The Everything Toddler Activities Book (26 page)

1. Mix the matzo meal with the salt.
   
2. Add the eggs and the oil. Help your child slowly stir in the tablespoon of water. The batter should be thick and pasty.
   
3. Chill the batter for 10–15 minutes. While the batter is chilling, boil the water and add the bouillon cubes. Once the cubes have dissolved, drain the can of carrots and add them to the soup.
   
4. Remove the matzo batter from the refrigerator. Show your child how to roll the mixture into golf ball-size balls. If the mixture is too sticky, try wetting your child’s hands first.
   
5. Carefully drop the matzo balls into the boiling soup. Cover and simmer for 15–20 minutes.
   

Purim graggers are the noisemakers that children shake when the name of Haman
is mentioned during the reading of the Meglliah. Be mindful that the loose beans
could be a choking hazard; supervise the use of this toy carefully.

1. Let your child glue paper and ribbon to the outside of the cups for decoration.
   
2. When the glue is dry, help her pour the beans into one of the cups.
   
3. Invert the second cup over the first and tape together.
   

It is not too early to start teaching your child to respect the earth and the environment. These simple activities are a great way to start.

There is no end to materials that you can use for this project.
Ask your friends and family to save things that you could use.

1. Rinse out any containers, remove labels and check for sharp or loose parts.
   
2. Have your toddler glue or tape items together to create a creature.
   
3. Provide paper and markers or crayons for them to decorate.
   
4. Be sure to ask your toddler about what he made. Where does it live? What does it eat? Does it have a name?
   

Older toddlers may enjoy joining in a community effort to pick up litter on earth day.

1. Select a site for your child to pick up litter. You may need to go in advance to remove glass, cigarette butts, or any other hazardous materials.
   
2. Show your child how to use the tongs to pick up litter and place into the bag.
   

You will need to check for sharp edges and rinse out containers before starting this activity.

Demonstrate for your child how to sort the materials into glass, plastic and paper bins.

There are many symbols and traditions associated with this holiday. Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny may be the two most familiar to young children. Here are some simple activities that your toddler is sure to enjoy.

Both you and your child will delight in this cute holiday craft. Don’t worry if the end result does not look perfect—your child’s creativity is more important than the finished result.

1. Have your child stand on a piece of white construction paper in stocking feet. Trace the outline of her foot.
   
2. Cut out the foot shape. Cut out two long ears from the pink paper.
   
3. Show your child how to make a bunny: glue the ears onto the heel end of the cut-out foot and the cotton ball to the toe end.
   
4. Let your child decorate her bunny with the yarn and crayons.
   

You do not have to rely on a store-bought kit to dye Easter eggs. Here are some creative ideas for you to try.

1. Make your own egg dye. In a coffee cup, combine ½ cup of boiling water, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, and ½ teaspoon of food coloring. Repeat this process for each color.
   
2. You can also make natural dyes. Natural dyes require the eggs to soak for much longer times, sometimes as long as overnight. Remember the longer the egg is in the dye, the darker the color will be. Some materials to try include onion skins, beet juice, and tea leaves.
   

Your toddler is too young to understand the history behind this holiday. Keep it simple, and explain that you are celebrating the country’s birthday. Your child will love being a part of the festivities.

Your child will be practicing fine motor skills as he makes this colorful picture.
If you are worried that he will suck paint through the straw, take a pin and poke a
few small holes about ½” from the top of the straw.

1. Let your child use the spoon to place small blobs of different colors of paint on the paper.
   
2. Show your child how to use the straw to blow the paint around on the paper, staying fairly close to the paper without allowing the straw to touch it. Let him experiment. What happens when he holds the straw straight up, and what happens when he tilts the straw?
   

Let your child express his patriotism with this personalized version of the American flag.
You can adapt this craft for any flag with stars.

1. Glue the white and blue papers side by side to form a large square, with the blue square in the top left corner.
   
2. Cut (or help your child cut) the red paper into ten strips. Glue six of the strips together end to end to create three long stripes. Glue the red stripes to the white part of the square, with the longer stripes at the bottom.
   
3. Pour some white paint into the pie tin. Help your child dip his hands in the paint, and then press his hands on the blue square to make stars. (Don’t try for all fifty; instead, you’re just going for the effect.)
   

The history of this holiday is more than your child can understand. Discussions about Pilgrims and Native Americans are not relevant to your child’s experience of the world around her. The turkey, on the other hand, is a concrete symbol of the Thanksgiving meal. You may also choose to have a discussion about abundance and thankfulness during this holiday.

Engage your child’s imagination with this activity. This may become a family tradition for years to come.

1. Tell your child that you are going to trap a turkey for Thanksgiving.
   
2. Set the cardboard box upside down and prop up one end with the stick. Show your child how the turkey will knock the stick over to make the box fall. Place some corn under the box to serve as bait.
   
3. Overnight, remove the corn and replace it with the feathers and candy corn. If you want, you can add a little note/poem from the Turkey: “You tried to catch me, but I can’t be beat. So I left some candy for you to eat!”
   

Your toddler will feel that she is truly contributing to the holiday when she helps make this festive tablecloth.

1. Spread the sheet somewhere with plenty of room for your child to work.
   
2. Have your child place her hand on the sheet palm down, with her fingers spread wide. Trace around her hand with the fabric marker. Repeat to create as many turkeys as she wishes. Perhaps the rest of the family will add their turkeys as well.
   
3. Allow her to use the fabric paint to embellish the turkeys and to add any other decoration that she wishes.
   

Chanukah is a Jewish holiday steeped in traditions. Don’t forget to share some of your favorite ways to celebrate with your young child. This holiday lasts for eight days. Here are a few favorite activities to get you started with the celebration.

This activity is a great way to reinforce Jewish holiday traditions as
well as introduce your child to counting concepts.

1. Pour the paint into separate pie tins. Have your child dip his hands in the blue paint and then press them flat onto the paper. His thumbs should overlap while his fingers should be spread apart.
   
2. Show him how the print resembles a menorah, with the thumb prints representing the Shamash. Count the eight candles with him.
   
3. Wash your child’s hands. Then have him dip one finger into the yellow paint. Help him press his finger over each candle to make a flame.
   

Your child will be learning about shapes and geometry while he makes this well-known symbol.

1. Show your child how to arrange three craft sticks to form a triangle. Have your child glue these sticks together. Repeat for a second triangle.
   
2. Once dry, show your child how to place one triangle upside down over the other triangle to create the Star of David. Glue the triangles in place.
   
3. Let the star dry. Pour paint into pie tins and let your child decorate the star.
   

Your toddler will enjoy spinning his body like a dreidel.
The song can be sung to the traditional dreidel tune or to “Row Row Row Your Boat.”

Teach your child the following song and then have him spin around while he sings it:

Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
I’m spinning all around.
Going slow and going fast
Until I’m on the ground.

With this menorah, you can add all of the flames at once or have your child
add a flame on each night of the holiday.

1. Cut 4 (¼-long) slits on one end of each tube. Fold these tabs back. Arrange the tubes on the cardboard—the tall tube in the center and four smaller tubes on each side. Glue in place.
   
2. Have your child glue the wrapping paper on the tubes for decoration. Encourage him to make the tall one (Shamash) stand out from the others.
   
3. Show your child how to crinkle a square of the tissue paper and stuff it into the top of a tube to represent a candle flame. Start with the center candle and do the same for all of the others.
   

Even your young toddler will be aware of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. It is hard to shelter her from the music, the commercials, the movies, the decorations, and everything else. She does not have to be a passive bystander, though. These activities will encourage her to contribute festive decorations for your home.