Freebie! Valentine Color Matching Activity for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Holidays are a great jumping-off point for adding in some fun activities to your child's day. Even better are super easy activities you can print for free!

I have an Etsy shop and a Teachers Pay Teachers store where I sell printable activities for toddlers up to kindergartners. Occasionally I share free resources, and I wanted to share a few Valentines-themed resources with you here! 

The first free resource I'm going to share is this Valentine Color Matching activity. You can use this as a busy binder page and add it to your child's busy binder, or you can just use it as a reusable matching activity. 

This activity focuses on the six main colors - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The conversation hearts are also a great way to discuss the shape. 

Simply print the pages and laminate them both. Cut out the hearts on the second page and add Velcro dots to both the first page and the cut-out hearts to make this activity reusable and extra durable. 

You don't even have to add the Velcro dots, but it makes it easier for the hearts to stay in place. Some toddlers will get frustrated if the hearts move around, so the Velcro dots can hold the hearts where they need to be. I've also found that kids love the sound and sensory aspect of pulling the Velcro dots apart!

Simply click on the link below to download for free! Follow my blog and subscribe to my emails (on the right side of the page) to be alerted to even more freebies.

>>> Click Here to Download the Valentine Color Matching Activity <<<

Free Father's Day Dot Marker Worksheets

 Are you looking for something cute and simple for your child to do for their daddy for Father's Day? Look no further! I have created six different Father's Day dot marker templates with the most adorable watercolor clip art and funny sayings! You can download your free Father's Day Dot Marker Worksheets by clicking HERE or visiting the Toddler Resources page (top of this page). Which one is your favorite? Let me know if you download these super fun worksheets!

Tot School Ideas Using Goldfish! Plus a FREEBIE!

What toddler doesn't like goldfish? Even my 15 year old son eats them! Today I'm going to share 5 ways to use goldfish crackers in your Tot School. I'm also offering a FREEBIE!

1.) GOLDFISH COLOR SORTING
This is pretty self-explanatory! You can use my Goldfish Color Sorting FREEBIE or you can just make piles. Help your child sort colored goldfish into four colors - yellow, orange, red, and green! Practice saying the color names while you do this. I also have a color graph you can use to graph the different colors.

2.) GOLDFISH PATTERNS
Use my Goldfish Pattern Cards with a bag of colored goldfish. I have AB, AAB, ABB, and ABC patterns in these cards! You could also just make patterns for your toddler to copy or finish!

3.) GOLDFISH COUNTING
You can use my Goldfish Counting Cards to work on counting from 1 - 10. The "baby" goldfish work best on these cards, but you can use regular size as well! You could always write the numbers on index cards and have your child count out the goldfish!

4.) GOLDFISH ADDING
Use my Goldfish Addition Cards to add goldfish. I kept it simple with only a few addition problems, such as 1 + 1 and 2+2. Teach the concept of adding by placing a goldfish on each fish in the fishbowl on the cards. Count the fish. You could also use three small bowls to illustrate the concept of addition.

5.) GOLDFISH SIZE SORTING
You will need two different kinds of Goldfish for this activity - the "baby" goldfish and the regular size. Give your child a small bowl with a mixture of mini and regular size goldfish. Show him how sort them on the mat or into two piles - small and large. Work on the concept as well as vocabulary of "small" and "big".

Click HERE to get your Goldfish Color Sorting Mat for free, and click HERE to buy the entire digital set for $1.50 from my Etsy shop or I'll mail you the physical set, already laminated and cut apart, for $10.00!

What are some ways you've used goldfish in your toddler school?

Tot School Ideas Using Pom-Poms! Plus a Freebie!

Zeke is 18 months old and loves doing Tot School - well, most days he does! Each month I'm going to post five Tot School Ideas using something easily found in your home (or easy to get). I'm also going to post a FREEBIE printable to use with your toddler.

This month we are playing with pom-poms! Pom-poms are perfect for Tot School because they're cheap, colorful, are easy for little hands to manipulate, and have a soft texture. You can use pom-poms for so many activities! I'm going to share Zeke's five favorite Tot School activities using pom-poms.

1.) POM-POM DROP
We did this several months ago and Zeke just loved it! It's definitely something we will repeat. I took an empty Gerber Puffs container and ripped off the plastic label. Then I cut an "X" into the lid. I folded the flap under a bit to make it easier for Zeke to drop the pom-poms into the container. This was great because he had to really push the pom-poms into the container, exercising his fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination. He would push them all in and then take off the lid, dump them out, and put them back in! He also liked putting them into the container with the lid off. You could use any container you have, but the Puff container was the perfect size. The lid was also pliable which is pretty necessary for this activity.

2.) POM-POM TRANSFER
This is an activity we do often because he really likes it. Simply put about ten pom-poms (or even cotton balls) into a bowl and provide your toddler another bowl and a spoon, tongs, or a clothespin (depending on their ability to manipulate with their fingers and hands). Your child can even use his hands, which Zeke does sometimes. Show your child how to transfer the pom-poms from one bowl into another. Zeke will sit with this for 10-20 minutes at a time, which is an eternity for a toddler!

Zeke was around 14 months old here. He used his hands to transfer large pom-poms and stayed occupied for around 10 minutes!

3.) POM-POM COLOR SORTING
You can use colored paper cut in half, colored bowls or cups, or anything else you have.  We used colored paper cups, and I used a few colors at a time. I set out a blue cup and a red cup and gave him three each of red and blue pom-poms. I showed him how to sort them by color. We kept using different color combinations and finally used all four cups and colors. This was a fun activity for him!

4.) POM-POM SHAPE OUTLINING
You can use this with any shape you are teaching your toddler. Just draw the shape onto a sheet of paper using a marker. Show your child how to place the pom-poms on the outline of the shape. It's okay if they can't get it totally straight! Repeat the shape name as your child places down the pom-poms. "Place that yellow pom-pom on the square! Good job!"

5.) POM-POM COUNTING
This is where the FREEBIE comes in today! Simply print these Pom-Pom Counting Cards, laminate, and cut apart. Your child can place the pom-poms on the circles on the cards. Show your toddler how to count, how to match colors, and even how to recognize the numbers. He doesn't have to match the colors every time; I just wanted it to be colorful and to have the option to color-match.

Also, check out my Tot School in a Box page, where I'll be offering 7-10 activities in a box that you can do with your toddler - seriously open and go!

What are some other ways you've used pom-poms in your Tot School? Leave a comment and I will feature your idea on my next Tot School post!