These multicultural books for babies and toddlers are perfect for the very youngest listeners and lap-sitters. Most (but not all) are available as board books so they can tolerate a lot of abuse from teething babies!

Note: this list contains Amazon and Bookshop affiliate links. Purchases made through these links may earn a commission for this blog. Bookshop also supports independent bookstores.

Making Faces, photographs by Molly Magnusson

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

Making faces is another great board book with photographs to draw in your little one. The text and photographs of diverse facial expressions teach five different emotions–happy, sad, surprised, silly and angry. The text prompts grown-ups to interact with their child and the book includes a mirror so babies, toddlers and preschoolers can see their own faces.

MORE: Toddler Books about Feelings

Global Babies/Bebes del mundo from The Global Fund for Children

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

Babies LOVE to stare at other baby faces! Now they (and you!) can look at adorable faces from around the world while hearing simple, sweet and loving text.

May We Have Enough to Share by Richard Van Camp (Tłı̨chǫ Dene)

Find it: Bookshop | Amazon

This adorable board book may be intended for babies and toddlers, but the sentiment rings true for all ages. Photographs of happy children and their caregivers grace the pages next to words meant to inspire readers to invite abundance into their lives, not for its own sake, but as a way to share with others.

MORE: Favorite toddler books

Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora.

Find it: Bookshop | Amazon

This is a darling, playful book about a toddler playing every young chid's favorite game. Each page starts, "Peekaboo I see..." with a visual clue that leads to the subject, be it mommy, daddy, grandma, etc. The overall tone of the book is cheerful and the colors and illustrations are gorgeous, capturing the charming spirit of classic toddler play.

Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang

Find it: Bookshop | Amazon

This is one of my absolute favorite board books. I loved reading it to both my boys at night time and I can still recite it from memory. I even included it in my list of toddler books I'll miss reading. A young girl counts items in her room as she gets ready for bed. "10 small toes all soft and warm. 9 soft friends in a quiet room," all the way down to "1 big girl all ready for bed." Also available in Spanish.

MORE: Board Books that Include Math Concepts for Babies

How We Eat (series) by Shuli de la Fuente-Lau

Find it: Bookshop | Amazon

Entertaining photographs of an inclusive population (cultures and abilities) and the many ways people eat.

MORE: 51 Must Read Picture Books

Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho, illustrated by Holly Meade

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

I have this title on so many book lists! After a mom puts her baby to sleep in a hammock she has to hush the sounds around her. Author Minfong Ho writes each animal's onomatopoetic sound and I like that they are unusual to English speakers. For example, the lizard says "tuk-ghaa", the pig says, "uut-uut." The gentle, rhythmic text creates such a lovely lullaby.

MORE: Favorite bedtime books

Little You by Richard Van Camp (Tłı̨chǫ Dene), illustrated by Julie Flett (Cree/Métis)

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

I absolutely love this adorable board book. Little You is a tender, rhyming love story from mom and dad to their baby. Illustrator Julie Flett uses autumnal colors to depict the family as the baby grows. Simply marvelous.

Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers, illustrated by Marla Frazee

Find it: Bookshop | Amazon

Meyers' book celebrates the diversity of babies all over the world and how babies might sleep, eat, play and live differently but are all loved equally. The variety of facial expressions on all the babies are terrific. Frazee does a great job of including people from all different walks of life in her illustrations. I loved the contrast between the "older" parents and the younger ones. That made me giggle a bit.

Whose Toes are Those? (series) by Jabari Asim, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

This book is perfect for a lap sitter. Short, sweet rhymes will encourage parents and babies to interact and giggle with each other. A fun take on "this little piggy."

Toesy Toes by Sarah Tsiang

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

Can we all agree that baby toes are irresistible? Photographs of diverse babies and their toes in everyday settings will delight your little one. Tsiang uses rhyming couplets that beg to be read aloud again and again.

Arrorró, Mi Niño: Latino Lullabies and Gentle Games by Lulu Delacre

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

This is a good bilingual book, even for parents with no Spanish language experience. Short songs and interactive games (think: Pat-a-cake, and "To Market, to Market") will encourage caregivers to spend special one on one time with their children.

