Tot School Tuesdays: Using Trays

We've always used trays in our tot school activities! When Zeke was around 16 months old, we began tot school. I would have one activity per day for him to explore and I always presented these activities on trays. There are several reasons I think using trays is helpful for toddlers and preschoolers.

Presentation

I know you think your child is just a toddler so why would they care about presentation? Trust me - it matters! When Zeke would wake up to a beautiful tray full of an inviting activity, he was more excited to sit and engage with that activity. Interesting presentations always grabbed his attention and spurred on his creativity. 

The first tray I used was from the Dollar General that I purchased for around $5.00. It worked so well that I purchased another! I have also bought some from Amazon and repurposed Melissa and Doug wooden trays from our toys. Some of the Melissa and Doug trays make really great sorting and classifying trays with their different compartments! I've also picked up some plastic trays meant for chips and dip from the Dollar Tree that we have used for sorting.

Containment 

Besides an aesthetic element, the tray does have a helpful purpose. It keeps the activity (mostly) contained to the tray. Instead of being spread all over a table or the floor or both, your child will likely keep all of the pieces inside the tray. When Zeke began using his tot trays, one thing I taught him was that the activity needed to stay on the tray. It didn't take long for him to understand, even though he was a year and half old. This really cut down on the mess and made it easy to put everything back when we were finished.

Availability

Having the activity contained on a tray allows me to leave the activity out for most of the day. Zeke will usually come back to an activity several times a day. When he is finished playing, the pieces to the activity are still on the tray so I can leave it on a table or move it to his shelf. He knows he is able to go back to the activity to play some more whenever he wants to. I don't feel the need to clean up the activity because it's on one tray and I don't have to worry about leaving a mess just so he can repeat an activity at his leisure. 

As we have moved more from tot school into a modified preschool, I still find the trays helpful. I love setting up tray activities for him to do and he loves having the activities on the trays. I usually put several trays on a shelf for him now as opposed to the one tray a day he did when he was younger. I feel like learning how to use a tot tray when he was younger has really helped prepare him for a shelf of activities now that he's a bit older. He knows he is allowed one tray at a time and that he must make sure all of the parts go back on the tray if he takes them off before placing the tray back on the shelf.

Tot trays are so much fun to set up and so helpful for keeping your toddler busy. Do you use tot trays with your child?

Tot School Tuesday - Sorting

It's Tot School Tuesday, and today I'll be talking about sorting activities. These are some of the first activities I introduced to Zeke when he was around 18 months old, and he still enjoys them at 3 years old!

WHAT IS SORTING? 

Sorting is classifying objects based on their attributes. The most common categories of sorting for toddlers and preschooler are sorting by color, shape, and size. 

WHY IS SORTING IMPORTANT?

When your child sorts they are actually working on beginning math skills. Learning to sort objects is important because your child is comparing similarities and differences in the attributes of objects and grouping like objects together.  

This is also a great visual discrimination exercise! Visual discrimination skills are important skills to have when your child begins learning math and reading. It's important for your child to be able to decide which objects belong in sets. 

WHAT SHOULD MY CHILD SORT?

You can literally sort anything! Household objects are great for sorting activities because it brings real-life into play. Sorting laundry, utensils, or canned goods are all easy ways to work on this skill.

I'm also going to list some ideas for each of the three top sorting categories I mentioned above - color, shape, and size.

SORTING BY COLOR

I provided an empty popsicle mold and craft sticks for Zeke to sort.

This is the first sorting activity Zeke did, and I introduced two colors at a time for him to sort. It did take a few tries before he understood what to do, but it wasn't long before he was sorting the six main colors.

Zeke sorted buttons onto these colored pumpkins available in my Etsy shop.

A few ideas for sorting by color:

• counting bears
• linking cubes
• crayons or markers
• pom-poms
• craft sticks
• toy cars
• buttons

I always provided the same-colored bowls or cups for Zeke to sort items into. You could also use colored paper, felt, or foam for sorting mats. Once they master sorting by color, you can provide a sectioned tray for your child to use.

