Daycare activities for every age.
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• Language & literacy
• Social-emotional

You need: Unbreakable baby mirror, Blanket

1. Lay the baby on their tummy on the blanket with the mirror propped at eye level.
2. Name what they see — “There’s your nose!” — then pause and answer any sounds they make.
3. Stop when they fuss. A few short sessions beat one long one.

!Tummy time only while awake and watched. Back to sleep for naps.

• Sensory

You need: Black-and-white picture cards

1. Hold a card 8–12 inches from the baby’s face.
2. Move it slowly side to side so their eyes follow.
3. Swap cards when they look away — that’s their signal they’re done.

• Sensory
• Gross motor

You need: Large fabric squares in different textures, Painter’s tape

1. Tape the squares to the floor in a short path.
2. Sit at the far end and encourage the baby to crawl across.
3. Name each texture as they touch it: soft, bumpy, smooth.

!Tape every edge down so nothing can be pulled up and mouthed.

• Language & literacy
• Social-emotional

You need: Lightweight scarf, A favorite toy

1. Cover your face with the scarf and ask “Where’s Ms. Ana?” — then reveal.
2. Let the baby pull the scarf off you.
3. Hide a toy under the scarf and let them find it.

!Put the scarf away afterward. Never leave fabric with a sleeping baby.

• Sensory
• Music & movement

You need: Small plastic bottles, Rice or dried beans (sealed inside), Strong glue and tape

1. Fill each bottle with a different filler and glue and tape the lid shut.
2. Shake one, then hand it over and copy whatever the baby does.
3. Shake fast, then slow, and say the words as you go.

!Glue and tape every lid, and check each bottle for cracks before use.

• Language & literacy

You need: Nothing at all — no materials needed

1. At snack time, say “more?” while tapping your fingertips together.
2. Pause and wait — give the baby a moment to respond.
3. Celebrate any attempt: a sound, a look or a hand movement.

• Sensory

You need: Sealed water play mat

1. Place the mat in front of the baby during tummy time.
2. Tap the mat so the floating pieces move.
3. Talk about the colors and shapes they reach for.

!Check the mat for leaks before every use.

• Gross motor
• Social-emotional

You need: Large soft ball

1. Sit facing the baby and roll the ball gently to them.
2. Cheer when it reaches them, then help them push it back.
3. For crawlers, roll it just out of reach so they chase it.

• Language & literacy

You need: Board books

1. Hold the baby in your lap with the book in front of you both.
2. Point to each picture and name it.
3. Let them turn the thick pages and chew-test the book — that’s normal.

• Language & literacy
• Science & nature

You need: Buggy or stroller

1. Stop at a tree, a bird or a flower and talk about it.
2. Listen together and name the sounds: a car, a bird, the wind.
3. Let older infants touch a leaf while you hold it.

!Keep leaves and petals out of mouths.

• Fine motor
• Math & counting

You need: Large stacking cups

1. Stack three cups into a tower while the baby watches.
2. Let them knock it down and cheer.
3. Count “one, two, three” every time you rebuild.

• Sensory

You need: Bubble solution (adult only)

1. Blow bubbles slowly above the baby’s line of sight.
2. Say “pop!” when one bursts.
3. Watch where their eyes go and follow their interest.

!Only an adult holds the bubble solution. Blow away from faces.

• Fine motor

You need: Empty container with a slot cut in the lid, Large plastic jar lids

1. Show the toddler how a lid fits through the slot.
2. Hand them lids one at a time to post.
3. Open the box together and tip them out to start again.

!Every item must be too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube.

• Fine motor

You need: Painter’s tape, Large toy animals, Tray

1. Tape the animals to the tray with strips of tape.
2. Tell the story: “The animals are stuck — can you rescue them?”
3. Let them peel the tape. Fold a tab on each end to make it easier.

!Every item must be too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube.

• Music & movement
• Social-emotional

You need: Music player

1. Play music and dance together.
2. Stop the music — everyone freezes.
3. Change the move each round: stomp, tiptoe, spin, wiggle.

• Gross motor

You need: Soft balls, Laundry basket

1. Set the basket a few steps away.
2. Show how to drop, roll or throw a ball in.
3. Move the basket farther once they get the hang of it.

• Fine motor
• Art & making

You need: Clear contact paper, Tape, Tissue-paper squares, Large fabric scraps

1. Tape contact paper to the wall at toddler height, sticky side out.
2. Put the squares in a tray beside it.
3. Let them press pieces on, pull them off and try again.

!Use large pieces only, and stay close so paper isn’t eaten.

• Language & literacy

You need: Animal picture book or puppets

1. Show each animal and make its sound.
2. Pause and let the toddler make the sound.
3. Ask “Where’s the cow?” and let them point.

