If you’ve been around my blog a time or two, you likely know I am a nature lover. We are nestled on a wee farm surrounded by nature and love to spend a large part of our days outside. In doing this, my little ones are exposed to the magic of this amazing world constantly. One thing that is a true marvel is the changing of the seasons.
Playing with the theme of the changing seasons through crafts and activities is a wonderful way to teach toddlers all about the seasons! I wanted to share with you some of my favourite ideas right here.
These ideas are ideal for children from 18 months through to 2 1/2 years old. Toddlers at this age are really growing their language skills, so take your time with these activities and really squeeze every drop of language learning out of them! Chat about how each activity feels and any new words that might come up. Try to find opportunities to relate new words to words your child is already familiar with.
For example, if you are doing a sensory activity where your child is experiencing cotton balls for the first time, you could say that they are “soft and fluffy,” tying the word ‘soft,’ which your child is familiar with, to the new word, ‘fluffy.’ As well, be sure to go nice and slow as your toddler is speaking to you. As tempting as it is, try hard not to finish his sentences. Give him the time and space he needs to get those thoughts out of his own head.
These activities are fabulous for building your toddler’s language skills!
Building language is just one of the many skills our toddlers are developing. Of course, each and every skill will naturally develop through daily play!
I have found that having one activity planned each and every day is a great way for us to have a gentle structure and break up our (sometimes very long!) days.
In fact, having a simple toddler activity planned for you each and every day—in exactly this way—is what my Playful Days Toddler Program is all about!
We build vocabulary and build a strong knowledge base by playing with all seven themes—one of them is The Seasons! Not only will this provide your little one with a beautiful foundation for learning, but it will provide just the right amount of structure to those long days at home with wee ones, and build beautiful memories as well.
The activities below are great examples of the daily activities you will find in my Playful Days Toddler Program!
You can read all about my Playful Days Toddler Program right here: https://www.howweelearn.com/playfuldays/
And just before we dive into these activities to teach the seasons, would you like a fun printable to enjoy together? This one is totally free and a wonderful, learning-filled activity for you to enjoy with your toddler as you create a Four Season Sensory Tree—one of the activities from Playful Days! You can grab it right here:
Activities to Teach the Seasons to Toddlers
These crafts and activities are great examples of similar activities that can be found in my Playful Days Toddler Program.
Sticking it to Fall Crafts – This awesome sensory activity only uses some contact paper and tissue paper and is sure to keep toddlers happily busy for hours!
Autumn Tree Dish Brush Painting by Montessori from the Heart – Introducing our toddlers to all sorts of different experiences is such a wonderful thing! I bet they have never painted with a dish brush before. This fun craft is a great one to explore, and you can chat all about the various colors you are using as you go.
Snow Dough by CBC Kids – All you need for this fun set-up is baking soda and water! And if you pop this dough in the freezer for 20 minutes or so, it will be icy cold, just like real snow. This is a great sensory activity for toddlers to enjoy in the summertime or if you live somewhere without snow.
Snowflake Drop by Happy Toddler Playtime – What a great use for those baby wipe containers! Pop some snowflakes or raindrops on jar lids and let your toddler explore this great hand-eye coordination activity again and again.
Rainy Day Sensory Play by Play Teach Repeat – This fun sensory bin for toddlers is dripping with sensory fun! (Get it?) Grab some cotton balls and let your child immerse himself in an imaginative world of clouds and rain!
Flower Soup Sensory Bin by Taming Little Monsters – Perfect for outside on a sunny day, or for bringing right into the bathtub! Nothing says spring like flowers, and nothing says toddlers like turning it into flower soup.
Season Sensory Bottles by Mama. Papa. Bubba. – You could make these season sensory bottles one by one as the year progressed and display them on a windowsill! What a beautiful way to keep track of the passing year with your toddler.
Loose Parts Tree by Fantastic Fun and Learning – Grab some sticks from outside and you have your very own indoor tree to decorate for each and every season! I just love this idea. And using clothespins to hold your tree decorations in place is fabulous for strengthening little hands.
There you have them, my friend! Some fun and sensory-rich crafts and activities to teach the seasons to toddlers.
Please remember to keep it easy on yourself. My Playful Days Toddler Program provides you with one simple toddler activity to enjoy each and every day with your little one! Check it out right here: https://www.howweelearn.com/playfuldays/
Thank you so much for reading,
xo
Sarah
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