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20 Best Learning Activities for Toddlers to Get Them Ready for Kindergarten

Have fun with letters, numbers, and shapes using these educational activities for toddlers.

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learning activities for toddlers
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Just because your toddler isn't in elementary school yet, it doesn't mean their path to learning hasn't started. Encourage them to experiment with the concepts behind math, reading, science — even engineering and social studies — with these fun, at-home learning activities for toddlers and preschoolers, most of which can be done with items that you've pulled from around the house (which makes them easy to enjoy any time there's an unexpected rainy day and you need some fun indoor activities for the kids). Pretty soon, they'll be counting, reciting their letters, and sorting their toys by color or shape. After that ... the world is theirs!

A word of caution though: Even though toddlers and preschoolers seem so big compared to the babies they once were, they still have no common sense at all, so any activity still has to be closely supervised. This is especially true for counting activities or projects that involve small pieces, which may present choking hazards, or anything involving water, which could be a drowning risk (even if it's just a small bucket of water). But with you guiding them through, they'll love these projects so much, the'll forget all about those buzzing, blinking toys in the toy bin.

Clothespin Color Match

color match learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
Chalk Academy

Not only does this activity help toddlers shore up their knowledge of colors, it works on their fine motor coordination, since they have to pinch, pull, and place the clothespins.

Get the tutorial at Chalk Academy »

RELATED: 20 Learning Activities for Kids to Entertain Students While Boosting Their Brains

Paper Building Blocks

paper building blocks learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
Babble Dabble Do

Paper can't be as strong as a wooden block — can it? For this engineering activity, you can show kids how even a flexible material like paper can become sturdy enough to hold up a weight (like a couple of Oreos!) if you shape it a certain way.

Get the tutorial at Babble Dabble Do »

Water Walking Experiment

five cups with different colored liquid in them are connected by paper towel bridges as part of this at home science experiment for kids
Fun Learning for Kids

A super-easy way to bring a bit of the science lab home, the "water walking" experiment illuminates two concepts: First, the water "walks" over the paper towel bridges (demonstrating capillarity), and then the colors mix to make new ones (the yellow water and the blue water "walk" into the same cup to make green). All you need is cups, food coloring, and paper towels.

Get the tutorial at Fun Learning for Kids »

RELATED: 23 Easy Science Experiments for Kids You Can Do at Home With Everyday Items

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Number Pom Pom Challenge

cardboard tube number maze learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
Raising Dragons

Another activity that uses hand-eye coordination as well as number recognition, this cardboard tube maze is an exciting challenge for little counters. The object is to tilt the box so that the pom pom rolls through the tubes in number order.

Get the tutorial at Raising Dragons »

Shape Scavenger Hunt

shape scavenger hunt for kids
The Many Little Joys

Sure, your tot can recognize shapes in block form, but can they find the same shapes out in the wild? Send them on a scavenger hunt to see how shapes are used in everyday life.

Get the tutorial at The Many Little Joys »

RELATED: 22 Fun Scavenger Hunt Ideas to Keep Your Kids Guessing

Adding Boxes

adding tubes learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
The Best Ideas for Kids

What's 2 + 4? This simple machine will help kids figure it out. Put two poms in one tube, four in the other, and count the total in the box at the end.

Get the tutorial at The Best Ideas for Kids »

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Word Family Houses

word family houses learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
The Measured Mom

For preschoolers who are learning to read, "word families" show how one group of sounds can form different words. Spin the wheel to show how the "-un" word ending can turn from "run" into "fun" or "bun."

Get the tutorial at The Measured Mom »

RELATED: The 20 Best Toddler Activities

Muffin Tin Counting

muffin tin counting learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
Early Learning Ideas

Muffin tins are perfect for sorting and counting activities, because the whole point is keeping all the pieces neat and tidy. In addition to sorting by number, you can also use them to match colors if you line the tins with different shades of construction paper instead of the numbered circles.

Get the tutorial at Early Learning Ideas »

Craft Stick Names

craft stick names learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
Play-to-Learn Preschool

Teach them to spell the most important words ever: their names. This easy matching activity lets kids practice the order of the letters in their names; if you don't have craft sticks on-hand, clothespins would also work.

Get the tutorial at Play-to-Learn Preschool »

RELATED: 20 Fun Activities for 1-Year-Olds You Can Make With Items You Already Have

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Sink or Float

sink or float  learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
Stay-at-Home Mom Survival Guide

It's an introduction to the Scientific Method: Kids can make a hypothesis about whether or not an object will sink or float in a tub of water, test out their theories, and record their results.

Get the tutorial at the Stay-at-Home Mom Survival Guide »

Feed the Monster

feed the monster learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
Happy Tot Shelf

The monster is hungry! But what does he want to eat? Move the strip of paper below him to reveal his lettery cravings, then have your tot find a block to match.

Get the tutorial at Happy Tot Shelf »

Missing Number Match

missing numbers learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
Planning Playtime

If they're counting from 1 to 10, give them a little challenge: Write a number line on a craft stick, but leave a blank space that needs to be filled by one of the numbered clothespins. Once they've mastered the matching game, move on and do 10–20!

Get the tutorial at Planning Playtime »

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Felt Board Shapes

a felt board plays host to diy colorforms
Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home

Remember Colorforms? Felt shapes can offer the same kind of pleasure, and kids can combine and re-combine the shapes to make different pictures. It's a learning activity and wall art in one.

Get the tutorial at Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home »

Rhyming Dominoes

rhyming domino learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
No Time for Flashcards

Traditional dominoes are good for practicing numbers, but with a few tweaks you can also make the game a way to practice rhymes, too. For kids who can't read yet, you can use pictures instead of words and still match up word sounds.

Get the tutorial at No Time for Flash Cards »

Counting Carrots

counting carrots learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
Housing a Forest

Part-craft, part-counting practice, this activity gives kids a chance to put the correct number of sprouts on top of a construction-paper carrot. The geometry of this craft is so simple, too, you can also use it as a shape refresher for triangle and rectangles.

Get the tutorial at Housing a Forest »

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Shape Match Game

shape match learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
Days With Grey

A twist on the classic memory game: Instead of flipping over cards, kids can make matches by pulling craft sticks out of an old egg carton. The great thing about this game is that it's so easy to pack up, it's the perfect activity to bring to Grandma's house.

Get the tutorial at Days With Grey »

"Bear Hunt" Map

bear hunt map learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
Buggy and Buddy

Plot out the route that the characters take in the We're Going on a Bear Hunt book (or song), and teach kids how certain geographical features (water, landmarks) are represented by certain symbols on a map. If they're excited by maps, show them how to make one of their rooms, their backyard, or even their neighborhood.

Get the tutorial at Buggy and Buddy »

DIY Musical Instruments

diy instruments learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
Team Cartwright

It's easy to make different percussive instruments out out household items. Experiment to see how different fillers (beans, rice, pebbles) make different sounds, then try using them in different rhythms to sharpen those counting skills, too.

Get the tutorial at Team Cartwright »

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Monster Craft

love monster learning activity for toddlers and preschoolers
Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds

This craft ties in multiple subject areas: After reading the book Love Monster, kids can design and create their own creatures, then count the number of eyes, teeth, ears, and feet.

Get the tutorial at Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds »

Tape Shape Sorting

fun toddler activities   shape matching
Toddler Approved

Combine shape sorting with a scavenger hunt, and use painter's tape to make different outlines all over the house. Then, kids have to take their construction-paper shapes and search high and low to find a match.

Get the tutorial at Toddler Approved »

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