15 Independent Activities for One Year Olds

I have been preparing for the coming homeschool year, and it dawned on me that I will have a one year old to keep busy during homeschool hours!  He is a busy guy too - always into everything.  I went on the hunt for some activities that will be safe for him to do without supervision.  I'm hoping these will be exciting enough to him that he will keep himself occupied for a while.  If the pictures are not self-explanatory, you can check out the link under each one to find tutorials on how to make these activities. 

Make your own texture book

Peek-a-boo tray from shoebox lid

Baby Play Bottle

Buckle clipping toy

Treasure baskets

Tissue box stuffed with fabric squares

Nesting bowls

Muffin tin sorting

Putting balls through a tissue box

Velcro board

Tearing Paper

Playing with magnets

Placing objects in a large container

Tactile exploration cards

Pipe cleaners in a bottle

If you have any more great ideas for activities that would fit this age group, please let us know in the comments! Be sure you're subscribed to email updates or follow me on Facebook to keep up with more posts like this one!

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Easy Alphabet Activity for Preschoolers

I had a spur of the moment idea today for making learning fun.  The kids were playing with this huge alphabet puzzle they got at a yard sale last week, but I wanted them to actually be thinking about the letters that were on it.  I wanted their educational toy to be, you know, educational.  They also had out a play flashlight, and that's when I got my idea.  I would call out a letter and have them shine the flashlight on the correct letter.  Playing with flashlights is fun, having something specific to shine their flashlight on is even more fun.  And the bonus for mom was that they were learning and didn't even know it.

  

You could do this game with alphabet flashcards, number flashcards, colors, anything really.  Kids will love playing with a flashlight, and it will be a great way to reinforce various concepts.


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Will You Say Yes?

I have a deep admiration for God's servants.  When I see people who have given their whole life to Him to do whatever He asks, no matter how hard, I am motivated to be like that.  I am so encouraged when I see people who are making sacrifices and living through difficult circumstances with a smile on their face.  I've watched a missionary family live with numerous health problems and deal with inconveniences like their water being turned off for nearly a week.  I've watched a family proceed with multiple international adoptions in spite of the lack of finances and the emotional, physical, and spiritual toll it takes to parent adopted children.  I saw another missionary family who lost their 3 year old daughter in a tragic car accident, yet they are choosing to be thankful for the way God is using that accident for His glory.   These are just a few examples.  Everywhere I go I see people who have said "Yes" to God, no matter how hard a thing it is that He has asked them to do.


 I have spent much time in prayer asking God what it is that He has for me.  What hard thing is it that He wants me to do?  I am determined to say "Yes".  I will trust him for the grace each day to do whatever He asks of me.







...Or will I?


Fast forward a few days, and in your imagination come join me in my home.  I get up early, eager to tackle my lengthy to-do list.  I have big plans for all that I am going to accomplish.  I read my Bible and pray, then get up and start working on my list, humming as I go.  I'm excited to face the day, determined to be a great mommy and homemaker.  Several short minutes later, my well-laid plans are interrupted.  I hear a baby crying.  "He never wakes up this early," I think.  "Pleeease go back to sleep so I can get some work done."  After a couple more minutes, I decide that I'd better go get the little fella.  I'm too late.  My oldest boy, who shares a room with the baby, has already awakened, and there's no getting that one back to sleep once he's up.  To top things off, he gets so lonely while I'm feeding the baby that he has to wake up his little sister so she can play with him.

Okay, I can adjust.  I'll just go ahead and start working on the things I had planned to do after the kids were up.  Then I'll get them down a little early for their naps and go back to working on what needs to be done while they're sleeping.

All 3 kids are cranky all morning from getting up so early.  I'm stopping every few minutes to console a crying baby or try to thwart an emotional meltdown from my 2 year old.  In between grouchy spells they're running around like little crazy people, getting into everything they're not supposed to get into.  I'm trying to maintain some semblance of order, so I stop to deal with each issue that arises and clean up each mess.  By lunchtime, I've accomplished the amazing feat of getting everyone dressed and fed.  That's it.  Oh!  And I did throw in a load of laundry and make a loaf of bread.  Well, I dumped the ingredients into the bread machine, if that counts.  I'm eying the clock and eagerly anticipating naptime so I can at least get a little bit of work done.  I'm hoping that everyone (including myself) will be in better spirits after a good afternoon rest.

Naptime, however, is delayed due to the fact that the timer on the bread machine says that the bread will be finished exactly one hour later than I thought it would be finished.  I'm almost out of groceries, and that bread is about the only thing in the house that I have to feed the kids, so I'm stuck waiting for it to finish before we can eat lunch.  Combine hungry grouchy with tired grouchy, and we have a house full of very grouchy people.  And Mama is getting grouchier by the minute.  I'm very close to surpassing the grouchiness of my children.  Yes, that happy, humming mama that arose so excited about her day is acting like a child who is not getting her way.

But wait, it gets better.

Much to my relief, naptime finally arrives.  I make sure the two older older children have gone potty, and get everyone tucked snugly into their beds. 

For about fifteen minutes.

That's when I hear the footsteps in the hall.  "Mommy, I have to go potty," I hear a little two year old voice say.  "You just went potty.  Go back to bed," I reply through gritted teeth, trying hard not to sound as irritated as I feel.  As she turns to walk away, I see the little bulge in the back of her Pull-up.  I roll my eyes, thinking to myself, "WHY does she have to go stinky during her nap every. single. day????!!"  I change her Pull-up and put her back to bed.

