H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

by Jamie Reimer

discoverdiscoverActivity Plans to Explore with Your One Year Old

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 2

DISCOVER: Activity Plans to Explore with Your One Year Old© All Contents Copyright 2016 Oak Avenue Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

DisclaimerThis is a planner including activities that have been done with my own kids, or the kids of contributors to Hands On As We Grow. By doing any of the activities mentioned in this eBook, you are taking sole responsibility of how the activities are done. Oak Avenue Media, LLC, Hands On As We Grow, or their contributors, assume no responsibility.

Sharing this DocumentThis document may not be copied or distributed without prior written permission — if you have this file (or a printout) and didn’t pay for it, you are depriving the author and publisher of their rightful royalties. Please pay for your copy by purchasing it at http://handsonaswegrow.com/shop/

If you have a friend who you think would find this valuable, they should purchase their own at http://handsonaswegrow.com/shop/

You cannot post this document or the information it contains on any electronic bulletin board, Web site, FTP site, newsgroup, etc. The only place from which this document should be available is on the Hands On As We Grow site. If you want an original copy, visit the following address: http:///handsonaswegrow.com/shop/

Thank you.Jamie ReimerHands On As We GrowOwner of Oak Avenue Media, LLC

A brainy person does not abuse copyright; instead they respect it and uphold it.

- Maximillian Degenerez

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 3

Who’s Jamie?

What’s the Plan?

Tips for Success Set up an Activity Binder How to Do the Activities Tips for Multiple Kids Supply Substitutes

Activity Plans Full Supply List Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5

Activities

Blank Activity Planner Go-To Activity Lists Fine Motor Gross Motor Crafts & Art Projects Sensory Family Bonus! More Activity Plans PLAY: Two Year Olds ENGAGE: Preschoolers LEARN: Preschoolers

Additional Resources

Index

page 4

page 5

page 6

page 15

page 23

page 55

page 63

page 71

page 77

page 79

Contents

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 4

Hi!

You may already know a little about me and Hands On As We Grow, but here’s a peek behind the scenes.

I’m Jamie. I’m not a teacher. I’m a mom, a stay at home mom, who made it a New Year’s Resolution for 2011 to do hands on activities with my kids.

I have three boys, Henry, George and Louis. They’re all very active kids, and that’s reflected in the type of activities we do.

As a way to stay accountable and keep motivated, I began sharing our activities on a blog that became Hands On As We Grow.

This accountability is the secret behind why I’ve continued to do activities with my kids (along with choosing very easy to do activities).

That secret is what I want to share with you. A simple way for you to plan, track and keep motivated to do activities with your kids.

That’s how these activity plans were born.

I hope you find this time doing activities enjoyable as you make wonderful memories with your kids.

Jamie Reimerhandsonaswegrow.com Children will not

remember you for the material things you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them.

- Richard L. Evans

Who’s Jamie?

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 5

These activity plans are general ideas for activities to fill your weekly planner.

After these intitial weeks of doing these pre-planned activities with your kids every day, you’ll have a knack to do this yourself.

The chosen activities are not geared towards learning (because learning is very dependent on each child during the early years) and are basic enough that most young toddlers, specifically one year olds, can do them.

These activities are also hand-selected to be used at any time; they’re not holiday crafts or anything seasonal. (For learning and holiday related activities, see Resources.)

If, after these initial weeks you don’t feel creative or comfortable enough to go on your own, just repeat them! Kids love to do activities over and over again, and repetition is great for learning.

Once you do feel comfortable to plan your own weeks, use the blank planner (that I’ve included) to plan each week.

I know you can do it! These ideas will help you get started, to give you that little push you may need. You will learn to find ways to add to the activities or change them up for your child’s interests. I’m excited to hear about your ideas!

Just know that you can do it. I believe in you.

Allow children to be happy in their own way, for what better way will they find?

- Samuel Johnson

What’s the Plan with these Plans?

What’s the Plan?

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 6

To help with accountability, it helps to have a place to store all the ideas you find.

You’ll want to determine if having a hard copy of the ideas works best for you, or if a digital storage place does its job.

Set up your very own activities binder.

Physical Activity Storage

Use a basic 3-ring binder. Print off these activity plans and store them in the front of the binder.

Behind the activity plans, use folders with pockets to store activity ideas. Each folder can have its own category: fine motor, gross motor, craft, art project, outdoor, etc. Make it as detailed or as broad as you’d like.

Print off the activity details found in this eBook and store them in the folder pockets. As you find activities you’d like to try, print them out and store them too! Or just use the ‘activity details’ planning page to jot down the idea. Make sure to print off several of them to have on hand for these moments.

Printing off in black and white (and in draft quality) at home usually suffices. But if you’d like, send this packet to your local printer to get a higher quality print in color.

Also be sure to print off several of the weekly planners to plan upcoming weeks, as well as many of the activity planning page.

Digital Activity Storage

I find Pinterest just works the best for storing activities on the computer! It’s easily and readily available, and free!

Be sure to have a few different boards for the different categories of activities (and maybe even start them all with “Kids”) to easily find them. For example:

Kids - Gross Motor IdeasKids - Fine Motor IdeasKids - Craft Ideas

and so on.

When you pin an activity you like, it also helps to describe it in a way that you’ll find it again. For instance, write the materials used in the description, so you can easily find pom pom ideas in a flash!

Either way...

You’ll want to print out the weekly plans to stick on your refrigerator for easy access and a daily reminder to do the activities.

Success: Storing Ideas

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 7

Can you provide a schedule of your day that shows when you fit activities into your day?

Simple question. A not-so-easy answer. Especially since I share an activity planner that helps you fit those activities in your day, but yet I can’t tell you how to schedule them into your day.

You see, my days are very rarely the same. I am not a scheduled person. I roll with the flow most days.

I find this works best for us. It takes a lot of pressure off me that I would put on if I had a schedule to follow. That doesn’t mean that I don’t gather ideas for the week or have plans. I do have those.

A little more about how my home works. I’m primarily a stay at home mom. So I’m at home with my kids and work when I can. My husband works nights, so he’s home during the days with us as well (in the morning he’s sleeping). He is there to help me during activities if I want it.

Your home might be a little different in that you work out of the home all day, or you’re at home by yourself until the late hours of the night.

I urge you to jot down 7 of your own times that you can squeeze in activities into your daily, or weekly, routine.

As long as activities are kept simple they can be squeezed into any part of the day!

How to Find the Time to Do Activities.

Success: Finding Time

If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him. If, however, we are careful not to push a child beyond the limit of his courage, he is almost sure to get braver.

- John Holt

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 8

In the Morning. Activities are most often slipped into the mornings when the kids don’t have preschool or daycare. Sometimes even on mornings before they go to school! If they’re up super early some days (because it happens!) we’ll sometimes squeeze an activity in after we’re ready to go and have a little bit of time to spare. If I can, I make this a gross motor activity. I find if I get them moving early in the day, they’re able to focus better through the day.

Before heading out for the day. We have one day of the week that I usually reserve for errands or going to Grandma’s house. There have been countless times that we squeeze an activity in before we head out. I find this to be a perfect time to connect with them (and give them that one-on-one time) before heading out and doing things that are all about me. Or at Grandma’s, it’s all about Grandma and not a time for me to connect with them.

During the toddler’s nap time. Nap time has always been a life saver for me and activities. It’s when I have been able to focus on my preschooler and do more advanced activities that my toddler might disrupt or get in the way of.

After nap time. This is hit or miss for us because after nap times my kids can often be very grumpy (are mine the only ones?). If I’m not just sitting and holding them to keep them from a meltdown, we’ll sneak in a quick activity before my oldest gets home from school.

After school. When we’re stuck inside and the kids aren’t able to just run off their en-ergy outdoors, I find this to be a great time to add in a gross motor activity.

Before Dinner. This is always a crazy time of day when I’m trying to get dinner on the table. Which makes it the perfect time of day to get them settled in a busy activity (many fine motor activities work well for this). I get them started and it’s an activity that they can keep going on their own while I get dinner ready and supervise from afar.

Weekends. I often leave Sundays open to family, but Saturdays are fair game! It’s also often the perfect time for a walk around town that leads to the playground. Yes, that counts as an activity, too!

Bonus Time: The Witching Hour. Between dinner and bedtime. This is the perfect time if time allows. Often our dinner runs into our bedtime routine so there’s not always time. This is a time that I wouldn’t do a gross motor activity or messy art project, and instead opt for a quieter craft or simple fine motor activity.

7 Times We Squeeze Activities in:

Please take note that we do not always do activities during every single one of these times. They vary!

We’re not activity-making machines!

Success: Finding Time

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

7 Times I Can Do Activities with My Kids

Success: Finding Time

Jot down 7 different times of the day, or times during the week, that you can squeeze in an activity. Whether it’s before you head out for the day or after dinner. Remember that activities usually only take 15 minutes (give or take depending on the age of your child). Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have huge chunks of times. They literally can be squeezed in small spots!

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 10

While most of the activities I do are no or low prep, there are still a few simple steps I take before starting an activity. They’re pretty effortless and don’t take much time.