Zeke sorted bugs into colored paper cups.

SORTING BY SIZE

This is an activity I introduced to Zeke once he was 2 years old. Sorting by size takes a little more critical thinking, but it's a great early math activity! I started out with two sizes - big and small. Now Zeke sorts three or more sizes at a time. This is also a great opportunity to learn some vocabulary - small, medium, large.

Zeke sorted dinosaurs by large and small.

A few ideas for sorting by size:

• plastic animals
• pom-poms
• craft sticks
• rocks
• buttons
• fruit 
• blocks

I usually provide a sectioned tray for Zeke to sort by size. I always put one small object in one section and one large object in another. He could usually figure out what to do without any direction from me.

I used this dividing tray for sorting buttons into three sizes.

SORTING BY SHAPE

We didn't start sorting by shape until Zeke was 2 1/2 years old. I did the same thing that I did with colors - I started with two shapes and gradually added more. This is how Zeke learned all of his shape names.

Contact paper and magformers made a fun activity!

A few ideas for sorting shapes:

• Magformer Magnetic blocks (triangle, square, hexagon)
• buttons 
• legos (rectangle, square)
• foam stickers
• felt pieces cut into shapes
• pattern blocks
• plastic gems
• pieces from a shape-sorter

I made this sorting box from an old box and buttons.

Remember to start out with just two or three categories so your child doesn't get overwhelmed. You can eventually add in more and it will be a fun challenge. Zeke can now sort things by type, like coins or different types of animals. What's the neatest thing your child has sorted?

Tot School Tuesdays - Transferring Objects

Tot School Tuesday is when I share tips and ideas for tot school. Zeke is 3 years old so technically he is still considered a toddler. We do some preschool work as well. Today I'm going to talk about transferring and why it's an important skill.

Transferring is exactly what it sounds like - it's transferring objects from one container to another. We have done this is many different ways. There is no right or wrong way to practice this skill!

Transferring is important because it helps build the fine motor muscles in your child's hand needed to do harder tasks later on - cutting with scissors, writing with a pencil, and buttoning their own clothes. It's also an easy way to practice crossing the midline (which is also exactly what it sounds like - crossing from one side of the body to the other).

An invitation for Zeke to transfer plastic bugs with tongs onto bottle caps

You can introduce transferring activities to your child as young as a year old. Zeke began transferring objects with his hands at about that age. The older they get, the bigger variety of transferring tools you can offer. Transferring tools can be as simple as a spoon or as complex as a pair of tweezers. You can find many great tools at your dollar store - mini tongs, large plastic serving spoons, kid's plastic tweezers, magnetic wands, and even salad servers. In fact you may have many of these at home!

Zeke (3) transferring cotton balls with tongs

Zeke (18 months) transferring cotton balls with a spoon

There are so many options for what your child can transfer, too! A few of the things we have transferred are:

• dried beans
• cotton balls
• pom poms
• water
• plastic animals
• glass beads
• wooden eggs
• rice
• rocks and pebbles
• beads
• buttons
• jingle bells
• plastic gems
• small pinecones

To introduce transferring to your toddler, simply gather two small containers, a transferring tool, and objects to transfer! If your child is new to this activity, be sure to begin with something easy. Cotton balls and a spoon work well for the first time. If they resort to using their hands, let them! You want your child to be comfortable with this activity before making it a bit challenging.

Zeke (2.5) transferring colored water with syringes

Even though Zeke has been transferring objects for about two years now, he still enjoys the activity and reaps benefits each time. I've watched him go from using his hands to learning how to manipulate a pair of tongs and move objects! We continue to transfer objects because it's continually building those fine motor muscles! 

Zeke (2) transferring rocks with a spoon

What objects has your toddler transferred?

Zeke's Tot School Curriculum for 2021-2022

 Zeke will be 3 in November, but he already loves tot school. He asks for it almost every day! I've been compiling a really fun, hands-on bundle of curriculum for him. He absolutely loves worksheets, and even though I think worksheets are unnecessary at his age, I try to find him plenty to keep him busy. I know as I'm trying to work with my older kids this fall, he is going to need engaging activities and worksheets to keep him focused. 

