Mitten Pattern Matching Game

It's no secret that I have a slight obsession with educational toys and board games. However, I feel like I'm often struggling when it comes to toys/games for my toddler.  They all seem to focus on color or shape matching.  How many toys and games do we need that focus on the same skills? With that in mind, I started looking for other skills. 

Pattern matching seemed like a fun, but so many toys and games use colors to distinguish the patterns also.  That means a kid can just match the color, regardless of the pattern or texture. Therefore, I made my own pattern matching game all in the same color. I went with mittens since we're doing a "winter" theme, but I will probably do some others as well.

Since Archer is still young, we just worked on matching.  For older kids you could turn them over and play "memory". After playing with him, I decided I should have made a "right" and a "left" mitten, so I changed the file for anyone else who might want to use it.

So far, it has been a hit.

You can print the Mitten Pattern Matching Game for free here!

Check out some of my other printables here.

Gray Tot School Activities

Archer is 20 months

In August I posted our Color Themes Goals. Those are what I had in mind while we started Tot School this week, not actually learning the color.

His little shelf had a few books.  I got out two of his Non-Fiction Sight Words books, two of his Meet the Sight Words readers and two of his Meet the Phonics books (he likes those better than story books at the moment).  The poster was free from Isla Hearts Teaching on TPT. I also hung up the pages to his color book (free here).

Gray word cards (free here). Sometimes he really likes these matching activities, and other times he gets bored.  He can almost always read all the words (from watching the corresponding Little Reader lessons)

 Coloring his Gray Book (free here). Gray was a bit harder, so we only had crayons, a colored pencil and a marker.

Bin of miscellaneous gray/silver objects. Since many were metal, I got out some magnets also.

Playroom shelves this week.  The goal of the toys is to entertain him and give him some fine motor practice.  Things like building, sorting and puzzles also provide some spacial awareness (math and even physics). 

On top was Acorn Soup (we're trying to get in more games for him). The shelves had a wooden puzzle, Rollipop ball roller, two part vehicle puzzles, a basket of gray animals, a clear container with paperclips and magnets, a bin of silver/gray objects, Inchimals and his basket of vehicles. We also brought up the Hilltops, which usually live in the basement.

Honestly, I kind of forgot about our Inchimals, from when Xander was younger.  I shouldn't have waited so long to get them out.  Archer really enjoyed them!

Helping Mommy bake "taste."

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Kaysha @ Memorizing the MomentsColorsFollow On

Valentine's Day Tot School Activities

One of the best things about "homeschooling" a toddler is being able to incorporate fun holiday and seasonal activities! We are currently taking a break from our Color Themes to do some Valentine's Day Activities.

Here were this weeks shelves. I used Magnatiles to make a heart on the white board (Xander was surprised I didn't need to look up directions to pull it off). On top I have some decorate hearts on sticks with a cheese container. The shelves have a puzzle, our wooden mailbox, the heart hanging activity, Feed the Woozle (not playing by the rules yet), some two part puzzles, our shape cupcakes, a alphabet bead shaker, Valentine's day magnets, paper with a heart punch, shape letters/mailbox and a basket of his vehicles.

Putting heart decorations in the cheese container.

A silicone candy mold and some heart beads for a one to one correspondence activity.

I have been SO excited to get out this pasta drying rack since I got it.  When I found these fabric heart loops at the craft store, I figured they'd be perfect! It was the activity Archer went for first!

I'm trying to have out a different set of two part puzzles every week.

I found these Valentine's Day magnets several years ago and set them out with a small white board.

DIY shape matching letters and mail box. (This is an old picture, because I forgot to take one this week).

This tray had several sheets of paper and a heart shaped paper punch.  Archer still needed me to slide the paper into the punch, but he enjoyed pushing it down and playing with the heart shaped confetti that resulted.

Valentine's Day sensory bin. I dyed some corn cernals purple (it took a LOT of gel food coloring and liquid water color with a little rubbing alcohol). I threw in some little heart contianers, fabric hearts, and some Valentine's Day vase fill.

Valentine's Day play dough. I used some of the vase fill here also, as well as some heart and flower shaped fondant cutters.

I used our balance beams to make a giant heart obstacle course.  I can't find the same set to link anymore, but it is a knock off of the River Stones or River Landscape. 

Washable stamp pad and heart stamper.

Paint tray and roller. 

Do a Dot Markers 

I hung his masterpieces on the wall by the desk.  His shelf also has several of our Valentine's Day books.

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Pink Totschool Week

Archer is 20 months

In August I posted our Color Themes Goals. Those are what I had in mind while we started Tot School this week, not actually learning the color.

His little shelf had a pink book.  As has become the usual, we had two Non-Fiction Sight Words books, two Meet the Sight Words readers and two Meet the Phonics books (he likes those better than story books at the moment).  The poster was free from Isla Hearts Teaching on TPT. I also hung up the pages to his color book (free here).

Pink word cards (free here). Sometimes he really likes these matching activities, and other times he gets bored matching them all.  He can read all the words, though (from watching the corresponding Little Reader lessons).

 Coloring his Pink Book (free here). 

Pink play dough and tools (these shape cutters are his current favorites and get used multiple times a week).

I mixed up some shaving cream with a little corn starch (equal parts makes a great consistency when playing outside) and let him play in the tub.  I gave him a brush and let him paint the walls, also.

Matching Pets vocabulary cards to words and Toob animals. 

Button snake with pink felt shapes. 

Putting beads on sticks.

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Kaysha @ Memorizing the MomentsColorsFollow On

Farm Babies Early Reader

Earlier in the week I shared some Farm Babies vocabulary cards I had made. To go with it, I also made this early reader.  (I used this same text on the Little Reader file). It has large, clear font on one page and pictures on the opposite.  If you wanted, you could also print one sided and have the text and images completely separate.

Below are a few sample pages. I printed the pages on cardstock, laminated them and used these 3/4" binder rings to "bind" the book.

Print the Farm Babies Book Here

Check out my other Early Readers Here

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Farm Babies Vocabulary Cards

I try hard to both follow my toddler's interests and expose him to new things.  Since he loves animals, I decided to teach him what different baby farm animals are called.  I made Montessori style 3 part matching cards (I also made a Little Reader file, but their website won't let me upload lessons right now). If your kiddo likes matching toys too, all of the animals in the Farm Babies toob are represented.

You can print the vocabulary cards here!

You can check out my other Free Vocabulary Cards Here.

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