Toddler Learning: Printable Activities
I am very happy that there are so many printable activities available online. I used printables often as a teacher to supplement the curriculum and to make things more fun. I used them as a tutor, as well. Now, I enjoy using them with Elani. Printables can be worksheets, but that is not always the case.
Another type of printable that I love for Elani is her busy binder. I have a fall busy binder bundle that I will be sharing, but I wanted to make sure that I also shared the busy binder that we used throughout the summer. Make sure you are subscribed so that you have access to my free printables!
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I have found wonderful counting worksheets on Pinterest, but again, I love making my own. I was inspired to do a lemon theme after I decorated Elani’s play kitchen with a pink lemonade theme.
All of the counting worksheets that I saw online were for children that are learning to count and write their numbers, but I knew I could still find a way to do counting pages with Elani. I looked through my crafting and teaching items and found my number stickers. I’ve had them for years, but I think I purchased them at Michaels. I help Elani with counting and then allow her to choose the correct number. Since she cannot write her numbers yet, the stickers have been perfect and are great for working on those fine motor skills! I also love that she can use her kitchen stool and be right at the counter for these activities. Bending down to be at her level is getting harder with each month of pregnancy!
Side Note: I like to use these dry erase pockets because I can reuse the worksheet and avoid printing multiple. It is definitely not necessary, but I find it to be worth it since it’s such a small amount of stickers to peel off. I included a link for the pockets, but I definitely recommend checking Dollar Tree, Michaels, or Target!
I wanted to have one location where I could keep self-guided activities for Elani. I decided to go with a summer theme and created a few pages that allow her to work on colors, counting, letters, and sorting. We work together on many of these things during circle time, but it is also important for her to have independent time to further develop her understanding.
I have free pages available to print if you would like to try out some of the summer busy binder printables. Simply print the busy binder pages and cut out the necessary pieces for the pages. If you cut the pieces out before laminating, they will last you a lot longer. It means you cut twice, but it’s worth it! I’ve purchased my laminating sheets from many different stores and have not had any issues using various brands. I use this velcro for my busy binders and it works amazingly well. I prefer to stick the hook (scratchy) pieces of the velcro on the page and the loop (soft) pieces of the velcro on the printable pieces that Elani will be handling.
A three-hole punch is helpful if you are putting the pages into a binder. Keep in mind that the pages are laminated, so you want a good three-hole punch! I had originally purchased a 2 inch binder, with the thought that I’d be filling it with so many pages, but a thinner binder made it a lot easier for her to flip through the pages since I only put a few in at one time.
If you are not yet subscribed to my blog, make sure to do that so you have access to the Printables page. I hope that you and your toddler have fun with these activities!
