Early Learning Activity Round Up

I am often inspired by great women. Some days it is Frida Kahlo, and some days it is the women in my own family. Today’s post is inspired by two of my very favourite women. My sister-in-law is the mama to my dear little niece, Emma. This little lady has only graced us with 13 months of life, but for her little body, she has big love. To be honest, I am mad for this little woman. I would do just about anything to cuddle her little limbs and would drop anything to share a game of ‘head tilt’.

In addition to being a stellar photographer, my sister-in-law is a deeply dedicated gentle mama who is raising Emma to feel loved and acknowledged. Every movement from Anne Marie exudes the kindness and generosity that is her spirit. I adore this mama and her precious babe and I love that they are digging in to Emma’s early learning with the same love and gentleness that they shared during Emma’s infanthood.

Thinking about Emma’s learning I was inspired to put together this Baby and Toddler Activity Round Up. In addition to collecting and sharing our own learning adventures during the 12 – 18 month period, I have also pulled together some posts from other bloggers that I have looked towards in building our own discovery moments.

Aodhan and Emma have shared slings, diapers, toys, clothes, and a family that loves them – Aodhan now wants to share a whole pile of explorations with his beautiful cousin!!!

When transitioning from infanthood to toddlerhood, our children will guide us into the world of their learning. They will show us what interests them and when they are ready to move on. As their caregivers we can provide them with a variety of interesting and eye opening opportunities for play – which is at the heart of all authentic learning!

The Natural World is really where Aodhan and I really began exploring and learning. Movement, appreciation for the natural world, coordination, fine motor control, gross motor control, nature skills, colour recognition, patterning and self-confidence are only some of the vast number of skills that blossom from any outdoor play.

Let them:
climb
dig
develop a comfort with nature and wildlife
pour water into the garden
learn the names of flowers
play with leaves, mud, grass clippings, and rain water
build with rocks
look for insects
help with gardening
connect with the nature in their very own garden {The Educators’ Spin On It}

I am also a giant fan of using Art as a vehicle for early learning. Of course I had to let go of any worries about mess and take the precautions that were appropriate for our house (shower curtain on floor and plastic table cloth always on hand), but the benefits have been massive.There are so many skills that develop through art based play, such as: motor control, texture recognition, emotive expression, early numeracy and literacy skills.

Let them:
paint {MamaSmiles} (with waterbeads, brushes, pudding {Love, Play and Learn}, edible finger paints {Train Up a Child}, qtips)
sculpt
make prints
use crayons, markers, and pencil crayons

I loved watching Aodhan explore painting for the first time. Using qtips is a great way to introduce water colours (or any paint for that matter), and most dollar stores are a great place to get your hands on some super cheap canvas. Like most activities at this age, I demonstrated how to use the qtip (after dipping each end in water), by moving it across the paint and then adding the colour to the canvas. Similar to the art he creates as a 3 year old, 1 year old art was primarily about process – if not more so. Babies need to explore and feel the art. They need to experiment with the materials, and know that it is ok to play with the resources. My favourite baby-focused mess free way to paint is with some ziploc bags, poster paint and some duct tape. Aodhan and I have had lots of fun with this method of painting. Check out the link above from MamaSmiles that inspired our own mess-free fun!

Sensory exploration is a great way to support blossoming learners. Babies, toddlers and preschoolers love to sink their hands (and feet) into a good sensory bin. Early learning can start with basic sensory bins {Fine and Fair}. These bins can grow with your kiddos and become themed with a variety of extensions.

Our earliest sensory bins were pretty simple. Usually rice or dry beans with a few textured objects and a kitchen spoon. When Aodhan crept closer to 18 months, I was able to add in a variety of sorting tools that allowed him to think about: categories, patterns and size difference.

But, of course, sensory experiences don’t stop with bins. Babies can have sensory exploration during a meal. Food is an amazing source of different textures, smells and sights {Love, Play, Learn}. Let your baby play, smash and pull apart. I also found the writings about and examples of The Imagination Tree’s Discovery Boxes to be perfect for this age group. It takes sensory play in a slightly different direction, which I loved.

Motor development is also an important element of early learning, and there are so many fun ways to work on both gross and fine motor control.

Get down with your kiddos and crawl, cruise, run and roll around. Show them how to use their bodies in a fun and playful way.

I highly recommend using items that you have around the house for helping little ones work on their motor development. I love harnessing the secret powers of kitchen equipment and turning them into educational tools. My favourite by far (and Aodhan’s too) is using the colander and some pipe cleaners. So fun!

Stickers are also awesome for fine motor control. I would give Aodhan a piece of construction paper that I would draw circles on, and he would add the stickers to the middle of the circle. Easy, fun and a great way to work on focused fingers.

And don’t forget those clothes pegs that go unused all winter long (at least up here in Canada). I would, and still do, string some yarn between two chairs and Aodhan would attach clothes pins to the line. As he got older I gave him images of clothes cut out from paper to hang on the line. Also, grab some toothpicks and punch some holes in the top of a mason jar. Let your baby slid the toothpicks into the mason jar via the punched holes. Aodhan still likes sitting with one of these jars on a rainy day. Craft puffs are also great tools for working on fine motor control. At 12 months you can help them work on their pincher grip by just scattering a few on the floor and letting them pick them up and drop them into a yoghurt container. As they get older, glue different colours to the bottom of containers and help them sort the puffs by colour.

Babies also enjoy imaginary play. This type of play becomes more important after turning two, but it can be fostered in the early years with a variety of fun activities. Give your kiddo a little basket with some basic dress up items. Necklaces, hats and shoes are easily put on and taken off by this age group. Offer them a mirror in their dress up space so that they can see themselves and the transformation.

Let your kiddos help with crafts and other DIY activities. The youngest ones might end up just watching and standing beside you, but by inviting them into the moment you are providing them with a sense of confidence and inclusion.

Buy some instruments and make some music - or better yet! Make your own! {The Crafty Crow}

And don’t let their age fool you! Science is totally within reach of any baby or toddler. We had lots of fun experimenting with colour saturation and snow.

Most obvious to me is reading with your child. I read to Aodhan minutes after I cleaned the vernix from his sweet little head (ok, maybe a couple of hours after that), and marveled at how young babies begin to make connections with reading behaviours, such as: turning pages, noticing differences between written word and picture, noting repetition, signaling for expected words.

And my last and most favourite way to learn and play with kiddos at this age is – Playdough Play! My favourite recipe is by the amazingly awesome mama who writes NutureStore (bookmark this blog!). She has a free playdough ebook that will help a new parent realize how MUCH fun and learning can be had with a lump of homemade dough.

There are a billion ways to engage your kids when they are under 18 months. The most important element of learning at this age is play. Through playfulness, fun, silliness and adventure, our kids learn about their world. By embarking on a learning journey that is playful, light and lovely we will foster in our children a life long love for learning. I can’t imagine a better gift to give a child, can you?

These are just a few samples of the many ways parents and kids can explore early learning. My gift to new parents is the Kid Blogger Network’s Pinterest Board! It is a great place to quickly find the best of the best activities, all pinned and put together by some of the web’s best kid bloggers.

Well, Emma – that’s all your auntie and Aodhan have for now. Thanks for giving me the chance to go through all of our pre-blog activities and explorations. Enjoy!