Has your toddler ever produced some work of art that you are not quite sure what to make of? Sure it is great to stick on the fridge for a while but then what can you do with a brown mush of a picture? These tips are not just for toddler’s art but all young children. Children love to see their artwork displayed around the house. Displaying their work for them to see boosts their confidence and shows them that what they make is important. If you’re not sure what to say to your toddler about their art check out this post How to talk to your toddler about their art. For toddlers it is more about ..read more

Perhaps you are wondering what open ended, maybe even Reggio inspired presents you can get a toddler who has everything. Maybe your toddler is like mine and plays with a toy for a day then never again. Frustrating right? Well I am going to share the best gift my toddler ever got, one that has many uses and over a year later is still around. Would you believe it is… A box of Buttons. Yes that’s right! When my girl was about 18months/2years her grandmother brought out a box of random buttons she had collected over the years. I mean if your grandma doesn’t have a box of random buttons, is she eve ..read more

This is a super fun activity that is quick and easy to set up. Toddlers love to smash things, so let’s get them smashing things in a creative way. You will need cotton pads large paper tempera paint hammer of some kind How to: Find a suitable place for your paper, tape it down on the edges/corners so it doesn’t come off. Place blobs of paint randomly on the paper and cover with a cotton pad. Let your child smash the cotton pad to reveal the color underneath in a big splat. You can also put two colors next to each other so when they smash it they make a new color. Have fun ..read more

This is a fun sensory activity for toddlers and older children. It is interesting and oogey and gooey and some might say a bit gross. But kids love it. You will have to prepare the jelly the night before so it can set. Children can exercise their fine motor skills when using a pipette or dropper. Children will also have fun seeing the colors mix and the effect the colors have in the jelly. You will need: Jelly ( I used two boxes of litchi flavor as its clear) or gelatin a mold (I used a ring jelly mold) food coloring or liquid watercolor pipettes or droppers for each color How to: Prepare th ..read more

Do you have a collection of seashells in a jar like I always do? Not sure what to do with them? Well here is a fun activity to keep the children busy and creating.  It is easy and quick to set up. You can even wash the shells in some bleach after washing off the color if you want to paint them again.  You will need: Shells Watercolors Brushes and water Tray or table to work on  Using the watercolor,  paint the shells however you like. Let the layers dry in between if you want to add a color on top of another color.  ..read more

This fun toddler painting activity is great for a hot summer’s day. You will need to prepare the ice the night before but it’s totally worth it. Children love playing with ice and will be curious to see what happens with the paint while the ice is melting. You will need: A baking tray or shallow tray/ tub that can go in the freezer 1-2 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) water tempera paint and brushes How to: Mix water with the bicarb/baking soda and pour into your container. Set it in the freezer overnight (the addition of the bicarb is what makes it go white). When ready to u ..read more

This activity is easy to prepare and set up and can keep toddlers busy for hours. Sensory activities are great for toddlers. Children love playing with ice and in this post I will show you how to make this sensory activity which is great for a hot summer’s day. You will have to prepare this the day before. Outdoor ice sensory activity You will need: a container that can go in the freezer water Lego food coloring (optional) salt spoon/scoops water pipette METHOD: Put your Lego into the container (the amount of Lego will depend on the size of your container). Add water and if you want to add f ..read more

Recently I took a trip with my 3 year old which meant I had to entertain her for a long drive. So I decided to try to make a Kandinsky inspired felt board for her, in the hopes of keeping her busy. When we were back home she continued to play with it, so it was worth the effort. I like this activity because it is open-ended, and non-permanent process art. I find that children tend to take more creative risks when working with non-permanent artwork as they can easily change it. The good thing about felt is that it is pretty easy to use, and it kind of sticks to itself. So to make this all you ..read more

Today, a beautiful winter day, I decided to try out wet chalk drawing. And I was not disappointed, even my little one decided to join in. The best part about chalk drawing is you can simply use any brick surface you have, floor or wall and draw as big as you like. It simply washes off and you have a blank canvas again. Drawing with chalk is different and rather therapeutic, I enjoyed how the water changed the consistency of the chalk. This is also a fun way for children to experience a different texture, the soft chalk on the rough bricks. You can also use a chalk board if you have one. How ea ..read more

As you may know, Lightboxes are used a lot in Reggio and Reggio inspired environments. Children love them and they lend themselves to many learning opportunities. A lightbox is open ended and can be used in multiple ways. (Please note this post contains affiliate links) Lightboxes/Light tables are such fun. For home and/or for the classroom. I am going to show you two ways to make a lightbox for yourself, from basic to more complicated, depending on what resources you have available. Basic DIY lightbox option 1 This is a good option if you want to make a lightbox ASAP. All you need is some fai ..read more