Fun Ideas for your toddler this summer

Zero to Three posted the following activities to try with your toddler this summer. Moving messy activities outside adds extra fun for your child and make for easier clean-up for you!
*Remember to always keep safety in mind and check with your pediatrician before introducing new foods to your child.

Birth to 12 Months: Fun With Fruit. Summer is the time when fruits and vegetables are freshest, sweetest, and available in a rainbow of colors. If your baby has begun eating solid foods, slice several different fruits and vegetables into bite-sized pieces (ask your health care provider before introducing new foods). Use the names of each food—strawberry, cucumber, tomato, raspberry, melon. Let your baby play with the food, touch it, and lick it. Maybe he will even taste it. Which does he like the best?

12 to 24 Months:How Does Your Garden Grow? Plant some seeds that grow in summer, such as sunflower seeds, in a patch of dirt outside or in a pot to keep inside. This is a fun project for toddlers who love to shovel, pour water, and get messy! At the same time they’re building fine motor skills (as they use their fingers and hands) and learning important science concepts as they watch their plants grow. Have a garden snack when your plant has grown big enough to “harvest.”

24 to 36 Months:Time for a Taste Test. Organize a “taste test” with your toddler as your lay slices of various fruits and/or vegetables out on a plate. (Once again, consult with your child’s health care provider if she has a history of food allergies.) Choose some fruits and vegetables that are familiar to your child and others that are new. Let your child explore the foods in whatever way she likes. She may try some, touch some, and avoid some. Talk about the names of each one, how they look, and how they taste. What fruits and vegetables are your child’s favorites? Which doesn’t she like? If you’d like, create a little “tasting passport” by drawing a picture of each of the foods you have offered on an index card. Punch holes in the cards and tie them together with yarn. Your child can put stickers on the card for each food she tries.