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Simple Learning Activities for 2-3 Year Olds

by Deborah Shelton




Dress Up Mix Up
This is a fun memory game. First, dress up a doll or action figure. Ask your child to close her eyes, and then add or take away an article of clothing or an accessory. Change dresses; put hair in pigtails; add a hat; take away a scarf; etc. Ask her to tell you what is different. For even more fun, play again with Mom, or a sibling, as the doll.

Shape Box
Here is an educational use for plastic margarine containers, or whipped cream tubs. Cut shapes into the lid, such as a square, a circle, a triangle, etc. If the shapes are rough, cover the edges with electrical tape to prevent scratches. Find objects to fit into the holes, such as rounds balls, square blocks, etc. Make sure the objects are large enough so they won’t pose a choking hazard. Young children will enjoy this homemade shape sorter.

Groups Galore
Sorting and matching are skills that all young learners need. Set up a sorting station on your kitchen table. Fill a shoebox with colored plastic eggs, colored spools of thread, big and small spoons, and other items. Ask your child to groups the items according to kind, and then by color. Spread a mixture of Fruit Loops and Cheerios on the table and ask him to sort the cereals by color and type.

Hungry Bird
This super easy version of a homemade birdfeeder will delight young children. Thread a long piece of yarn through a cardboard tube. Lay the tube on waxed paper, and spread honey all over the tube. Sprinkle birdseed on the waxed paper, and let your child roll the tube in the birdseed until it is well coated. Tie the ends of the yarn together and hang the feeder on a low tree branch.

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