If you find that doing activities is rarely successful for you and your child, sometimes simply adjusting the approach of an activity can make it more successful.

I have three questions I ask myself when I’m about to embark on an activity:

What can my child do for this activity?What will my child do for this activity?What will I be doing during the activity?

When asking these three questions, I think about the materials that are being used and how they will be used.

Is my child able to use the material required for this activity? For instance, scissors, is he able to cut? Is that the sole purpose of the activity? Or is that something that I could do alongside him doing something else?

Is my child able to use a glue bottle, but not able to strategically place dots of glue? Does the activity require precision or does it really not matter? And again, is that something I could do alongside him?

And if I’m gluing and cutting... will I be able to help him if he needs it?

How to be successful!

Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.

- Mary Lou Cook

Success: How

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 11

What are some activities that I can do with both my toddler and my preschooler?

I think the answer is limitless!

It usually just takes a little tweaking of an activity to make it work. It’s learning how to tweak the activity to fit both ages that takes a bit of experience.

My standard answer to these questions is usually along the lines of:

“Try out activities for the younger child. The older child will usually love to join in as is. And if needed, you can build up from that activity to add in learning elements or more difficult tasks.”

I find that rule mostly true, but it can be limiting as well. Many of the activities geared towards preschoolers can also be great for toddlers, just in a simpler form.

How have I handled this for the last four years, balancing two or more kids while doing our activities?

What if I have Multiple Kids?

When we do an activity, I realized I ask those same three questions.

What can my youngest do for this activity?What will my youngest do for this activity?How will I handle both (or all) kids during the activity?

Sometimes the answers are harder to find. But I assure you, by asking these three questions every time you are about to do an activity you will find yourself more often successful than not.

Success: Multiple Kids

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 12

Parenting guru, Alissa of Creative with Kids has graciously shared her secret tips for doing activities with toddlers while you also have to help the big kids (whether it’s while doing activities, or during homework).

Activities with toddlers and big kids still require quite a lot of energy from us, as the parent. If we’re not “on” toddlers are quick to take off to write on the bathroom walls, but with a little preparation things do go much more smoothly. Good Luck!

Make a spot for the toddler away from messables and breakables.

Move the permanent markers, liquid paint and glass of water out of reach, unless you’re in an easy to clean space and you really want to keep replacing spilled supplies.

This might mean the toddler is in a high chair or at the opposite end of the table.

You can do complex projects with the older kids if you give your toddler similar materials to play with.

If you’re sewing with the big kids, maybe your toddler would like a lacing card.

If you’re painting you can bet your toddler wants to paint too – a younger toddler can finger paint on his high chair tray. An older toddler can be given a brush and a bit of paint – they will want their own and they probably don’t need quite so many colors as their older sibling.

Doing Activities When You Have Big Kids Too

If you’re making a toilet paper (cardboard tube) animal, your toddler might enjoy drawing on a cardboard tube with washable markers, or stringing the tube onto ribbon.

Before you get started, grab a couple of easy to hand over toys for the toddler.

Have a list of “sit by me activities” to do with toddlers that don’t need a lot of parental attention.

Watch for the toys and activities your toddler loves that aren’t too messy and put aside about 5 of those as your go-to independent play activities.

Success: Multiple Kids

Tip for Success:

This is about having fun and spending time with the kids, or giving them something fun to do.

If it becomes anything other than fun, just stop and try another time.

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 13

Don’t put out more supplies than you want to clean up.

You’re likely to get distracted by the other kids. As soon as your back is turned your toddler will be pouring her water into her paint tray and across the entire pad of paper. Or she’ll take all three play dough blobs and crumble them onto the floor.

Eliminate a lot of frustration by starting with a more limited amount of supplies in reach of the toddler. You can always add more.

Start simple for the toddler’s activity and then extend the activity as they lose interest.

Your older child may be content to work away at a project, while your toddler is ready to move on 2 minutes into it. You can extend the original activity to keep him occupied.

This is when you start adding supplies. Go with tried and true activities that your toddler loves. Maybe they’re happy to put stickers on anything.

If your child has recently discovered cutting with kid scissors – hand over the scissors and let them cut up their art.

Does he love his toy cars? Grab one and ask if he can paint with it/draw around it/ roll it over his art. Nothing wrong with a little destruction when it comes to toddler art – your toddler might enjoy ripping or tearing the paper.

Just be a lap.

If you can get the other kids going by giving them their own supplies and teaching them how to use them, you can sit with your toddler when she gets restless.

My kids sometimes like if I read a story while they color, or we might put on kid music. Both are perfect for toddler snuggle time.

Finally: always remember the value of snack time.

This can be so entertaining for small folk who’ve gotten bored with the activity at hand.

Success: Multiple Kids

Tips for Doing Activities with Toddlers

Allow your toddler to explore whatever it is that you give them.

Don’t do an activity with an intentional plan, it never works out with this age range.

Expect a toddler to be interested, leave it out for them to come back to later, or even the next day.

Plan for them to put it in their mouth if you have a mouther.

3 Tips for Artsy, Craftsy Types of Activities

Making art bigger usually works better with toddlers. They’re going to get messy either way. This gives them the creative control. Use unconventional materials to make art or do crafty things with. The exploration of the new material makes it exciting for them! Try doing whatever you’re doing with movement, instead of sitting in a constrained chair.

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 14

What if I don’t have the right supplies?

While I usually keep the supplies to ones that are pretty common in most homes, there are always going to be times when you won’t have something.

What should you do?

Try to think of the purpose of the activity and see if you can replace it with something that you do have.

Common replacements: painter’s tape > string or ribbon, sidewalk chalk, or any kind of tape butcher paper > regular paper (just make it smaller) or do it on the sidewalk contact paper > wax paper and glue pom poms > cotton balls or buttons abc mat > paper with letters written on them (tape to surface if needed)

If you can’t come up with a replacement, don’t fret! I’ve included extra activities towards the end of the book (see Go-To Lists) for you to substitute any activities that you can’t do (or just don’t feel like doing) that day.

Whatever happens, don’t let not having the right supplies be the reason you don’t enjoy some time with your child. If nothing else, repeat yesterday’s activity, or the last one you really enjoyed together! Just have some fun.

STOCK UP ON OUR MUST HAVE SUPPLIES

Success: Supply Substitutes

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

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activity plansactivity plansSimple Activity Plans

for One Year Olds

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 16

Types of Activities:

In the five activity plans, you’ll come across the following icons. These will tell you what type of activity it is.

Gross Motor

Fine Motor

Craft

Art Project

Sensory

Just for Fun

Family

The Activity Plans!

This section is the goldmine of fun for your one year old! There are five weeks of planned activities.

Simply print these off every Sunday and hang them on your fridge for the week.

Use the planned activities as inspiration each day, or you can substitute with activities from the Go-To Lists. Or wing it with one of your own ideas and save that activity for another day coming up!

Even if you don’t follow the planners to a tee, they are there for your inspiration to find something fun to do with the kids.

To help hold you accountable (always my struggle), check off the box by the day when you’ve done that activity with the kids!

Now go have some fun!

Five Weeks of Fun Planned for Toddlers:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Activity Plans

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 17

Other:ribbon or stringpainter’s tape (or other tape)hair gelsmall craft items play dough (made or bought)pom pomspaintbrushespapercontact (sticky) papercraft sticksscissorspaintpipe cleanerschalkclothespinsglitter (optional)super glue

Full Supply List

In each week of activities, there’s a supply list. You can quickly scan the list to see what you need for the week. Most items are supplies from the home (office, kitchen, kids toys, etc).

Below is a list of supplies to do every activity in the five weeks.

Kitchen Items:gallon size baggiesdish soapwaterfood processor or blenderbaking sheet or traymuffin pankitchen tongs or tweezersfresh fruitbowls or other dishestub or bucketkitchen utensilsspongemeasuring cups, spoons, etcplastic or paper cupspots & pansfood coloringpitcher

Pantry Items:o-shaped cerealcanned foodsnack itemsflour or cornflourdry oatmeal or ricecorn mealdry pastaoil (vegetable, baby, etc)

Around the House:pillows & cushionstoy trucks, balls, other toyschalkboard or sidewalktoothbrushold boards or books

Recycling Items:narrow-neck bottlesmall bottle with lidbubble wrapboxlarge plastic jars with lidslarge spice bottle (or oatmeal container w/ holes cut in lid)

Activity Plans: Supply List

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One Year Old Activity Plan: Week One

Monday: Make a necklace by threading o-shaped cereal on a string. Tape the string to a surface to secure it for threading. When complete, knot the ends together. (page 24)

Tuesday: Push ribbons into a narrow-neck bottle and pull out again. (page 25)

Wednesday: Create a sensory bag with hair gel in a baggy. Add other small objects, such as googly eyes or sequins, if desired. Tape it to the window to explore in the sunlight. (page 26)

Thursday: Lay pillows and cushions on the floor in a line. Attempt to walk across them! (page 27)

