Print out a Feelings Chart.
Go through the main feelings your toddler experiences on the chart. Label emotions, talk about how the faces look and practice them together. Use a mirror to allow your toddler to see how they look. Talk about what makes you feel those emotions Encourage your toddler to use the poster as communication tool when they cannot express themselves.
Skills to Practice: Self Regulation, Emotional Understanding, Coping strategies
Extended Learning: Matching Game - Print out two copies of the Feeling Chart. Cut out the pictures of the emotions and use laminating paper for multiple play experiences (Dollarama) Mix them up and place them face down on the floor. Have your child choose two photos at a time to find matches.
What is Needed: 4-7 Thick Craft Sticks, A Printed photo of your child, glue, scissors
Print out a photo of your toddler’s face and cut it in strips across the face the width of each craft stick. (If you only have thin sticks, glue two together.) Let dry.
Encourage your toddler to complete the puzzle. Give clues to where the pieces go, “Look at my face. Are my eyes above or below my nose?” Talk about how they look like they feel in the photo. Remove the nose! Now that’s funny!
Skills to Practice: Emotion Recognition, Spatial Exploration, Sorting, Regulating Attention
Extended Learning: Print multiple photos of your child making different faces. Have your toddler mix and match and make funny faces.
Include other family member’s photos for added challenges and laughs
What is Needed: Bind a Book together. (Folded paper & staples, photo album, duatang) , Crayons, Marker, Pictures
Add the following questions on each page
1. My name is ___________
2. I am ___ years old
3. This is my family
4. My favourite colour is ___________
5. My favourite toy is___________
6. My favourite food is ___________
7. My favourite place to go/thing to do is ______
8. My family is most proud that I ___________
9. I say ______________ a lot
10. I laugh when ___________
Sit with your toddler and have them answer the questions or answer for them with what you know. Encourage your toddler to colour each page, or glue on cut out pictures from photos or magazines. Add this to your story collection
Skills to Practice: Self Reflection, Vocabulary, Early Literacy Joy
Extended Learning: Make different books reflecting your child’s image and community interests. (Places we go, Colours, My Emotions, etc.)
Join in this gross motor activity as you exercise while learning about your body parts,
You put your (left foot) in, you take your (left foot) out,
You put your (left foot) in, and you shake it all about,
You do the hooky poky and you turn yourself around,
And that’s what it's all about.
Continue the song with different body parts – right foot, left/right hand, elbows, knees, head, tushy, whole self
Skills to Practice: Balance & Co-ordination, Listening Skills, Enjoyment of Music
Extended Learning: Bop Til you Drop – This dance along song gives you instructions on how to move. This is a very fun activity to practice patience, listening and body control. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dXoiCMyyu4
What is Needed: Construction Paper, Glue Stick, Magazines and Scissors, crayons. Additional creative materials
Scroll through a magazine with your toddler. Have them find all the pictures of faces. Cut out the individual eyes, noses, ears, mouths, eyebrows and other facial hair.
Encourage your child to draw an oval or circle for the face. Let them be creative and make different kinds of faces by gluing on the facial features. Have them scribble on some hair. Enjoy some laughs together by pointing out some features, “Look, this eye is much bigger than this one.” Or “There’s a mustache on his chin, hahaha.”
Skills to Practice: Symbolic Representation, Memory, Pincher Grasp, Creative Expression
Extended Learning: Give your toddler an opportunity to think outside the box. Use the weekly grocery flyers to cut out different fruits and vegetables. Can you make faces using these objects? Show them how broccoli can be eyes, a potato a nose, and a banana frown. Older toddlers can be practicing cutting with scissors with adult supervision.
https://www.crayola.com/athome – This website has a collection of videos and art instructions for young children.
https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/blog/ – Mommy blog about foods toddlers will eat and made easy