DIY Toddler Guitar

Here’s one for our music lovers! I’m pretty sure I made something similar when I was a kid. This is so easy and took less than 5 minutes to make! All you need is a shoe box, rubber bands, scissors, and a paper towel roll. How to make your toddler guitar: Cut a hole in

Surprise in an Envelope!

Nothing is more fun than watching a child open a surprise gift! Caroline enjoyed this activity so much that we did it over and over again. Not only was it fun for her, but she was learning at the same time! This activity is secretly a fine motor task and a cognitive task. What you

Tree Ring Stacker

Reuse & recycle to the rescue again! My little loves her ring stacker, but has already mastered it long ago. This revamped stacker gives more cognitive challenge to grow with her new emerging skills! What you need: Cardboard box Colored popsicle sticks Tape Shower curtain rings Scissors Set it up! Punch a small hole in

Magnetic Letter Board

I found this board at Walmart on clearance for $2.88! I love everything about it! It’s magnetic, so the pieces don’t go flying, and it shows pictures of animals, letters, and even numbers! The opportunity for learning is endless. Caroline is about 18 months and is beginning to identify letters and numbers, so this board

DIY Music Shaker

Old pill bottle? Check. Construction paper? Check. Dry beans or rice? Check. If you have all these laying around the house, you can make a simple music shaker in less than 5 minutes! Simply decorate (or have your little decorate) a strip of paper to cover the ugly pill bottle logo, tape in around the

Color Wheel Lacing

Lacing activities are popular for little tots, and for good reason! They work on so many skills! And they’re simple. Which, if you’ve been following along, is a big key when it comes to learning independent play skills. So let’s break this one down: Items needed: A paper plate Scissors Pipe cleaners for younger littles,

Paper towel roll stackers

I love reusing paper towel rolls for activities! They are so simple to transform into something educational. And when Caroline is bored with it, they are easily tossed! This simple craft targets all sorts of goodies: letter recognition, number recognition, color recognition, and sequencing, all while working on fine motor skills to pick up and

Magnetic Fishing Game

GO FISH! Here’s a fun game that works well with a variety of ages from 14 months through kindergarten! You can buy several of these plastic magnetic fishing sets online for around $10, or if you’re crafty, you can easily make your own! (I’ll show you how below). I was actually searching for a fishing

Including Your Young Toddler in Household Activities

Sometimes I feel most successful as an OT when I can get my little to participate in “real life” tasks. That’s what OT is – helping people across the lifespan complete their meaningful and purposeful occupations or activities of daily living as independently as they can! With young kiddos, their greatest occupation is play. They

Stack ’em up & Knock ’em down

I love simple activities. Not only can you put something together within minutes, but it really allows your little to focus and build their attention span when they aren’t overwhelmed with distractions! Simple tasks also allow your baby to be an active participant in their learning process vs being passive with something like a battery