• Sensory
• Math & counting

You need: Water table or tub, Cups, scoops and funnels

1. Fill the tub a few inches deep.
2. Show how to pour from a big cup into a small one.
3. Use words like full, empty, more and less.

!Never leave children at water, even shallow water. Empty it as soon as you finish.

• Math & counting

You need: Three colored bowls, Large blocks in the same colors

1. Put one block in each bowl to show the idea.
2. Hand the toddler a block and ask “Where does red go?”
3. Name the color every time, right or wrong.

!Every item must be too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube.

• Social-emotional

You need: Unbreakable mirror

1. Sit in front of the mirror together.
2. Make a happy face and say “happy”. Then sad, surprised, sleepy.
3. Let them copy you and name the face they make.

• Gross motor
• Music & movement

You need: Lightweight scarves

1. Give each child a scarf and toss yours up high.
2. Catch it slowly — scarves fall slowly, so it’s easy.
3. Add music and toss on the beat.

!Put scarves away afterward. Never at nap time.

• Sensory
• Science & nature

You need: Basket, Pine cones, Large leaves, Fist-sized smooth stones

1. Put the basket out and let children explore.
2. Name each thing: rough, smooth, heavy, light.
3. Ask “Where did we find this?” to connect it to outside.

!Every item must be too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube. Wash hands afterward.

• Language & literacy
• Math & counting

You need: Nothing at all — no materials needed

1. Sing a counting song like “Five Little Ducks”.
2. Hold up fingers for each number.
3. Let children count down with you as the ducks “leave”.

• Fine motor
• Art & making

You need: Chunky sidewalk chalk

1. Mark out an area of the playground for drawing.
2. Draw big circles and lines alongside the children.
3. Talk about what they make — ask, don’t guess.

!Use chunky chalk for under-3s, not thin sticks.

• Gross motor

You need: Floor cushions, Play tunnel, Low step

1. Lay out cushions, the tunnel and the step in a loop.
2. Go first and show the way: over, through, up and down.
3. Cheer each child round the loop.

!Keep the course on soft flooring and away from furniture edges.

• Language & literacy
• Math & counting

You need: Colored card squares

1. Hold up a colored card.
2. Ask the children to find something in the room that matches.
3. Gather the finds together and name them.

• Sensory
• Fine motor

You need: Playdough, Rolling pins, Cookie cutters

1. Give each child a ball of dough.
2. Show how to squish, roll a snake and press a cutter.
3. Ask what they are making and write their answer down.

!Homemade dough is very salty — watch that it isn’t eaten. Check for wheat allergies.

• Art & making
• Science & nature

You need: Buckets of water, Large paintbrushes

1. Give each child a brush and a bucket.
2. Paint the fence, wall or sidewalk with water.
3. Watch the “paint” disappear and talk about where it went.

!Supervise buckets of water at all times.

• Math & counting

You need: Paper circle, square and triangle

1. Show one shape and trace it with your finger.
2. Hunt the room for that shape: a clock, a window, a block.
3. Do the next shape tomorrow.

• Language & literacy
• Math & counting

You need: Pairs of picture cards

1. Lay four pairs face up.
2. Pick one card and ask the child to find its partner.
3. Turn them face down once face-up matching is easy.

• Science & nature

You need: Tub of water, Large objects that sink or float, Two trays

1. Hold up an object and ask “Will it sink or float?”
2. Drop it in and see.
3. Sort the results onto a “sink” tray and a “float” tray.

!Every item must be too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube. Never leave children at water.

• Language & literacy
• Social-emotional

You need: Hand puppets

1. Use a puppet to tell a short story about a feeling — like being scared of the dark.
2. Ask the children how the puppet feels.
3. Let them suggest what the puppet could do next.

• Gross motor

You need: Hoops, Cones or cushions, Play tunnel

1. Set up four stations: jump in the hoop, weave the cones, crawl the tunnel, balance on a line.
2. Walk it once together.
3. Let each child go, and cheer them through.

• Social-emotional

You need: Feelings chart with faces

1. At the start of the day, show the chart.
2. Each child points to how they feel.
3. Name it back: “You feel tired today. Thank you for telling me.”

• Fine motor

You need: Large stickers, Paper with thick drawn lines

1. Draw a few thick straight and wavy lines.
2. Show how to peel a sticker and press it on the line.
3. Let them fill each line with stickers.

!Use large stickers for under-3s and keep them off mouths.

• Art & making
• Social-emotional

You need: Large cardboard boxes, Crayons, Tape

1. Open up a big box and cut a door (adult only).
2. Let children decorate it with crayons.
3. Play “house” or “shop” in it together.

!Adults do all cutting. Check for staples.

• Sensory
• Social-emotional

You need: Plastic dolls, Tub of soapy water, Washcloths, Towels

1. Set out the dolls, tub and cloths.
2. Show how to gently wash and dry a doll.
3. Talk about caring for others: gentle hands, warm towel.

