When my twins were about 6 months old I braved the grocery store for the first time by myself with both of them.

It did not go well.

60 minutes later I left the store with half of our list completed, two less socks than we started with, and 2 of the 3 of us crying.

My mistake?

Well aside from trying to grocery shop with two infants, I made a lot of mistakes.

Fortunately I eventually learned. I learned to time our shopping trips. I learned how to make myself as prepared as possible. Later when they were older, I even learned how to involve them in our trips.

find all life with twins posts here

Does the idea of the grocery store with kids kind of make you want to go hide in the bathroom?

Then this is for you. These tips will prepare you for that inevitable day when you load the kids up in your grocery cart, cross your fingers for smiles, and start pushing quickly towards the frozen foods section.

It also might help make the grocery store feel less like a chore and more like a little walk or adventure.

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How to Survive the Grocery Store with Kids

Let’s start with the general musts.

General Tips:

1. Time trips for when everyone, including mom, is well rested and fed
2. Have a list
3. Make a list in the general order of your store. This will save time and increase your odds of escaping the store with out a meltdown

Grocery Shopping with Babies

With babies, I recommend using a baby carrier or a stroller for grocery shopping – whichever they generally prefer.

I shopped with my twins in their double stroller for almost 3 years before they graduated to using the car carts at the grocery store. Our undercarriage area would hold an entire week’s worth of groceries and they were generally happy in their stroller seats.

Now for the fun part. Once your kid or kids get beyond the infancy stage they can start participating and little by little you mold tiny shoppers that are eventually super helpful.

As a bonus, helpful shoppers also usually equal happy shoppers.

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How Can They Help – By Age

Tiny Toddlers and Up:

• can help put fruit and veggies in bags and count with you for a little number practice.
• will enjoy holding things that you pull off the shelf. Limit this to non-breakable items and those not in a plastic bag.
• but otherwise, allow your child to hold a heavy can or shake the box of cereal. Our rule is that when they are done they should hand it to mom and say “all done!” and I am in charge of putting it in the cart.
• will feel more involved if you talk to them, read the list, and invite them to help you look for things. Ex: “We’re looking for ketchup…do you see a red bottle anywhere?”

Twos & Up:

• will be interested in helping to make the list beforehand. During breakfast, sit down with your list and pen and include them. “What would you like to eat this week?” “What kinds of fruit should we put on the list?”
• mention these things to them as you search at the store and put them in the cart and state that it was their “helpful idea”
• can use their own shopping carts at stores such as Trader Joes and Kowalski’s. This is best done with a smaller list. Discuss beforehand any rules, ex. stay near mom. walk when you push the cart. Note: with twins we either did this one on one, or we got one kiddie cart and they took turns. One got to push it down the aisle and the other got to put stuff in and then they’d trade on the next aisle. 
• At home, kids this age also start to enjoy playing “grocery store” at home too.

Preschoolers:

• can do everything above, PLUS
• can be given their own mini-shopping lists with pictures and words to reference and help find things in the store. This will take a little work on your part, but the list can include things you buy every week like milk, yogurt, bread and therefore be reprinted and reused week after week.

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“I need to get out of the house.”

A couple weeks into my maternity leave with twins and I had reached the point where I needed some fresh air.

But where?

How?

I remember pondering this second question in particular as my twins lay snoozing on their breastfriend pillow.

How on earth was I going to get these two babies out of the house?

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I could see the plusses.

1. My sanity.
2. Little ones are incredibly portable once you figure out the logistics. I think the unpredictable schedules of newborns and the mountains of newborn essentials make leaving the comforts of your home daunting. For me, however, getting out of the house did so much for my spirits and sense of normalcy. And once we were out, they were typically content or asleep as long as we were moving. These mini-escapes broke up the day and quite simply helped me feel like a person, not just a nursing machine.

Read also: How to survive the first 3 years with twins

But how?

After a while I figured it out and there are definitely some things that make it easier.

Timing

It is super hard to predict what a little one is going to need and when. (This gets easier with time!)

For newborns, once your baby is fed and changed, get them in the car seat and GO!

NOTE: This means you have to have your diaper bag ready to go before you start feeding them (or have a handy helper) so that once they are in that magical happy fed, clean diaper stage you can take advantage.

What to Bring

There are two schools of thought on this.

As the mom, I tend to pack for all possible eventualities.

My husband on the other hand is more of a wing it – there’s always a store nearby – kind of guy.

If you are more his speed, you with have a lighter diaper bag with a bottle, milk or formula, diapers, wipes.

If you are more my speed, listed below is what I had in our diaper bag at all times (I have adjusted the amounts to reflect what ONE child needs. We obviously doubled everything).

NOTE: Depending on the specific needs of a season (say adding sunscreen for summer time) or a specific outing (swim suits and towels for the beach) I might add things to the bag, but for an average trip to the store or story time at the library this bag covers your general bases.

Infant Diaper Bag Essentials:

• 2 Diapers (we used these cloth ones)
• Wet Bag or Gallon Sized Ziplock Bag  (for dirty diapers and/or soiled clothes)
• Diaper Cream
• Diaper Wipes
• Hand Sanitizer (We loved this sanitizer/lotion)
• Diaper Changing Mat (ours came with the diaper bag)
• 2 Changes of Clothing (make sure it is a full change – socks included)
• Change of Shirt for Mom
• Nursing Cover (if not nursing, bottles and formula would be substituted here)
• Nursing Pads for Mom
• Small Container of Cheerios or other finger food (once you get to this stage)
• Snack + Water Bottle for Mom (especially if nursing)
• 2 Small Toys and/or Books (these were rotated occasionally and mostly used for periods of waiting)
• Nuk (we had one pacifier user and one thumb sucker)
• Wallet
• Keys
• Cellphone

Expectations

Expect that you will be late. Expect that your newborn(s) will want to nurse at the least convenient moment. Expect that someone is going to need a change of clothing.

Expect that you will somehow survive any and all challenges and you and your babies will make it home in one piece.

read also: 5 baby products new twin moms need + 1 to skip

Where to Go

So you pre-packed your diaper bag. You’ve got the fed, sleepy babies. You are ready to load them up and get outside, but where can you go with a newborn or two?

1. Neighborhood Walk. This is a great starting place. Every day for the 3 months of my maternity leave, I snuggled our newborns in their stroller and took a walk. I had a c-section so at first our “walk” was a slow (read: snails zooming past me pace) walk around our block, but by the end of the 3 months we were regularly making it 1 1/2 – 2 miles. 
2. Park or Trail. Is there a park or trail near your house? This is a great second step outing. Stroll out and back.
3. Lake or Boardwalk. We were in Minnesota when our twins were born so lakes were an easy find. Such a pretty place to push and walk. The tricky part with this was the distance. I would feed the babies, drive them to the lake, wait for them to wake up (bring a book or audiobook to listen to), feed them again and then we’d walk. Tedious, but worth it to me.
4. Snack and Stroll. If you know other friends home during the day or on maternity leave, meet them for a coffee or snack and then stroll together.
5. Zoo. Especially during the week I loved walking around the zoo. Zoos are stroller friendly and less busy during the week. They are a nice change of scenery from houses.
6. Art Museum. This is the same logic as the zoo. Strollers fit. Babies will sleep if you’re pushing them. The scenery is pleasant and different. Bonus – you might be able to talk someone else into strolling around with you.

