EmpoweringChildren

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range County Head Start, Inc.

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Week 4

Toddler 2-3 YearsHome Lesson Plan

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAYSocial Memory Listen and Move Balance Social Emotional DRESS-UP TIME Materials needed Old clothes Costumes Activity Haul out a pile of old clothes and let your child play dress-up. Child can play with the clothing but it is great to encourage group play with two or three other children their age. Skills learned Creativity, imagination, language skills, and social development.

TOY HIDE-AND-SEEK Materials needed Toy Activity Hide a toy somewhere in the house, and ask your child to find it. Explore with her, using cues like "warmer" and "colder"to guide her. Variations Use flashlights for the search, or hide several objects at one time. Skills learned Listening, problem-solving, social skills, and memory.

SIMON SAYS Activity Start out with simple directions like, "Simon says, touch your toes" - then graduate to silly, more complex commands like, "Simon says, tug on your left ear, then your right ear". Don't forget to drop "Simon says" phrase every now and then! Variations You can also encourage your child to jump, skip, catch something, and more. Skills learned Gross motor skills, following directions, and receptive language

ALL ABOARD Materials needed Towel or blanket Activity Have your toddler sit on a towel or blanket and gently pull her around the room. Pretend the blanket is a train or a boat and that you are stopping at different places, like the zoo or wherever your imaginations take you. Skills learned Balance and pretending.

EXPRESS YOURSELF Materials needed Facial features cut out of magazines, paper and a glue stick. Activity Cut out different noses, eyes, hair, and other features from old magazines, and give them to your child to glue onto a blank paper circle. Encourage them to make funny creatures or silly faces. Talk to your child about the pieces and how to glue them down, but don't be too directive. Ask a lot of 'wonder questions,' like, "I wonder what would happen if you put the pieces down without the glue?" and, "I wonder why the glue is getting all over the table?" Childhood is about learning new facts and applying them to theories, so help them make theories. Variations Let them rip up the pieces or color on the collage with crayons after the glue has dried. Skills learned Creativity and language.

EmpoweringChildren

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range County Head Start, Inc.

2

Week 4 Toddler 2-3 Years

MONDAY TUESDAYHome Lesson Plan

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAYOutside Outide Outside Outside OutsideJunior Gardening Toddlers don't realize how much work it is to pull weeds, dig in the dirt, harvest vegetables, sweep porches, rake leaves or refill birdbaths and feeders. For them, it's not yard work; it's outdoor fun. Get little hands involved with the tasks that you might perform yourself. Not only will you be helping your toddler be more active, but you'll also be laying the groundwork for them to be able to perform these tasks independently one day.

Have a Parade The point of a parade is something near and dear to the heart of the toddler: It's all about showing off and celebrating. Grab a portable speaker or sing a happy tune and march around the yard anytime you have cause: *New shoes? *Potty training success? *The first sunny day after a week of rain? These are all reasons to happily march around the yard and even around the block.

Have a Scavenger Hunt Pick several toys or other objects (large plastic eggs, pieces of sidewalk chalk, even recyclables such as clean plastic bottles or cardboard egg cartons) and hide them around your yard or the immediate surrounding area in a park. Make them easy to find. Create a list with drawings or pictures of the objects and help your toddler cross them off as they find them.

Making Bubbles Bubbles make your own homemade bubbles and bubble wands and head outside. Use soap and water for the bubble mixture and use tin foil or hangers to make wands. Young toddlers will enjoy chasing the bubbles down and popping them, while older toddlers can blow on the bubbles to see how long they can keep one in the air. Keep moving and your toddler will follow.

Set Up an Obstacle Course Use whatever you have on hand, including boxes, mats or large toys. Your toddler can crawl under a lawn chair followed by a roll through the grass, a circle around a tree stump and finally a dash around the edge of the patio. Add to the fun by starting the race with a whistle blow and holding up a crepe paper ribbon to break through at the finish.

EmpoweringChildren

&Families

range County Head Start, Inc.

1

Week 5Home Lesson Plan

Toddler 2-3 YearsMONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Mix Coloring Writing Skill Social Emotional Balancing Large MotorThis activity will help your child explore mixing colors and noticing color changes in the water materials. Supplies • 2–4 small spray bottles or empty soap dispensers • Food coloring or liquid watercolor • Towels (for cleaning up and drying off) Preparation Before you get started, prepare the materials beforehand by filling the bottles or soap dispensers with water and adding a few drops of color to each bottle. Offer your toddler the spray bottles or soap dispensers filled with colored water, and invite them to spray or pump water into the sink/tub. Be sure to always closely supervise children using water.

This activity will help your child develop their writing skills. Supplies Paper Markers or Crayons Activity Cover your table and make sure your child is safely seated. Place a piece of paper in front of your child (you can tape the paper onto the table so it doesn’t slide). Let your child choose which color marker or crayon to use to write on the paper. If this is your child’s first time using a writing tool, you may need to show them how to use the marker or crayon and help take the cap off of the marker. Safety First Make sure to closely supervise your child as marker caps may be a choking hazard.

Sing Together Game Sing songs with your child, especially ones that they can clap to or that have their name in them. Singing provides a fun and interesting way to clap, and teach your child words and sound patterns. Activity Clap and invite your child to clap with you. Choose a simple, repetitive tune that your child can sing with you and clap to the rhythm. "Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream." Your child will first listen, and then begin to imitate the sounds they hear. They may clap and move to the tune before they try to sing along.

