Daily Activities

A Christmas wreath decorated with green handprint cutouts and a red bow at the top.

Multiple handmade cards with painted handprints in orange and yellow, each displaying a large black letter 'X' and corresponding names written in pencil, arranged on a light-colored wooden surface.

Providing nurturing care that supports each child’s unique growth is the whole point! I use age-appropriate activities to encourage milestones—from early tummy time and babbling to walking, talking, and playing with others.

Children painting with watercolors at a table, with the text 'Creative Minds At Play' beneath them.

Big Plans! What I hope to get your child involved with….

Outdoor Play

```
Sandbox digging
```
```
Sidewalk chalk drawings
```
```
Bubble blowing
```
```
Nature scavenger hunt
```
```
Gardening (digging, watering plants)
```
```
Riding mini cars/bikes in grass
```
```
Catching and releasing bugs
```
```
Leaf collecting and pressing
```
```
Building snowmen or snow angels
```
```
very shallow pool play
```
```
Painting rocks
```
```
Picnics
```
```
Hopscotch
```
```
Obstacle courses
```
```
Climbing and sliding
```

Collecting sticks or pinecones or flowers

Mud kitchen play (pretend cooking with mud)

```
Washing toys or bikes with sponges
```
```
Spray bottle “watering”
```
```
Chalk obstacle course
```
```
Shadow tag
```
```
Ball games (kickball, rolling catch)
```
```
Sidewalk car wash for toy cars
```

🎨 Arts & Crafts

```
Finger painting
```

Collage with paper scraps or nature items

```
Playdough creations
```
```
Watercolor painting
```
```
Crayon and markers
```
```
Tissue paper art
```
```
Sticker scenes
```
```
Homemade slime or oobleck
```
```
Ornaments
```
```
Handprint or footprint art
```
```
Cardboard box decorating
```
```
Beading (large beads or pasta)
```
```
Cutting and gluing practice
```
```
Painting with toy cars or brushes
```
```
Yarn wrapping or weaving
```
```
Marble painting in a box
```
```
Color mixing with droppers
```
```
Painting ice cubes or snow
```

🧠 Learning & Quiet Time

```
Alphabet matching
```
```
Counting games with blocks
```
```
Sorting objects by color/shape/size
```
```
Reading picture books
```
```
Singing nursery rhymes
```
```
Puzzles
```
```
Flashcard games
```
```
Matching socks or lids to containers
```
```
Shape tracing
```

Simple science experiments (vinegar + baking soda)

```
Magnetic letters on fridge
```
```
Sensory bins (rice, beans, sand)
```
```
Listening to audiobooks or storytime
```

Practicing writing names in sand or shaving cream

```
Calendar/weather board
```

Color scavenger hunt (“find something red!”)

```
Sorting animal toys by habitat
```
```
Memory matching games
```

Pretend store or grocery play with play money

🧸 Pretend Play

Playing “house,” “school,” or “doctor”

```
Tea party
```
```
Puppet show
```
```
Dress-up and costumes
```
```
Pretend restaurant or ice cream shop
```

Camping indoors (blanket forts, flashlights)

```
Playing with dolls or action figures
```
```
Toy kitchen cooking
```
```
Stuffed animal vet clinic
```
```
Grocery shopping with toy carts
```
```
Superhero adventures
```
```
Firefighter or construction play
```
```
Baby care (feeding, diapering dolls)
```

Post office pretend play (envelopes, stamps)

Building “cities” with blocks or boxes

🧩 Fine Motor Skills

```
Lacing cards
```
```
Threading beads on pipe cleaners
```
```
Peg boards
```
```
Tweezers or tongs games
```
```
Pouring water between cups
```
```
Clothespin clipping
```
```
Peeling stickers
```
```
Opening/closing containers
```
```
Button sorting
```
```
Puzzle building
```
```
Using child-safe scissors
```
```
Drawing and tracing lines or shapes
```
```
Building with LEGO Duplo or blocks
```
```
Using stamps or rollers
```

🎵 Music & Movement

```
Freeze dance
```
```
Instruments, small
```
```
Musical chairs
```
```
Rhythm sticks
```
```
Learning simple songs
```
```
Shakers or tambourines
```
```
Jumping to a beat
```

Singing and clapping games (“If You’re Happy and You Know It”)

Animal movement imitation (hop like a bunny, crawl like a bear)

```
Bean bag toss to music
```
```
Balloon volleyball
```

🍪 Cooking & Sensory Food Play

```
Making fruit kabobs
```
```
Decorating cookies or cupcakes
```
```
Mixing pancake batter
```
```
Rolling dough
```
```
Tasting tests (sweet, sour, salty)
```

Pretend play with real utensils (supervised)

```
Making butter by shaking cream
```

Spreading peanut butter or yogurt on crackers

```
Exploring dry pasta or cereal in bins
```

