Best Tips and Tricks for Homeschooling with Toddlers
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My best tips and tricks for homeschooling with toddlers.
Let’s face it, homeschooling with toddlers is hard. The little ones are always investigating, learning, and into trouble if left unsupervised for any length of time.
Toddlers unroll the toilet paper. They pull out every can in the kitchen. They take books off the shelf. They’ll even take a bite of a book to see how it tastes!
So just how are we suppose to homeschool with a toddler underfoot? I went on a hunt around the web to find the best tips and tricks for homeschooling with toddlers.
Homeschooling with Toddlers
These are activities designed to give toddlers or preschoolers something to investigate while you work with an older child nearby. I enjoyed putting my toddler at the table next to me playing. This allowed me to keep a sharp eye on my toddler while I homeschooled my older child.
Busy Bags:
Busy Bags are activity bags you put together for toddlers. You can slip one or two into your purse when you head out the door. They’re also handy when you need a toddler busy while you work with an older kid.
- $1 and Under Busy Bags
- 7 Busy Bags for Busy Toddlers
- Busy Bags: Pizza, Pizza
- How Do I Teach With So Many Kids? – {Busy Bags}
- Fine Motor Skills with Crazy Straws
- Counting Caterpillar Busy Bag (Printable Numbers 1-10)
- No Mess Busy Bag Ideas for 2-Year-Olds
- Pom Poms Play – Busy Activities for Toddlers
- Busy Bag Idea: Pool Noodle Stringing
Playdough
Playdough is another wonderful activity for toddlers. In addition to the regular colored playdough you purchase at the store, you can create scented playdough or brightly colored playdough.
Don’t stick to the usual playdough tools either. Give your child rocks, trucks, dinosaurs, fairies, dolls, pine cones, or branches. Entire worlds can be created when you’re homeschooling with toddlers!
- Lavender Playdough Recipe
- How to Make Crayon Play Dough Recipe
- Best Ever No-Cook Play Dough Recipe
- Tinkerbell Playdough
- Dinosaur Play Dough
- Toddler Talk: Picasso’s Play Dough
- Marshmallow Play Dough (Edible)
- Yummy Nutella Play Dough (Edible)
- Pudding Cup Play Dough (Edible)
Sensory Play:
Sensory Play is a great method of introducing toddlers to various textures. Some are soft and hard, others squishy, and yet others are cold. Toddlers are kept busy investigating.
- Acorn Sensory Bin
- Teaching Soft vs Hard Using Food
- Edible Sand
- Jello Ice Play
- How to Make Cloud Dough Recipe
- 5 Messy Sensory Bins for Babies and Toddlers
- Cool Whip Sensory Activities for Toddlers
- Fizzy Cloud Dough Experiment (Taste Safe)
- Edible Sensory Paint (Finger Paint)
- 20 No Mess Sensory Activities
Fine Motor Play:
Fine Motor Play is a type of activity designed to build fine motor skills in toddlers and preschoolers. The kids have fun and never realize, or care, that they’re building the strength and skills they’ll need in a couple of years.
- Fine Motor Skills – DIY Cutting Station
- Fine Motor Play with Colorful Cups and Water
- Dinosaur Lacing Cards
- Fizzy Ice: Science Activity for Kids
- Fine Motor Workout Foam Sensory Bin
- 5 Easy Ways to Introduce Scissor Skills for Toddlers
- Fine Motor Rainbow Ball Game
- Fine Motor Play with Tissue Paper
- Fine Motor Play from Recyclables
Just for fun:
These are fun activities or recipes I ran across that look fun!
Round-Ups:
These are various link-ups of great ideas for homeschooling with toddlers. They tend not to give the directions, but rather link you up with more ideas for keeping your toddlers busy.
- 12 great tips to keep toddlers busy while homeschooling
- How do I Keep My Preschooler Busy?
- Keeping Preschoolers Busy while We Homeschool
- What Can a 2 Year Old Do while We’re Homeschooling?
- 100 Sensory Play Activities
- 15 Indoor Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers
- The Ultimate Guide to Preschool Busy Bags
- Taming the Toddler
More Ideas:
Thank you so much for including me in your roundup!!
My pleasure! 🙂
What a fun-filled list of go-to ideas!
Thanks, Cait! 🙂
Thanks for adding my dino lacing cards
My pleasure, Monique!
Thank you for this list of activities – they would be helpful to any parent with toddlers. Keeping toddlers occupied and learning always takes planning!
And if you don’t plan to keep the toddlers occupied, they’ll find ways to occupy themselves! Those ways usually involve a large mess, lol. 🙂
What a great collection of toddler oriented activities!
Thanks, Alison!
What a great resource! I’ll be pinning and coming back to this as I attempt to coral my toddler while homeschooling my 3 older ones;) linking up with you at #shinebloghop
Thanks, Rebekah! 🙂
What a great list. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Amy! 🙂
What a fantastic list of activities for toddlers! I remember how exhausting those days were…
Thanks, Susan! The toddler years are exhausting and wonderful at the same time, aren’t they? 🙂
I love all your great ideas! I would like to see your content on Top-Notch Tuesday Homeschool Link-Up Party.