His main curriculum is going to be Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven. This is written for ages 2-5, and is mostly a Bible/letter of the week curriculum. There are very few worksheets, but lots of hands-on activities planned. We are going to use this as our starting off point each week. He will learn Bible stories and songs, letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. There are beginning math activities each week - super simple things like color sorting, counting, and patterns. I did make some worksheets for this curriculum, and they are listed under my Toddler Resources tab. Feel free to print them and use them. If you're interested in this curriculum, you can look at the first week for free! Each day has it's own page of plans. The plans are detailed which I really like.

I know this is not enough to keep Zeke busy. In fact, it will probably take us 15-30 minutes each day to complete the activities. I also purchased a huge bundle of Tubs and Trays activities from Teachers Pay Teachers. I printed quite a few worksheets that will go along with Zeke's letter, number, and color themes as well hands-on centers that I will use as tot trays or busy bags. I also printed some from different places that he will be able to use independently. 

I'm also creating lots of busy bags and busy boxes for him to use when I need some time with the older kids. I purchased another bundle of Center Mats which is a collection of pattern block cards, craft stick cards, pom pom cards, playdough cards, linking cube cards, and geoboard cards. These will be used as independent busy bags/boxes/trays.

I also purchased the Learning the Alphabet bundle from This Reading Mama.  She offers each letter for free, but I bought the expanded and update bundle and I'm so glad I did! There are quite a few worksheets and activities we will be using each week from that.

I organize Zeke's lessons weekly. I bought a banker's box and some hanging files. I labeled each file with the week and letter so I can easily see which folder to grab. All of the worksheets I've printed out, I have placed in the correct weekly file. I'm also going to be putting extra craft templates, fingerplays and songs, and other flat activities, including our Morning Board posters, that go along with each week's theme. This keeps things all in one place, easy to find, and difficult to forget. I'm planning ahead about five weeks at a time since the curriculum does 4 letters a week with a 5th week review week.

I also have a smaller file box that I'm keeping some of his hands-on activities organized in - letter and number wheels, playdough mats, and pattern block cards. This way I won't be always looking for the resource I need.

I also have a cube shelf with four large cubes that contain Zeke's other resources like pattern blocks, linking cubes, counters, puzzles, and other things like that. I actually need to go through it and purge a few things as well as organize a few things a bit better. My laminator stays on top because I use it all the time.

If you need some busy bag ideas, I have lots of busy bags in my Etsy shop! I'm also creating busy box digital files that you can use to make your own busy boxes. Zeke loves short and independent activities and I know I'll be depending on these quite a bit this school year - which is coming up so soon!

How do you organize your tot school resources?

Toddler School - How to Start

Toddlers are so much fun to homeschool! I have six kids, so I've been through toddler school five times already and going through it my sixth. Over the years, my toddler's school time has evolved and changed. I've learned so much about this age group that has given me more confidence in teaching toddlers.

I have an Instagram account (@toddler_school) where I share Zeke's daily toddler school activities. I've been doing this since he was 17 months old and he is now 2 years 6 months old. I get messages all the time asking me about starting toddler school - how? when? why?

Toddler school will look different for every child because every child is developmentally on their own levels. The great thing about homeschooling is that you can adjust and adapt every activity to your child's abilities. 

WHEN TO START TODDLER SCHOOL

Knowing when to start toddler school will depend mostly on your child and partly on you. The age I recommend starting toddler school is around 15-18 months old. At this age, toddlers generally don't put everything in their mouth, are starting to focus for a minute or two at a time, and really enjoy structured play. (Remember, every child is different. If your child hasn't reached these milestones yet, it's perfectly fine to wait a few months.)

