Free The Everything Toddler Activities Book by MEd Joni Levine Page B

such as dueling banjos, steel drum music, or piano solos.
Ask your child to identify the instrument that is playing. Some instruments are easier to identify then others. Start with drums, the tuba, and the piano.
Kazoo
    This simple homemade instrument sounds a lot like the real thing!
    Activity for an individual child
    Age group: 18–30 months
    Duration of activity: 15 minutes
    Pencil
    Toilet paper tube
    Markers
    3 x 5 piece of waxed paper
    Masking tape
Use the pencil to poke a hole into one wall of the tube, approximately 1 from the end.
Let your child decorate the tube with markers.
Secure the waxed paper over the end nearest the hole you created. Wrap tape around the lip to keep the waxed paper taut.
Show your child how to play the kazoo by pressing the little hole and humming in the open end of the tube.
Little Red Wagon
    Start by placing your child on your lap. Position her so that her legs are over yours
and she is facing you. Be sure to hold her securely.
    Activity for an individual child
    Age group: 18–40 months
    Duration of activity: 10 minutes
    Recite the following rhyme and follow the motions:
Bumping up and down in the little red wagon

Bumping up and down in the little red wagon

Bumping up and down in the little red wagon

Oh (child’s name) aren’t you tired?
    (bounce child on both knees simultaneously)
    One wheel’s broke and the road is bumpy

One wheel’s broke and the road is bumpy

One wheel’s broke and the road is bumpy

Oh (child’s name) aren’t you tired?
    (bounce child on knees, lifting one knee and then the other)
    Try not to let the wagon tip over

Try not to let the wagon tip over

Try not to let the wagon tip over

Oh (child’s name) aren’t you tired?
    (Sway your knees from side to side)
Visual Activities
    Young children learn a lot about the world around them through their vision.
These activities are sure to engage your child.
Invisible Pictures
    Your child will delight in the magic effect of this picture.
    Activity for an individual child
    Age group: 18–40 months
    Duration of activity: 30 minutes
    Lemon juice
    Paper cup
    White bond paper
    Cotton swabs
Put the lemon juice in the paper cup.
Let your child paint on the paper with the lemon juice, using the cotton swabs as paintbrushes. Let the design dry and become invisible.
Hold the paper close to a light bulb (without letting it touch). The design will become visible as the juice turns brown.
Invisible Pictures 2
    Here is another easy way to create magic pictures.
    Activity for an individual child
    Age group: 18–40 months
    Duration of activity: 10 minutes
    Bar of bath soap
    Light-colored construction paper
    Thick beginner’s pencil
Let your child use the soap bar as a crayon to create a design on the paper. Remind him to press hard.
Show him how to rub the side of the pencil over the drawing to make it magically appear.
Shine a Flashlight
    Stick with a traditional flashlight rather than a laser pointer that could hurt someone’s
eyes if misdirected. Of course this game is more fun in the dark!
    Activity for an individual child
    Age group: 18–40 months
    Duration of activity: 10 minutes
    Flashlight
    Shine a flashlight on the child’s body parts or on objects in the room and ask your child to name them.

CHAPTER 7
    Dance and Movement
    Your young child is rapidly developing in many ways. In just a few short months, you will see her exhibit many new skills. From crawling to walking to running, these changes all happen in a short time. Your toddler needs many opportunities to develop her motor and coordination skills. The activities in this chapter will make skill development fun for both you and your child.
Dancing
    Your toddler does not have to take lessons and learn fancy steps to dance. Encourage your child to be free with her movements. Let her use her body to express herself. Don’t be shy! Why not kick off your shoes and join in the fun?
Dancing Statues
    This game will help your child develop listening skills and