Rainy Day Play

Before I get into things to do with a toddler on a rainy day I wanted to show you this simple toy that the little guy loves.

It's the bottom of a milk carton with holes punched in the side so a string can be attached. I decorated it with duct tape (one of the best inventions ever!) so it would look a little less milky. The idea actually came from a friend who makes these with her hoikuen (daycare) kids. She encourages the kids to put their little treasures in the box instead of in their pockets. An especially great idea when at the park!

Of course you need to supervise carefully when a toddler is wearing this because of the string. You also might need to keep an eye on you cell phone because it might get picked up as a treasure!

Here are my two no-fail fallbacks for indoor rainy day activities:

Legos

Blocks

The little guy actually took the lego picture himself. He's very intent on learning to use the digital camera.

Legos in our house only come out on special occasions. It is hard to keep track of all the pieces if they are always out. Plus, that is something magical about *special* toys that makes them more interesting. I love that legos work both the fine motor skills and the imagination.
Blocks of all kinds - especially wooden ones - are great.

Pictured here is our new set of nesting blocks. I had hoped to get the Montessori pink ones but when I found these on sale for about $7 on the Japanese amazon I just couldn't pass them up!

I'm not much for the busy design but the little guy had great fun going through all the pictures and naming objects and characters that he recognized. He's picking up on the difference between letters and numbers. We even went from 1-10 tracing the numbers on each box. Next time we play with them I hope to introduce tracing the alphabet. Maybe he can learn a few letters besides A, B and W!