MORE: Bilingual Books for Kids

"More More More," Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams

Find it: Bookshop | Amazon

Williams' book is composed of three vignettes, each showing a grown up (daddy, grandma, mommy) playing with a baby. The three families are diverse: a white child, a bi-racial child and an Asian-American–all equally loved, all equally playful. At the end of each vignette the babies are tucked into bed by their loving grownup.

Smile! (series) Roberta Grobel Intrater

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

The Baby Faces board book series is perfect to share with lap sitting babies. Babies love to look at photographs of other babies. We had the Eat! book, which my younger son became quite obsessed with for a time. The books are very short, only about 5 sturdy pages.

MORE: Picture books about diversity

The Family Book by Todd Parr

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

Todd Parr's illustrations are instantly recognizable. I've always loved how the people are unusual colors like blue or orange. This book celebrates all the different kinds of families, different ethnicities, different make-ups like single or same-sex parents, adopted or step-families and so forth. The message of the book is loud and clear: all families are unique, special and valuable. Also available in a bilingual edition.

The post 15 Multicultural Books for Babies and Toddlers appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

It probably does not assuage your irritation to know that the 15 minutes your toddler spent in the act of emptying your wallet contents was good for their fine motor skills. You'd probably have preferred they'd practiced their fine motor skills with one of these clothespin activities.

However, I can offer you a solution.

A toy wallet.

If you don't already have an old wallet in the back of your closet, you can find very inexpensive wallets at the dollar store or thrift store.

Keep expired membership cards, discount cards, old coupons and similar items to stock the toy wallet.

You may also find kid oriented trading cards. Our toddler loves his Thomas the Train trading cards and they made a great addition to the toy wallet.

In order to pull the cards out of the toy wallet, your child will engage and strengthen those all important fine motor skills. Putting the cards back in the wallet will be more challenging, but toddlers are nothing if not persistent!

MORE: Lacing activities for fine motor practice

As your toddler starts to engage in imaginative play, they will start to use their toy wallet during pretend playtime, whether it's buying groceries at an imaginary store, or trying to bribe mom to let him skip the day's nap.

The most important thing is that the toy wallet keeps the little one entertained.

That and, I no longer wonder what happened to my driver's license.

The post Hey Big Spender! Toy Wallet Boredom Buster appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Note: this post contains affiliate links

MORE: Toddler dot to dot for fine motor development and hand-eye coordination

MORE: DIY toddler lacing activity for fine motor skills

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Stacking activities are good for fine motor development, hand-eye coordination, reasoning skills, learning the concepts of balance and strength, and problem solving. Not only that, but toddlers and preschoolers are learning one to one correspondence, an early math skill. Whew! That's a lot of essential growth and development right there!

Best of all, setting up stacking activities for kids at home is so easy and they can keep kids entertained without screens while you get a chance to drink that second cup of coffee you so desperately need!

You don't need any special materials, or to go out at buy fancy stacking toys. Giving your children different types of objects to stack is better than using the same stacking toy over and over again because it gives them the opportunity to explore how different materials behave and get creative in their stacking techniques.

We discovered the joy of stacking objects when I pulled out a vintage box of sandbakkelse molds. My toddler loved the small size of them and how they fit neatly into each other and then into their little box.

Blocks (this seems obvious, but sometimes we forget the simple things)

Paper cups -- will they stack them in a single stack or in a pyramid shape?

Sofa cushions -- this is great because it also uses gross motor skills

Marshmallows

Dice (only for children who don't put objects in their mouth)

Cheerios or similar cereal

Dominoes - this is fun because they can try to stack end to end or large, flat side to large, flat side

Spools -- such as spools of thread

Lids and caps (small lids are only for children who don't put objects in their mouth)

Plastic storage containers -- there is an extra layer of problem solving here if the containers are of different sizes. They will also notice how smaller containers nest inside larger ones.

Rocks -- great for outdoors

Checkers (this is a great way to repurpose those game pieces!)

Boxes -- all sizes!

Books - board books work particularly well.

Coins or buttons (only for children who don't put objects in their mouth)

Get ready because the absolute best part of stacking is knocking it all down with a big crash!