💧 Water Play

```
Bath toy games
```
```
Washing dolls or toys in a tub
```
```
Floating/sinking experiments
```
```
Ice cube play
```
```
Spray bottle targets
```
```
Pouring between containers
```
```
Toy boat races
```
```
Sponge squeeze relay
```

Frozen treasure hunt (ice with toys inside)

```
Fishing for toys with nets
```

🌙 Calm / Rest Time

```
Storytime
```
```
Drawing quietly
```
```
Simple yoga for kids
```

Guided meditation or breathing games (“smell the flower, blow the candle”)

```
Looking at picture books alone
```
```
Listening to lullabies or soft music
```
```
Building a cozy reading nook
```
```
Sorting sensory bottles
```
```
Cloud watching
```

🏡 Practical Life Skills

```
Folding washcloths
```
```
Feeding pets
```
```
Watering plants
```
```
Putting toys away
```
```
Helping pick up 
```

Zipping, buttoning, and snapping practice

Child playing with colored water and bubbles in a sensory bin filled with cotton-like material, using small bowls and scoops.

A plastic container filled with pink and white rice, decorated with various pink and red paper hearts and felt hearts, and small pink and red measuring cups.

Four handmade cards shaped like strawberries with pink and red colors, green leafy tops, and the phrase 'I love you Berry much!' written on the bottom.

A children's craft or activity sheet featuring a brown handprint painted to resemble a monkey with added cartoon-style monkey face illustration and green vine decoration.

Child decorating sugar cookies with colorful icing and rainbow sprinkles.

Toddlers (1–3 years)

Sensory

Sand/rice bins, water table → Fine motor, tactile exploration
Nature sensory bins → Curiosity, vocabulary
Finger painting → Creativity, fine motor
Scent jars → Smell, descriptive language
Textured paths → Balance, sensory processing

Gross Motor

Obstacle courses, ball play → Coordination, problem-solving
Dancing to music → Rhythm, gross motor, self-expression
Ride-on / push toys → Balance, leg strength
Animal walks → Gross motor, imaginative play

Fine Motor & Cognitive

Shape sorters, puzzles, building blocks → Problem-solving, coordination
Stickers, threading beads → Fine motor, concentration
Cause-and-effect toys → Cognitive reasoning

Language & Social-Emotional

Storytime & Q&A → Comprehension, verbal skills
Emotion naming → Empathy, emotional awareness
Role-play with dolls/puppets → Imagination, social skills
Circle time games → Turn-taking, listening

Art & Creativity

Painting, stamping, collages → Creativity, fine motor
Playdough sculpting → Fine motor, problem-solving
Musical instruments → Rhythm, self-expression

Outdoor & Nature

Sandbox/dirt digging → Imagination, motor skills
Chalk drawing → Creativity, early literacy
Nature scavenger hunts → Observation, vocabulary
Sprinkler/water play → Physical coordination, sensory fun

Practical Life

Pouring, pretend cooking/cleaning → Independence, hand-eye coordination
Dressing practice (buttons/zippers) → Self-help, fine motor
Sorting laundry/toys → Problem-solving, categorization
Feeding dolls/self → Independence, empathy

Music & Movement

Singing with gestures → Language, coordination
Dance & freeze games → Listening, impulse control
Playing instruments → Fine motor, creativity.

Babies (0–12 months)

Sensory

Tummy time with mirrors → Neck/core strength, visual tracking
Sensory bottles → Visual & auditory stimulation, cause-effect
Textured toys/blankets → Tactile exploration, self-soothing
Edible finger paints → Safe color exploration, tactile learning
Rattles/bells → Grasping, auditory development
Water play (cups/spoons) → Hand-eye coordination, cause-effect

Gross Motor

Rolling/crawling practice → Core & limb strength
Gentle bouncing on lap → Vestibular stimulation, bonding
Pulling up on low furniture → Upper body strength
Reaching & grasping toys → Hand-eye coordination

Fine Motor & Cognitive

Grasp-and-release toys, stacking rings → Hand strength, coordination
Cloth books with flaps → Tactile & visual learning, early literacy
Soft blocks → Problem-solving, hand manipulation

Language & Social-Emotional

Singing/nursery rhymes → Language & memory
Peek-a-boo → Object permanence, social bonding
Reading board books → Early literacy, visual tracking
Talking during routines → Vocabulary, social interaction

Art & Creativity

Hand/footprint art → Sensory exploration, creativity
Crayon exploration → Fine motor, color recognition

Outdoor

Stroller walks → Sensory exposure, gross motor
Blanket play on grass → Tactile exploration
Bubble watching → Visual tracking, cause-effect

Daily Activities

Toddlers (1–3 years)

Sensory

Gross Motor

Fine Motor & Cognitive

Language & Social-Emotional

Art & Creativity

Outdoor & Nature

Practical Life

Music & Movement

Babies (0–12 months)

Sensory

Gross Motor

Fine Motor & Cognitive

Language & Social-Emotional

Art & Creativity

Outdoor

Little Embers Family Childcare

AlainaNelson@LittleEmbersCF.com