




As parents, we are constantly amazed by the curiosity displayed by our toddlers. Every day is an opportunity for them to discover something new, and what better way to nurture their inquisitive minds than by introducing them to the vibrant world of colors? Learning colors is not only an engaging and exciting experience for toddlers, but it also plays a crucial role in their overall cognitive and sensory development.
In this blog post, we invite you on a delightful journey to explore the captivating realm of colors alongside your curious toddler.
We will share a few creative activities about teaching colors to toddlers, but also share a wonderful experience with one of our own little ones!
Colors are everywhere around us, from the blooming flowers in the garden to the vibrant pictures in storybooks. For toddlers, grasping the concept of colors is a significant milestone in their early development.
Understanding colors helps children enhance their visual discrimination skills, develop language and communication abilities, and stimulate their creativity.
Moreover, learning colors supports cognitive growth by promoting problem-solving skills, pattern recognition, and memory retention.
It also lays the foundation for more advanced concepts, such as color sorting, classifying, and categorizing objects based on their attributes.
We invented a fun game that we named “Find the Binky”(he is a binky addict and any game involving finding the binky he enjoys…hehe).
I pulled out these big plastic cups and separated them by color. He would put the binky in a cup and I would say the color.
He would try to repeat the color (or some word that kinda sounded like it). Most of the time he was wrong and I would correct him. He thought that was hilarious!
I later found him playing this game he made up by himself…he is such a boy. He made a t-ball stand with the cup and was swinging at the soccer ball with another cup. What a great imagination he has already. I love watching him think.
In Lollipop woods, I had the kids bat at a balloon with a tennis racket. After they hit the balloon, they got to pick a lollipop that was stuck into the ground and put it into their treat bag (dollar store Cars-themed brown lunch bags).
In this land, the kids got to pick an ice cream bean bag from the basket. ( I sewed these up from felt I bought for a dollar at a yard sale and filled with corn). Then they took their bean bag through an obstical course…hopping over peppermint sticks (wrapping paper tubes painted red and striped with masking tape), jumping through dollar store tire intertubes, then crawl up the playhouse, & shoot their bean bag through the basket ball hoop. They put the bean bag into their treat bag.
More vines and flowers. I hung stuffed animals that we had around the house all over the vines, hanging from the unfinished ceiling beams, and heating vents. The river was a strip of one of the dollar store table cloths leftover from cutting the path squares. When we got to the tree, the kids could pick a few licorice and put them into their bag.
Back outside for the end of the game and to see the CARS!!! These were not tough to make and I love how they turned out. I had gotten a new treadmill earlier in the year and saved the box. These boxes are huge…8feet x 4 feet and 2 feet tall! I used dollar store zip ties to make the front curve of McQueen, and attach oatmeal containers to the top of Mater’s hood. I had most of the paint already, just needed to pick up a little cherry red paint.
~Posted by Colleen
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4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded/grated
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded/grated
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese shredded/grated
2 ounces pepperoni, chopped slices
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons black olives, sliced
1/2 tsp italian seasonings
Directions
~Posted by Leanne
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Many years ago, we had this totebag painting idea. Actually, we received small tote bags as a party favor and decided to decorate the tote bags. There are actually many ways to hand paint a tote bag, but this was a kids’ craft idea that we loved. We even used the totebags as travel sensory kits for a while.
Let’s get started with this totebag painting activity.
We went to a fun birthday party this past weekend, and got these little bags as part of the party favor.
Little Guy brought his out today and was so sad that his bag was yellow and not his favorite color, RED.
I started to say, “Well, what can we do about this problem?”
Big Sister cut in and said “I know!!! We can PAINT them and GLUE STUFF to them!” This was a really creative painting idea that she came up with on her own, so we went with it!
Painting a tote bag can be a creative and fun sensory activity. It can get a little messy, but with some prep work, you can make this activity with kids and then use the bag to hold all kinds of fine motor items or sensory tools.