For more walk ideas and other adventures for toddlers, check out my book Little Walks Big Adventures!

“That looks like a second heartbeat.” Those are life changing words.

In my experience, if you have heard these words you will react in one of two ways. Delight, followed by some panic, or simply panic.

Two babies? One baby is a lot, right? Just ask any parent of a newborn and they will nod their tired head at you.

The idea of having two babies at once is difficult to imagine. It is, however, completely do-able. In a few years you will likely even find yourself thinking that this was the best possible thing to have happen.

Right now you are panicked by the idea of twins.

You have to buy double of everything. You have to contemplate how to carry two babies, feed two babies, send two babies to college…You can very quickly get overwhelmed.

Before you start plotting an addition to your house and buying a mini-van, take a breath.

“Enjoy it! I cried when I found out I was expecting twins. My mum had twins when I was 12 so I knew they were hard work. The truth is, they are more hard work than just one (doh! there are two of them!) But they are great fun and so cute together. It’s an awesome ride. There’s no going back so enjoy it!”
Orlena Kerek. Twin Mom. Blogger at Snotty Noses

“It’s going to be great. You can’t even imagine how awesome it is going to be to watch your twins run around and play together, lay and whisper together, come up with surprises for you together…
It’s going to be hard, but it will get easier and easier and easier.”
Adrienne Danielson. Mom to Twin 5 year olds.

Focus on those first few years.

The first few years with twins are a little like boot camp. This is maybe not the optimism that you were looking for, but it is honest. The optimism is this: you will survive boot camp.

You can get through those first few years and I know exactly how to get you there.

Like millions of twin parents before me, I am on the other side. My twins are four and a half right now. They are energetic, they are busy, and they are currently in their room bouncing on their beds boycotting laundry folding, but they are delightful.

The advantages to having twins are huge if you were planning to have more kids.

You get two with one try. They have a playmate. It is easier to plan a vacation, buy toys, and plan a schedule around two kids at the same age rather than two of differing stages.

What about if I wasn’t planning to have more? This one was supposed to be my only or be my last? I still say that twins are awesome.

Your twin has a playmate. This will in the end be far less work for you. The bond between twins is fascinating and fun to watch. This might not be what you planned, but it will be good. You just need to get through that first year and a half.

So, how do you do that?

Below are my simple guidelines, along with amazing advice from some fellow twin mamas. They will take work to implement (remember the boot camp reference) but they will carry you through to the other side. The magical point when your kids will scamper off to play together and you will drink a cup of tea. I did that for like a whole 10 minutes this morning. It will happen for you too.

“Get as much rest as you can and take care of yourself – a twin pregnancy is hard work! Twins are awesome, don’t be scared.”
-Laura Rizer. Twin Mom. Blogger at Sunny Day Family

Attack Parenting as a Team

Everyone always talks about twin moms. If you are a single mom you are officially being elevated to super woman status and I highly recommend reinforcing a support system. If not, get your partner on board with double teaming your twins.

This can mean a lot of different things, but starting with your relationship is key to surviving life with twins.

Then arrange more help. Some people want help with the babies. Some people want help with the house. Some people need help with meals.

Whatever that means for you, try to arrange help before the babies come. For me, some to bring me dinner and someone to occassionally watch the kids is what I needed the most.

“Enlist help now! Who will be with you in the beginning? It takes a village to raise a child and it takes a metropolist to raise twins!
Erica McCool, Mom to twin 15 month olds.

Expect the Unexpected

From the moments that second unexpected heartbeat pops up on the monitor life with twins is never dull. Surprises are a part of parenting but you seem to find yourself in uncharted waters more frequently with twins.

Your pregnancy will be different than others you have had or the ones you read about in books. Their birth is not likely to follow your birth plan. Bedrest, NICUs, preemies…these are all frequent words in the multiples world.

This is scary, but I share this not to scare you but to just point out the extraordinary surprises that go along with being a twin parent. Even as toddlers and beyond, life with twins deviates from singleton parenting. It is often unexpected. Most of this is truly in the best way possible.

“Twins can be the most tiring and awesome experience you will ever have. Be prepared to spend the first 3 years of their life answering the question “Are they natural?” Come up with your own sarcastic answer and own it (My go to: No, they are robots, aren’t they lifelike?”). If your twins are identical choose a method to know who is who until you can tell them apart (we chose specific colors for our boys). Find the parenting/feeding style that works for you. For us we set a schedule, and it was a lifesaver, but find what works for you and don’t be afraid to keep with it.”
Ticia Messing. Twin Mom. Blogger at Adventures in Mommydom

Get Them on a Schedule

The need for a schedule cannot be emphasized enough.

I am sure that there are some parents that manage to parent twins without a schedule, but I have no idea how.

Get those babies on a schedule. Get them sleeping at the same time, eating at the same time, playing at the same time and you have hope. You have a chance of eating and even getting some sleep.

This takes work. HARD work. The first few months it will seem impossible, but push through that and you will be so glad you did.

“Put them on a schedule as soon as possible. When one is hungry feed them both. When they are a few months old they will be ready to be coaxed into napping on the same schedule as well.”
Adrienne Danielson. Mom of twin five year olds.

Buy Smart

Start with a good double stroller. I used a stroller considerably more than my friends with one baby who could carry them into a building on their hip. Buy one that will last and is easy to fold and push.

Then consider the other things you will need. This might be less than you think, but there will be some things you need in double. Here is my list of twin essentials.

Our number one rule when purchasing things for our twins was to think long term.

Buy convertible car seats. Buy high chairs that grow into toddler chairs. Buy cribs that convert into twin beds. Think ahead and you will save yourself money in the long run.

“Invest in the Step2 Choo Choo Wagon, Britax Convertible Cars Seats, Magna-tiles, a ring sling, and a mei tai carrier, you won’t regret it.”
-Kristen Stehli. Mom of 7 Year old twins. Blogger at Epic Childhood

“Get a car seat/stroller system that you can lift and maneuver easily. This is different for everyone. Side by side works for me, while my cousin with twins swears by tandem. Try them out in the store and buy what works for you otherwise you will never want to leave the house. AND YOU NEED TO LEAVE THE HOUSE.”
Erica McCool. Mom of 15 month old twins.

Take Care of You

I think this is important advice for all pregnant and new moms, but it definitely applies to twin moms.

