Monday, March 27, 2023
It’s Monday, everyone! Did you have a GRAND weekend?
We certainly hope so!
This joke above felt apropos when thinking about
this week’s topic…
Easter is such a fun season of the year to celebrate with our Littles…
Filled with the promise of spring and new life!!
💜
Did you notice that we said this week’s topic rather than today’s topic?
Yes, it’s true!
We had SOOOOOO much content to cover,
that we’ve created two blog posts, specifically on this topic!
And... we'll still be back on Thursday with ideas for
your Littles Easter baskets and a fun idea for a family egg hunt!
Today AND tomorrow, we will be sharing ideas
- our own and others we’ve gathered -
to salute the Easter season!
In TODAY’S post, Laura will offer ways to celebrate this theme
filled with pastel colors, Easter eggs and Easter bunnies
with our littlest Littles!
Then, TOMORROW, Laurie will share unique ways she’s celebrated Easter
With preschoolers and older children…
with her own Littles, with Sunday School classes and, of course, kindergartners
over the years!
At the end of tomorrow’s post, she’ll even have a special suggestion
For a fun way to celebrate with the Middles and other Grands in your life, too!
💜
If you will be spending any time with your Littles during the next few weeks -
caring for them during a school break,
during a visit to your home for a family celebration
or, perhaps you’ll be traveling to them to celebrate the season…
We’ve got you covered!
Scroll on!
This was our Little L last year at 3 1/2 months olds!
I’m not sure what she thought about it all,
but, we, of course, thought that she was (and continues to be)
the cutest little bunny we know!
At only a few months old last year,
Little L was beginning to track objects and reach for them
and she was enjoying some tummy time every day, too
Here are some activities that your littlest Littles will be able to enjoy!
💜 Make Egg Rattles out of a plastic egg! Add rice, dried beans, coins or buttons to different eggs to make different sounds! (NOTE: You will want to secure the two parts of the plastic eggs with a bit of super-glue)
💜 Make an Easter Sensory Bag for your littlest Littles! Put different kinds of paper shreds/Easter grass OR pastel water beads (that you’ve soaked overnight) in a Ziploc bag. Use packing tape to safely secure the bag(s)! When ready, let your Little listen to the different crinkling sounds made when touching the bag. Or, if your Little is old enough to hold up his/her head to enjoy tummy time, tape the bag to the floor (I use painter’s tape). He/she can then reach for the bag, while listening to the sounds and/or feeling the different textures through the bag(s)! If your Little is able to sit up, tape one bag at a time to his/her high chair… your Little will have fun touching and poking at the paper shreds or colorful beads!
💜 Have fun with a Wind-Up Easter Chick and watch your Little as the little chick jumps around in front of the two of you! You’ll find yourself winding up the toy… over and over again!
Check out this cute video on Instagram!
This year, our fifteen month old granddaughter is an active toddler! We’re headed to visit her soon, and here are a few of the Easter activities I’ve prepped for the trip… a collection of plastic Easter eggs and a few other staples are all I’ll need!
Plastic Eggs & Egg Cartons!
Easy peasy! This activity requires very little for me to prep ahead of time!! I’ve got a dozen plastic eggs and an empty egg carton all packed and ready to go! I can only imagine how intrigued Little L will be with the eggs, especially since she loves putting things in a container and taking them out! As an added idea, I’ll probably pack a few small things to put in the eggs (a rock, an eraser, pom poms… be mindful of size and safety). We can even play a few peek-a-boo games, too! What’s in the egg? 😀
Plastic Easter Egg Water Scooping!
This activity is a two-parter!
#1 This is the simpler version of this activity! I’ll add plastic egg halves to a bin partially filled with water. Little L will surely love picking up, scooping and pouring with the egg halves!
#2 This activity could be a bit messier, but for older toddlers (and your preschoolers and school-age Littles) this one will bring lots of joy! You’ll need plastic eggs, a variety of scoopers (ladles, slotted spoons, scoops and/or whisks), a large plastic bin and smaller ones and a large waterproof tablecloth. Lay down the tablecloth to contain the mess (or if the spring temps are warm enough,, move this activity outside). Put the big plastic bin on the tablecloth (do not put water in it). Add the smaller containers to the large bin and partially fill them with water. Add some water to the plastic eggs (whole eggs, this time) and add them to the smaller containers! Finally, add any scoopers you’ve collected!
I can hardly wait to see what Little L does with this set up!
We might even have to add a few plastic eggs to bath time, too!
Balancing the Easter Egg!
Since Little L seems to really enjoy discovering how things work, this activity looks like the perfect fit for her! I’ve been collecting empty toilet paper tubes, paper towel tubes and I even cut down a few empty gift wrapping tubes. I’ll bring these with us since they will easily fit in the car. I will model for Little L how to stand a cardboard tube up (on the floor for taller tubes) and balance a plastic Easter egg on top! I don’t think it will take her long to figure out how it works! I’ll be sure to let you know!
An Easter Egg Hunt!
It seems a bit silly to even mention this activity, since it’s incredibly simple. At the same time, I know Little L will absolutely love it! Since she has been walking for a few months now and is quickly growing in confidence, looking for hidden (empty!) Easter eggs, picking them up and carrying them to an empty basket will be the perfect spring activity… indoors or outdoors!
Once again, these few items will fit perfectly into my Gramma bag!
Get ready, Little L! Gramma’s on her way!
You know us… after all, we are retired Kindergarten teachers!
We’re always looking for activities to use in the future!
Here’s what we’ve found… lots of eggs-ceptional Easter fun
for you to enjoy… now or later with this fun age group!!
Feel free to tap on each link provided to learn more!
from The Many Little Joys
More ideas for Laura to do with Little L when we visit this week! Be sure to check these out!
from Toddler Approved
How fun does this look? You’ll need to round up a big cardboard box and a sturdy piece of cardboard (the website suggests a tri-fold display board). We’re guessing there’s hours of fun once this is all set!
from No Time for Flashcards
These activities offer lots of variety for you and your Littles, including crafts and learning activities!
from Messy Little Monster
Are you looking for classic Easter crafts to do with your Littles? If so, here they are!
We hope this post has been eggs-actly what you need
to enjoy Easter fun with your littlest Littles,
Those babies and toddlers are so darn cute, aren’t they???
Be sure to stop back TOMORROW when we’ll share Part 2 of our blog post,
An Easter Eggstravaganza!
Part Two:
Holiday Fun with Our Older Littles & Our Middles!
We’ll focus on
sharing fun ways to celebrate the season with
preschool aged and older Littles as well as their parents (our Middles)!
where we’ll share more of our Easter Eggstravaganza with you this week!