Friday: Make sensory foam with dish soap and a little bit of water in a food processor. Put on a tray to explore! (page 28)

Saturday: Use canned foods from the pantry as blocks to stack towers! (page 29)

Sunday: Look through photo ablums (print or digital) together and name people you know.

o-shaped cerealribbon or stringtape (optional)

ribbonsnarrow-neck bottle

gallon size baggy hair gelsmall objectstape

pillows and cushions

dish soapwaterfood coloring (optional)food processor tray

canned food

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One Year Old Activity Plan: Week Two

Monday: Play with play dough and drive trucks in it. (page 30)

Tuesday: Sort pom poms by color or size in a muffin tin, or just transfer them back and forth. Add tongs for some fun! (page 31)

Wednesday: Blend fresh fruits to make homemade edible finger paint. Paint paper with fingers or paint-brushes! (page 32)

Thursday: Make a ‘rattle’ with a bottle. Set out snack items (Goldfish, raisins, etc.) and a bottle to stick them in and close the lid. Shake! (page 33)

Friday: Practice pouring water from a pitcher into cups. Take it outside! (page 34)

Saturday: Tape a bubble wrap runway to the floor and run along it! Drive trucks across it to hear it pop! (page 35)

Sunday: Head to the library as a family and check out new books for everyone.

play doughtoy trucks or other toys

muffin panpom pomskitchen tongs (optional)

fresh fruitfood processor / blenderbowls or other dishespaintbrushes (optional)paper

plastic or paper cupswaterpitcher

small bottle with lidsnack items

bubble wraptoy trucks or other toys

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One Year Old Activity Plan: Week Three

Monday: Stick craft sticks into a narrow neck bottle and shake them out again. Repeat! (page 36)

Tuesday: Mix up a batch of bubbles in a bucket with dish soap and water. Add kitchen utensils to play with! (page 37)

Wednesday: Set up a very simple obstacle course with cushions (line them up, stack them, make small ramps and tunnels) and have toys to crawl across to find. (page 38)

Thursday: Cut a sponge into a desired shape (such as a heart). Dip into paint and make prints on a piece of paper. (page 39)

Friday: Use a tub of soapy water to wash favorite toys. (page 40)

Saturday: Spread corn meal onto a baking sheet to explore with measuring cups and spoons. (page 41)

Sunday: Play a game of ball as a family, roll it back and forth or toss it gently.

craft sticksnarrow neck bottle

tub or bucketdish soapwaterkitchen utensils

pillows & cushionsball or other toys

spongescissorspaperpainttray

tub or bucketsponge or toothbrushwaterdish soaptoys

corn mealbaking sheet or traymeasuring cups, spoons

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One Year Old Activity Plan: Week Four

Monday: Pour dry pasta into a tub to explore with measuring cups and spoons. Include an empty bottle or two to fill and pour between. Shake it to listen to the sounds. (page 42)

Tuesday: Cut pipe cleaners in 1” sections and push them through the holes of a large spice bottle. Poke them in, shake them out and repeat! (page 43)

Wednesday: Make a super simple edible indoor sandbox in a tub with dry oatmeal! Bring out the sandbox toys! (page 44)

Thursday: Stack plastic cups! Make a tower and knock them down, or nest them inside each other. (page 45)

Friday: Tape a runway of contact (sticky) paper to the floor, sticky side up. Run across, crawl over, or lay on it! (page 46)

Saturday: Paint with water! Whether it’s on a chalkboard filled with chalk, or the sidewalk outside. Or even on construction paper! (page 47)

Sunday: Plant something together as a family, inside in a pot or outside in the ground.

waterpaintbrushchalkchalkboard, sidewalk, construction paper

contact (sticky) paperpainter’s tape

plastic or paper cups

tub or bucketdry oatmeal or ricemeasuring cups, spoonssmall sandbox toys

pipe cleanerslarge spice bottle (or oatmeal container with holes cut in lid)

dry pastabaking sheet or traymeasuring cups, spoonsplastic bottle with lid

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Monday: Shake your way to beautiful art! Cut paper into desired shapes and lay flat in a box. Add paint blobs around the paper in the box. Add toys to the box, close it up and shake! (page 48)

Tuesday: Mix 2 cups flour with 2/3 cup oil to make cloud dough! Play with it like wet sand, mold it any way they like! (page 49)

Wednesday: Clip clothespins (slotted style is easier for younger kids) onto the edge of a bucket. (page 50)

Thursday: Fill plastic jars 2/3 with water and some dish soap. Add food coloring and glitter! Seal the lid on with glue and shake, shake, shake! (page 51)

Friday: Bang on pots and pans! Grab some spatulas and spoons and make music! (page 52)

Saturday: Make a homemade balance beam using old boards. Then walk along it! Can you do it backwards? (page 53)

Sunday: Everyone take a nap together in one big fam-ily bed.

old boards or books

pots & panskitchen utensils

large plastic jars w/ lidsdish soapwaterfood coloring (optional)glitter (optional)super glue

clothespins tub or bucket

oil (baby, vegetable, etc)flour or cornflourglitter (optional)

boxpaperpaintobjects (hard toys/balls)

One Year Old Activity Plan: Week Five

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activitiesactivitiesQuick & Easy Activities

for One Year Olds

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 24

Fruit Loop Necklace

Supplies:

o-shaped cereal

ribbon or string

tape (optional)

Make a necklace by threading o-shaped cereal on a string. Tape the string to a surface to secure it for threading.

When complete, knot the ends together.

Secure a string to a surface with tape.

Thread o-shaped cereal onto the string as long as desired.

Knot the ends of the string together to form a necklace.

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

Cheerios and Fruit Loops are great cereals to use for this activity.

Add in patterning and counting for older kids.

For young kids, you may need to hold onto the end of the string as they thread the cereal onto it.

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 25

One Year Old Activity

Set out several scrap pieces of ribbon of different lengths, along with a narrow-neck bottle.

Push the pieces of ribbon into the opening of the bottle.

Shake the ribbons to come out and use fingers to pull them out. Repeat.

Tips:

Add a spark of fun to it with a simple spoon, or craft stick to push the ribbons down through the neck of the bottle.

Older kids can first measure and sort the length of the ribbons. Short and long piles, or a lineup of shortest to longest.

What else could you find to put in the bottle and dump out? Try it!

Ribbons in a Bottle

Supplies:

ribbons

narrow-neck bottle

Push ribbons into a narrow-neck bottle and pull out again.

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 26

One Year Old Activity

Squirt hair gel into a large baggy.

Add other small objects in with the gel, such as sequins or googly eyes.

Tape it to the window so the sunlight shines through it. Explore and move the pieces around inside the sensory bag.

Tips:

Add enough hair gel in the baggy so that it covers the baggy when lying flat. But not too full that it can’t be moved around.

To secure the sensory bag, you can either tape the top of the baggy shut or double bag it.

Young toddlers may try to bite at the baggy, please use supervision at all times.

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

Sensory Bag Suncatcher

Supplies:

gallon size baggy

hair gel

small objects

tape

Create a sensory bag with hair gel in a baggy. Add other small objects, such as googly eyes or sequins, if desired.

Tape it to the window to explore in the sunlight.

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 27

One Year Old Activity

Collect pillows and cushions from the around the house.

Lay them out on the floor in a line.

Attempt to walk, or crawl, across them without falling off.

Tips:

This is a fantastic gross motor activity that works on balance and coordination.

For older kids, they can try walking backwards, hopping, or even skipping a pillow!

Younger kids may just want to crawl over the pillows and not worry about falling off them, no worries! It’s still great for gross motor skills to climb over them!

Walking on Pillows

Supplies:

Pillows and cushions

Lay pillows and cushions on the floor in a line. Attempt to walk across them!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 28

Make sensory foam with dish soap and alittle bit of water in a food processor.

Put on a tray to explore!

One Year Old Activity

Sensory FoamAdd a very generous squirt of dish soap to a food processer (or blender). Add just a tad bit of water (less than dish soap). Add food coloring if desired.

Run the food processer until the soap fills up the entire basin and becomes foam.

Scoop the foam onto a tray to explore!

Supplies:

dish soap

water

food coloring (optional)

food processor

tray

Tips:

Add kitchen utensils and bowls to the fun! Scoop it up and move it around.

If the foam is ‘deflating’, you can scoop it back into the food processer and run it again to make it foamier.

This is soap, so be careful of eating and rubbing eyes. Run to the bathroom and flush the eyes out with water immediately if this happens.

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 29

One Year Old Activity

Bring out as many canned foods as you have from the pantry to use as blocks!

Stack up the cans as best you can, making towers, or walls.

Knock ‘em down and start again!

Tips:

Canned foods come in all sizes. This is a great opportunity for older kids to sort and stack them by size.

Do this on the floor and preferrably on a soft surface (carpet or a rug). If the canned food falls down then it won’t have far to fall and won’t hurt little toes as much.

If you’re worried about smashing little toes, have your child put on a pair of shoes first.

Canned Food Blocks

Supplies:

canned food

Use canned foods from the pantry as blocks to stack towers!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 30

Get out the play dough! Whether its homemade or bought, it doesn’t matter.