Take time for yourself.

Make rest during your pregnancy a priority. Once the babies come, find a way to take a break. Have two friends over to hold your babies for an hour or two. Take a moment to quickly shower, drink a cup of coffee, or whatever it is you need to feel somewhat human.

An exhausted parent is no good to anyone.

“Twins are truly remarkable but you will have days when you have no idea who is who and if you will ever get a shower. My advice is to fill your freezer with things you can eat with one hand. Muffins, mini meatloaves, banana bread etc. Start compiling a list of people will come over and truly help. You will need extra hands for so many things. Schedule them in now because they will be your saving grace. And, get out when they are babies and don’t move – dinners, shopping, short trips – they are great little travel companions and getting out of the house provides stimulation for them and you! And when people ask if they are twins, declare it was a 2 for 1 sale!” 
Kerrie Mendoza. Twin Mama. Blogger at Family Food and Travel

Trust Your Instincts

It is normal for parenting to feel overwhelming. Whether you are having two kids, five kids or 15 kids, parenting is hard work.

There is no one right way to do this. There is no one perfect magic way to make children behave or produce happy off spring.

There are a million ways to do this right and only you know your kids. Only you can decide what is best for your children. I’m giving a lot of advice here and you will get countless more suggestions over the years, but you are the parent. Do what feels right. Follow your gut and it will all be okay.

“Don’t get too caught up in what books say or other people’s advice, you are still a mother and you will have a motherly instinct just like everyone else. Twins are hard work, but the first time you witness your babies giggling together or holding hands you will quickly realize what an amazing gift you were given.” 
-Meredith Magee Donnelly. Twin Mom. Blogger at Homegrown Friends

“Don’t beat yourself up when things don’t go how you think they should. They will be fine even if you never make it to one “Mommy and Me” class with them.”
-Adrienne Danielson, Mom of 5 year old twins

  “You may need a c-section and you may not be able to exclusively breastfeed your twins. Come to terms with it now. I was stoked to have a vaginal delivery and pretty upset when nursing didn’t work out. MOVE ON! Do what works for you and babies…Get Amazon Prime if you don’t already have it…Your heart will ALWAYS be fuller than your hands. My twins have taught me to chill out and not sweat the small stuff. Today they learned to march and kick while dancing to Christmas music. Last year at this time I didn’t know my name! It goes quickly and twins are a unique joy for only the luckiest of moms!!!
Erica McCool, Mom of 15 month old twins.

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I remember walking through the aisles of the baby store completely overwhelmed by the towering shelves of baby equipment. I was wondering what on earth I actually need for the twins growing in my belly.

There are things that all babies need – a place to sleep, some clothes, some burp cloths, feeding source, a few board books, etc. There are also a few things that parents of multiples need to consider when registering and shopping for their unique situation.

For twin parents the daily logistics of getting out of the house with two and feeding two are so much easier if you have a few essential baby products.

Here the five things that are essential for all twin parents – plus one I’d advise you skip!

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5 Essentials Baby Products for New Twin Parents

1. Awesome Double Stroller

This is hands down the most important thing for a mommy of twins.

Although I spent a fairly ridiculous amount of time carting two carseats (you get really strong arms!), carrying two babies for any length of time is impractical.

This is the stroller that we used from newborn through age 3. We loved that it grew with them (you can start with your babies in their car seats with these adaptors and our children still fit at 3. We wanted a front and back so it would fit through doorways, which this does without any problems. My one and only criticism is that although it folds down fairly flat, you have remove one of the seats and when folded the stroller does not stand on its own well.

Here and here are a couple more that I’ve had recommended to me by other twin mommies.

2. Large Diaper Bag

With two babies, obviously you are going to have to carry more stuff. There are a lot of adorable diaper bags out there, but make sure that you have one that is big enough to pack full of diapers, wipes, extra clothing, toys, and feeding supplies for two babies.

3. Serious Pump and a Portable Pump

If your twins are going to drink breast milk this is a serious job. You need a serious pump for home.

This is the one that I used and loved. I would also highly recommend a small portable pump, like this one to throw in your diaper bag.

We used this a lot when we were traveling or out of the house. It is often difficult to find somewhere to nurse two babies. I often pumped for one baby and then someone could feed that infant, while I nursed the other one.

4. Double Breastfeeding Pillow

Speaking of nursing, if you are attempting this super woman feat – you will need one of these. There are other ways to do it, but this is the easiest, quickest way to get comfortable and support two babies.

5. 2 Boppy Pillows

A boppy pillow would go on my list of must-haves for one baby too, but I think I used it more because we had two.

These are wonderful for propping up babies while you feed two at one or for babies with reflux after they eat. When they got a little older, I could prop them up facing each other and they could bobble a little, without me worrying about them falling onto the floor. I also used them to hold the babies while I got situated before nursing.

In general, they are handy to have with little ones, plus they come with all kinds of adorable covers.

What can you skip?

The rocking chair. We had one and I did love it, however it is completely impractical for feeding or rocking two infants.

You will end up propping yourself up on the couch, your bed, or a huge arm chair and wondering why you spent the money on that comfy rocker that’s taunting you in the corner of the nursery.

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on Getting Out of the House with One (or More!)

My kids still sleep with a mound of stuffed animals around them. When I peek in on them before I go to bed I find they both stretched out on their backs dozing peacefully. Tucked under their arms and all around them are monkeys and giraffes and bears and bunnies with well worn ears and noses. An entire zoo right there in their bed.

Animals have been a huge part of their childhood so far. Most little kids seem fascinated by the world of animals.

also read: 20+ Unit Ideas for Kids Who Love Animals

We read endless imagination filled books about zoo animals and we tromp around the zoo in search of animals.

Since this is an interest that seems to follow children through childhood below are zoo animal ideas for every age baby through early elementary school.

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Zoo Animal Learning Activities by Age

Scroll down for zoo animal activities that are perfect for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and school aged kids!

For Babies: Zoo Animal Peekaboo

How to Make a Zoo Peekaboo Game

Materials:

• Laundry Basket / Table Top / Empty Wall
• Animal Picture Pairs (Make your own or order these – note the ones linked are not identical to the ones I used when they were babies. I wish I had saved them but hindsight…the ones linked are instead the ones I made and have used since they were toddlers.)
• Contact Paper
• Tape

How to Make:

Select a surface at your child’s height to place the game. I did mine on the bottom of a flipped over laundry basket, but a short table, shelf, or low wall space would work well.

1. Tape the full animal pictures onto the surface and cover in contact paper.
2. Laminate the closer animal pictures.
3. Tape one end of each closer animal picture on top of the matching pair.

That’s it! So easy, right?

Even better, this activity help develop the following skills:

• Interesting reason to practice standing.
• Fine motor practice as they work on lifting the flaps
• Practice with cognitive and language skills as they recognize, name, and even make the noise of the animal they find.