For another fifteen minutes.

"Mommy, I have to go potty again."  I check the Pull-up.  Stinky again.  I change the Pull-up again and put her back to bed.

She's up and down several more times after that, not to go potty, but just the general two year old naptime avoidance tactics.  By the time I finally get her to actually go to sleep,  my oldest boy is up.  He's actually taken a good nap, so I have no reason to make him go back to bed.  I try to make him sit quietly and read books so I can have a few minutes of quiet.  Yeah, right.  Four year old boys and quiet don't belong together in the same sentence.

I finally give up and go to the kitchen to start supper.  My husband walks in the door, and is greeted with what is by this time a very grouchy wife   I start complaining to him about my day, how I'm so tired, and how I didn't get anything done today and that I barely have enough strength to make supper.  (Which is true.  I'm still nursing the baby, and I hadn't had enough to eat throughout the day.)  He just smiles at me and goes to play with the kids.  I sit down with my head in my hands and wish that supper would make itself.  There's not even anything that I can eat for a quick snack to give myself an energy boost.  I get up and manage to pull together some chicken and pasta, and while I'm cooking, the Holy Spirit speaks to me in His still, small voice.

"Didn't you tell me that you would do whatever I asked of you?  And that you would do it cheerfully?  Do you know what I've asked of you today?  I've asked you to love your husband and to love your children, and to have a good attitude even when your day doesn't go the way you planned it."

I confess to the Lord my selfishness, and for the rest of the evening I choose to be joyful.  I choose to say "Yes" to God, although I wish I had obeyed a whole lot earlier.



What about you?  What is God asking you to do?  We all have different life circumstances, and the thing that He asks you to do will be different from what He's asked me to do.  Maybe, like me, you haven't even stopped to recognize what it is that He's asking of you.  Will you take the time to realize what it is?  Then, will you say "Yes" to Him?   


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15 Self-Directed Activities for Toddlers

One of the biggest challenges I face while making dinner is how to keep the children busy.  They are constantly hanging on my legs and telling me they're hungry.  They don't seem to understand that the more they whine the longer it will be before I can get dinner finished and they can eat. 

That's why I started having them sit at the table to work on an activity while I cook.  I have a cabinet that has fun things that they can do by themselves.  They only get to do these activities while I'm cooking so that they stay fresh and fun. 

A lot of the things I have are educational games I have bought on clearance.  But there are a lot of different ideas around the web that you can make yourself.  I have three criteria for the activities that I choose to make or buy: 1. They aren't expensive or extremely time-consuming to make 2. They aren't too babyish for my 4 year old but not too hard for my 2 year to do by herself 3. They won't create a big mess. 

Here is a round up of some ideas that meet all of those qualifications.

Popsicle Stick Puzzles

Popsicle stick color matching

Build a cupcake

 

 

 

Building with velcro and craft sticks

Pipe cleaners and a spice jar

Button practice with felt

Clothespin Color Match

Weaving with pipe cleaners and a cooling rack

Practicing shapes with stickers

Popsicle Stick Shape matching

Pom poms and tweezers

Printable Sewing Cards

Block puzzles

I spy book

Magnetic items and a cookie sheet

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10 Things Small Children Can Do in the Kitchen

My children are always begging to help me in the kitchen, but sometimes I have a hard time thinking of things that they can do.  I did a little brainstorming and compiled a list of 10 things that children as young as age 2 can do in the kitchen.

1.Dump ingredients into a bowl.  You measure it and then allow them to dump it into the bowl.

2. Stir.  Since they will probably not stir it as well as it needs to be done, you can tell them that you will start and they can finish.

3. Put toppings on pizza.  Lay out the toppings and let them have fun spreading them on the pizza. 

4. Put forks, napkins, and condiments on the table.  Of course you're not going to let a very small child put the breakable dishes on the table, but they can set the forks and napkins around and help you put small items on the table like ketchup or salad dressing. 

5. Sweep the floor.  A child is not going to be able to get the floor completely swept, but they will feel like such a big boy or girl using the broom.  It will probably keep them occupied for a while.  You can also teach them how to hold the dustpan for you while you sweep the dirt into it.

6. Tear up salad greens.  If salad is on the menu, you can keep children occupied tearing the lettuce.  They may even do a better job at it than you!

7. Wash dishes.  Give them a chair, a sink full of soapy water, and some unbreakable dishes, and let them have at it!  They may end up a little bit wet, and you will most likely have to re-do the dishes, but they will have fun!  They will also be developing the skills they need to wash them them right way when they get a little older.

8. Dry dishes.  If you're not in the mood for a wet kitchen, you could wash and let them dry.

9. Chop Vegetables with an enclosed chopper.  If you have a hand chopper that is enclosed, they could take a turn at chopping. 

10. Help you unload the dishwasher.  Kids as young as age 1 love to help unload the silverware from the dishwasher.  They can hand you one piece of silverware at a time while you put them away. 


Children will probably not do everything perfectly in the kitchen, and you may get frustrated when they use the spoon more often as a bat than as a stirring utensil. But when you allow them to help, they will develop skills that will allow them to really be a help in the future.  You are also spending valuable time with them, and they will know by the time you spend how much you love them.

 What did I miss?  I'm sure there are more things that kids can do in the kitchen that I didn't think to put on this list.  I'd love for you to leave a comment and give some more ideas!

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