MORE: Fine motor play with acorns

• Use tongs or chopsticks to pick up items to be stacked.

• Use only one hand to stack objects.

• Stack items from different categories. For example, mix blocks and paper cups in a single stack.

• Thread stacking items that have a hole in the middle onto a stick. For example, stack spools onto a chopstick. This is similar to a lacing activity.

MORE: Lacing activities for toddlers and preschoolers

How to Talk to Your Child While Stacking

You don't need to get down on the floor and help your child unless you want to. But making observations to your toddler or preschool about what they are doing is a great way to boost their brains. Fortunately, you can do this from the couch, with coffee in hand.

Now, get stacking!

MORE: Fine motor work: LEGO head rescue activity

The post Creative Stacking Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

This list of books about feelings for toddlers designed specifically for short attention spans! These board books will help toddlers identify emotions and navigate complex feelings like anger, joy, sadness, frustration, anxiety and fear. Only when they are able to describe their feelings will toddlers learn to express control them appropriately. It's a long journey, but well worth it to help little humans grow up with the emotional intelligence they need to be successful big humans!

Note: this list contains Amazon and Bookshop affiliate links. Purchases made through these links may earn a commission for this blog. Bookshop also supports independent bookstores.

Feelings Books for Toddlers

FEELINGS by Xavier Deneux

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

Toddlers learn best when they interact with books and this title from Deneux's TouchThinkLearn series is perfect for teaching toddlers about feelings! Each page spread includes a boldly colored, indented die cut, offering a tactile experience along with a cluster of words. For example, sadness is a melting snowman and children can reach out and touch a bumpy, dripping melting snowdrop; a large yellow sun invites kids to contemplate words like "happiness, delight, cheer."

MAD, MAD BEAR by Kimberley Gee

Find it:Amazon | Bookshop

It's never too early to help children learn to recognize, name and process their feelings. This charming, age appropriate book does just that for the big scary emotions of anger and frustration. Bear is very mad because he had to leave the park early. When he gets home he still has trouble coping with his big feelings, sending him into a meltdown, but with some help he breathes, has a snack and a rest, eventually coming out on the other side.

MORE: Books for 2-year-olds that are new to you!

TRAP THE MONSTER by Agnese Baruzzi

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

Trap the Monster is a clever board book to help young children think of tactics to deal with their fears and worries in a healthy way–by using their imagination! Each page introduces a new monster, "If you are afraid of the big bad wolf.." and tells the reader, "Turn the page..." Turning the page reveals a method of entrapment accompanied by praise. For example, "Good Job! You sent it to jail!" Different die cut pages give clues as to the trap so kids can guess how they would like to deal with the monster. Great fun!

JOY by Yasmeen Ismail

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

With wonderful, boisterous, onomatopoetic language, readers will feel the joy as they watch a cat play with its ball of yarn. “Shake, rattle and roll, this happy soul!” But then! Oh, no! A dog accidentally knocks him down the stairs, "Oh, no. This is bad, I feel sad." Fortunately, the solution to bumped feelings is right at hand. Some squeezes and kisses from mama tell little ones that loved ones are always ready to soothe their difficult feelings.

RISSY, NO KISSIES by Katey Howes, illustrated by Jess Engle

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

Rissy No Kissies teaches kids to identify feelings about physical contact with others. Rissy comes from a family of lovebirds that love showing affection to one another, but Rissy is not so keen on all the physical attention. She wonders if she is normal, but receives reassurance from her mother that her need for physical boundaries is totally okay. This is a great book for helping kids cope when they think they have different feelings than the ones they are "supposed" to have.

MORE: Books about consent for kids

HAPPY HIPPO GRUMPY DUCK by Sandra Boynton

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

Is there any book by Boynton that is not amazing? It's hard not to smile when you read her books. I can still recite many of them by heart. In this toddler book about feelings, Boynton's text asks the reader if they identify with any of the animals, "Grumpy as a moose? Excited as a dog? Worried as a rabbit?" At the end there is a gentle reminder that moods come and go, unless, of course, you are the duck, "He's always this way." Also available in Spanish.

