The Everything Toddler Activities Book: Over 400 games and projects to entertain and educate

by Joni Levine

You play with your toddler, but is she learning?
You teach your toddler, but is he having fun?

Now you can play and teach your toddler at the same time with this book. Written by an experienced child-care expert, this informative and fun guide shows you how to stimulate your child's development with age-appropriate, enjoyable, and educational activities such

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Childrens

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2006

Reviews

[Marjanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty much a just collection of activity ideas for toddlers with some parental philosophy thrown in. There are some that I am excited to try, but I was actually surprised that there wasn't more that I was interested in. I do like all the recipes to make your own playdough/paints/etc.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very similar to her "365 Toddler Activities that Inspire Creativity: Games, Projects, and Pastimes That Encourage a Child's Learning and Imagination"; same issues with formatting.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were several fun ideas in here... but there were quite a few that were far too complicated and would take too much preparation for the attention span of a toddler. I did appreciate the recommended ages and duration for each activity. It would have been nice if there was an estimated preparation time category as well. I could have skimmed through a lot more of the ideas. It's a good read if you are looking for new games, crafts and experiences to teach your toddler.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book is FULL of really great activities to engage toddlers, I really wish there were photos! It's just A LOT of text.

That being said, the book does a good job of separating activities out by age, type of activity/what is being learned, and whether it can be done in a group or one-on-one with a caregiver. I wouldn't mind owning this book.

[Valerie Wyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may end up buying this book so I can reference it from time to time. I liked how it was laid out and it reminded me of some songs that I can sing to the kids.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting so many wonderful activities! There's some for inside, outside, the zoo, even some holiday and party games. Highly recommend!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice resource. Some of the ideas are very simple and obvious-seeming (throw balls of socks into a laundry basket to teach hand-eye coordination) and they almost make you want to roll your eyes, but they still got me to think and remember: Sometimes it's the simple and obvious-seeming that is the best for young kids, not fancy, whizzing gadgets or overly complicated crafts. Quality time and creativity are important for toddlers and their parents. So yeah, I've thrown some balls into a basket with my toddler and felt pretty good about it. We've also done science projects (celery stalks sitting in cups of water mixed with food coloring) and art projects (then waterpainting with the same stalks of celery), and in general, it's reinvigorated me to how I approach play/learning time with my daughter. Probably a lot of these ideas can now be seen on Pinterest posted by crafty moms, but I like having all of the ideas in one book, opening to a page, and just deciding to do whatever we come across.

[Jaclyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book may be good for someone who hasn't worked with children before or for a playschool teacher or daycare worker looking for new ideas. For me, however, the activities that are good for my son are already common knowledge (ie: I Spy, Follow the Leader, etc); and the other activites are better suited for groups. Some activities are so cheesy that my two year old would wrinkle his nose.

I did get one great idea for his sandbox, though, so it wasn't a complete loss! There may be one great idea in there for someone else, too.

[mrsrou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good little ideas in here, some are very simple and things we do all the time, others were simple but we just hadn't thought of or some we had forgotten about it over time.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several books of this type and this is my favorite by far. Most of the items required for the activities are things I already have on hand. Most of the activities require very little preparation time -- which is great since you don't want to spend 30 minutes preparing an activity for a toddler whose attention span is only 10 - 15 minutes tops. The variety of activities is wonderful. My kids have loved almost all of the activities I have introduced to them from this book.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book very helpful keeping a toddler occupied, happy, and doing productive things while also caring for a newborn.

[Meaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful to keep Owen busy. We did a few activities, and this one seems to bridge the two to three year gap better than other "toddler" books I've read recently.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had LOTS of good toddler activity ideas.

[Jackie Nawrot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a 2yo, 3yo and 7yo and this book is full of awesome activities no matter where you are. I now have a nice quiet peaceful house.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ideas about what to do with toddlers.