Hey mamas, sisters, and friends! Today, I wanted to share some things I’ve been creating for Eva, our just-turned two year old. Even though she’s only two, we’ve been diving into learning our ABC’s, numbers, days of the week, and seasons. I’m the type of mama who’s all about learning and teaching them young–probably because of my educator background. If you aren’t familiar, I taught middle school Language Arts for five years before having both of my girls. Here are some posts on All Things Education on the blog:
- Here’s a post on Middle School Language Arts Resources (on my Teachers Pay Teachers page)
- Read my experiences as a Former Charter School and Public School Teacher
- Check out Why We’re Planning to Homeschool
1. Flashcards and ABC printable
So with teaching rooted in my nature as a mama, I wanted to create cute (and minimal looking) alphabet cards to hang up around our playroom. We have these awesome flashcards I bought off Amazon that are great for learning the alphabet, animals, food, and miscellaneous things–but I can’t hang them up. They’re also too bright with the primary colors for the space I wanted to create. They are the Skillmatics Thick Flash Cards Combo for Toddlers (affiliate link). I love using these as a learning activity through out the week to teach Eva new words and go through the alphabet too. However, I wanted something simple and minimal to hang up around the room. Check out my Alphabet Cards [Minimalist B&W] here for a free PDF download. Print them off, cut them out, hole punch, string, and hang up. You could even laminate them and use them as your own flashcards to thumb through with your toddler or preschooler.
2. More printables (numbers, days of the week, seasons)
After I created the alphabet cards, I figured why not create some other basic topics my toddler should start learning. Numbers (obviously) go along with the alphabet…but I also threw in days of the week and seasons. I’ve hung up all three of these printables! The numbers and seasons printable are in the playroom with the alphabet cards, and then I decided to put the days of the week printable on our fridge. My intention is to have Eva move a magnet from day to day as we talk about what day of the week it is. You can download the Preschool Printables: Numbers, Days, + Seasons here.
3. LeapFrog Learning Laptop
Continuing along with the learning, I wanted to add in this great (and affordable!) learning resource we got Eva for her birthday. I try to keep toys like this minimal–but it’s hard to refute how helpful these tools can be! She loves getting on her ‘laptop’ to learn letters and numbers. There’s messages, games, and music too! This is the LeapFrog 2-in-1 Leap Touch if you want to check out another fun and engaging activity to have for your toddler or preschooler (affiliate link).
4. Stamps and painting
An arts and crafts activity, such as stamps and painting, are great ways to engage your toddlers and preschoolers. I love looking up craft ideas on Pinterest to get some inspiration with it. I bought this Wooden Stamp Set (affiliate link) and started using it with Eva a couple months ago. The stamp sizes fit her hands well even though the product says its for 4+. I’d highly recommend trying out stamps with your little ones! It’s a creative craft that will grow with your kids over the years. Along with stamps, we use these Stationary Dot Markers (affiliate link) to do dot paintings. Now these are awesome! She gets to ‘paint’ and I get to be at ease knowing the mess will be minimal. Again, this is an item that we will use time and time again over the years (until the colors run out!)
Alright mamas, thanks for checking out all that I had to share on education for our littles! And remember, it’s never too early to start teaching your children. What a blessing to be able to pour into them and help their minds learn and grow.
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