Gather toy trucks.

Drive the trucks through the play dough for lots of pretend play!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

This simple play dough activity is just a prompt to try play dough in a new way.

What other things could you add to play dough for added fun? Try pipe cleaners and craft sticks!

Adding a pair of kids scissors to the mix offers an easy opportunity to practice cutting for the first time.

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Supplies:

play dough (made or bought)

toy trucks or other toys

Play with play dough and drive trucks in it.

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 31

Set out an egg carton and pom poms of different colors and/or sizes.

Sort and put the pom poms in the muffin tin by either color or size.

Use scoops or tongs to transfer the pom poms back and forth.

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

Younger kids may not grasp the concept of color and size. At this age, just move them back and forth. Even with their fingers it’s a pinching exercise!

Older kids can count pom poms after sorting to see which color or size has the most (and least).

If your child can’t use tweezers, don’t push it! You can use it along side him to show how it works, but let him just pinch with his fingers.

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1Pom Pom Sort

Supplies:

egg carton or muffin tin

pom poms

clothespin or tweezers (optional)

Sort pom poms by color or size in a muffin tin, or just transfer them back and forth.

Add tongs for some fun!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 32

Put fresh fruit into a blender, or food processer, and puree them.

Put pureed fruits into dishes and set out with a piece of paper.

Paint with paintbrushes or fingers!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

Add food coloring to the pureed fruit for a deeper, richer color.

Do this at snack time! It might be a great way to introduce a new food to your toddler.

This artwork is not for keeps, throw it away when your toddler is finished.

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1Fruit Finger Paint

Supplies:

fresh fruit

food processor or blender

bowls or other dishes

paintbrushes (optional)

paper

Blend fresh fruits to make homemade edible finger paint. Paint paper with

fingers or paintbrushes!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 33

Find a small bottle with a lid. Set out a bowl of small items (to make this edible, use snack items!)

Poke the small items into the bottle, one by one.

Close it up and shake!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

If you don’t want to use snack items, find other ‘harder’ items that will make a noise in the bottle. Just be careful of size if your child is a mouther.

Ask questions of your toddler, can you hear it? Does it make more noise the faster you shake?

Older kids can make several rattles with different items in. Compare how they sound.

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Supplies:

small bottle with lid

snack items

Make a ‘rattle’ with a bottle. Set out snack items (Goldfish, raisins, etc.) and a bottle to

stick them in and close the lid. Shake!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 34

Gather cups and a pitcher of water.

Let your child practice pouring the water from the pitcher into the cups.

Pour what made it into the cups back into the pitcher and repeat.

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

Take this outside if at all possible! If not, do it in the bathtub or in the sink.

Expect your toddler to spill, a lot. This takes a lot of control to slowly pour, and also to know when to pull up to stop.

This is great on a hot day and a fun way to cool off. It’s also very fun for a toddler to get to be able to do such a grown up task.

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CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

Practice Pouring

Supplies:

cups

water

pitcher

Practice pouring water from a pitcher into cups. Take it outside!

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 35

Save bubble wrap from packaging and tape it to the floor to make a long runway.

Run across the bubble wrap to hear it pop under their feet.

Drive vehicles across it too!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

This is amazing for gross motor skill, because kids can’t help but want to pop those bubbles! They’ll jump, crawl and run to make them pop!

This is also fantastic for fine motor skills. Toddlers will likely want to get down on all fours and pop the bubbles with their fingers, let them!

Can they hear more popping when they run or jump? What about if they crawl? What works the best. Older kids can test and find out!

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1Bubble Wrap Runway

Supplies:

bubble wrap

toy trucks or other toys

Tape a bubble wrap runway to the floor and run along it! Drive trucks across it to hear it pop!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 36

Set out craft sticks and a narrow neck bottle.

Poke the craft sticks into the bottle.

Shake them out. Repeat!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

If you don’t have a narrow neck bottle, or a bottle witha small hole, you can make one! Cut a small hole in the top of the lid.

Try not to let your child remove the lid, or use their fingers when shaking out. Can they manipulate the bottle to get the sticks out?

Other items you could use instead of craft sticks: pipe cleaners, plastic knives, or toothpicks!

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Supplies:

craft sticks

narrow neck bottle

Stick craft sticks into a narrow neck bottle and shake them out again. Repeat!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 37

Squirt dish soap in a bucket and fill halfway with water.

Set the bucket of bubbles out along with kitchen utensils to play!

Have fun!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

Take this outside if at all possible, or make it an activity to do in the bath tub or sink.

Instead of adding the soap first, add it last and let your toddler mix it together to make bubbles himself.

Add favorite (hard) toys to clean them!

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1Bubble Play

Supplies:

tub or bucket

dish soap

water

kitchen utensils

Mix up a batch of bubbles in a bucket with dish soap and water. Add kitchen utensils

to play with!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 38

Lay out cushions and pillows on the floor, stacking them somewhat over each other to make little ramps and tunnels.

Set out a favorite toy on the cushions to crawl or walk across to get it.

See what fun simple cushions can be!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

When setting up the cushions be sure to make little ramps and tunnels by overlapping them.

It may be easier to ask your toddler to come over and play with you and see where he stands, then move the toys to the other side, or underneath. Keep moving them around.

Once the fun starts to wear off, ask your toddler to move the cushions around to make her own obstacle course.

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1Cushion Obstacle Course

Supplies:

pillows & cushions

ball or other toys

Set up a very simple obstacle course with cushions (line them up, stack them, make small ramps and tunnels)

and have toys to crawl across to find.

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 39

Cut a shape out of a sponge, if desired.

Spread some paint around on a tray.

Dip the sponge shape into the paint and then onto a piece of paper to make a print of the shape.

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

Cut the sponge into a shape of the current holiday or season. Hearts, clovers, stars, etc.

You may need to dab off the sponge onto a paper towel before stamping onto the paper.

Take cleanup to the bathroom sink and kids will love squishing the sponge to clean it out!

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1Sponge Printing

Supplies:

sponge

scissors

paper

paint

tray

Cut a sponge into a desired shape (such as a heart). Dip into paint and

make prints on a piece of paper.

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 40

Mix up a batch of soapy water in a tub or bucket.

Have your child collect some of their favorite, most used, toys (that are hard).

Clean those toys with a sponge or toothbrush!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

For less mess, take this outside or lay out a shower curtain or large towel.

This can be done with both big and little toys! The big toys will probably just not fit in the tub!

Add a toothbrush to the toy wash for details cleaning (and fine motor control)!

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1Toy Wash

Supplies:

tub or bucket

sponge or toothbrush

water

dish soap

toys

Use a tub of soapy water to wash favorite toys.

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 41

Pour a handful or two of corn meal onto a baking sheet.

Set out small cups and spoons.

Explore the corn meal with fingers, and scooping and pouring.

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

This sensory activity can get messy, take it outside if possible, or place it inside another larger tub.

Older kids can make writing marks in the corn meal. Spread it flat and use their finger to draw a letter, spelling words or numbers!

For added fun, add toy trucks and cars to the mix and make roads.

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1Corn Meal Sensory Play

Supplies:

corn meal

baking sheet or tray

measuring cups, spoons, etc

Spread corn meal onto a baking sheet to explore with measuring cups and spoons.

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 42

Pour dry pasta (macaroni) into a tub along with measuring cups, spoons and a plastic bottle (with a lid).

Pour pasta into the empty bottle with the spoons.

Close the bottle and shake it to listen to the sounds. Pour out and repeat.

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

This sensory activity can get messy, take it outside if possible, or place it inside another larger tub.

Ask your toddler if the sound is any different with more or less pasta in it.

Using spoons to pour into the bottle is great for fine motor control!

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Supplies:

dry pasta

tub

measuring cups, spoons, etc

plastic bottle with lid

Pour dry pasta into a tub to explore with measuring cups and spoons. Include an empty bottle or two to fill and pour

between. Shake it to listen to the sounds.

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 43

Cut pipe cleaners into one inch sections. Set out along with a bottle that has a lid with holes in it.

Poke the pipe cleaners through the holes.

Take off the lid and shake out the pipe cleaners. Repeat!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

Cutting the pipe cleaners is great scissors practice for kids learning to cut. If they’ve never cut before though, an adult should cut them.

Poke Pipe Cleaners

Supplies:

pipe cleaners

large spice bottle

(or oatmeal container with holes cut in lid)

If you don’t have a large spice bottle with holes, you can make your own with an oatmeal tub with a plastic lid. You can slice holes in the lid with a knife or use a hole punch.

Save the cut up pipe cleaners! They’re a great addition to play dough.

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Cut pipe cleaners in 1” sections and push them through the holes of a large spice bottle. Poke

them in, shake them out and repeat!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 44

Set out a tub and put dried oatmeal in it to generously cover the bottom (and then some).

Set out small sandbox toys, or measuring cups and spoons to use in this edible sandbox.

Play in it just like you would sand!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

This sensory activity can get messy, take it outside if possible, or place it inside another larger tub.

