Social-Emotional Development
Caterpillar Role Play
Using a pillowcase and some scarves, suggest that children pretend to be caterpillars emerging from a cocoon (pillowcase) and flapping their new butterfly wings (scarves).
Cognitive Development
Butterfly Match
Draw different colour and pattern butterflies on 8 ½ x 11 paper. Cut the papers in half and mix up the papers. Encourage your child to match the butterflies together. As they work on matching the butterflies, describe their attributes. “This butterfly is blue with green polka dots” “This butterfly is red and orange”
Language Development
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Read the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar or watch it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY Discuss with your child what the caterpillar ate in the story. “He ate through one apple, two pears…” “What did the caterpillar eat that made the caterpillar feel better?” At snack time, eat one of the foods in the story. Discuss how the caterpillar ate the same food as your child. Retelling facts from stories supports your child’s literacy skills.
Physical Literacy
Flying Like a Butterfly
Encourage your child to decorate a paper plate that has been cut in half. Invite your child to hold a paper plate in each hand and flap their “wings” like a butterfly. Fly around indoors or outdoors like a butterfly.
Creative Activity
Blotto Butterflies
Encourage your child to use a medicine dropper to drop paint on a piece of paper wherever they would like. Once your child has dropped paint drops, support your child in folding the paper in half. Encourage your child to rub the folded paper to smear the paint inside. Open the paper to review two identical sides.
Additional resources:
www.toddlerinaction.com Visit this website for loads of ideas for your 2-3-year-old. Click on Toddler Activities on the bar at the top of the page.
https://pbskids.org/ Go to this website for educational games and videos based on popular PBS KIDS shows.
Learning at Home Toddler Week 5
Learning at Home Toddler Week 8
