Fall Activites for Toddlers (Part 2)

This is Part 2 of a series. For Part 1 see here.

For each project I will highlight several developmental skills it enhances. Often we do things, but don’t think about the reason why. And sometimes we don’t do things because we don’t think they will make an impact. Now every kid is different and what one gains another might not. But that’s okay. It’s most important to present the opportunity for our children and let them tell us what they learn from it. The key points that I will discuss include:

Language Development: Language skills develop by talking, singing, and reading together.
Gross Motor Development: This refers to large movements, such as walking, jumping, crawling, climbing, etc.
Fine Motor Development: These skills are those small tasks that require a lot of hand-eye coordination, such as painting, using a spoon, coloring, picking up items, transferring from one hand to another.
Creative Development: Creativity may be taught, but only if it is supported.
Sensory Development: Sensory skills refer to hearing, smelling, touching, tasting, exploring, and looking.
Cognitive Development: This is our knowledge base, we learn from our experiences and grow from there.
Enjoyment Development: Having fun is so important for children to engage in as often as they can.
Social Development: Learning to work together and “be” with other people creates a well-balanced child.

Halloween Magnets
Materials: patterns found (here , here and here), orange, black, and white construction paper, permanent marker, laminator or contact paper, magnet tape or magnets
Directions:
1. Print patterns to size you want. I reduced the ghost 50 percent and used the smallest pumpkins.

2. Mark face on ghost and pumpkin.
3. Laminate or use contact paper to protect it.
4. Use magnet tape or glue magnet to back.

** I put the face on the pumpkin after laminating so my daughter saw it blank for a few days and then as a Jack-O-Lantern.**

Language used: pumpkin, ghosts, whoooooo (the ghost sounds), bats, Jack-O-Lantern, face. I often ask my daughter to go find me … a ghost or pumpkin or bat. And she does.
Gross Motor: My daughter likes to walk around hugging the magnets. Yep, you just gotta go with it sometimes.
Fine Motor: Putting the magnets onto the refrigerator takes a little skill.
Creative: I made them, but she did watch me put faces on the pumpkins. And she often talks to the magnets, too.
Sensory: Touch and sound used
Cognitive: My daughter tries to stick the magnets on other things. This is a great cause and effect exercise. Nope, I didn’t even plan that
Enjoyment: My daughter loves all the Halloween items all around the house.
Social: We play games like find the ghost or find the pumpkin. She loves to find it and I usually praise her by saying “ That’s right, you found the ghost. What does that ghost say?”

Bingo Dauber Apples

Materials: Apple Pattern (found here), bingo dauber (I bought mine at the $1 store), red construction paper, washcloth
Directions:
1. Trace pattern on red paper or feed paper through printer
2. Cut out apple
3. Let child use bingo dauber to paint.

**FYI: This paint isn’t usually very washable**

Language used: apples, paint, fun
Fine Motor: Making marks with the bingo dauber helps refine fine motor skills
Creative: They can put the paint anywhere
Sensory: Feeling the paint and paper
Cognitive: We put picture up for recognition and discussing it again later.
Enjoyment: Art is fun
Social: We work together painting.

Paper Jack-O-Lanterns
Materials: Pattern (found here), black and orange construction paper, triangles and mouth (I did these free hand), glue, washcloth
Directions:
1. Trace pattern or feed paper through printer
2. Cut out pumpkin, triangles and mouth
3. I used Elmer's glue. I put a little on a paper plate and use a small paint brush to brush the glue on the triangles and mouth (prep as much as you can ahead of time)
4. Give child triangles one at a time and let them place it where they want.
5. Do the same with the mouth

Language: pumpkin, face, glue, orange, mouth, eyes, nose. I also asked “Where do you want to put it?”
Fine Motor: Practicing putting the shapes on the pumpkin.
Creative: Any face is acceptable.
Sensory: Touching the paper and unfortunately the sticky glue.
Cognitive: Reinforces ideas we have with other pumpkins in the house.
Enjoyment: It is fun to make a face on a pumpkin
Social: We worked together to create it.

** I had put a face on the magnet earlier the day we did this activity. I gave her the magnet to look at and hold while she was creating this project so she knew the idea. But I didn’t force her to make it the same as mine. Obviously!**

One more segment coming up next Tuesday. Be sure to check it out!