HOW TO START TODDLER SCHOOL

I always suggest starting with a simple activity that you know your child can complete. If you present a challenging activity at first, your child will be frustrated and will not want to continue with it. Here are a three examples of simple activities for young toddlers:

Color Sorting - Start with a few items in only two colors - maybe three red pom poms and three blue pom poms. Provide colored cups or felt or paper to sort in/on. Once your child is comfortable sorting two colors, you can gradually add in more, one at a time.

Pom Pom Push - This is a great first toddler school activity! Simply provide your child with a "push container" (as I call them) and some pom poms. A push container can be anything with a small hole that pom poms will fit through (even an empty water bottle will work, but it's hard to get the pom poms back out!). Every toddler I know that has tried this activity has absolutely loved it. It's simple, it's fun, it's portable. 

Craft Stick Drop - Again, this is a really simple activity. Give your child craft sticks and a container with a hole that they can drop them into. These activities are great for fine motor skill development!

I also suggest doing toddler school around the same time each day, so your toddler knows when to expect it and what to expect. I started Zeke's toddler school early in the mornings, first thing. He came to expect a "tot tray" right when he woke up. He would even go to his empty tray sometimes and bring it to me to fill! 

Don't expect your toddler to spend thirty minutes on toddler school, either! When Zeke first started with his activities, he normally spent two to five minutes on them, depending on his interest level. Keep your expectations low and you will probably be pleasantly surprised! 

I also leave the activities out for most of the day, in an accessible place for Zeke. He would often go back to the activity several times and play on his own. This also fosters independent and self-directed play.

Finally, don't be disappointed if your child decides to do an activity differently than you had imagined or planned. Sometimes Zeke would change up the activity but it was still beneficial for him! If I let him do his activity his way, he would usually decided to do it "my" way as well.

WHY DO TODDLER SCHOOL

Some people wonder if toddler school is necessary. While I don't think it's necessary, I do think it's incredibly beneficial and gives your toddler a great start on their educational journey. 

I don't think it's necessary it's teach your toddler all of their alphabet, or how to read, or how to count money. All of that will come with time. Toddler school is all about exposure, experiences, and exercises. 

Exposure to new ideas - Experiences with new materials - Exercises for fine motor development

Spending a few minutes a day with your toddler focusing on new ideas sets the stage for preschool. It gives your toddler the knowledge that learning is fun and normal. It prepares them for absorbing bigger ideas and harder concepts. It also gives you special one on one time with your child, especially if you have multiple children. I homeschool my older children, so giving Zeke that undivided attention in the mornings fills his bucket and helps him get through the day. I also really enjoy that time we have. 

I do use a toddler curriculum with Zeke now (I wrote it; it's in my Etsy shop!), and it's a letter of the week curriculum. We are on week six, and he hasn't remembered any letters yet.  That's not my goal. My goal is to introduce him to the idea of letters and sounds, tracing, cutting and gluing, coloring, sorting. He loves the worksheets we do together, the books we read together, the crafts we make together. I don't worry if he can't even sing the entire alphabet song, can't count past ten, and doesn't know all of his shapes. He has great visual discrimination skills, great fine motor skills, great tracing skills, and a love of toddler school. I believe this is time well invested into him. 

Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some different ideas for toddler school based on the age groups - 12-18 months, 18-24 months, and 24-30 months. Subscribe to my blog so you don't miss any new posts! I'll also be including new and free printable resources with each post. 

I'm including some pom-pom shape cards today. Download, print, laminate, and use with pom poms or buttons. I have included six shapes in black and white and color. 

Leave me a comment telling me why toddler school is or isn't important to you!

Tot School Thursday - L is for Leaf

Zeke's theme last week for L is for Leaf. We didn't do very many tot trays this week, but he did lots of fun worksheets! I'm not going to post too many explanations of the worksheets below as they're all pretty self explanatory.

I found these foam leaf stickers of Amazon and knew we would use them this week. I had Zeke sort them by color and he did very well.

We also used the leaf stickers on his letter worksheets, on a blank tree, and on a counting worksheet. He also peeled the back off of each sticker for extra fine motor practice. He loves doing this!

As always, he had lots of fun worksheets. He cannot get enough of the worksheets!