OLLIE FEELS FINE by Toni Yuly

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

This brightly illustrated book helps toddlers navigate a day filled with lots of feelings and emotional ups and down. Little listeners will love watching Ollie's eyes and tentacles express how he is feeling. The simple text gets right to the point, "Ollie feels grumpy," and readers scan the illustrations for what's causing Ollie's mood swing. He's nervous around the shark, or surprised by a big wave. This lovely little book doesn't forget to remind toddlers that a person (or octopus) can even feel lots of conflicting emotions at once.

MY FIRST COMICS SERIES by Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Matthew Holm

Find it: Amazon | Penguin Random House

This series of board books is a great choice for toddlers who are already big bookworms and love to engage in conversations about what they see happening on the the page. Each of the four titles gives caregivers a way to expand upon events which may evoke an emotional response in toddlers and the actions they might take. For example, in I'm Grumpy, after a cloud drops his ice cream cone, the sun tries to cheer him up. That effort fails and the cloud becomes a storm, no doubt a metaphor for throwing a tantrum, which eventually leads the cloud to apologize to the sun.

MAKING FACES photographs by Molly Magnusson

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

Making faces is another great board book with photographs to draw in your little one. The text and photographs of diverse facial expressions teach five different emotions–happy, sad, surprised, silly and angry. The text prompts grown-ups to interact with their child and the book includes a mirror so babies, toddlers and preschoolers can see their own faces.

MORE: Toddler Books I'll Miss Reading

THE FEELINGS BOOK by Todd Parr

Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

Does Todd Parr have a book for everything? Short answer: yes. With his characteristic illustrations filled with multi-colored children, Parr helps toddlers identify how they are feeling and normalizes emotions ranging from happiness to grief. The book ends with an on-point message that no matter how they feel, kids should feel free to share their feelings with someone they love.

MORE: Diverse Books for Toddlers and Babies

The post Books about Feelings for Toddlers appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

And why wouldn't they be? A child's instinct is to make sense of the world, and identifying objects, drawing comparisons and making contrasts help them do just that.

In this article, we'll go through some basics about the benefits of sorting activities as well as give you some simple ideas for how you can incorporate sorting games and ideas into your child's at-home play time.

What are sorting activities?

Sorting activities are actions that require children to identify groups of items that have particular traits in common. Those traits can be characteristics like color, size, shape, and other classifications.

Children engaged in sorting activities are asking questions about what items belong together, and how they relate to one another. For example, a group of items may belong together because they are all red, even though they might be different shapes. Or, perhaps a child is sorting animals by species–for example, dogs vs. cats.

What do sorting activities teach children?

Sorting helps children develop visual perception, fine motor muscles, reasoning and problem solving skills. While working on classifying and grouping objects, young minds are busy analyzing similarities, differences and making choices.

These are skills necessary for higher learning because they help children develop the ability to organize and process information, skills known as executive function skills. Children use executive function skills for everything from decoding words for reading to working with others to getting ready to go to school in the morning.

Types of sorting activities

The ways preschoolers and toddlers can learn to classify things is endless. Here are a few simple ideas to get you started. No doubt, observing how your child interacts with the items will give you (and them!) more inspiration.

Color sorting

For toddlers, the easiest color sorting activity is to sort two colors into two piles. My toddler sat at the table with a pile of red and blue blocks. In front of him was a red paper and a blue paper. He had fun placing the red blocks on the red paper and the blue blocks on the blue paper. It's not fancy, but it works!

Preschoolers can work on more sophisticated color sorting by adding more and more colors to the mix.

Shape sorting

Circles, squares, and triangles, oh my! Shape sorting is a classic preschool activity.

You can do this very simple sorting game at home. With masking tape, mark out a circle, rectangle and triangle on the floor and ask your child to place any round objects they find in the circle, square or rectangular objects in the rectangle and triangular objects in the triangle.

You don't need a fancy shape sorting toy. Make your own shape sorter by cutting a circle, rectangle and triangle in the top of a box and ask your child to drop the corresponding blocks through the holds.

Once your child has explored shape sorting a few times, try this diy Montessori-inspired activity that teaches children to observe the similarities and differences between 2D and 3D shapes.