Oatmeal Sandbox

Supplies:

tub or bucket

dry oatmeal or rice

measuring cups, spoons, etc

small sandbox toys

You can add other items into this sensory tub. You can add other snack items to keep it edible.

Scooping and pouring between measuring cups is great for fine motor control!

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Make a super simple edible indoor sandbox in a tub with dry oatmeal! Bring out the sandbox toys!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 45

Set out a stack, or two, each with several plastic cups.

Show your toddler how to move them from stack to stack.

Stack a pyramid of cups and knock them down. Then get back to transferring cups!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

Nesting the cups in each other is a fantastic activity for toddlers!

Stacking Cups

Supplies:

plastic or paper cups

Add counting to the mix. Count the cups as you move them back and forth.

You could write letters on the bottoms of the cups to practice recognition. Can you stack the letter B on letter A? Or do it with numbers!

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Stack plastic cups! Make a tower and knock them down, or nest them inside each other.

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 46

Lay out a long piece of contact paper on the floor, sticky side up. Tape in place.

Have your toddler run across the sticky contact paper.

Ask them how it feels on their feet.

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

Toddlers can run across the sticky runway, or jump or crawl on it, even lay on it! It feels funny!

Sticky Runway

Supplies:

contact (sticky) paper

painter’s tape

Take this a step further and add small craft objects and paper to the mix to create art!

Don’t remove the sticky runway right away, leave it out for the day and watch to see your toddler come back to it over and over throughout the day.

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Tape a runway of contact (sticky) paper to the floor, sticky side up. Run across,

crawl over, or lay on it!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 47

Fill a small tub with water and grab a paintbrush!

Cover an area (driveway, chalkboard, etc) with sidewalk chalk.

Paint in the area with water to erase it.

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

If doing this inside, only use a small tub of water. Expect it to get dumped, so only fill it as full as you’d like to clean up.

Paint with Water

Supplies:

water

paintbrush

chalk

chalkboard, sidewalk, construction paper

You can do this without the chalk too. Just painting a sidewalk with water changes the color of it. What else can you paint? A fence?

Using real paintbrushes and paint rollers adds a bit of excitement to toddlers. They love to act just like Mom and Dad!

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Paint with water! Whether it’s on a chalkboard filled with chalk, or the sidewalk outside.

Or even on construction paper!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 48

Cut paper into desired shapes (eggs, hearts, shamrocks, stars, etc.).

Lay cutouts in the bottom of a box. Add paint blobs around paper. Add toys to the box.

Close box (and tape to seal) and shake it up! Remove paper cutouts and let dry. Repeat.

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

It does not take a lot of paint. Small dabs is enough. And you may find that you can lay more paper in the next round and do it again without adding more paint.

Shake to Make Art

Supplies:

box

paper

paint

objects (hard toys/balls)

Tape the decorated cutouts onto a piece of string or yarn to make a garland to hang in the window.

Be sure to use washable paints for easy cleanup, I recommend Crayola Washable Paints.

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Shake your way to beautiful art! Cut paper into desired shapes and lay flat in a box. Add paint blobs around the paper

in the box. Add toys to the box, close it up and shake!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 49

Mix together 2 cups of flour and 2/3 cups oil on a tray to make cloud dough.

Add measuring cups and spoons for fun!

Play with the cloud dough like wet sand, mold it and shape it and crumble it apart again.

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

Add some glitter to the mixture for added fun! You can also add tempura paint powder to make it a color!

Cloud Dough Sensory

Supplies:

oil (baby, vegetable, etc)

flour or cornflour

baking sheet or tray

measuring cups and spoons

This sensory activity can get messy, take it outside if possible, or place it inside another larger tub.

If you have candy molds, they would work awesome with cloud dough to make formations!

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Mix 2 cups flour with 2/3 cup oil to make cloud dough! Play with it like wet sand,

mold it any way they like!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 50

Grab a bucket and some clothespins.

Pinch the clothespins and clip to the top edge of the bucket.

Pinch them again to remove!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

Older kids can clip paper in the clothespin on the outside edge of the bucket (shown in the above photo).

Clipping Clothespins

Supplies:

clothespins

tub or bucket

paper (optional)

If your child if struggling to pinch the clothespins, you can put them on the bucket and she can remove them.

Slotted clothespins make it easier for toddlers to do. No pinching, but still fantastic fine motor control.

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Clip clothespins (slotted style is easier for younger kids) onto the edge of a bucket.

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 51

In a large plastic jar, fill with 2/3 water and a squirt of dish soap. Add food coloring and glitter, if desired.

Seal the lid on tightly with glue.

Shake and watch the soap bubble up and watch them disappear. Repeat!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

Gluing the lid on is completely optional, I never have. If you’re worried about your toddler unscrewing the lid, then glue it!

Soapy Sensory Jars

Supplies:

large plastic jars w/ lids

dish soap

water

food coloring (optional)

glitter (optional)

super glue

You can use this simple sensory jar as a calm down jar to watch the bubbles disappear.

You can add other small objects to the bottle, like sequins and pom poms. Older kids could use it as an I Spy jar.

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Fill plastic jars 2/3 with water and some dish soap. Add food coloring and glitter! Seal the lid

on with glue and shake, shake, shake!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 52

Dig pots and pans out of your cupboards and kitchen utensils out of the drawers!

Bang on them! Make music or just noise.

Do the different utensils sound different?

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

Don’t dismiss this activity for older kids! They’ll love pounding and making noise as much as a one year old or baby does.

Bang on Pots & Pans

Supplies:

pots & pans

kitchen utensils

The sounds the pots make are fantastic sensory. See how many different ways you can make sounds.

Flip over the pots, stack them up. Use metal, plastic and wooden utensils. They’ll all have different sounds.

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Bang on pots and pans! Grab some spatulas and spoons and make music!

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 53

Gather some spare boards, or even books you have in the house.

Have your child line them up, end to end to form a line.

Now they can walk across their newly built balance beam!

One Year Old Activity

Tips:

If you don’t have boards, you can also do this with just some simple lines of tape.

Balance Beam

Supplies:

old boards or books

Allowing your child to build the balance beam himself is a great confidence booster!

Add difficulty by walking backwards, or sliding sideways.

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Make a homemade balance beam using old boards. Then walk along it!

Can you do it backwards?

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

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plannerplannerPrintable Blank Planner to Continue

Planning Weeks of Activities

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 56

Every weekend try to make a plan of activities for the coming week to start on Monday.

Start with the ‘My Child’ sheet. Fill one out for each of your kids and what they’re into at the moment. Use this as a guide to plan your activities accordingly.

With each of your child’s interests, brainstorm 7 activities to do that week. Jot them down on the simple ‘Activity Idea List’ and transfer it to the ‘Activities To Do This Week’.

For one year olds, I try to include the following in each week:

- gross motor activity - fine motor activity - craft or an art project - sensory activity - something just for fun - family activity for Sunday

I always try to keep in mind what’s on our calendar. I don’t want to overextend myself or my kids with a big activity that takes too much time to prepare or execute on a day that we already have plans.

Having the supply list filled out ahead of time makes it easier to get the activity ready. Though I usually do activities with supplies on hand, this way I know, at a glance, what materials I need for today’s activity. I can quickly set up before I invite the boys to join the activity! (When I announce an activity, they’re excited and at my feet within seconds!)

That’s it.

Hang your Activities To Do This Week on the refrigerator. As you do the activities each day, check them off!

How to Plan Each Week

Family Time Tip:

Leave Saturday and Sunday open for things to do as a family (like a movie night or game night).

Planner: How to Plan

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

WW

W.H

AN

DS

ON

AS

WE

GR

OW

.C

OM

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 58

Gross Motor / Movement: Fine Motor:

Arts Projects:

Crafts: Sensory:

Just for Fun:

Activity Idea List

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 59

How My Child is Playing:

My Child is Playing with:

My Child is Asking About:

My Child is Learning:

My ChildMy Child

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 60

Supplies:

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

Saturday:

Sunday:

60

Activities to Do This Week

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 61

Supplies Needed:

Activity Details

Activity:

Description:

Type of Activity:(gross or fine motor, craft, etc.)

Sketch Idea:

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

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go-to listsgo-to listsPrintable Lists of Ideas for

Each Type of Activity

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 64

How to use these Go-To Lists

These Go-To Lists are exactly what they say

they are. Print them off and use them as a go-to

whenever you’re looking for something to do!

If you’re in the middle of one of the 5 weeks of

activities and you realize you don’t have the right

supply (that should be pretty rare) or just aren’t

in the mood for that activity that day, substitute it

with one of the activities on a corresponding go-to

list!

Use these Go-To Lists when you begin planning

your own weeks of activities using the blank

activity planner.

Go-To Lists for Type of Activity:

Fine Motor

Gross Motor

Crafts & Art Projects

Sensory

Family

CLICK ANY ACTIVITY IN GO-TO LISTS FOR MORE DETAILSOR SEARCH HANDSONASWEGROW.COM

Helpful Tip:

The activities in the Go-To Lists are for all ages of kids in their early years. More beginner activities are found in the left-hand column and they get more advanced through the other columns.