!Never leave children at water. Use mild, tear-free soap.

• Music & movement

You need: Shakers, Drums, Bells

1. Hand out instruments.
2. March around the room playing loud, then quiet.
3. Stop and start on your signal.

• Language & literacy

You need: Letter cards, Books and labels around the room

1. Show today’s letter and say its sound.
2. Hunt for the letter on books, labels and names.
3. Count how many you found together.

• Sensory
• Math & counting

You need: Dyed rice, Scoops and cups, Bin

1. Set the bin on a sheet for easy clean-up.
2. Let children scoop, pour and fill.
3. Ask “Which cup holds more?”

!Ages 3 and up only. Watch that rice stays out of mouths, ears and noses.

• Art & making
• Science & nature

You need: Leaves, Paper, Peeled crayons

1. Collect a few leaves together.
2. Put a leaf under the paper and rub with the side of a crayon.
3. Compare the vein patterns.

• Language & literacy
• Science & nature

You need: Picture checklist, Bags

1. Give each pair a picture list: a leaf, a stick, something yellow.
2. Explore the playground together.
3. Share finds back at circle time.

!Look, don’t taste. Wash hands afterward.

• Math & counting

You need: Cups, Counters, Number cards 1–10

1. Give each child a cup and a number card.
2. They count that many counters into the cup.
3. Swap cards and count again.

!Counters are for 3 and up only.

• Science & nature

You need: Clear cups, Soil, Bean or sunflower seeds, Water

1. Fill a cup with soil and push in two seeds.
2. Water a little and put it in a sunny spot.
3. Check every day and draw what changes.

!Use common bean or sunflower seeds. Wash hands after handling soil.

• Fine motor

You need: Child-safe scissors, Paper strips with lines drawn on

1. Show how to hold the scissors: thumb on top.
2. Snip along the short lines first.
3. Move on to longer and wavy lines.

!Child-safe scissors only, and seated at a table.

• Language & literacy

You need: 3–4 picture cards from a familiar story

1. Read a short story together.
2. Mix up the picture cards.
3. Ask “What happened first? Next? Last?” and put them in order.

• Fine motor
• Math & counting

You need: Large tube pasta (painted), Yarn with taped ends

1. Show a simple pattern: red, blue, red, blue.
2. Let children thread the pasta to copy it.
3. Ask what comes next before they add each piece.

!Check for wheat allergies. Tie off and cut necklaces short — no long loops.

• Gross motor
• Social-emotional

You need: Nothing at all — no materials needed

1. Stand in a circle and explain the rule.
2. Give simple moves: “Simon says touch your toes.”
3. Let children take turns being Simon.

• Language & literacy
• Science & nature

You need: Weather chart with pictures

1. Look out the window together.
2. Ask “What’s the weather today?” and choose the picture.
3. Talk about what to wear outside.

• Fine motor
• Math & counting

You need: Wooden blocks

1. Challenge pairs to build the tallest tower they can.
2. Count the blocks in each tower.
3. Ask what made the tallest one stand up.

• Language & literacy
• Social-emotional

You need: Nothing at all — no materials needed

1. Sit in a circle.
2. Each child says one kind thing about the friend next to them.
3. Help with words if someone gets stuck.

• Art & making
• Science & nature

You need: Sidewalk chalk, A sunny morning

1. Children take turns standing still while a friend traces their shadow.
2. Write each name inside the shadow.
3. Come back after lunch — where did the shadow go?

• Language & literacy

You need: Soft ball

1. Say a word and toss the ball.
2. The catcher says a word that rhymes.
3. Silly made-up rhymes count too.

• Sensory
• Science & nature

You need: Large toys frozen in a tray of ice, Droppers or cups of warm water, Spoons

1. Set out the ice tray on a towel.
2. Children drip warm water to melt the toys free.
3. Ask “What makes the ice melt faster?”

!Use large toys only. Warm, not hot, water.

• Fine motor
• Language & literacy

You need: Paper with each name in dotted letters, Crayons

1. Write each child’s name in large dotted letters.
2. Show how to trace from top to bottom.
3. Point to each letter and say its name together.

• Math & counting

You need: Paper footprints, Tape

1. Ask “How long is the rug?”
2. Lay paper footprints heel to toe across it.
3. Count the feet, then try the table and the door.

• Gross motor
• Social-emotional

You need: Nothing at all — no materials needed

1. Call out an animal and show the pose: cat stretch, frog squat, tall giraffe.
2. Hold each pose for three slow breaths.
3. Finish lying still like a sleepy bear.

• Social-emotional

You need: Nothing at all — no materials needed

1. Whisper a feeling to one child: happy, grumpy, surprised.
2. They act it out without words.
3. Everyone guesses, then talks about a time they felt that way.