Extension Ideas:

Make another version with something else that interests your child. Some ideas include;

• Family members
• Household items
• Vehicles

4 More Zoo Animal Ideas for Babies

1. Make a Song Cube like this one with Animal Pictures
2. Read some awesome Zoo Animal Picture Books
3. Sensory Zoo Activity: Exploring Animal Textures
4. How to make a Sock Monkey (Craft for Mama, but what baby wouldn’t love playing with this?)

For Toddlers: Zoo Animal Photo Cards

Toddlers are OBSESSED with learning new words. “What’s that?” or just “That?” was one of the most common phrases in our house at this age. This is the age for books of real images that they can look to and point at all day – and also for photo cards.

More ideas for matching games and other extensions are below but start with just the cards.

Materials:

• Zoo Animal Printable Photo Cards (use your photos or get these)
• Contact Paper

How to Make:

Use contact paper to cover the photos and make them more durable with all the inevitable drooling, mouthing, bending and general love that toddlers give all things

THEN place these cards in a basket or on a low table for your child to discover. When they do, let them explore. If they look to you or ask what something is, use simple words to talk to them about the cards. “You are looking at a giraffe” or “What do you see?”

This activity help develop the following skills:

• new vocabulary
• finger isolation when they point which helps later fine motor skills
• social skills as they engage you in talking about the pictures

Extension Ideas:

• Tell a story using your photo cards. Put them in a pile face down and flip over one at a time. “Once upon a time there was a lion and he went for a walk and ran into…flip over another card” It doesn’t really matter what your story is about. Keep it simple and just have fun.
• Matching game. Use the close up and far away cards to match. Make it hard and play as a memory card game.
• Match the card to a toy version of the animals. This picture to object matching is an important pre-literacy skill
• Make a book or photo cards of a trip you take to a farm, the store, anywhere that interests them.

8 More Zoo Animal Ideas for Toddlers

1. Learn this Hey Elephant Song (with printable visuals)
2. Sensory Zoo Activity: Exploring Animal Textures
3. Read some awesome Zoo Animal Picture Books
4. Dear Zoo Story Spoons
5. Zoo Animals Small World Play
6. Easy Zebra Slime
7. Animal Charades with Printable
8. Paper Plate Bear Craft

For Preschoolers: Zoo Animal Tracing

Drawing and tracing lines is a pre-literacy skill that works on building the fine motor skills needed to write letters and words. Bonus – kids seem to find dry erase markers fascinating and fun.

Materials:

• Zoo Animal Printable Photo Cards (use your photos or get these)
• Contact Paper
• Washable Dry Erase Markers
• Wash cloth or paper towel

How to Make:

Simply cover the zoo animal photos with contact paper.

Put the cards with the dry erase markers and wash cloth on a low table.

When your child is interested, invite them to use the dry erase marker to trace the animal.

Note: depending on the age of your preschooler “tracing” may look less like tracing and more like coloring on the animal. Go with it. 

Demonstrate tracing the edges of an animal of your own and then show them how to erase the marker with their wash cloth.

This activity help develop the following skills:

• Fine Motor grip
• Hand-eye coordination

Extension Ideas:

• Add more details to the animal picture. Can they draw some food for the animal? What does the animal play with?
• Play hide and seek with the animal cards. Hide the full photos around the room and give your preschoolers the zoomed in photos as clues / visual reminders of what to look for.

12 More Zoo Animal Ideas for Preschoolers

1. Host a Safari Themed Playdate
2. Animal Fashion Show
3. Bears Picture Books + Big and Small Animals Sort
4. Learn about Polar Bears with this awesome booklist
5. Zoo Animals Theme with Sensory Play and Printables
6. Zoo Animal Counting Mats
7. Zoo Animal Books for Children and even more Zoo Animal Picture Books
8. Zoo Centers and Activities
9. Edible Zoo Animals Sensory Bin
10. Zoo Themed Counting Clip Cards 1-10
11. Dear Zoo Story Stones

Note: Many of the toddler and school age activities above and below may also work well for your child!

For K & First Grade: Writing with Zoo Animal Cards

I love finding ways to make writing more meaningful for my kids and we did this as part of their animal study.

They each had an animal that they love and wanted to learn more about. We took cameras to the Zoo. They took pictures and I took pictures of their favorite animals. We also talked about some of the things we observed their favorite animals doing.

Back at home I set this up as a writing invitation using our photo cards and also included a photo they had taken at the zoo of their favorite animal.

Materials:

• Zoo Animal Printable Photo Cards (use your photos or get these)
• Contact Paper
• Paper
• Pencils and coloring tools

How to Make:

Laminate the cards and place on the table with the other materials.

THEN after your child has had some time to look at the cards and talk about them, as them to write about one or more of the animals.

Depending on your goals this activity will vary.

Kindergarteners might just draw a picture of the animal and work on using their best handwriting to label it with the animal’s name.

For slightly older elementary schoolers: If you are working on non-fiction, have them write a fact about the animal. If you’re working on just writing, have them write a story about the animal.

For my first graders doing an animal study, I asked them to write something they had learned and a question they still had. We used this question to go forward with their study.

This activity help develop the following skills:

• Communicating using words and pictures.
• Understanding the difference between fiction and non-fiction.
• Adding details, capitalization and punctuation to their writing.

Extension Ideas:

• Work on story telling. Give each child a card – or you take half and your child takes half – and go around the circle adding to a story using your photo as a prompt.
• Draw or build a habitat for your chosen animal. Where do they live? What do they eat? What do they need to survive?

8 More Zoo Animal Activities for School Aged Kids

1. Join Suzi’s FREE Wild Animal Passport Club for Kids
2. Make Chocolate Strawberry Zebras for Snack
3. Elephant Craft with Newspaper
4. Going to the Zoo Interactive Book for Emergent Readers
5. Jungle Animals Playset from Toilet Paper Rolls
6. Complete the Animals Kids Craft Activity
7. A-Z Animal Hunt
8. Zoo Scavenger Hunt
9. Zookeeper Training Unit Pack

Note: Many of the preschool activities above may also work for your child!

Get Zoo Animals Photo Cards

Z is for…

Looking for more ideas? Here are some more Z ideas from the A-Z Play at Home series.

• • Zoom Car Play Box from Teach Me Mommy
  • Dear Zoo Story Stones from The Gingerbread House
  • Zoo Animal Picture Books from My Storytime Corner

We’re nearing the end of a fantastic month of alphabet fun with the 31 Days of ABC! All this month activities, crafts, books, apps, and more, all dedicated to teaching young children the alphabet have been shared.

Find more great resources in our series from past years: 31 Days of ABCs 2013, 2014, and 2016!

Don’t forget to follow our 31 Days of ABCs Pinterest board for even more great ABC ideas!

