by

Anna Geiger, M.Ed.

 TERMS OF USE

5 Things You Should Teach Your Toddler

© 2018 by Anna Geiger. All rights reserved worldwide.

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So … you have a toddler.
Congratulations! After having six children (as of this writing, my youngest is 2 ½), I can
say that I honestly love having a toddler in the house … but I also find it exhausting!

How is it that toddlers can be absolutely adorable - and completely exasperating –

often within the same five minutes?

I know that days with a toddler can be full of giggles and hugs. I also know that they can
be fraught with tears and tantrums. Yes, the days can be long. But I can also tell you
from experience that the years go by much too quickly.

Embrace those beautiful moments when they come. Love much and hug often. And
don’t stress about what to teach your toddler. Keep it simple!

5 things to teach your toddler

1. Books are fun.

2. The world is fun.
3. Playing is fun.
4. Letters are fun.
5. Math is fun.

Yes, it’s really that simple! Keep reading this quick guide for easy tips.

© by Anna Geiger - themeasuredmom.com

BOOKS ARE FUN
Read to your toddler as often as s/he will listen – and as often as you have time.

Books toddlers love

• Board books by Raffi

• Down by the Bay
• Five Little Ducks
• Wheels on the Bus

• Nursery rhyme books

• Nursery Rhymes, by Kate Toms
• The Itsy Bitsy Spider, by Iza Trapani
• Hickory Dickory Dock, by Keith Baker

• Other rhyming books

• Mouse Mess, by Linnea Riley
• Trashy Town, by Andrea Zimmerman
• There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, by Pam Adams
• Duck in the Truck, by Jez Alborough
• Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb, by Al Perkins
• Over in the Meadow, by Lilian Obligado

• Favorite series
• Elephant and Piggie, by Mo Willems
• Biscuit books, by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
• Pete the Cat books, by Eric Litwin

Read aloud tips

• If your toddler isn’t interested in books yet, try reading aloud when s/he isn’t able to
to get away … such as bath time or snack time in a high chair. Your child will start to
get used to your reading and eventually show interest. You can also read aloud next
to your child while s/he plays. Be persistent. J

• Toddlers love singing books, and they won’t care (or notice) how well you sing.
Here’s a list of rhyming books you can sing: https://thisreadingmama.com/rhyming-
books-you-can-sing/
© by Anna Geiger - themeasuredmom.com
THE WORLD IS FUN
Teach your toddler how to enjoy the world without using a phone or tablet for
entertainment. Take him/her on errands and to free or inexpensive venues.

Toddlers don’t need fancy. They just need opportunities to see the world as you interact
with them.

Toddler “field trips”

• Grocery store
• Public library
• Farmer’s market
• Nature preserve
• Backyard picnic
• Post office
• Bank
• Greenhouse
• Pumpkin patch
• Playground
• Nursing home
• Animal shelter
• Aquarium
• Pet shop
• Bakery
• Museum
• Farm
• Orchard
• Hardware store
• Fire station
• Go for a walk
• Zoo
• An interesting store, such as IKEA
• Indoor play space
• Bus ride
• A toy store with hands-on displays
• Botanical garden

© by Anna Geiger - themeasuredmom.com

PLAYING IS FUN
Prepare simple sensory experiences that your child can enjoy at home. These don’t
have to require a lot of set-up or result in a big mess. Keep it is as simple as you’d like!

Simple play ideas for toddlers

• Play with play dough.

• Sort pom poms by color.
• Pour water from cup to cup (in the bathtub or outside at a water table or tub).
• Use cups and spoons to explore dry pasta in a tub.
• Play in the sandbox.
• Collect pine cones or leaves in a bucket.
• Paint with water on a chalkboard or on the driveway.
• Put washable paint on a large piece of paper. Then drive toy cars through it to make
tire tracks.
• Help make the salad for supper.
• Help prepare the meal by putting ingredients in a bowl and mixing.
• Tape a cardboard tube to the wall. Drop pom poms through.
• Cut a fat slit in the plastic lid of a clean container (such as an oatmeal canister or a
yogurt container). Then give your child coins or other small objects to push through
the slit.
• Do simple jigsaw puzzles.
• Wash toy cars in the sink or a bin of sudsy water.
• Fill plastic storage containers.
• Play with stuffed animals inside a giant cardboard box.
• Build with blocks and knock the structure down.
• Make a meal with toy food.
• Finger paint.
• Put stickers on a piece of paper.
• Catch bubbles.
• Push a toy stroller or shopping cart.
• Put a blanket over a table and play underneath.