Here are some tips for making a hand painted tote bag:
2. Add a Piece of Cardboard so the paint doesn’t bleed through the sides of the bag: Before starting to paint the tote bag, slide a piece of cardboard into the bag. This way, when you paint, it only ends up on one side of the bag. You can even paint one side and allow it to dry, then paint the other side.
When you have that piece of cardboard in the bag, you can even use it to prop up the bag to allow the paint to dry faster.
3. Select Paint to Paint the Tote Bag: We used washable paints because we knew we wouldn’t be washing our tote bags and my kids were very young at the time that we hand painted tote bags. You could use other types of paints, however, especially if you want to wash your bag at some point. Good paints to use are acrylic paints or fabric paint.
4. Prepare Your Workspace: Lay down a protective covering to prevent paint from spreading onto surfaces. Have all your materials organized and within reach to create a comfortable and accessible workspace. We just used a laminated placemat as our workspace, but you could place sheets of newspaper or plastic table cloths, too.
5. Plan Your Design: Before applying paint, sketch your design on the tote bag with a pencil. This will help you visualize the final product and make adjustments before committing with paint. For my kids, we just kind of painted, and that worked out great!
6. Use Appropriate Brushes: Select brushes of different sizes based on the details of your design. Larger brushes are ideal for broad strokes, while smaller brushes are better for intricate details.
If you are creating a hand painted tote bag with features like a child’s name, flowers, or other details, a finer brush would help. If you are using washable paints with a younger child, a sponge brush or even finger painting is fine, too.
7. Apply Thin Layers: Instead of applying a thick layer of paint, use thin layers to achieve a more even and professional-looking finish. Allow each layer to dry before adding the next.
8. Add Texture or Patterns: Experiment with adding texture or patterns to your design. You can use sponges, stencils, or even household items to create unique effects.
9. Seal the Design: Once your design is complete and fully dry, consider sealing it with fabric sealant or ironing it according to the paint manufacturer’s instructions. This helps ensure the longevity of your painted tote bag. We didn’t need to do this step because we just used washable paints.
What do you think? Will you make a painted tote bag in your therapy sessions, at home, or in the classroom?
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
This four cheese garlic bread is such an easy addition to any dinner and it’s simple to throw together. Whether you are having lasagna or spaghetti, add a homemade garlic bread to the side. My kids adore this four cheese bread and you will too!
Birthday Banner– I created these Monster/Alien heads by cutting out circles from poster board from the dollar store and gluing antennas on the back. I then taped on black and white pictures in chronological order by month. I cut out circles from label stickers and wrote the month number below the picture.. My sister and I strung them with ribbon from the dollar store. |
Cupcakes and Smash Cake– I got the cupcake idea . I used Funfeti white cake mix from a box (would love to have time to make it from scratch, but I just don’t), and chocolate cake mix. I used my little mini cupcake maker for the cupcake on top. Found the cute liners at Big Lots (one of my favorite stores!) and picked up the icing from Aldi in the clearance section- it was originally pink and yellow, I added a little food coloring to make the perfect monstery green. The candy eyes were from Michael’s and the DumDums and peach rings from the dollar store.
The cake was just made in a round glass mixing bowl I had and I put dollops of icing all around and made a silly looking mouth. I didn’t take much time doing this because we all know what is happening to this cake.
The Birthday Hat– This I made out of stuff I already had laying around in my craft bin. I cut out poster board and made it into a hat shape and glued it on the seam. I then lined it with frayed tissue garland. I glued this all around until it covered the poster board. I then glued on buttons and cut out the same ribbon from the dollar store that I used to make the birthday banner. Finally, I glued on a pompom on the top and some elastic on the bottom.
Snacks and treat bags– For the favors I made monster bags that the kids could fill with candy from a candy bar. I got the bags at Michael’s in a pack of like 20 or something. They were super cheap. Then I glued on googly eyes that I already had and some fun pompoms to make them look silly. I used a black sharpie to make a mouth.
“The little monsters on the wall are waiting in line”- my 3 year old daughter, lol.
-Post by Leanne