31 Days of ABC

Teaching the ABCs – October 1

A – October 2

B – October 3

C – October 4

D – October 5

E – October 6

F – October 7

G – October 8

H – October 9

I – October 10

J – October 11

K – October 12

L – October 13

M – October 14

N – October 15

O – October 16

P – October 17

Q – October 18

R – October 19

S – October 20

T – October 21

U – October 22

V – October 23

W – October 24

X – October 25

Y – October 26

Z – October 27

123’s – October 28

Prewriting – October 29

Books, Songs, & Apps – October 30

Printables – October 31

Two bodies. Carefully building. Quiet conversation.

Concentration on their faces that are being lit up by the light table.

We gave our kids a light table when they turned 2 and four years later is it one of the few things they still consistently enjoy.

My kids bicker like normal siblings, but when you click on the light table with some engaging materials it is like magic.

Below are some of our favorite ways to play with the light table. The ways I first introduced it’s possibilities to them when they were toddlers.

Hopefully you can also discover the same magic.

affiliate links are included below

Why a Light Table?

We don’t buy a lot of toys.

Right now in particular we live in a 900 sq foot apartment so if it’s coming home with us then it needs to be awesome.

When we moved from our house in Mississippi we downsized A LOT but one of the things that made yet another move was our light table. Why?

There are two things I look for with toys. 

1. Will this last?Not just will it withstand play and moving, but is it something they will play with for more than a week. I want toys that will grow with them for at least a while.A light table captures the attention and interest of babies, but it also delights my first graders. It never fails to be a hit with any age when we have kids over for a play date.
2. Is it open ended?Does it have multiple ways we can use it? Does it encourage curiosity and problem solving?The answer to all of these for the light table is absolutely.As you’ll see below the light table, even for the under 3 crowd, can be used for art, exploration, and building.

A light table is a compelling surface that makes you look at ordinary things in a different way. It is engaging, thought provoking, and inspires creativity.

Does everyone need one? No.

Would everyone benefit? Yes.

Where do you get a Light Table?

I realize they aren’t bounding off the shelves at every toy store, so this is a fair question.

We built our own. My husband likes to build things and we have definitely reaped the benefits.

If you’re not feeling like spending hours in a tool shed is your idea of fun, then there are other options.

Amazon

There are a variety of light tables on Amazon that can appear on your doorstep in a few days. I think for home, I like this one the best.

Constructive Playthings

This is a great source for kids play furniture and materials. They also have several sizes of light table, as well as this Light Box if you’re concerned about space.

Discount School Supply

I ordered materials from DSS all the time when I worked at a child care center. It is great for bulk art materials, but they also have a huge collection of light tables and materials.

Our Favorite Light Table Activity Ideas

We had light tables in our infant and toddler classrooms at the centers I worked at before kids. Between those experiences and the ones with my own kids, I have tried a variety of light table activities with young kids.

These are the best.

Light Table + Sensory Bags

Sensory bags are always good squishy fun, but they are the absolute best on a light table. Read More.

Light Table + Sensory Bottles

Sensory bottles can be found in pretty much every infant and toddler play space across the country, but have you ever used them on a light table?  Read more. 

Magna-tiles + Light

Two of our favorite things. They are both awesome, but together is how we love them the most. Read more. 

Coloring on Light

Nothing reinvigorates a box of crayons and piece of paper like a light table. Read more. 

Painting on Light

Mastered coloring? Ready for more? Painting on a light table is messy, but a completely different painting experience for kids. Read more. 

more a-z play at home ideas

Lego City from Teach Me Mommy

How to Set Up a Lego Ring Toss from The Gingerbread House

Little Excavator Inspired Big & Little Story Time from My Storytime Corner

Complete A-Z Series

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I remember one of the first long days as a twin mom after my husband went back to work. My two week old twins and I spent most of it on the squishy couch in the living room wedged on the nursing pillow. My daughter was refusing to nurse, my son was refusing to sleep, and I was sticky, stinky, and incredibly sleepy.

Then my husband walked in the door and all three of us perked up.

Parenting is hard. Parenting newborn twins is really hard.

Newborns are needy. Even the easiest babies still need you for everything. They need you to feed them, change them, carry them from point to point, help them sleep, bathe them.

Parenting twins means caring for two extremely needy little ones. The high rates of prematurity among infants means that you are often dealing with more challenging infants who are not quite prepared to be out in the world and would much prefer to be in the dark comfort of the womb for a bit longer.

I do not say any of this to scare you. I promise it is doable.

I say this to set the stage for what is to come. It is hard. But together you can do it.

The together part is important.

Single parents in general, but single parents of multiples are super heroes in my book.

The teamwork aspect of parenting was crucial to our survival during the first few months and beyond. Below are some of the ways that we prepared for and supported one another in the first few years of our parenting adventure. If you enter parenting with the idea that you are in this together and have each other’s backs, I promise it is not only doable, but ultimately enjoyable.

Here are the 6 main ways we work together to parent our multiples. Hopefully our experiences are helpful regardless of whether you are parenting one or a whole crew.

Updated from Original Post Shared May 2014

6 Steps to Become a Parenting Team

1. Communication

We talk A LOT.

We had been together for 11 years (married for 5) when we had our twins. Communication did not come easy to us at first, but we learned that in order for us to work we had to talk. We had to talk about the every day things, the things that bothered us, and how we were going to make things work.

When we found out we were pregnant we talked some more.

The topics and results of those conversations are not super important. For one thing, they almost immediately changed upon having our twins. And two, they are unique to each couple. What is important to you is different than what is important to anyone else, but knowing and labeling those things is important. We knew what our main goals were from the start and that guided us in the hazy beginning.

Post-baby arrival day, we continue to talk.

We talk about the cute things they are doing and how they are challenging us. We talk about what is NOT working and brainstorm together things to do differently. Even though I am home with our kids 11+ hours by myself, most of our decisions are made together and the ones that I make on my own I do my best to talk to him about so we are on the same page. This leads perfectly to item #2.

2. United Front

This one I credit my parents for. My parents were obnoxiously on the same page at all times. They made decisions together, they knew what the other one had told us, and they agreed with each other. It was a pain.

However, it is now one of my guiding philosophies.

One of the most commonly heard phrases in our house right now is, “I agree with Dad/Mom”. We do our very best to support one another and their decisions in front of our children. Later, when we are away from them we can debate and disagree, but in front of our kids, we agree.

We are a united front.

3. Night Time Feedings

All of our sleep decisions primarily followed the advice in this book.

Our babies were both breast and bottle fed from day 1, which made this a little easier. After the first hazy week that I remember extremely small blurry moments of, we began this plan that served us well for the first 6 months. We split the night in half. One of us did all feeding before 2am. The other did all feedings after. This generally worked out evenly.

