Days at home with toddlers are like no other. You’re constantly busier than you’ve ever been, yet somehow, at times, it feels like you’re stuck in a loop of boredom. You want to savour these fleeting moments with your little ones, but let’s be honest—you’re also counting down the minutes until nap time. Life with toddlers is full of extremes!

Through trial and error, I discovered a little secret that changed everything: having just one simple activity, craft, or game planned each day along with our quiet time, gave our days some structure, helped us break up the monotony, and brought genuine joy—not just to my toddlers, but to me, too. And an added bonus, these activities are packed with learning and development perks!

Today, I’d like to share with you one of the many hands-on activities offered in my Playful Days Toddler Program—just one of the fantastic resources you’ll find inside the Everything Toddler Bundle. You can check it all out in the How Wee Learn shop.

This activity is called One Item Doesn’t Belong. Let’s take a look together!

Free Printable Rainbow Activity

Just before we get into the game, I think you’ll also love this rainbow puzzle printable—perfect for toddlers! After you enter your email address below, you’ll be sent the Free Printable Rainbow Activity. You’ll also be brought to the How Wee Learn shop, where you can see a sample of the Playful Days Toddler Program.

Playful Days Toddler Game

Having one activity to look forward to helped me break up the day and truly thrive in the chaos. And I want that for you, too! This exciting, hands-on toddler game I am sharing with you will help your child with many of those core skills while having fun. Let’s jump in, and I’ll show you how easy learning can be.

In Playful Days, each month features a simple theme suggestion to help your child engage in learning and explore various topics. The “One Item Doesn’t Belong” game I’m going to share with you today is part of the Colors and Shapes theme.

So, how do we play?

Start by walking with your child to gather four items—three that are the same and one that is different. Ask your child which one doesn’t belong. Continue playing and see if they can switch roles and gather the items, or have them gather three items and have you find something different.

While playing, you’ll be helping your child develop their vocabulary skills, which is an important focus at an early age. We’re also encouraging movement, learning, and critical thinking, not to mention colours and shapes! There are countless ways to mix up this toddler game, and I’d love to share some of the ways I played this activity with my toddlers. Let’s take a look.

Toddler Game: One Item Doesn’t Belong

Collect three square items and one round.

We collected three square magnet tiles and one round ball. We started by going around the house, finding a few different square-shaped items, so he had a good understanding of what we were looking for. Then, we also did the same with round items. This was a great way to spark some curiosity about other shapes. My son asked me about various items around our house and their shape. He really started testing me when pointing to chairs and his jackets.

Gather three small items and one larger item. 

We gathered three small items and one big item. This one was a lot of fun to come up with items. My son had some food item ideas, like three tiny donuts and one giant one. He was excited to go through his toys and see what we could come up with. Ultimately, the dinosaurs were a favorite.

Gather three items of one color and one of another color.

My toddler gathered three items of one color and one of a different color. This one was an easy pick for my son. Once he heard color, he ran right toward the crayons. I then helped him count out three of the yellow crayons, and then he found one purple to use.

Collect three soft items and one hard item.

My toddler gathered three soft pompoms and one hard Lego. This was a great sensory experience, too. He loved feeling all the different things around our house. I was able to explain to him the difference between something soft and something that is smooth.

 

It is very rewarding to see your toddler gather their items to show you! I loved seeing what they came up with to be the one that doesn’t belong. This toddler game was so successful that we even brought it outside to play during our nature walk. So much learning is happening with this game: colors, shapes, language development, sensory, and more. I encourage you to try this with your toddler and watch their joy for learning ignite.

This is just one of 140 toddler activities included in the Playful Days Toddler Program. Start building those core skills through play and connection, making those long days beautiful.

Get The Everything Toddler Bundle in the How Wee Learn Shop Today!

https://shop.howweelearn.com/products/the-everything-toddler-bundle

Thank you so much for reading, sweet friend!

xo
Sarah