Go-To Activity Listsplay

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 65

Set a cup on the floor and stand over a couch or railing and try to aim a piece of yarn into the cup.

Draw squiggly lines of chalk on the sidewalk, paint them with water to erase them. Tape a target on the floor and blow pom poms to hit the bullseye.

Pretend to be the “Claw Grabbing Machine” with pom poms in a bowl and grab them with a clothespin.

Cut paper snowflakes.

Wrap a rubber band around your fingers and pass objects back and forth.

Staple construction paper together to make a pouch that becomes a mailbox. Set out paper and a pencil to ‘write’ letters and mail them.

Cut an object out of paper. Write in the middle “S is for Snake” or “T is for Tree” in regards to the object. Write various letters around the edge of the object. Find the letter that the object starts with and clip each with a paper clip.

Find various pairs of leaves in nature. Tape one of each leaf on the back of a piece of paper. Rub crayons over front side of the paper to show the leaf! Match the remaining leaf to the crayon rubbings.

Write their name on a piece of paper in highlighter. Then trace over it with pencil. Trace over that with glue. Trace over that with yarn!

Poke pipe cleaners through holes in a colander.

Push ribbons into a narrow-neck bottle and pull out again.

Thread o-shaped cereal onto dry spaghetti noodles.

Cut apart and punch holes in the sides of egg carton cups and thread pipe cleaners through to connect them.

Snip straws into pieces.

Cut pipe cleaners in 1” sections and push them through the holes of a large spice bottle. Poke them in, shake them out and repeat!

Make a ‘rattle’ with a bottle. Set out snack items (Goldfish, raisins, etc.) and a bottle to stick them in and close the lid. Shake!

Stick craft sticks into a narrow neck bottle and shake them out again. Repeat!

Sort pom poms by color or size in a muffin tin, or just transfer them back and forth. Add tweezers for some fun!

Practice pouring water from a pitcher into cups. Take it outside!

Make a paper clip chain! See how long you can go.

Clip clothespins (slotted style is easier for younger kids) onto the edge of a bucket.

Play with blocks. When you’re done, hand over kitchen tongs for clean up time.

Hang a bucket from a ‘clothesline’ made with yarn. Clip ribbons around the line to remove and put in the bucket.

Stick tape onto a surface. Criss cross over each other. Peel the tape off, one by one.

Tape cardboard tubes (toilet paper, paper towels) to a wall or the fridge. Drop pom poms through to fall into a tub at the bottom.

Draw letters or shapes on a chalkboard or whiteboard. Trace over them with water to erase them away.

Roll out a tube of play dough and pound golf tees into it using a toy hammer.

Weave something with ribbon! What can the kids weave? Baby gate, stair railing, clothes basket, cooling rack.

Keep kids busy with rubber bands, or hair bands. Slide them on and off a can of food, one at a time.

Draw several dots in several colors on a piece of paper to make a simple connect the dots. Draw lines to connect the same colored dots.

Make a bird feeder by threading o-shaped cereal onto yarn and tie the ends together. Hang outside for the birds!

I spy baggy! Write letters, words, shapes or notes on a piece of paper and put in a large baggy. Add rice on top of the paper. Let the kids ‘spy’ the letters through the rice.

Snip straws into one inch sections and thread a necklace using shoestring or yarn.

Go-To Listfine motor

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 66

Hunt for nature. Use colors and shapes as clues.

Go on a scavenger hunt around the yard to explore textures. Can you find something that’s bumpy?

Head to your local appliance store and grab a large box! Fill it with newspapers and add little trinkets and treasures to dive in and find.

Night time fun! Shut off the lights and go on a flashlight scavenger hunt to find pre-hidden objects!

Create a sticky spider web with tape across an open doorway. Throw balled-up newspapers to stick to it!

Have kids walk along straight, curvy and zig zag lines of tape on the floor, or blow pom poms along them.

Go on a spy hunt! Tape diagonally between walls down a hallway, stick pom poms to it randomly. Have the kids crawl through, over and under, to collect the pom poms. Trace favorite toys on butcher paper. Put them away. Search for the toy that matches the outline!

Play balloon badminton. Make ‘racquets’ from paper plates and cardboard tubes and swat a balloon back and forth.

Go on an ‘I Love You’ scavenger hunt. Hide hearts (or just hide one a day) with words of how you love your child all over.

Draw a target on the driveway or sidewalk in chalk. Make, or gather, mud to throw at the target.

Make a homemade kite using a plastic bag and string. Run around the yard ‘flying’ it behind.

Balance boards between chair rails, or on pails, to create an advanced balance beam to walk across.

Make a homemade balance beam using old boards. Then walk along it! Can you do it backwards?

Tape a runway of contact (sticky) paper to the floor, sticky side up. Run across, crawl over, or lay on it!

Set up a very simple obstacle course with cushions (line then up, stack them, make small ramps and tunnels) and have objects to crawl across to find.

Tape a bubble wrap runway to the floor and run along it! Drive trucks across it to hear it pop!

Lay pillows and cushions on the floor in a line. Attempt to walk across them!

Make an activity course to crawl over, under and run through. Use dining room chairs, ABC mat (or books) as stepping stones, and add balloons to move through the course!

Wad newspapers into ‘basketballs’. Aim and shoot them into a basket!

Tape a few different large shapes on the floor (circle, rectangle, square, etc). Sit on opposite ends of the shapes and roll a ball back and forth and shout out what shape the ball crosses or lands on.

Line up plastic bottles to go bowling! Roll a strike!

Tape two lines as the sides of the roads around the house! Create intersections and curves!

Tape lines of tape on the floor equal distances apart and challenge the kids to a jumping game. Measure how far they can jump.

Draw a large maze on the driveway in sidewalk chalk for kids to find their way through.

Make a ‘catch the ball’ toy by cutting the bottom out of a bottle and tying a ball to it. Try to catch the ball in the bottle!

Run and spin with homemade streamers. Tie fabric straps or ribbons to a ring (those ring toys work great).

“Blow” tissue paper into a goal (under a chair works) by fanning paper plates.

Make a ring toss! Cut the centers out of paper plates to make rings. Write the letters of their name on the bottoms of cups to ring the letters of their name.

Draw a large rainbow on butcher paper. Go on a hunt to find toys in the matching colors to place on the corresponding color of the rainbow!

Snap photos of objects around the house (look for shapes) with your iPad or camera. Go on a hunt to find the shapes in the photos!

Play catch with a ball and say the ABCs with each pass back and forth.

Cut various shapes (two or three of each) from paper. Hang just high enough out of reach in a doorway using yarn and tape. Jump and grab the matching shapes.

String one long yarn around a room. Clip the letters of their name onto the string in order from start to finish. Follow the string to find the letters to make your name!

Write letters on sticky notes and place them around the house (under and on top of the dining room table and chairs works great). Name a letter then stomp it! Repeat!

Go-To Listgross motor

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 67

Make a necklace by threading o-shaped cereal on a string. Tape the string to a surface to secure it for threading. When complete, knot the ends together.

Blend fresh fruits to make homemade edible finger paint. Paint paper with fingers or paintbrushes!

Cut a sponge into a desired shape (such as a heart). Dip into paint and make prints on a piece of paper.

Paint with water! Whether it’s on a chalkboard filled with chalk, or the sidewalk outside. Or even on contruction paper!

Shake your way to beautiful art! Cut paper into desired shapes and lay flat in a box. Add paint blobs around the paper in the box. Add toys to the box, close it up and shake!

Use Q-tips, instead of a paintbrush, to paint a masterpiece.

Make a paper bag mask by cutting two holes around the eyes. Decorate with paper and glue!

Dip balls in paint and roll across pieces of paper.

Float a boat! Stick the straw in the side of a juice box, add a sail with paper. Float it in a tub of water.

Use unusual objects to paint! Make textures with combs, roll on the paint with a rolling pin, and try tape resist!

Paint a piece of paper with the wheels of their favorite cars and trucks.

Paint with cookie cutters! Pour paint into a dish and dip cookie cutters to cover and stamp onto paper.

Dip ribbon in paint and throw it on pieces of paper to create an abstract painting.

Make a collage on clear contact paper using scrap pieces of tissue paper, ribbon, etc. Cover with another piece of contact paper. Cut into shapes and hang in the window.

Make a telescope from a plastic bottle. Cut off the bottom of the bottle. Decorate the sides with markers or colorful tape.

Make beautiful flowers with coffee filters. Paint or dip them in colored water. Let dry. Twist centers to form a flower and wrap a pipe cleaner around the center for a stem.

Make flowers with dried painted paper, cut circles of different sizes and crumple them up. Layer them together to make flowers with a button glued on the center.

Combine art and sensory with contact (sticky) paper taped to the floor, sticky side up. Decorate with small decorative items such as buttons and sequins.

Build and create with craft sticks and glue.

Write a secret note in white crayon! Have kids paint over with colored water. It magically appears!

Rainbow painting! Paint a sponge in rainbow colors for the kids to paint a rainbow with one swipe!