Sorting by size

There are so many ways to sort by size! One easy way to get started is to place a small box and a large box on the floor. Any objects that can't fit in the small box go into the big box!

Alternatively, give your child a tube to act as a chute (an empty paper towel roll works well), and a pile of objects of varying size. The child can sort the objects by dropping them through the tube into a box. If they fit, they drop down, if not, they get set aside. If you have multiple sized tubes, so much the better. Kids also get a big kick out of sliding objects down the chute!

Sorting by quantity

Quantity sorting activities can easily be modified for different skill levels. Toddlers can work on groups of 1s and 2s, preschoolers on groups in quantities up to 5, or higher.

A simple way to do this is to label your sorting container with numbers and have the child place the correct quantity in each space. We did this with an egg carton and pom poms. Pom poms are a great sorting item because they can also be separated by size and color.

Alternatively, if your child is working on number recognition, a deck of playing cards is perfect for sorting! My son loved separating out the cards by number and by suit.

Sorting by category

Tidying up a room gives children a natural way to learn to sort items by category. For example, ask your child to place all the books on a shelf, the stuffed toys on the bed, and the blocks in basket.

Or, have them help sort the laundry. Shirts in one pile, socks in another. You get the idea! Putting away cutlery also gives kids a hands-on practice in putting like with like.

Or, if your child has a huge collection of one type of toy, like toy vehicles, they can sort by type: trucks, service vehicles, cars, etc.

Sorting animals is another great category to work with. You can sort by where the animals live, by what they eat, whether they can swim or fly, etc.

Item Suggestions

What kind of objects are good for sorting? Almost anything! Sorting objects are all around you. Remember, children who still put items in their mouths should not use small objects, and should be supervised at all times.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Coins, see our coin sorting activity ideas
• Beans or pasta
• Blocks
• Pompoms
• Small toy animals like animals or vehicles
• Buttons or beads
• Kitchen items like spoons, paper cups, plastic cutlery
• Items from nature like leaves, pebbles, flowers
• Socks!
• Playing cards
• Shells
• Crayons (think: whole vs. broken!)
• Anything else you can think of, from large to small

Container ideas

Look around your home and you'll likely find lots of items that can be used for grouping items together. A muffin tin is a classic tool, but my toddler loved dropping wooden sticks in a popsicle mold.

Other tools and containers you can use:

• Egg cartons
• Ice cube trays
• An assortment of small containers nestled in a shoe box
• Ice pop molds
• Nesting bowls
• Paper cups
• Muffin tins

Remember, you don't necessarily need to set up a specific activity to engage your child's sorting skills. Work on incorporating it into practical, every day life activities and you'll see how much fun sorting activities are!

The post Best Sorting Activities for Preschoolers and Toddlers appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Like many children with older siblings, my toddler loves to do what ever his big brother is doing. So when big brother was working on his beloved EXTREME! Dot-to-Dots workbooks, I put together this numberless toddler dot-to-dot.

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For more great toddler activities --> 42 Easy Peasy Toddler Activities!

My son loved taking a chunky marker and connecting the dots. His lines were quite scraggly, but that doesn't matter at all.

He loved even more making his own dot-to-dots! I wasn't surprised because in my experience office supply stickers are an excellent distraction to keep kids busy! I love that this activity also gets him working those fine motor muscles!

Alternatively, try this GIANT Dot to Dot activity that combines fine and gross motor practice at the same time!

When your child wants to place the office supply dot stickers everywhere, don't fret. The ones I used are very easily removed from most surfaces.

Depending on your child's focus level (My toddler has a very short attention span!), you can switch this activity up a little bit.

MORE: Stacking activities for fine motor development

Originally published 2011, updated 2022.

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Toy cars can be used for all kinds of play: sensory play, learning, pretend play and outdoor time! So the next time your children get out their buckets of toy cars, roads, train tracks and vehicles of all sizes, shapes and colors, let these photos and ideas be an inspiration for your children!

P.S. There are actually more than 20 ideas below. 😉

Sensory Toy Car Play Ideas

Stuck inside in winter? Bring the outdoors in and create a snowy scene for an indoor snow traffic jam.

