Tot School
Tot School, which I decided to embark on to not only prepare kids for the routine of homeschool, but to give them something fun to do while older kids are doing their school work. I know Boo wants to do everything her sister is doing, and it can make school a challenge, so when she has her own tasks set out to do each day, everything goes more smoothly.
Unlike the rest of our curriculum, tot school is not divided into weekly lessons, but rather a list of activities you can choose as you and your toddler wish. There is a wide range of fine motor, gross motor, and sensory activities. I didn't divide them this way, because I find it's more helpful to have quiet vs. not-quiet activities based on what other's are doing at the time.
Please use your own judgement when deciding what is age appropriate for your tot. Some activities are geared towards older toddlers, where as many are appropriate for younger toddlers.
Computer games for toddlers (External links)
1. Fisher Price
2. Baby First
3. Owlie Boo
4. Knowledge Adventure
5. Happy Clicks
6. Fun Gooms
7. Nick Jr.
8. Kinderweb
Educational Apps for toddlers (for Apple or Android device)
1. Sesame Street (list of different apps)
2. Parents.com List of best toddler apps
3. Best apps for toddlers
*Another option is a leapPad. The games are pricey, but they are so durable, and child friendly. We have had one for years, and it has been a great learning tool the kids still enjoy.
Daily Quiet Time activities/Busy Bags
1. Felt Board - Mr. Potato Head, Olaf, felt paper dolls, Faces and/or cupcakes
2. Dry erase books - Dollarama has a wide assortment, and we love these dry erase crayons
3. Craft sticks and Velcro dots
4. Colour sorting - Use whatever you have available - large beads and construction paper, coloured craft sticks and coloured toilet paper rolls, etc. Here is a great idea.
5. Magnets on cookie sheet
6. Square Blocks - building towers, roads, patterns, etc, depending on child's age and skill level.
7. Lacing cards - Buy or make your own
8. Pipe cleaners in a colander
9. Dot markers - along with printables: Pre-writing, Letters, Transportation themed, Frozen themed, Ocean themed, Spring themed, Bug themed, Arctic Animals, Fall themed - Many more by searching Pinterest or Google
10. Colouring books and crayons/markers/coloured pencils - be sure to choose non-toxic
11. Sponge Blocks
12. Finger puppets
13. Body part Flash cards
14. Alphabet Flash cards
15. Magnetic Dress-up - There are many options available
16. Board books
17. Pre-writing printables
18. Stickers - Check out our sticker matching books
19. Eye-spy bottle or busy bag (leaving options to switch objects out)
20. Straw beads
21. Bean sorting/pasta sorting/seed sorting - using different types of whatever you have around, place in a bag and include egg carton or paper cups to sort.
22. Button threading - large buttons, a plastic needle (the type used for wool), and wool/ribbon with one bead or knot at the end.
23. Bottle/Lid matching
24. Tweezers and mini pom-poms - Using large child friendly tweezers and craft pom-poms, supply a container for them to sort colours, or for younger children, provide a container with a hole in the top to put pom-poms through.
25. Sock sorting - have your toddler tackle your basket of socks.
26. stacking cups - any kind of plastic or paper cup (avoid Styrofoam and glass)
27. Scissor practice - with child safety scissors.
28. Cheerio threading - use cheerios of choice and thread them onto a piece of wool, ribbon, or (even better) rope licorice.
Unlike the rest of our curriculum, tot school is not divided into weekly lessons, but rather a list of activities you can choose as you and your toddler wish. There is a wide range of fine motor, gross motor, and sensory activities. I didn't divide them this way, because I find it's more helpful to have quiet vs. not-quiet activities based on what other's are doing at the time.
Please use your own judgement when deciding what is age appropriate for your tot. Some activities are geared towards older toddlers, where as many are appropriate for younger toddlers.
Computer games for toddlers (External links)
1. Fisher Price
2. Baby First
3. Owlie Boo
4. Knowledge Adventure
5. Happy Clicks
6. Fun Gooms
7. Nick Jr.
8. Kinderweb
Educational Apps for toddlers (for Apple or Android device)
1. Sesame Street (list of different apps)
2. Parents.com List of best toddler apps
3. Best apps for toddlers
*Another option is a leapPad. The games are pricey, but they are so durable, and child friendly. We have had one for years, and it has been a great learning tool the kids still enjoy.
Daily Quiet Time activities/Busy Bags
1. Felt Board - Mr. Potato Head, Olaf, felt paper dolls, Faces and/or cupcakes
2. Dry erase books - Dollarama has a wide assortment, and we love these dry erase crayons
3. Craft sticks and Velcro dots
4. Colour sorting - Use whatever you have available - large beads and construction paper, coloured craft sticks and coloured toilet paper rolls, etc. Here is a great idea.
5. Magnets on cookie sheet
6. Square Blocks - building towers, roads, patterns, etc, depending on child's age and skill level.
7. Lacing cards - Buy or make your own
8. Pipe cleaners in a colander
9. Dot markers - along with printables: Pre-writing, Letters, Transportation themed, Frozen themed, Ocean themed, Spring themed, Bug themed, Arctic Animals, Fall themed - Many more by searching Pinterest or Google
10. Colouring books and crayons/markers/coloured pencils - be sure to choose non-toxic
11. Sponge Blocks
12. Finger puppets
13. Body part Flash cards
14. Alphabet Flash cards
15. Magnetic Dress-up - There are many options available
16. Board books
17. Pre-writing printables
18. Stickers - Check out our sticker matching books
19. Eye-spy bottle or busy bag (leaving options to switch objects out)
20. Straw beads
21. Bean sorting/pasta sorting/seed sorting - using different types of whatever you have around, place in a bag and include egg carton or paper cups to sort.