You may have to play around with where your magical dividing time is. This meant, that aside from me pumping at first and eventually from a brief awakening when they cried out, we each got about 6 hours of sleep.

Life saving.

Once our infants were consistently down to just one feeding, usually around 2am, we changed to alternating nights. We do this still. It is your night until you have to get up with someone. Then it is the next person’s night.

Of course there are exceptions, like that night both kids were vomiting – it was a two person job, or if one of us is sick or getting up super early it isn’t their turn.

Being a team means that you are supportive and fair. Not always perfectly even.

4. Regular Dates

We are absolutely that dorky annoying couple that goes out every month.

We were probably annoyingly cutesy before we had kids. We have always celebrated our monthly anniversaries with a night out. Usually nothing fancy, but just a dedicated night for the two of us. We have done this for 16 years now, but it has grown even more important since having our children. With only about 3 exceptions, we have gone out every month.

This is time for us to be us. Not mom and dad. I know this is common advice, but to me it is one of the most important parts. When our little loves grow up they will leave around the same time and we need to still have an us.

5. Break Nights

In addition to dates, we also give each other “break nights.”

We each get two evenings a month that are on the calendar as “me time.” This means different things to each of us, but it is guaranteed time where we don’t participate in the chaos that is dinner/bath/bed time.

We get other breaks. Mornings to sleep in, nights out with friends, book club, whatever – but these are separate times on the calendar. However you choose to do it, giving each other a break is important.

For me it is usually quiet time to myself. Time to just be me for a few hours.

6. Managing and Changing Expectations

Parenting is hard. For everyone. No matter what people say or how perky their instagram feed is, parenting is hard.

Go easy on one another. Know that you will both make mistakes. You will both have bad days. Your children will have bad days.

Keep the things that work. Work together to fix the things that don’t. Adapt together to the every changing whirlwind that is raising two little ones.

No two days or weeks are the same so you need to change too, together.

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One extremely hot day I decided to test the theory of “the sun is so hot…” No I did not try to fry an egg, but I did put some colored ice cubes out on the sidewalk and WOW did they melt fast.

For a little extra fun, I threw some food coloring into the water before we froze it. The result was this colorful, melting toddler friendly experiment.

affiliate links are included below.

 Colorful Ice Cube Melting Exploration

Set Up:

1. Fill your ice cube trays with water and then add a dash of color to each cube space. I used food coloring but liquid watercolors also work well and are a little more washable.

2. Freeze the ice cubes. I prepared mine the night before to make sure they were completely frozen.

3. Have a clean up plan! Towels on hand is a good start.

4. Put the ice cubes in a plastic container to transport outside right before you head outside.

5. You may want to strip your little one down to their diaper if you don’t want them to get clothing too messy. Our twins usually did activities like this in their washable Bumgenius diapers.

Activity:

Science for little ones is mostly about exploring and observing with your senses. Encourage your little ones to explore the ice cubes. My little guys were intrigued by the color and coldness of the cubes while they worked at picking them up.

read also: Apple vs. Ball STEM Experiment

While they explore, you can:

*Ask questions such as “What’s happening?” or “What do you see?” or “How does that feel?”

*Watch how they explore. What interests them? What do they seem to be trying to figure out?

*Describe what they are doing with descriptive words like to help build vocabulary; wet, cool, melting, liquid, green

Clean Up:

*Have towels or access to a sink ready before you start.

*When your child is done playing, dry them off to move them inside.

*The food coloring will temporarily dye their skin, but it will wash off with soap.

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I can feel the cold seeping in through our old home’s walls as I watch my twins toddle laps across the wood floors. It is below zero again outside and as much as I love going on adventures with my babies, we will not be going anywhere today.

With the thermostat turned up another couple degrees to ward off the cold, I wonder what are we going to do in here all day? 

One of our favorite activities is painting. My kids love the sensory squishiness of paint and I love that they are developing their curiosity. Despite that, I sometimes avoid pulling out the paints. Especially with babies it is just so messy.

However, today we have nowhere to go. The cold has given us the gift of endless time to make a mess and clean it up. There is a problem though. As I watch them trying to worm their little bodies onto the couch I know they are not going to sit still for long.

Babies need to move. They are entrenched in the task of learning how to coordinate their bodies to crawl and walk. This is a task they take quite seriously and hours of our day are focused on climbing, crawling, walking with push toys, and cruising along furniture.

Also Read: 10 Gross Motor Activities for Infants + Toddlers

They want to move, they love to paint, so let’s combine the two!

post has been updated. originally shared May 2014.

4 Ways to Promote Infant Gross Motor Development Through Art

1. Large Floor Paint

Target skill: Crawling

When our infants started crawling, I covered our ENTIRE dining room floor in paper. I put a few plates with paint on them spread out around the paper. I sat them down on the paper (away from the paint to motivate some initial movement) and sat back.

Immediately they crawled for the paint and soon there were little paint tracks all over the paper. The immense size of the paper allowed them to really explore and move around.

Big Art might seem intimidating and a bath was certainly needed to de-paint them, but it is so worth it.

Materials You Will Need:

Huge Roll of Paper

Tape (to secure paper to the floor and pieces to each other)

Plates or Cookie Sheets (to hold paint)

Tempera Paint (non-toxic & washable)

Set Up + Activity: 

Cover a HUGE portion of floor with paper. You will need to tape several pieces together – some overlap is good. Tape all of the paper down to secure for crawling babies.

Spread out some plates with paint .

I usually put our kids in diapers for this kind of activity and make sure I’m wearing clothes that can get paint on them. Tempera Paint is washable but this just makes me less tense.

Crawl and paint!

Clean Up Plan:

I did my best to keep my kids on the paper but of course we got some marks on the floor. This is best done on washable floors.

When they are done painting, they will be covered in paint. Put your kids directly into the bath to wash off the paint. Tempera Paint washes off pretty easily except for the Magenta. For some reason that is the one color that seems to linger a little longer on their skin for us. When they are clean, put them somewhere safe and contained. Options: cribs with some toys, high chairs with a snack, room within your sight but behind a gate.

Then move paint trays to the sink. Hang the painted paper up high or throw away. We saved a portion and tossed the rest (remember the process was the point! Some of ours was really pretty though so I framed a big piece.) Then use a sponge or Clorox wipes to wipe up any paint that strayed off the paper.

2. Box Painting

Target Skill: Pulling to a Stand

Pulling to a stand often quickly follows crawling. This is the time when your infant is suddenly popping up along the couch and lower tables.

I was slightly concerned that paint covered babies would be crawling around the floor that, unlike the previous activity was not covered in paper, but this was not the case. I spread out our old large IKEA curtain and put a paper covered box in the middle. A large diaper box would work great. I put the paint on a tray on the floor and encouraged them to paint the top.

They were very engaged in this activity and we ended up with a well painted box and they got lots of practice reaching down to get the paint and standing back up.

