Toddler Chore Cards

       Here's a quick idea for you!  Last spring I made photo chore cards for my daughter, who was not even two at the time.  Chore cards.  HA!  Yeah, right.  Toddlers and chores are not two things that always mesh easily.  Still, children at this age love pictures of other kids and I thought, why not?  Here's what I came up with...

 

       I made a list of several "chores" that Claire takes care of each day:

1. brush teeth
2. wash hands & face
3. feed Cal (our dog... I know, I know, it's a cat in the photo - it was the best photo, though!)
4. pick up toys
5. help Mama clean
6. take a bath
7. brush hair
8. get pajamas
9. go to bed

       You get the idea.

 

       After I made my list, I just googled images to find different kids performing these tasks.  Then I printed, laminated, and voila!  We didn't (and still don't) do anything very structured with these cards, but the point of making them was just for Claire to start understanding some of the things she does throughout the day.  And she loves them!  Some days we lay out cards of things we are going to do next, but other times she just flips through them when she's playing.

 

       At some point I plan on making an updated set with some real chores.  There are countless clever ideas to get children involved in the care of their environment and themselves!  Though I still need to decide the exact direction I want to go next, I know that I definitely want to teach Claire that chores are really family contributions.  They're her way of helping out her family and taking care of her home, not just tasks we're throwing at her to annoy her.  Sooo... that should realistically eliminate any future arguments and whining over cleaning her room... forever... right?     

 

       

 

Free Fall Fun!

       Fall is my favorite season!  Largely due to a blessed hiatus from the summer-long mosquito war, which means I can once again enjoy being outdoors for extended lengths of time.  This fall has been especially enjoyable because of my daughter's age.  Two-and-a-half is such a fun time to interact with a little person!  I highly recommend finding one to borrow if you don't have your own.  (And allow me to stress - borrowing with permission, of course.) 

 

Fall Leaf Art

       On top of giggly trips to apple orchards or grabbing doughnuts at the farmer's market, we've done a couple of fun fall art projects.  This first one has been my favorite so far!  Tearing up fall leaves and gluing them onto paper.  I'm sure you've seen this on Pinterest, which is where I got the idea last year, but it's brilliant!  Here are the results from our first go...    

 

        This activity is great for several reasons:

1. Collecting leaves involves a fun, leisurely nature walk with your little one.
 
2. It's amazing how many kinds of leaves are in your yard or local park.
 
3. It's a good opportunity to practice using glue and use different materials in art.
 
4. The pictures turn out ADORABLE!
 
5. Because you likely have paper and glue at home, this is a free activity you can repeat again and again.

Claire and I have done this art project a couple of times and we both enjoy it.  We collect a stack of leaves and keep the torn pieces in a bowl, so we can use them over the next couple of days.

 



 

Painted Pumpkins 

        Another fall art activity we've done a couple of times is painting pumpkins.  This one is fun to do on playdates, too!  We painted these two after a princess tea party we had with a friend one afternoon.   

 

      
       I consider this activity free because I brought home about a dozen tiny pumpkins from my father-in-law's house for Claire and her friends to use this fall.  However, you can get these kinds of pumpkins for cheap at pumpkin patches or the grocery store. 

Hope your fall is turning out to be as blissful as ours is!  Enjoy the beautiful mosquito-free weather.