22. Button threading - large buttons, a plastic needle (the type used for wool), and wool/ribbon with one bead or knot at the end.
23. Bottle/Lid matching
24. Tweezers and mini pom-poms - Using large child friendly tweezers and craft pom-poms, supply a container for them to sort colours, or for younger children, provide a container with a hole in the top to put pom-poms through.
25. Sock sorting - have your toddler tackle your basket of socks.
26. stacking cups - any kind of plastic or paper cup (avoid Styrofoam and glass)
27. Scissor practice - with child safety scissors.
28. Cheerio threading - use cheerios of choice and thread them onto a piece of wool, ribbon, or (even better) rope licorice.
Sensory Activities
1. Bean bin - keep a bin of dried beans on stand-by, and add things to go along with a certain theme - eg: Square items, plastic animals, red objects, etc. Allow your tot to search through to find the items.
2. Play-doh - Use cookie cutters, play-doh moulds, rolling pins, or printable play-doh mats to switch it up.
3. Edible paint
4. Mouldable sand - 1 cup baby oil for 4 cups white all purpose flour. We put ours in a giant Rubbermaid container, and added small buckets, rakes, sand moulds, shovels, and other sand toys. Be warned, it makes a mess!
5. Process art painting
6. Fizzy Cloud dough
7. Rainbow oats
8. Play-doh filled balloons
9. Slimey gel bag
10. Contact paper window decor
11. Water table/basin, or the good ol' sink. Add cups, clean sponges, dishes to pretend clean...
12. Edible and Borax-free slime (like flubber)
13. Sand foam - for older toddlers
14. Baby bath time - using basin/water table/bath tub/sink, allow tot to bathe a baby doll, or plastic animals.
1. Bean bin - keep a bin of dried beans on stand-by, and add things to go along with a certain theme - eg: Square items, plastic animals, red objects, etc. Allow your tot to search through to find the items.
2. Play-doh - Use cookie cutters, play-doh moulds, rolling pins, or printable play-doh mats to switch it up.
3. Edible paint
4. Mouldable sand - 1 cup baby oil for 4 cups white all purpose flour. We put ours in a giant Rubbermaid container, and added small buckets, rakes, sand moulds, shovels, and other sand toys. Be warned, it makes a mess!
5. Process art painting
6. Fizzy Cloud dough
7. Rainbow oats
8. Play-doh filled balloons
9. Slimey gel bag
10. Contact paper window decor
11. Water table/basin, or the good ol' sink. Add cups, clean sponges, dishes to pretend clean...
12. Edible and Borax-free slime (like flubber)
13. Sand foam - for older toddlers
14. Baby bath time - using basin/water table/bath tub/sink, allow tot to bathe a baby doll, or plastic animals.
Not-so-quiet activities
1. Musical Books
2. Nursery Rhymes on CD
3. Cars and Roads
4. Busy Dice - Use large dice, 1 will stay unchanged, just numbers, and a second you write different actions - jumping jacks, push-ups, rocket jumps, etc.
5. Bean bag toss - buy or DIY bean bags, and create a target for tossing practice. Some ideas here.
6. Bottle bowling - Using empty water bottles and a rubber ball, set up a bowling station.
7. Walk the line
8. Balloon Tennis
9. "Basketball" - This link is not English, but if you look at #1, you get the idea.)
10. Hop Scotch - use painters tape to mark out hop scotch on the floor
11. Balloons - very versatile, and relatively harmless for indoors (assuming any popped balloons are immediately discarded!) Tots can play "don't touch the floor" alone, volleyball with a partner, etc.
12. Bouncy Ball - we actually got 2 at dollarama for $3 each.
13. Scooter Board and games (you can search google for game ideas also)
14. Role play - dress up, kitchen, etc.
15. Homemade balance beam - lay objects down on the floor based on your child's abilities - eg. a 2 year old could use a 1x6 board, a 2.5 year old a 2x4, and a 3 year old could use a pool noodle cut in half.
16. Stomp and catch
17. Stuffed Animal run
18. Obstacle Course
19. Coffee can drums
20. Bubble pop Road for toy trucks or just to run/jump/roll on
21. Hammering golf tees into Styrofoam (for older toddlers who will not put tees or Styrofoam in their mouth.)
22. Ping-Pong ball shake - Using an empty rectangle tissue box, take the plastic wrapper out, punch 2 small holes in the short sides, and use a ribbon to secure on your toddler's bottom. Let them wiggle, jump and shake ping pong balls out of the box. They can pick them all up and start again.
23. Hula Hoop Hop - using a few hula hoops. place them next to one another, and have tot do 2 foot hop from one hoop to the next. Hopping on both feet is tough for young ones, so it may a skill they need to develop.
24. Cardboard box house.
25. Toy cars through paper towel/wrapping paper tubes. Lift one end up and drive the cars through like a ramp.