Introduce the concept of floatation along with animals and the sounds they make with these two science activities for toddlers! With these games for toddlers, little ones will practice motor skills, experiment with water, and more.
Let’s Make a Zoo
Materials:
- Old magazines or catalogs
- Piece of tagboard
- Glue
- Child-safe scissors
What to do:
- Talk with your child about animals found in a zoo.
- Invite the child to look through the magazines and catalogs to find pictures of animals that live in the zoo.
- Help him cut or tear out the animal pictures and then glue them to tagboard.
- When the collage is complete, display it in your home.
More to do:
Provide plastic animals for your child to play with. Ask her to produce the sounds she thinks the animals make.
Flotation Experiment
Materials:
- Water table or bucket
- An assortment of items, such as blocks, large corks, sponge balls, plastic lids, and sponges
What to do:
- Fill the water table or bucket with water.
- Explain the safety rules that go along with water play. Remind your child that the water stays in the bucket or water table.
- Put all of the objects nearby within the child’s reach.
- Ask them, “Which items float, and which sink?”
- Encourage them to experiment by putting different objects into the water. Observe and discuss the outcome. Ask your child which objects are heavier, which are lighter.
- Help your child use problem-solving techniques to guess which is heavier.
More to do:
Math: Use this basic activity to explain the notions of weight and displacement.
For more toddler lesson plans, check out our best-selling infant/toddler resource The Encyclopedia of Infant and Toddler Activities.
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