Posts filed under ‘For the Baby’
Working on Dexterity
I’ve noticed recently that my son, now 2, really enjoys feeding himself. I, however, dread the mess it creates. Yogurt all down his shirt, puddles of milk and soggy cereal, and peas EVERYWHERE! You can imagine what he looks like since he won’t wear a bib. I got to thinking, “How can I teach him to eat better without using food?” Here is a game I have created with stuff I had around the house.
You don’t need exactly what I have, but stuff like it would work best.
What You Need
Deviled Egg Plate, or painters plate (Anything that has little sections in it)
Small Balls, or beads (I used puff balls for crafting)
Spoons (use all different sizes for practice)
Kid friendly Chop Stix
The How To
Put all the balls in the center of the plate. Encourage your child to scoop up the balls with the spoon and put them gently in each section. After they get used to it you can tape or color in the sections to match the balls. Then they can put the balls in their matching section.
DON’T get upset if your toddler wants to throw everything all over the place the first few times. Be patient and keep encouraging them to play. If they see it as fun they will be more likely to play. Eventually you can use it as counting game – “Put 3 green in the red section.”
**If you want to make it a delicious game – use popcorn instead of balls/beads… YUM!**
Baked Veggie – Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
1 cup frozen broccoli
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 pound ground turkey (or any lean meat)
Directions
Heat oven to 400.
Mix all ingredients except turkey in a food processor or blender. Mix until veggies are small, but not a liquid! Add turkey and pulse until combined.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out equal amounts of the mix and lightly roll them into balls. Place onto a non stick cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate and bake another 10 minutes or until cooked.
Serve with pasta, or whatever!
Simple Dessert
After dinner my family usually cozy up on the couch or hits the table for a friendly game of cards. Within minutes I start to crave something sweet… Or just anything at all! I want to munch as I watch or play but I don’t want to add the calories of a huge piece of cake.
This snack/dessert is perfect to put on the coffee table or next to your deck of cards and remain guilt free.
Just mix 2 parts banana chips to 1 part dark chocolate. The darker the better.
Shapes ‘n Things
I was trying to figure out how to teach Joaquin shapes and I remembered a friend of mine used painters tape on her floor to make big shapes. In the photo above I used thin artist tape/painters tape. To make bigger shapes or to make shapes on carpet you can use regular painters tape.
To teach the shapes use their favorite toys to outline the tape. You can also tell them, “put the car in the triangle”.
You can also print out shapes and have them put stickers inside the shapes. You can use this to teach numbers and shapes. Ask questions likes, “How many cars are in the triangle?”
Cooking with a Toddler
Tips For Cooking with a Toddler
Have fun!
Pre-measure the ingredients
Have napkins, or a towel near by
Don’t get mad if there is a spill – cleaning is a part of this lesson as well!
Don’t turn the stove on until the mixing and pouring is done. This will avoid burns. I let my 2 year old pour the pancake batter onto the pan before I get it hot. So what if the first pancakes aren’t perfect… Better than a burn!
Have fun!
Have fun!
Have fun!
Disney’s UP Birthday Party
That’s a milk carton spray painted with 10 balloons attached to it. It didn’t float away, but drifted with the wind for awhile. The kids loved chasing it!
Joaquin loved the balloon wall. We took photos of each guest and I plan to use those photos for Thank You cards!
These “Ellie Badges” are bottle caps from beer and sodas we’ve been drinking. I used a 1 inch craft punch to cut out the grape soda image (which I printed at home) and used mod-podge to attach and seal it. I also used a small jewelry hole punch and large safety pins to make it a “badge”.
They were a great addition to the party!
I scanned in the pages of an UP coloring book and my dad made these coloring books for him at his school. I’m sure you could take the pages into a copy place and they would be able to create these books. The cover and back page are laminated and have fun images of my son.
Free Weather Calendar
Click on the link below to download this fun and awesome weather calendar. It is a great activity to do with your kids!
I laminated mine after I printed it and attached the arrows to clothes pins!
Real Food to Play Food
This is so fun and easy! Your kids will love it!
What You Need
Small plastic juice bottle, or milk jug just make sure it’s clear… And clean
Glitter to match the type of juice in the bottle. For milk use opaque.
Baby oil
Hot glue gun
The How To
Pour glitter in clean bottle. Pour baby oil inside to the amount you want. Use your glue gun to secure lid.
Shake and play away!
St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin
Fill a bucket or bin with anything St. Patrick’s themed. I got my stuff at Joann’s and Dollar Tree. Let your kiddo play however he wants. Joaquin enjoyed laying out the glittered foam pieces and tossing the coins in the bucket.