Find a great walking stick and clip off any sprouts. Decorate it with paint to their desire.

Paint and decorate cereal boxes to make buildings. Can you make your town?

Trace child’s body on butcher paper. Color it in to create a self portrait.

Make a nature suncatcher. Cut the centers out of paper plates. Cover with clear contact paper. Fill with found objects from nature.

Make homemade wind chimes! Paint tin cans and punch a hole in the bottoms. Thread nuts and washers on the inside using yarn to hang them.

Draw in an odd spot. Tape butcher paper to cover a table, or the back of a chair, or the floor...

Make window paint using dish soap, corn starch and food coloring. Paint the window with brushes and sponges.

Freeze paint in an ice cube tray. Add a small amount of water to make it go further. Stick craft sticks in while they’re freezing. Take out and paint while they’re melting.

Create paint swatches with two colors of paint (or one color plus black and white).

Splatter paint with a toothbrush! Hold it up vertically for drip painting too.

Mix glue with Epsom Salt and paint an icy scene.

Paint the inside (or outside) of clear glass jars with glue (or Mod Podge) mixed with food coloring. Drip excess off. Bake at low temp to seal.

Mix food coloring with shaving cream. Press paper onto marbled mixture and remove. Scrape off excess shaving cream to leave a marble print!

Cut living and non-living things out of magazines. Glue onto two separate pieces of paper to classify them and make a collage.

Go-To Listarts & crafts

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 68

Spread flour on a baking sheet (or tray) to explore with toys or kitchen utensils.

Paint with baby food on paper. Just use fingers to paint and enjoy a snack.

Shake together rice, a few drops of food coloring and scent (optional), a squirt of hand sanitizer and mix to make scented and colored rice!

Make a super simple edible indoor sandbox in a tub with dry oatmeal! Bring out the sandbox toys!

Get rid of all your old lotions. Squeeze them out in a bowl and mix them up with utensils or just your hands.

Play with newspapers. Rip them up. Wad them up. Dip them in water for a squishy sensory.

Fill plastic jars 2/3 with water and some dish soap. Add food coloring and glitter! Seal the lid on with glue and shake, shake, shake!

Make a ‘rattle’ with a bottle. Set out snack items (goldfish, raisins, etc) and a bottle to stick them in and close the lid. Shake!

Spray a gob (or two!) of shaving cream on a tray for sensory play! Make writing marks, or build ‘towers’.

Banging on pots and pans is a favorite! Grab some spatulas and spoons and make music!

Play with play dough and drive trucks in it.

Mix 2 cups flour with 2/3 cup oil to make cloud dough! Play with it like wet sand, mold it any way they like!

Tape sticky contact paper to the floor, sticky side up. Let your toddler run, crawl, or lay on it!

Use a tub of soapy water to wash favorite toys.

Pour dry pasta into a tub to explore with measuring cups and spoons. Include an empty bottle or two to fill and pour between. Shake it to listen to the sounds.

Create a sensory bag with hair gel in a baggy. Add other small objects, such as googly eyes or sequins, if desired. Tape it to the window to explore in the sunlight.

Make sensory foam with dish soap and a little bit of water and food coloring in a food processor. Put on a tray to explore!

Mix up a batch of bubbles in a bucket with dish soap and water! Add kitchen tools to play with!

Attach contact (sticky) paper to a wall with tape, sticky side out. Set out a basket of goodies, including paper, ribbons and even photos, to stick to it!

Blend fruits for a surprise taste test. Look at it, smell it, taste it. What fruit is it?

Make an ocean in a bottle. Fill 2/3 with water. Add food coloring. Fill rest with clear oil and seal the lid on with glue. Create waves!

Spread corn meal onto a baking sheet or other tray to explore with measuring cups and spoons.

Play with ice! Put it in a bowl and pick it up, try to eat them. This is great for a hot day!

Have a water play day! Set out tubs of water with some scoops to transfer water back and forth. Add color to the water if you’d like.

Add food coloring and oil to leftover cooked spaghetti. Put in a tub for little hands to explore. Add kitchen utensils to “cook”.

Combine art and sensory with contact (sticky) paper taped to the floor, sticky side up. Decorate with small decorative items such as buttons and sequins.

I spy baggy! Write letters, words, shapes or notes on a piece of paper and put in a large baggy. Add rice on top of the paper. Let the kids ‘spy’ the letters through the rice.

Write any number on a piece of paper. Trace the number with a paintbrush and glue. Play with sand on the paper and shake it off! It’ll stick to the number to create a texture!

Squirt shaving cream on a baking sheet. Write letters and numbers or make shapes with your fingers.

Make three sensory bags in the primary colors using finger paint in baggies (or clear hair gel with food coloring). Tape them to a window. Explore. Overlap them to mix colors to see what colors you can make.

Go-To Listsensory

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 69

Look through photo albums (print or digital) together and name people you know.

Have a camp out, indoors or out!

Head to the library together and everyone check out a new book.

Attend a town festival and play the games!

Play a game of ball as a family, roll it back and forth or toss it gently.

Everyone take a nap together in one big bed.

Plant something together, inside in a pot or outside in the ground.

Run errands together and ask for help whenever you can.

Have lunch on the living room floor as a picnic today.

Be a tourist in your own town, pick a place to visit.

Go to the park for a picnic.

Go on a family scavenger hunt around the neighborhood.

Build a fort and read with flashlights inside it in the dark!

Make homemade pizzas together and grill them.

Make homemade ice cream.

Attend a local school game, baseball, basketball, football.

See a fireworks display!

Bake your favorite dessert or snack together.

Go for a drive and let the kids navigate the way.

Watch a movie together.

Lay out on a blanket and look at the stars.

Learn to fly kites together.

Cuddle up and read books.

Have a campfire cookout!

Play a new-to-you game.

Visit the local fire station.

Try Geocaching as a family.

Go to a local orchard to pick fresh fruits and veggies for dinner.

Go on a family bike ride to the park to play.

Learn about family favorites and play a favorite game.

Go fishing in a nearby river or pond.

Do a family craft or art project. Stack your handprints on top of one another for a keepsake.

Learn what every family member’s favorite color is today.

Go on a field trip to somewhere sentimental to Mom & Dad and tell the kids about it.

Conduct a family interview of each other. Record it with a video camera for a timeless keepsake.

Learn every family member’s favorite meal and make one together.

Create a new family tradition!

Crank up the music and pretend to be an air band!

Play a game of baseball, or basketball, together as a family.

Have a family photo shoot.

Draw your family portrait with sidewalk chalk on the sidewalk or driveway.

Make a day of washing your vehicles by hand.

Play dress up with the kids!

Go-To Listfamily

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

discover

bonusbonusThree Bonus Weeks of Activities

for Toddlers & Preschoolers

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 72

More More More Activity Plans!

You want more? You got it!

Be set for all of your child’s early years with a weekly activity plan for every stage!

In the next section, I’ve included an activity plan from each of the other eBooks you can find in our shop: http://handsonaswegrow.com/shop/

Whether you’re looking for more ideas to do with your child, or you have other young kids, I have more activities for you to do!

Bonus Weekly Activity Plans

PLAY: Two Year Olds

ENGAGE: Preschoolers

LEARN: Preschoolers

Bonus: Activity Plans

discover One Year Old Activity Plan: Week 1

73

Activity Plan for Two Year Olds

CLICK ANY ACTIVITY FOR DETAILS OR SEARCH HANDSONASWEGROW.COM

Monday: Use tape to make roads and train tracks to create a whole city! Add toys to the city to play in for days.

Tuesday: Roll out a tube of play dough and pound golf tees into it using a toy hammer.

Wednesday: Use Q-tips, instead of a paintbrush, to paint a masterpiece.

Thursday: Make an obstacle course to crawl over, under and run through. Use dining room chairs, ABC mat (or books) as stepping stones, and add balloons to move through the course!

Friday: Have a water play day! Set out tubs of water with some scoops to transfer water back and forth. Add color to the water if you’d like.

Saturday: Stick tape onto a surface. Criss cross over each other. Peel the tape off, one by one.

Sunday: Crank up the music and pretend to be an air band!

painter’s tape toys

play doughtoy hammergolf tees or toothpicks

q-tips paperpaint

tubs or bucketswaterfood coloring (optional)

household objectsabc mat (or paper)balloons (optional)

tape (electrical or painter’s tape)

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

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74

Activity Plan for Preschoolers

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

engage

Monday: Go on a spy hunt! Tape diagonally between walls down a hallway, stick pom poms to it randomly. Have the kids crawl through, over and under, to col-lect the pom poms.

Tuesday: Write a secret note in white crayon! Have kids paint over with colored water. It magically ap-pears!

Wednesday: Float a boat! Stick the straw in the side of a juice box, add a sail with paper. Float it in a tub of water.

Thursday: Keep kids busy with rubber bands, or hair bands. Slide them on and off a can of food, one at a time.

Friday: Draw a target on the driveway or sidewalk in chalk. Make, or gather, mud to throw at the target.