Materials You Will Need:

Huge Roll of Paper

Big Box

Paper, Old Curtain, or Tarp to cover floor

Tape (to secure paper to the box and pieces to each other)

Plates or Cookie Sheets (to hold paint)

Tempera Paint (non-toxic & washable)

Set Up + Activity: 

Cover a big box with paper.

Place it on top of a large floor cover.

Spread out some plates with paint around the box.

I usually put our kids in diapers for this kind of activity and make sure I’m wearing clothes that can get paint on them. Tempera Paint is washable but this just makes me less tense.

Stand and paint. Having the paint on the floor encourage them to stand up and bend back down a lot. If they are just sitting on the floor encourage them to paint the top of the box by patting the top or drawing a shape or lines and saying something like “Look how the yellow and green mix together when I do this!”

Clean Up Plan:

I did my best to keep my kids on the paper but of course we got some marks on the floor. This is best done on washable floors.

When they are done painting, they will be covered in paint. Put your kids directly into the bath to wash off the paint. Tempera Paint washes off pretty easily except for the Magenta. For some reason that is the one color that seems to linger a little longer on their skin for us. When they are clean, put them somewhere safe and contained. Options: cribs with some toys, high chairs with a snack, room within your sight but behind a gate.

Then move paint trays to the sink. Put the box up high or throw away. Your tarp can get wiped off, put up high until later, or if you use an old curtain it can go straight in the laundry. Then use a sponge or Clorox wipes to wipe up any paint that strayed off the paper.

3. Wall Art

Target Skill: Standing

Wall Art is good for almost walkers through younger toddlers.

Attach a large piece of paper to the wall and offer either coloring or painting materials. We have done this in a wide variety of settings and with different materials. It is an easy one to set up and seemed highly motivating to our infants.

If you are painting, covering the floor beneath the paper is a good idea unless you are painting outside.

When we did coloring for the first time, around the time our babies were 15m, I emphasized that the colors “stay by the paper.” They were free to wander off and return, but the markers needed to stay by the paper. When they started to totter off with a marker in hand, I would kindly remind them “the markers need to stay by the paper” and took the marker and placed it back in the basket. I did have to say this a few hundred times the first couple of days, but it set a good precedent.

We now have a similar rule for all art materials staying in our art space, chalk staying at the chalk table, etc. Paint, with infants, on the other hand is more of a one time event.

When they want to be done we get all cleaned up and then we are done for the day or the morning. If that’s frustrating you can kindly say “you seem upset that we are done. It sounds like you liked painting a lot and we should do it again soon!”

Materials You Will Need:

Huge Roll of Paper

Tape (to secure paper to the wall and floor)

Plates or Cookie Sheets (to hold paint)

Tempera Paint (non-toxic & washable) or other art materials

Set Up + Activity: 

Cover a HUGE portion of wall with paper at your child’s eye level. If painting, I also recommend taping some paper to the floor or covering it with something else. Tape all of the paper down to secure for crawling babies.

Spread out some plates with paint .

I usually put our kids in diapers for this kind of activity and make sure I’m wearing clothes that can get paint on them. Tempera Paint is washable but this just makes me less tense.

Stand, walk, and paint.

Clean Up Plan:

I did my best to keep my kids on the paper but of course we got some marks on the floor. This is best done on washable floors.

When they are done painting, they will be covered in paint. Put your kids directly into the bath to wash off the paint. Tempera Paint washes off pretty easily except for the Magenta. For some reason that is the one color that seems to linger a little longer on their skin for us. When they are clean, put them somewhere safe and contained. Options: cribs with some toys, high chairs with a snack, room within your sight but behind a gate.

Then move paint trays to the sink. Hang the painted paper up high or throw away. We saved a portion and tossed the rest. Then use a sponge or Clorox wipes to wipe up any paint that strayed off the paper.

4. Feet Painting

Target Skill: Walking

We have done feet painting two ways with mobile children. The first was still before they were independently walking. This meant that they were holding on to an adults hand. It took a bit of a twister act for me to accomplish this with our twins, so I recommend a helping adult if you are attempting this with multiples, if possible.

Once they were stable walkers, we repeated it again.

Similar to the crawling activity, I spaced out the trays of paint to motivate them to move around more. I also prompted them with questions like, “can you stomp to the blue paint?” or “how does it feel when you walk on the paper?”

Materials You Will Need:

Huge Roll of Paper

Tape (to secure paper to the floor and pieces to each other)

Plates or Cookie Sheets (to hold paint)

Tempera Paint (non-toxic & washable)

Set Up + Activity: 

Cover a big portion of floor with paper. You will need to tape several pieces together – some overlap is good or just make one really long trail to walk along. Tape all of the paper down to secure for walking babies.

Put a tray of paint on two ends of the paper.

I usually put our kids in diapers for this kind of activity and make sure I’m wearing clothes that can get paint on them. Tempera Paint is washable but this just makes me less tense.

Dip feet in the paint and then walk to make tracks.

Clean Up Plan:

I did my best to keep my kids on the paper but of course we got some marks on the floor. This is best done on washable floors or outside (obviously on a less cold day)

When they are done painting, they will be covered in paint. Again you will want to put them directly into the tub or have a huge amount of water and washcloths on hand. When they are clean, put them somewhere safe and contained. Options: cribs with some toys, high chairs with a snack, room within your sight but behind a gate.

Then move paint trays to the sink. Hang the painted paper up high or throw away. Then use a sponge or Clorox wipes to wipe up any paint that strayed off the paper.

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Babies and Toddlers are active little ones that are in constant search of ways to practice and develop their Gross Motor skills. I don’t think we often think of learning to crawl or balance or walk as curriculum, but for babies and younger toddlers this is what they are learning.

This is what they are interested in right now.

When my twins were in this crawling, cruising, starting to walk phase they wanted to be constantly in motion. This can be crazy making, but if you give them some activities to do that target these developing gross motor skills you will have happy and eventually tuckered out (yay nap time!) little ones.

Here are 10 of our favorite ways to move little bodies while you learn, create, and have fun.

affiliate links are included below. thanks for your support!

10 Gross Motor Activities for Infants and Toddlers

1. Big Paper Paint

One of the things I love most about Children’s Museums is the opportunity for large scale art. They have the space and materials to scale an entire wall with art. To have a cooperative mural covering a large table. To have a large weaving experience. To have an easel big enough for several children to create.

Inspired by these experiences, this is one of my favorite activities to do at home with older infants and young toddlers. This is a great activity for babies that encourages crawling or early walking while you paint.

Materials:

• Large Pieces of Paper
• Tape
• Paint
• Plate or Tray for Paint

Set Up:
Cover your floor in paper – the bigger the better.
Clear the general area around the paper.
Pour paint onto a tray or plate.

