawing. It is recommended for you to cut the pieces ahead of time, especially if your toddler is small. Cut a rectangle piece of green construction paper. The length should be the same as the poster board and the width about 3 inches. Then cut 3-4 flower stems out of the green construction paper. Cut a 4" square for each tulip you are making. Have your toddler cut strips into the paper to practice their cutting skills with safety scissors. By cutting the end into strips you will form "grass" and accuracy is not needed. If they are unable to do this task because of their age, they will enjoy just gluing the "grass" to the picture. Next glue the stems. For the tulips, fold the square in half to make a triangle. Then fold the two ends up to make a tulip. You will have to press these folds well and possibly tack them with a little glue. Have your child glue the flowers in their place and you have a lovely tulip garden!
In this activity, your toddler will be practicing find motor skills such as cutting, coloring, painting, and gluing. It is also a great opportunity to practice the Letter T. They will also be practicing spatial development and placement.
Wiggly Worm Treat
This activity works great with a number of themes. You can use it during the letter W week for worms or a lesson about Earth, Nature, or Weather theme.
You will need, graham cracker crumbs, Oreo cookie crumbs, yogurt or ice cream, your favorite type of nut, and gummy worms.
Use a clear cup or bowl for this activity, you want your toddler to be able to see the layers. Make yourself some dirt and sand. Use the Oreo cookie crumbs as dirt, the Graham cracker crumbs as sand. Make layers and talk about how it looks like Earth. Use this time to talk about all the things that the Earth is made of and how it helps for everything to grow. Next have your toddler put some nuts in there for rocks, you can put these items in whatever order you want to. After you have the "ground" made, add the gummy worms so they can wiggle through the dirt! To finish top it with your "snow" (ice cream or yogurt) and enjoy the tasty treat. You can also add a little blue food coloring to the ice cream or yogurt if you would rather have it rain!
During this activity, your child will learn fine motor skills such as measuring, grasping, and placing the food items. You also have the opportunity to practice language skills about the Earth and letter W.