Unlock Your Best Week Yet: Toddler Fun, Tasty Meals & Mom's Must-Haves!

Featured Activity: Rainbow Color Scavenger Hunt

Perfect for toddlers of all ages, and families with children ranging in age. Combine physical activity with color learning and recognition. This can also be adapted indoors or outdoors depending on the weather.

1. Introduction with a Song and Puzzle: Sing A Rainbow to teach the order of the rainbow colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple (indigo), and pink (violet). Use this printable to make a rainbow as you sing the rainbow song.

2. Scavenger Hunt: Begin the hunt by searching for items of a specific color from the rainbow. Start with red items, and once you've collected those, move on to the next color in the rainbow sequence.

   • Indoors: If you're inside, make it a fun, physical activity by searching in different areas and levels of your home (e.g., climbing stairs, looking under furniture).

   • Outdoors: When weather permits, take the scavenger hunt outside for added exploration and discovery.

3. Color Focus: To make it easier for younger children, focus on one color at a time. This repetition helps them learn and recognize each color more effectively.

4. Learning and Sorting: Once items of a specific color are collected, have your child (or an older sibling) arrange them into an arch shape to mimic a rainbow. Discuss the different shades of each color and their names as you go along.

5. Extended Play: The activity can continue as long as interest lasts. Sing the rainbow song multiple times to reinforce learning, and let children explore and arrange their finds.

Developmental Benefits:

• Cognitive Development: Enhances color recognition and sequencing skills.

• Physical activity encourages movement and exploration, improving gross motor skills.

• Language Skills: Repeating color names helps with language development and vocabulary building.

• Creativity and Bonding: Involving all family members, including older siblings, fosters teamwork and creativity.

Tip: Tailor the scavenger hunt to fit your space and your children's ages. For very young toddlers, simplifying the activity to just one or two colors might be more appropriate.

A Week of Activities

Sensory Exploration 

Nests and Caves: Sensory Play

Materials Needed: Egg cartons, scissors, small toy animals, green construction paper (or any preferred sensory bin filler)

Create miniature nests for birds or caves for bears using egg cartons. Simply separate the cartons into individual sections and incorporate them into a sensory bin. Add small toy animals and choose a filler for the bin, like shredded green construction paper, to enhance the sensory experience.

Movement

Toddler Yoga

Materials needed: printable yoga bingo card, yoga mat

A playful blend of simple yoga poses and bingo fun is designed to enhance toddlers' flexibility and focus. Through easy yoga poses, toddlers mark off their bingo squares, promoting physical development and mindfulness in an engaging, game-like format.

Nature Exploration + Art

Nature Print Making

Materials needed: nature items (leaves, flowers, small sticks), washable paint, paper (for printing), painting area setup (newspapers or a plastic tablecloth to protect surfaces)

Start by gathering nature items like leaves, flowers, and small sticks during a short outdoor adventure, ensuring they're thin enough to be pressed flat. Back indoors, set up a painting area and have your children cover the nature finds in washable paint before pressing them onto paper, creating vibrant nature prints that showcase the intricate details of each item. This hands-on activity connects children with nature and sparks creativity across all ages, making it a perfect family craft.

Science Exploration

Grow a Rainbow

Materials needed: paper towels, washable markers, scissors, two glasses, water

Create a growing rainbow on paper towels by folding a paper towel in half and trimming off a third. Next, color both ends with washable markers to form rainbow blocks, ensuring alignment. Finally, dip the colored ends into water-filled glasses to observe the colors travel up the paper towel, creating a magical rainbow effect as the dye moves and merges beautifully in the middle.

Skip the Meal Planning Headache

Mom Style Picks

Navigating the balance between fashionable and toddler-chase-ready attire can be tricky. Every week, I'm bringing you curated selections that elevate your wardrobe, emphasizing the crucial element of comfort. These choices guarantee you're equipped for any daily surprises.

Toddler Toy Find

If you’re struggling to get your little one to sit still during story time - check out these poke-a-dot books! I got one this week, and my toddler has pulled it out every day since it arrived, sat down, and focused … on a book!

Take a Moment for Yourself.

Wash your sheets today. Take a hot bath, wash (and blow dry) your hair before bed tonight to help you start the week feeling fresh 🙌🏻

Listen to this playlist when you need motivation to go on your hot mom walk or get your workout in.

Article Suggestions:

🌸 The Every Mom’s Spring Capsule Wardrobe

🐣 Easter Basket Gift Ideas

🧼 21 Cleaning Hacks for Busy Moms

What to read, listen to, and watch:

📚I am currently reading Throne of Glass. I am a little late to the party, but I have read all of the other series by Sarah J. Maas and loved them!

🎧 Listen to this podcast: Tantrums, Meltdowns, and Other Intense Outbursts: My #1 Secret for Staying Calm

➡️ I watched the new Mean Girls movie with a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream on Friday night, and let me tell you, it was everything I needed after a long week. It’s free to stream on Paramount Plus right now!