Saturday: Experiment with milk. Pour whole milk into a shallow dish. Drop in food coloring. Dip a cot-ton swab in dish soap and hold it in the milk. Watch it swirl!

Play a new-to-you game together as a family.

shallow dishwhole milkfood coloringcotton swab (q-tip)dish soap

sidewalk or pavementsidewalk chalkmud or dirt and water

canned foodrubber bands

empty juice boxscissorsscrap paper

paper white crayonfood coloring & water or watercolorspaintbrushes

painter’s tapepom poms or cotton balls

CLICK ANY ACTIVITY FOR DETAILS OR SEARCH HANDSONASWEGROW.COM

discover One Year Old Activity Plan: Week 1

75

Weekly Activity Plan: LearningLearning Plan for Preschoolers

Monday: Write letters on sticky notes and place them around the house (under and on top of the dining room table and chairs works great). Name a letter then stomp it! Repeat!

Tuesday: Make a puzzle with the side of a cereal box. Write numbers in a grid, in order, on the back. Cut apart the numbers in various shapes. Count to put the puzzle back together! (Put it together again using the front side.)

Wednesday: Graph blocks. Make several columns on a long sheet of butcher paper. Draw the shape of the blocks you have at the bottom of each column. Sort blocks and ‘stack’ in each column to graph them.

Thursday: Find various pairs of leaves in nature. Tape one of each leaf on the back of a piece of paper. Rub crayons over front side of the paper to show the leaf! Match the remaining leaf to the crayon rubbings.

Friday: Squirt shaving cream on a baking sheet. Write letters and numbers or make shapes with your fingers.

Saturday: Tape their name on the floor. Trace the let-ters using objects and toys from around the house.

Sunday: Learn what every family member’s favorite color is today.

painter’s tapeobjects and toys

baking sheet or trayshaving cream

leaves from naturecrayonswhite papertape

butcher or art papermarker or tapeblocks

cereal boxscissorsmarker

sticky notes markers

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

CLICK ANY ACTIVITY FOR DETAILS OR SEARCH HANDSONASWEGROW.COM

learn

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

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resourcesresourcesAdditional Resources to

Find Even More Activities to Do

discover

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 78

Click the topics you’re interested in to find more activities to do on handsonaswegrow.com!

Below are Activities By Topic:

More:100s of Indoor ActivitiesSimplest ActivitiesActivities for 2 under 4

Babies:Edible SensoryBaby Week

Toddlers:Toddler ActivitiesPhysical ActivitiesRainy Day ActivitiesLearning ActivitiesLearning ShapesBeginner LettersScience ActivitiesFine Motor ActivitiesIndoor ActivitiesSensory IdeasQuick With No SetupCraft & Art ProjectsToddler Pinterest Boards

Preschoolers:Alphabet ActivitiesActive Letter LearningLearning NumbersName ActivitiesCounting ActivitiesMazesMove & LearnGross MotorScience ExperimentsArt ProjectsQuiet Activities

Gross Motor:Excess EnergyKids on the MoveScavenger HuntsBig Art ProjectsFun ActivitiesIndoor Activities

Fine Motor:Fine Motor ActivitiesStrengthening ObjectsBusy Play IdeasPlay Dough Activities

Sensory:Toddler SensoryEdible SensorySensory Activities

Crafts & Art: Big Art ProjectsPainting TechniquesRecycled ArtTin Can CraftsCrayon CraftsBalloon CraftsPinterest CraftsCraft Supplies

Spring:Spring CraftsSpring Art ProjectsShamrock CraftsSt. Patrick’s DayRainbow ActivitiesEaster HuntsEaster Egg IdeasToddler Easter CraftsFlower CraftsMother’s Day Crafts

Summer:Summer CraftsFamily ActivitiesBeat the HeatFather’s DayBack to School ArtBack to School Week

Fall:Fall CraftsFall ActivitiesFall Toddler ActivitiesFall Gross MotorApple CraftsApple ActivitiesPumpkin ActivitiesSpider Web CraftsGoogly Eye CraftsGhost CraftsMonster CraftsDelight in OctoberHalloween ActivitiesToddler ActivitiesTurkey CraftsNon-Turkey Crafts

Winter:Winter CraftsToddler Activities Snowman CraftsSnowflake CraftsSnow ThemeSnow Day IdeasChristmas CraftsChristmas ActivitiesChristmas CardsHomemade OrnamentsValentine CraftsSchool Valentines

CLICK ANY TOPIC FOR ACTIVITIESOR SEARCH HANDSONASWEGROW.COM

Resources

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

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INDEXINDEXFind What You Need,

When You Need It

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 80

ABC mat 14, 57activity binder 6activity plans 18-22, 73-75alphabet 41, 45, 65, 66, 68, 75art projects 19-22, 32, 39, 47, 48

baby food 68badminton 66bag, sensory 26, 65balance beam 54balloons 66, 73balls 38, 48, 66, 69, 74bean, balance 54bike ride 69binder, activity 6bird feeder 65blocks 29, 65boards 54boats 67, 74bottles 25, 33, 36, 42, 43, 51bowling 66box 48, 66, 75bubble wrap 35bubbles 37, 51butcher paper 14, 66, 67, 75

canned food 29cardboard tubes 65, 66cereal 24, 65chalk 47, 65, 66, 69clothespins 50, 65cloud dough 49colander 65collage 67color sorting 31contact paper 14, 46, 67, 68corn meal 41corn starch 67craft sticks 30, 36, 67crafts 18, 19, 24, 33cups 34, 45cups, measuring 41, 42, 44, 49cushions 27, 38

dish soap 28, 37, 40, 51, 67, 74dough, cloud 49dough, play 30, 73

experiments 74

family 69finding the time 7-9fine motor activities 18-22, 25, 31, 36, 43, 50

finger paint 32flour 49, 68flowers 67foam 28food coloring 28, 32, 51, 67, 68, 73, 74fruit 32, 68

glitter 49, 51glue 67googly eyes 26gross motor activities 18-22, 27, 35, 38, 46, 53

hair gel 26hunt, scavenger 66, 69

ice 68

jumping 35, 46, 66just for fun 29, 34, 40, 45, 52

kitchen utensils 28, 37, 52, 68

leaves 75letters 41, 45, 65, 66, 68, 75

mask 67maze 66measuring cups 41, 42, 44, 49muffin pan 31multiple kids 11-13

nature hunt 66, 75necklace 24, 65newspaper 66, 68numbers 41, 45, 68, 75

oatmeal 44obstacle course 38, 73oil 49o-shaped cereal 24, 65outdoor activities 34, 37, 40, 41, 42, 44, 47, 65, 67

painter’s tape 14, 17, 73, 75painting 32, 39, 47, 48, 67, 73, 74pans 52pantry 17, 29paper bag 67paper clips 65pasta 42picnic 69pillows 27, 38Pinterest 6

pipe cleaners 30, 43, 65pitcher 34play dough 30, 73pom poms 31, 51, 65pots 52pouring 34, 41, 42, 44pretend play 30, 69printables 9, 57-61puzzle 75

Q-tips 67, 74

resources 78ribbons 24, 25, 65, 66, 67, 68rice 44, 65, 68ring toss 66rubber bands 65, 74runway 35, 46

scavenger hunt 66, 69scheduling activities 7sensory activities 18-22, 26, 28, 30, 37, 41, 42, 44, 49, 51sensory bag 26, 65sensory tub 37, 41, 42, 44, 49, 68shaker 33, 42, 51, 68shapes 48, 65, 66, 68, 75shaving cream 67, 68, 75sidewalk chalk 47, 65, 66, 69, 74size sorting 29, 31snacks 32, 33, 44spaghetti noodles 65, 68sponges 39, 40straws 65suncatcher 26, 67supplies 14, 17

threading 24, 65, 67tongs 31, 65towers 29, 45, 68toy trucks 30, 35, 40toy wash 40trucks, toy 30, 35, 40tweezers 31

utensils, kitchen 28, 37, 52, 68

vehicles 30, 35

water 28, 34, 37, 40, 47, 51, 65, 67, 68, 73weaving 65window painting 67

yarn 65, 66

Index

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H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M 81

Thank You So Much!

I hope you’ve enjoyed these activities as much as I loved doing them with my kids and sharing them with you. I can’t thank you enough for your continued support of Hands On As We Grow and the adventures it takes me on.

I appreciate you for taking time to read this, and if you have an extra second, I would love to hear what you think about it. Please shoot me an email at jamie@handsonaswegrow.com. I read each and every single email, so don’t be afraid to say hi!

If you haven’t already, you can join in on the conversations in The Huddle Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/handsonhuddle/

And lastly, I want to give you a thank you from your kids. Thanks for taking the time to fill their days with fun and laughter, creating memories and feelings that they’ll always treasure. This is a time that flies by and you’ll never regret spending more time with them.

Thank you.Jamie ReimerHands On As We GrowOwner of Oak Avenue Media, LLC

Thank you for the good times, the days you filled with pleasure. Thank you for fond memories, and for feelings I’ll always treasure.

- Karl Fuchs