With 2020 finally behind us, most of us are feeling refreshed! But the hard honest truth is we are all still stuck in the house with the kids. So what better way to teach your kids while also having hours and hours of fun, than to create them stations at tables.
Each station doesn’t have to be elaborate or over the top, don’t break the bank to do this. The dollar store will have much of what you don’t already have laying around. Coming up with fun and creative activities to keep the kiddos busy while you clean your kitchen for the thousandth that day.
This is most fun for your toddlers as they are ready and eager to move around all day long and may not be able to keep up the imagination without you helping them to stay busy. There’s so many different project they can do with little to no help from you.
Here’s a few ideas to keep your toddler busy so you can have a second of quiet.
A STICKER STACK
This one is super simple, grab some butcher paper, its super cheap here on Amazon and you can use it for a bunch of the projects I’m going to list. Grab some stickers, which are also cheap on Amazon. Simple circles will be fine for this project.
For this project you’re going to cut a piece of butcher paper, I’d say about 2 feet, and dray a line down the middle. Use a mix of loops, zig-zag, and straight lines to make it more challenging. Lay the paper at a station, on a flat surface. Give your little the stickers and let them have at it. The goal of this project is to “trace” the line with the stickers. Not only is this something that will keep them busy and be fun, but it also helps them to learn to follow directions while working on their fine motor skills.
SHAPES STATION
This can be executed in a couple different ways. Blocks are the best way. Grab yourself a set of blocks from Amazon. Then keep the box they came in! Use a knife and cut holes in the box that the blocks will fit through. Using a sharpie, color around each one with a different color that will match the blocks. Give your kiddo the blocks and have them match the colors up. They’ll be able to just drop the block right through the colored hole. When they’re all done, the blocks are in one area and you can just put them away! Super simple and easy way to give the kiddos something to do that challenges their mind, while working on their fine motor skills and matching abilities. If your little is too young to match the colors, just encourage them to drop the blocks through the holes! This is still a bunch of fun, keeping your toddler busy.
Stations like this are good for your toddler to help them refine the skills that they’ve spent the last 12 months or so learning from scratch. Toddlers rely on us to make sure they know how to do the things that aren’t learned on instinct; and for us mamas, this can be exhausting. These stations help teach your little while also giving you a piece of mind so you don’t have a burn out. You can change the activities you set up on these tables as your child ages.
PASTA STATION
Things you have at home like pasta, you can use to let your little glue on paper. Making their very own masterpiece. Grab some string and let them make necklaces out of the pasta, then you can wear it with a smile.
CRAYONS AND PAPER STATION
Of course stations around the house with crayons and paper is a must, but when you set your toddler up to play at this station, try to get them to use their imagination and make you something specific like a picture of your family dog.
EASEL STATION
Another toddler station purchase worth thinking about is an easel! These are great for art projects, learning letters, or how to color inside the lines. Most will have a side for dry erase markers or chalk, but be sure to find one that has a place to hold paper. With the butcher paper you will have endless hours of drawing fun with little to no mess to clean up afterwards. Most will also come with little seats for your little to sit in while they work, if not, don’t worry. Anything that they can sit on and reach the easel is just fine for this. If you do not have the room for a large easel checkout this great table top version great for these types of stations.
You can find plenty of toddler stations online; many can be affordable and used in many different ways. Some have water feature abilities while others are all dry play. If you don’t have the space to store something large that stays put together when your little is done playing, there’s options for floor play mats too.
BENEFITS OF TODDLER LEARNING STATIONS
Some of the biggest benefits of learning stations for toddlers is that you can teach them things that they wouldn’t normally sit still to learn in another way. Giving them an opportunity to be interactive and play with the station allows them to learn it “on their own”, even if you are the one making them do it. This helps them to feel independent while also giving you the ability to be in control of what they’re learning and how they are achieving it.
The best part about toddler learning stations is the ability it gives us as parents to teach our kids all of the developmental things they need to know to enter preschool or kindergarten. It’s fun for them, for us to do with them, and if they have older siblings; it’s even something they can enjoy too. When you’re setting these up, you can bring out your creative side and invent new things every time. Don’t be afraid to use things you have just laying around the house though, certainly don’t go break the bank!
