I’ve collected some ideas here for creative activities that help build kids’ brains while they’re playing.
Songs to Sing
Learn about the benefits of music for kids’ development, find lyrics and tunes to lots of favorite songs that toddlers and preschoolers love, or songs about science, learn about books that sing, and use these resources to find lots of other great songs to sing and reasons to sing them! Here is a Circle Time Lesson Plan for a school year’s worth of toddler classes or story times.
Books to Read
Check out my list of favorite books to read to your kids, and recommended parenting books for you. Plus check out games and activities that build your child’s literacy skills, and other ways to inspire a young reader. (On my other blog, Inventors of Tomorrow, I recommend books about science for kids age 3 – 6.)
Cheap Dates with Kids
If you’ve got cabin fever and are feeling stuck at home with your little one, I have a whole series of ideas for cheap, easy activities kids love. Most of these can be done anywhere in the U.S. and most articles also contain ideas for specific places to go in the Seattle area.
Crafts & Art Activities
Check out the Bellevue College Parent Education Pinterest page.
Also, check out my “Fun with Toddlers” series. They are organized around a series of themes (Fall, Winter, Spring, Ducks, Transportation. etc.) and include songs to sing, books to read, crafts to do, field trips to take, and so on.
For STEM-inspired kid-friendly activities, check out my Inventors of Tomorrow blog.