Balancing items is more than just a physical activity, it builds cognitive skills and helps your toddler learn body awareness. To start, use something flexible like a beanbag and have your toddler try to walk a few feet with it balanced on the back of an outstretched hand or on the head. Once they've experienced success with that, try other tasks like balancing a small board book on the head or walking across a room with a small ball inside a spoon.

Yoga and O\other Organized Exercise If you already do some type of organized exercise at home like aerobics or yoga, get your toddler involved. If you use this as a time for yourself and feel like it's going to be tough to get in a hard workout with them beside you, just invite them in for the warm-up or maybe just the last 10 minutes. You can also build in an additional toddler-friendly 10 minutes at the end to cool down or even add a special yoga sequence just for them. Even though this is time for you, it's a good idea for them to share this with you and learn from your good example.

EmpoweringChildren

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range County Head Start, Inc.

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Week 5 Toddler 2-3 Years

TUESDAYMONDAYHome Lesson Plan

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAYOutside Outside Outside Outside OutsideHave Fun With Water If the weather permits, get your toddler involved in some water play. A small child's pool (with proper supervision and safety in mind, of course) or even just a sprinkler or hose will provide lots of ways for your toddler to move. It's also one activity that toddlers seem to enjoy much longer than just playing with a ball or toy, so be sure to make it a regular part of your days when you can.

Simon Says Activity Start out with simple directions like, "Simon says, touch your toes" - then graduate to silly, more complex commands like, "Simon says, tug on your left ear, then your right ear". Don't forget to drop "Simon says" phrase every now and then! Variations You can also encourage your child to jump, skip, catch something, and more. Skills learned Gross motor skills, following directions, and receptive language

Pour water into cups Allow your child to fill and empty water into different sized cups or containers.

Catch Catch and throw a ball or other soft small object back and forth. Practice over, under, fast, slow etc. Don't worry if your child can't catch. If it's too difficult, sit on the floor and roll a ball or slide the object back and forth. Have fun!

Water plants around the house Fill a pitcher or other container with water and allow your child to water the plants and flowers around your house. Talk about the plants,dirt, sunshine and water.

EmpoweringChildren

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range County Head Start, Inc.

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Week 6Home Lesson Plan

Toddler 2-3 YearsMONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Creative Arts Science Music Math ScienceArtist in the Tub Materials *2–4 small spray bottles or empty soap dispensers *Food coloring or liquid watercolor *Towels (for cleaning up and drying off) Activity Fill the sink/ tub with a small amount of lukewarm water. Offer your toddler the spray bottles or soap dispensers filled with colored water, and invite them to spray or pump water into the sink/tub. As your child sprays water on to the walls of the tub or sink, comment on the colors and describe how the colors drip down the wall and what happens when the colors mix.

Exploring Shaving Cream This can be a wonderful activity you can enjoy with your child. Materials Shaving Cream Pans, plate or Cookie Sheet Old shirt Towel (for clean up) Activity Squirt a good amount of shaving cream on a pan and just let your toddler play! Add food coloring to extend this activity. Ask your child if they can make different shapes and objects. Talk about the texture asking questions like, "How does it feel?" and, "Is it smooth or rough?"

Rockin’ family kitchen band Use plastic containers and wooden spoons to make music. Put on a concert with your child as the lead drummer. Using paper and markers or crayons, your child can also make “tickets” to the show!

Paper towel roll chute Tape a cardboard paper towel roll to the wall (or a toilet paper roll) and encourage your child to drop cotton balls , small balls or other objects into it. Watch how quickly they catch on and have fun with this "into-the-chute" game! Add additional chutes to increase the difficulty. You can count the item along with your child.

Bean Jar Materials • A broad bean seed • Jar/ ZIPLOC BAG • Kitchen roll or a napkin • Water Activity • Swirl a small amount of water around the jar/ Ziploc Bag. • Fold your napkin or kitchen roll and place in the jar (make the kitchen roll very slightly damp) • Place the bean seed in the jar/ Ziploc Bag resting on the napkin. • Spray some water on the bean every few days. The bean should start to grow roots after a few days, this is called germination. Check the bean with your child each day. Talk about the changes. Ask your child questions about what they see like, "What does it look like" and, "What colors do you see?" and, "What do you think will happen next?"

EmpoweringChildren

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range County Head Start, Inc.

2

Week 6 Toddler 2-3 Years

TUESDAYMONDAYHome Lesson Plan

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAYOutside Outside Outside Outside Outside Neighborhood Search Prepare a list ahead of time of items to search for as you and your child take a walk through your neighborhood. See if they can spot a stop sign, a blue flower, something with a tail, something round, a fire hydrant, etc.? Check off the items on the list or use your phone to take pictures to review later.

Color Run On a driveway, sidewalk, or in a park, color four areas (draw circles or squares) with different colors of chalk. Call out a color and have your child run to that colored area. Continue to call out different colors in varying order.

Kick Bowling Switch up regular bowling outside by having your child use different sizes of balls to knock down different objects such as empty bottles or empty paper towels rolls Benefits This activity develops hand-eye coordination, gross motor control, and the ability to track moving objects.

Animal Walk Inside or out, encourage your child to slither like a snake, hop like a frog, gallop like a horse, or walk like a bear on all fours.

Dance Party Indoors or outdoors, turn up the music, use lights or decorations for ambiance, and join your child in twisting, macarena, floss, dance like their favorite animal, or freestyle their way to fun.