Bubble Bath Car Wash. For many years before kid activity blogs exploded on the internet, this was the most popular post on this blog. It is so simple and yet keeps kids busy for hours!

Drive Them Through a Sensory Tray. You can fill a baking tray with any number of things. Some of our favorite fillers have been dried beans, and old expired grains like rice or millet.

Exploding Car Wash! Give the classic bubble bath toy car wash a volcanic twist!

Young children can sit at the table and give cars a sponge bath. Include a small plastic container of water and a sponge.

This activity takes a little time to set up, but if your kids love the book Katy and the Big Snow they will adore this toy vehicle activity that offers up several variations.

Set up a shaving cream car wash. For the ultimate sensory experience use shaving cream. You'll need to use the kind in aerosol cans. Beware, it can have a strong menthol smell, but cleans up very easily!

Stick them in play dough. Whip up a batch of no-cook play dough or use the store-bought kind. Include toy vehicles and other tools for extensive pretend play that works the imagination and fine motor skills!

MORE: 20 Independent Play Activities for Kids

Pretend Play Toy Car Activities

Toy vehicles of all kinds are a natural addition to any child's pretend play repertoire! Here are some incredibly easy ways we have made toy car play even more entertaining.

Roll cars down a ramp. Prop up a baking tray on a stack of books for endless fun! Kids will love experimenting with height and how fast each car can go.

Get out the blocks, create a city or make a few towers and stack them on LEGO.

Turn a cardboard box into a series of tunnels by carving out doorways. Then line up cars to drive through or create a pile-up inside!

Prove that beauty is a not requirement for fun and park cars in a (very ugly) diy toy car parking garage. Create a multi-leveled garage by taping in cardboard cut to size. Alternatively just use an empty box - no "fancy" parking levels required.

Park cars in a recycled container garage. I was surprised at how utterly enchanted the kids were by this ridiculously ugly thingamajig I put together with some recyclables!

Make a road and habitat on poster board. You can also use butcher paper for this. If you prefer, your kids can decorate the paper and draw their own roads and landmarks.

Outdoor Toy Car Activity Ideas

I'm sure your kids have clung to their little toy car friends even as you tried to leave home. Let them take them to the park and playground!

Take them to the playground on hot days when the playground sprinklers are on and soak cars in a bucket.

Do a little off-roading on rocks at the park.

Dig roads in the sandbox -- even in winter!

Learn with Toy Cars

Cars can be incredibly great tools for learning. Here are some simple ways kids can learn concepts even when they think all they are doing is goofing around!

Cars are cheaper by the dozen. Count them out and put them in egg cartons.

Explore geometry and form a grid with them on the floor.

Gather the cars together and then sort them by color.

Explore your artistic side and paint them. Use washable paints because you might change your mind!

(Not pictured) Learn basic math sums with an addition parking lot. Best for elementary aged kids who have some math skills.

And finally, a bonus! One day I opened a box and put it out for recycling only to discover the boys had appropriated it as their newest road. Kiddo even said, "thanks, mom, for keeping this box for us!"

You're welcome, Kiddo.

More fun:

• Pretend play prompts
• Make your own bookmobile with this free printable template
• Make your own subway train cars with this coloring page train template

The post Stuck in Traffic: 20 Toy Car Play Ideas appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Probably you don't want your toddler to learn about art by drawing on the walls, though. So you sit her in the highchair, tape a piece of paper down to the table and place a handful of markers in front of her.

Excellent start, mama! (Or dada!) But there's one simple change to can make to give your toddler a whole new perspective.

I love letting my kids explore making art all by themselves. My philosophy is the less adult-guidance the better. I don't tell them what to draw, nor do I say, "good job!"  However, I noticed that after a while my toddler's interest in putting marker to paper started to lose the thrill of discovery. So I decided to try something new.

I sat him down on a large piece of paper on the floor and gave him an assortment of  markers and crayons.

(This post contains affiliate links that earn commission from qualifying purchases.)

That's right! All you have to do is sit your toddler on the floor!

This simple change gave him a new perspective on the act of drawing and the freedom to explore art when not confined to a table and a chair. It was fascinating to watch how he changed what he was doing!