© by Anna Geiger - themeasuredmom.com

LETTERS ARE FUN
While some toddlers (usually 2 ½ and older) are ready for more structured alphabet
learning, keep it simple. Avoid traditional paper-and-pencil worksheets. Try doing a few
hands-on activities at the table for 5-10 minutes a day a few days a week.

Whether or not your little one is ready for structured learning, teach your toddler that
letters are fun. Try some of these ideas!

Simple alphabet activities

• Read alphabet books.

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
• Eating the Alphabet, by Lois Ehlert
• Dr. Seuss’ ABC, by Dr. Seuss
• I Spy Letters, by Jean Morzollo

• Sing the alphabet song.

• Listen to an alphabet CD in the car. We like this one: https://bit.ly/2BrMXBW
• Play with foam letters in the bathtub.
• As your child starts to learn letter names, write them on sticky notes and put them
on the floor. Then give your child a fly swatter and ask him/her to swat the letters as
you name them. To keep this very simple, just write one or two different letters on
the sticky notes.
• Do alphabet jigsaw puzzles.
• Play with alphabet magnets on the fridge or a magnetic baking sheet.
• Put foam letters in a sink filled with water. Then scoop them out with a large ladle.
• Hide foam or plastic letters in a sensory material (such as dry oats). Then match
them to the same letters written on a piece of paper.
• Hide alphabet puzzle pieces in a sensory material (such as dry rice or beans). Then
have your child dig for the letters and put them in the puzzle.
• Hide magnetic letters in a sensory material, and have your child discover and
extract them using a magnetic wand.
• Collect plastic letters or puzzle pieces. Then have your learner sort by letter. To
keep it simple, do just a few letters at a time. Sort obviously different letters (such as
E and O).
• Use a dry erase marker to write letters on plastic toy dishes. Then have your child
wipe the letters off in a bin of soapy water.
© by Anna Geiger - themeasuredmom.com
MATH IS FUN
Most toddlers aren’t ready to count groups of objects past 2 or 3. But they can learn to
enjoy and appreciate math through playful activities. Lay the foundation for future math
learning with simple math play.

Simple math activities

• Read books that support early math learning.

• Ten Black Dots, by Donald Crews
• Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, by Eric Litwin
• One Duck Stuck, by Phyllis Root
• Mouse Count, by Ellen Stoll Wash
• Big Little, by Leslie Patricelli
• My Very First Book of Shapes, by Eric Carle

• Count around the house.

• Count the stairs as you climb them.
• Count the dishes or silverware as you set the table.
• Count the number of chairs in a room.

• Go on a number hunt. Write a particular number on sticky notes, over and over.
Post the notes around the playroom. Then show your child the number you’re
looking for. Collect all the sticky notes. To make this more complicated, prepare two
sets of sticky notes with two different numbers. Your child can find the numbers and
sort them onto two different baking sheets as s/he collects them.
• Do simple number or shape jigsaw puzzles.
• Collect a set of objects in different shapes, and sort by shape. Keep it simple by
sorting just two shapes at a time, such as circles and squares.
• Put small objects in an ice cube tray: one object per space.
• Sort toys when cleaning up (cars and toy food, for example).

• BUSY TODDLER
• PLAYING PRESCHOOLER .. referral…. 2 ½ year old when he’s closer to 3.
• Focused approach on the aphabet… letter of the week curriculum. Some 2 ½ year
olds are ready for it ,but in general I thin kit’s best suited for kids ages 3-5.

• FINALLY…. quick ebook, you can grab that for free if you are a blog susbscriber.
© by Anna Geiger - themeasuredmom.com
 I hope this quick guide gave you a good starting point for teaching your toddler!

Looking for more toddler activities?

Here are some blogs to check out!

• Hands On As We Grow: https://handsonaswegrow.com/50-toddler-activities/

• Teaching Mama: https://teachingmama.org/20-more-ways-to-keep-toddlers-busy/
• Busy Toddler: http://busytoddler.com/2016/11/40-super-easy-toddler-activities/
• Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds: https://teaching2and3yearolds.com/category/toddlers/

© by Anna Geiger - themeasuredmom.com

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