Use these activities to learn with your child every day!
Activities for Infants
10m
Language & Literacy
Toy Talk
Select one of your child’s favorite toys, like a stuffed animal or doll.
Move the toy around and narrate what the toy's doing.
Use different voices and be animated while modeling this play conversation- you can even pretend to talk as the toy if you'd like!
Respond to your child's reactions.
10m
Approaches to Learning
Where Is It?
Move your face or a favorite toy behind a cover (like: your hands, a blanket, a box).
Uncover your face or the toy after a few seconds so I can see, touch or play with it again. Watch to see if I keep looking at the place where your face or the toy disappeared.
Repeat with different objects.
Activities for Toddlers
15m
Language & Literacy
Learning Simple Requests
Throughout the day, try asking me to complete simple tasks.
Help me understand what you mean by gesturing with your arms and hands.
Praise me when I respond correctly to your requests.
If I don't seem to understand, help me complete the task. This will help me understand what the request means.
15m
Science
Water Play
Fill the bathtub or set up a kiddie pool or plastic bin outside. Provide some water toys. Some household objects that are great water toys:
Cups, funnel, colander, small watering can, squeeze bottles
Sponges, washcloth
Let me explore how the water interacts with the various toys. Help me figure out unfamiliar items like a squeeze bottle or funnel.
(Optional) Let me add ice cubes into the water and see what happens to them.
Use these activities to learn with your child every day!
Activities for Infants
10m
Language & Literacy
Talk and Change
As you go through the diapering routine, describe each step to your baby as you do them.
Keep eye contact with your baby, asking and answering your own questions.
Continue to respond to your baby- smile when they smile, copy any noises they make and pause so they can respond back.
If your baby fusses, soothe them and talk to them about what you are doing to help.
15m
Social-Emotional Learning
On the Floor
Find a time when your baby is calm, alert, and ready to play.
Lay your baby on a blanket with toys (baby toys, a scarf, board books, small bowls, a wooden spoon, etc.).
Observe what items your child is interested in. Describe the objects and how your child is interacting with them.
When it's time to move on to another activity (or your baby becomes unhappy) tell them how much you loved playing and what you'll do next with your day.
Activities for Toddlers
10m
Language & Literacy
Texture Time at the Playground
While on a trip to the playground, find different textures to do this activity. Some examples: slide, monkey bars, rubber ground covering, wood chips, grass, rocks, leaves.
Together with your child, touch the surfaces of different playground equipment and describe the textures you notice.
If your child is able, ask them to describe the textures of the playground equipment.
15m
Science
Surprise Sounds
Gather materials: an opaque cup or box with a lid, small objects that fit inside. When your baby's not looking, put one object in the container and put the lid on.
Shake the container so your baby can hear and see it. Roll the container on the floor and allow your child to play with it.
Ask, pause, and answer your own questions about what could be inside. Take the lid off and show your baby what was making the noise. Let them explore and interact with the object.
Use these activities to learn with your child every day!
Activities for Infants
10m
Math
Position Practice
As you go through your day, try to focus on using positional words when talking to your baby.
Examples of positional words: above/below, in front/behind, between, next to, inside/outside, over/under, near/far, top/bottom
10m
Health & Wellness
Learning to Drink from a Cup
Give me small plastic (empty) cups to explore and play with during meals and play time. This helps me become familiar with cups before I start using them.
Make sure I'm sitting as upright as possible. Use a short plastic cup (clear if possible) that's nearly full of water.
Place the rim of the cup on my lower lip, not against my teeth and gums. Tip the cup for me so I don't have to tilt my head back. Repeat for a few sips.
Continue to help me practice cup drinking at different mealtimes.
Activities for Toddlers
10m
Math
Number Names
Throughout the day, use as many number words as possible.
Ask your baby "how many" things there are.
10m
Approaches to Learning
This Is The Way
As you start a routine or activity, sing a song about what's coming up next in your day. You can use the tune of "Mulberry Bush" or another song you know.
Sing the same song at different points of the day, whenever you are switching activities. Examples:
Putting on clothes
Cleaning up
When you finish singing the song, talk through what will happen next in your day.
Repeat every day to help your baby transition more easily between activities.
Use these activities to learn with your child every day!
Activities for Infants
5m
Math
Count on Me
Count your baby's fingers and toes, touching them one at a time while counting out loud.
Kiss or tickle your baby's ears, nose, bellybutton, elbows, etc. while counting them.
Repeat, counting your own fingers, toes, ears, etc.
10m
Social-Emotional Learning
Follow Me!
Place your baby on the floor sitting or lying down. Tell them you're going to play "Follow Me!"
Tell your baby you're going to show them a movement, and then you'll teach them how to copy you. Example movements:
Clapping hands
Stomping feet
Before you do each action, tell your baby what you're going to do.
Copy the action with your baby (example: move their hands so they clap). Older babies may begin to mimic your movements on their own.
Activities for Toddlers
15m
Math
Let’s Shop for Numbers!
Before heading to a store, make a "number shopping list"- write numbers 1-5 on a piece of paper and draw a box next to each number.
When you arrive at the store, ask your child to look for each number (in aisle numbers, price signs, on packaging).
When your child finds a number, ask them to color in the box next to that number on the list.
Can your child find all numbers 1-5? If they do, celebrate with a high five or a silly dance! (and if they find a number more than once, they can make an additional mark on the "number shopping list")
30m
Social Studies
My Favorite Place
Take your child to a favorite place in your community.
Give them a tour and describe all the things you like about that place. If appropriate, let them walk around and explore what interests them.
Take photos of your child exploring the place. Or, make a few simple drawings of them in the place.
When you return home, show them the photos and drawings. Talk about where you went.