I loved when he started drawing circles around himself!

Getting down on the floor and using his whole body meant he was now using gross motor skills and fine motor skills in tandem! That's very important for future writing development! See another one of our favorite gross + fine motor activities here.

Sometimes it doesn't have to be complicated.

Tips

• If you are worried about getting marker on the floor, I recommend washable markers.
• Try not to interfere, but supply the necessary supervision.
• A big roll of giant sized paper is a must in our household. We have never been without one!

Want to go beyond scribbling? Here is our favorite book with great toddler drawing ideas :

The post Toddler Drawing from a New Perspective appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

However!

It's not so easy to play the same game with your 7-year-old and your nearly 3-year-old at the same time.

As you can well imagine.

But I have found a solution to satisfy the little one's curiosity. While big brother is at school, I started to bring the "older kid games" out of the closet for for my little one to play with. I encourage you to do the same! (Note: affiliate links included below)

Benefits of repurposing game pieces for preschoolers

The benefits of pulling out those games are numerous! Below I will show you some real life examples of each of these skills. Playing with game pieces develop the following skills:

• Literacy
• Math
• Fine motor muscle development
• Sensory integration
• Independent play and work

The best benefit of all for a harried parent or other caregiver is that the game pieces will keep your child occupied for a pretty good chunk of time!

IMPORTANT: Now, of course I need to mention that you should never, ever let your little ones play with game pieces without appropriate adult supervision. Game pieces are small and present a choking hazard. Please use common sense. Obviously if all your child wants to do is stick everything in their mouth, do not choose this activity.

Example of Games We Repurposed

Here a few example of how my youngster has been repurposing game pieces for his own ends. (These aren't the greatest photos, but you'll forgive me.)

Skippity

Skippity game is excellent for color recognition, sorting skills and pre-math skills. My son likes to sort the chips by color. He doesn't know it, but when he places an individual token on a square he is learning "1 to 1," a foundational math skill. That foundation is further enhanced as he develops his fine motor skills while staking the tokens.

By the way, Skippity is such a fun game that I made it our game of the month so you can learn more about it here.

MORE: Use the game pieces for a stacking activity!

Scrabble

Needless to say, playing around with Scrabble tiles is a great way to promote letter recognition. Sorting and lining them up develops patterning skills, important for mathematics.  And again, he is exercising those fine motor muscles!

Boggle

Boggle has a lot going for it. First of all, how much fun is it to make a huge noise by shaking the box!  Okay, so maybe a bit annoying for mom or dad, but remind yourself of the benefits and you will have an easier time of it. Making (and enduring) noise is great for sensory development. Plus it takes some coordination to keep the lid on while you shake. And if the lid comes off? Well, then he is learning cause and effect, plus how to clean up after himself!

Additionally, placing the cubes in individual slots is not only good for fine motor muscle development, it is a 1 to 1 math skill, while recognizing the letters is wonderful for literacy.

Chinese Checkers

My son adores putting Chinese Checkers  pegs in the holes! And what skills is he practicing? You guessed it: fine motor and math. But also, this kind of independent work takes patience and focus, important foundations for good executive function.

A similarly constructed game we have is Colorku. He loves to play around with the colorful wooden marbles in the same vein as Chinese Checkers. Colorku was also a game of the month.

Rush Hour Jr.

Okay, let's face it, Rush Hour, Jr. is all about the cars. This single player logic game is a never-ending source of entertainment in our household. My older son can play it all day and my little guy loves to place the vehicles on the grid and drive them along the tracks, which takes more dexterity than you would expect.

While engaging with the game pieces and board of Rush Hour, Jr., my preschooler is engaging in pretend play, fine motor skills and learning about patterning.

P.S. Looking for a gift for a 4-6 year old kid? I always recommend this game. It's the #1 recommendation on my games gift guide.

So next time you open the game closet, put on your toddler and preschooler glasses. What will they love playing with? Remember, they don't have to follow instructions in order to play a game. After all, aren't rules meant to be broken?

More games for toddler and preschoolers: 

• Animal Bingo
• Pengoloo
• ChickyBoom

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