Crazy Fact: a newborn’s brain is only 25% developed, but by the age of three years, that same brain is more than 90% developed. The most growth and learning of your child’s life occurs from birth to age three. Toddlers seem like little sponges soaking in the world of information and experiences everyday. The more experiences children have, the better the brain develops language, motor skills, critical thinking skills, and social emotional skills. As we get ready for spring break, here are some simple activities you can do with your toddler, don’t forget to read at least one book a day, and talk about everything!

Count With Me - can be done driving in the car, in the store, at home, basically anywhere! Sing The Caterpillar Song: One little caterpillar crawled on my shoe. wiggle finger like a worm on a shoe Along came another and then there were two. wiggle another finger; count one, two Two little caterpillars crawled on my knee. wiggle two fingers on your knee Along came another and then there were three. show three wiggly fingers Three little caterpillars crawled on the floor. walk three fingers walking across the floor Along came another and now there are four. show four wiggly fingers Four little caterpillars all crawled away. walk four fingers across the floor They will all turn into butterflies one fine day! interlock thumbs and move fingers like a butterfly

Count & Seek - can be done inside or outside, great for 2 1/2 year olds or older Skill: counting, building self-esteem, building vocabulary, building visual memory Start by gathering a few common items, count how many items you will use. Show your child the items and talk
about the size, color, shape, etc. Partially hide the item so your child will be able to find it without too much help. This will help boost their self-esteem. When your child finds an item cheer and then form a collection spot. Count how many items are in the collection spot and then ask your child to look for the next item until all of them are found. You can let your child hide the items for you next or you can add additional items and count them teaching them the concept of “adding more”. For older kids, or to extend the activity, you can find objects that have a match like shoes, cups, silverware, etc. Follow the same procedure by beginning with talking about the objects and using the word “pair”.

Have fun!!