Activity:
I suggest striping your child down to their diaper and then offer them trays of different colored paint. I placed the trays in a couple different places around the paper to encourage them to crawl.
Allow them to crawl, walk, and paint everywhere on the paper and themselves. This is obviously messy – but the large scale of the painting gives them space to move around and explore their bodies while they paint.

Clean Up:
Remove paint trays to a counter or sink. Wash these later at your convenience.
Gate off the area if possible. This obviously makes it easier to try to clean without worrying about little ones crawling back into the area.
Either way, cleaning off your little ones is the first step. Mine went straight in the bathtub. The wonderful thing about tempera paint is how easily it washes right off.
Once your infants are cleaned off and happily situated with another activity or fast asleep, remove the paper from the floor. Save if so desired. Use a wet washcloth or wet wipe to clean any stray paint marks on the floor. Clorox wipes work well for me.

2. Texture Crawl 

This was inspired by a seriously cool floor at the Children’s Museum in Madison WI.  This is a quick do-it-yourself texture floor perfect for rolling and crawling babies.

Set Up:

Tape a long piece of butcher paper to the floor. Put it in a high traffic play area for your child to explore.

Cut your chosen materials down, if needed, to fit within the butcher paper. Attach your textured materials spaced out along the paper by securing all four corners with tape. Don’t be shy with the tape. The more thorough you are with this step, the better it will hold up. However, make sure you are leaving an adequate amount of the material exposed for exploration.

Activity:

Your infant(s) will likely discover this on their own – little ones tend to be naturally curious and observant of newness. As they explore the area, you can provide them with words to describe the textures they discover such as; scratchy, bumpy, shiny, smooth, etc.

3. Playmat Tunnel

Once my twins started moving, our playmat quickly became a discarded object in the corner until I had this brainstorm one afternoon. This is another fun way to utilize a playmat once your kids are on the move.

Set Up:
Cover two sides with blankets to create a tunnel.

Activity:
I sat on the opposite side to encourage my babies to crawl through. It was a short, non-intimidating tunnel so with only mild encouragement they ventured through. Place other exciting objects on the opposite side of the tunnel to encourage them to crawl back and forth. Play peekaboo around the sides.

Clean Up:
Remove the blankets when you are done with playtime.  This activity should definitely be supervised at all times.

4. DIY Climbing Box

Babies love to crawl over, climb on, and push things. Instead of following them around saying “No” all day, I decided to make something that they could use. The idea to form when I watched my daughter and a diaper wipe box. For most of a day I watched her push it around and sit on it, suddenly…inspiration struck!

To Create:
1. I filled the box to the top with textbooks I will probably never read again and some newspaper both to add weight to the box and support it under my child’s weight.
2. Then I taped it shut.
3. Covered it completely with duct tape. I attempted to make it look cute – not sure I succeeded.

My kids were thrilled. It has quickly become a fun heavy-work object to push, as well as a stool. Ours held up brilliantly through 3 years and 4 moves. Our twins used them endlessly for pushing, climbing on, or as part of an obstacle course.

5. Stuffed Friend Slide

Imaginative and social play activity integrated into movement activity with toddlers. All you need is a stuffed animal (or many) and a slide. We used our backyard toddler slide.

Rolling things down the slide is a popular toddler activity. We took it a step forward and took their stuffed friends and babies for a slide. We did this in our backyard, but it could also be done at a playground.

To start, I simply asked my toddlers if they thought Baby and Monkey would like to play on the slide with them. They thought it was a fabulous idea and so we headed outside with our friends in tow.

Once at the slide, depending on your toddler’s climbing skills you may have to hold their stuffed animal while they climb the slide. Once at the top ask if they would rather send the animal down first or have it slide next to them. In our case, some social practice with turn taking also took place as they waited for each other to go down the slide.

Continue for as long as they are interested. We eventually went back in and found some more friends that wanted to slide.

6. Animal Pull

Perfect activity for older infants or younger toddlers who are thrilled with their newly discovered walking abilities. Toddlers love pushing and pulling things. This activity provides them an additional opportunity for pulling something.

Simply tie a ribbon around the neck or middle of an animal. I used a darling collection of animals from an infant floor mat that went out of use when our little guys started moving. Most stuffed animals would work, although ones with four legs balance a little better.

The first time I brought these animals out I modeled “taking an animal for a walk.” My toddlers quickly imitated me and walked their animals back and forth, back and forth across our house. Super simple but my twins played with these endless for other a week.

read also: zoo animal activities for all ages

7. Toddler Yoga

Our toddlers’ first introduction to yoga was them imitating my movements alongside my mat on a typical morning and from there we have slowly built their skills. If you think your child would enjoy moving their body in a different way, feel free to introduce them to yoga independently of any workout you may do.

Here are some tips to start simple yoga with toddlers:

• Prepare a quiet space with mats or blankets to stand on. I cut a $10 yoga mat in half and it was the perfect size for each of my twins to have their own yoga space.
• Invite them to imitate simple poses such as Tree Pose or Downward Dog.
• Having a book to follow may help engage them further. One of our favorites is “Little Yoga: A Toddler’s First Book of Yoga” by Rebecca Whitford and Martina Selway.
• Try to have fun, follow their lead, and not worry to much about them getting it “right.”
• End by teaching them to say Namaste to each other.

8. Up and Down Obstacle Course

Toddlers will working on understanding the concepts of up and down, while they practice the gross motor skill of stepping up and down.

Set Up:
Position your boxes and stools around a room to create a course.

Activity:
Have your toddler line up behind you and demonstrate the course for them with energetic “up!” and “down!” as you go over the obstacles. From there encourage them to do it again and again.

9. Finding Circles

This is a toddler activity that combines shape recognition, flashlight play, and movement.

To Prepare:
Cut out some circles with Construction Paper
Tape them around your classroom or home at varying heights and spaces.
Consider positional words when placing (up, down, under, above, etc)
Gather Flashlights – one for each child

Activity:
Invite your child to go on a Circle Hunt with you. Give each child a flashlight and ask if they can shine their light on a circle. You may have to model this the first couple of times. Use language to describe where they find the circles and/or what color circle. For example, “you found a blue one above your head” or “that circle is next to the light switch” Soon you will have kids animated and running all over crying out “I found a circle!”

10. Toddler Tennis

This is an activity for you to do at the park with your child(ren) which was inspired by some amazing toddler teachers I worked with at UMCDC. To be fair, this only very loosely represents tennis, but it is a great movement and social skills activity.

Bring a couple of large bouncy balls (soccer or other balls work too) with you to a nearby tennis court.
Show your toddler how to bounce or throw the ball over the net. Encourage them to stand on the other side and bounce it back to you. Encourage them further to bounce the ball over the net to a peer if you have other children along.

Our goal was to encourage social interaction, build gross motor skills, and have fun. There were no rules or expectations beyond that. Have fun, move around, and be silly together.

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