Practical Skills
Practical Skills Sub Categories
Fun with Corn on the Cob
Make dinner and introduce your toddler to cooking with this fun activity.
What you Need for this Toddler Activity…
* Corn on the cob (still in the husk)
* A pan
* A basting brush
* Melted butter
How you Do It…
- Start off by visiting this excellent website: How to Boil Corn on the Cob This site has wonderful pictures for each step of the process.
- Show your toddler the corn (still in the husk) and then show the picture of the corn on the website.
- Have your assist you with husking the corn and, again, show them the picture on the website.
- They can help you fill the pot with water, but then have them watch from a safe distance as you bring the water to a boil, pop in the corn, and then pull out the corn with tongs.
- As the corn cools, prepare a bowl of melted butter, a basting brush, and a plate to put the buttered corn.
- When the corn is cool enough for a toddler to handle, put them to work “painting” on the butter.
- Enjoy!
Tips…
* Please use your best judgment with this activity. Don’t let your toddler touch the stove or the hot corn or the boiling water. “Painting” on the butter can get a little messy, so you might want to use an apron on your toddler and use any other measures you wish to contain the mess.
Related Posts:
Teach your Toddler How to Talk on the Phone
Like many toddlers, my little boy loves phones. Unfortunately, toy phones no longer cut it. He knows they are fake. Obviously, I couldn’t just give him a real phone because he did not know how to use it properly. So, I decided it was high time to teach my toddler the basics of how to talk on a real phone.
The first step was to teach him what to do when the phone rang in a normal situation. (I didn’t want him to just start answering the phone, willy nilly.) I used my cell phone to call the home phone. When it rang, I asked him to bring it to me. No big deal. He felt involved and now my toddler has a “job” when the phone rings.
Then, I called the phone and told him that he could answer it. I guided him through the process. First, you press the “talk” button. Then, you hold it up to your ear and say, “hello”. The big challenge here was keeping him from pressing any other buttons. This was a milestone in itself. I alternated a couple of times between letting him answer it and having him bring it to me.
Finally, I called the phone, told him he could answer it, and stepped into another room so that we could “talk”. It was great! My little boy is not a big talker, but he jabbered up a storm. We had a wonderful conversation. He got his phone fix and worked on his language skills at the same time.
Now, we do this fun activity whenever I want to get my toddler talking.
Incoming search terms:
Related Posts:
Toddler Cooking Activity – Pretend and Real
For Edison’s 2nd birthday, we went to a used children’s store and bought him a play kitchen and a bag of plastic food. He knew what to do with most of the food. He boiled the peas, put the pizza in the oven, etc.
But, when it came to the fake syrup and waffles, he stuck them in a drawer with the cooking utensils. Aside from a few times when we eased his teething with pieces of frozen waffles, he really didn’t have much experience with them.
So, we gathered up his plastic waffles, pretend syrup, fake pat of butter, and a plate. Then, he helped me get the real versions of each item. As I toasted the frozen waffles, put them on a plate, drizzled them with syrup, and topped them with a pat of butter; he followed along with his plastic food.
It actually ended up being a lot of fun and we were able to make lunch at the same time. Plus, now he knows what to do with those weird square plastic things that Mom keeps referring to as waffles.
Incoming search terms:
Related Posts:
Riding Toy Car Wash
Enjoy water play and teach your child how to clean with this toddler activity.
What you Need for this Toddler Activity…
* A water-safe riding toy
* A bucket with soapy water
* Sponges, rags, etc.
How you Do It…
Get your toddler started by demonstrating how to wash the riding toy. Point out mud or other spots that need to be cleaned. Then, let your toddler at it!
Tips…
* As always, use your best judgment. Do this activity outside and make sure your toddler is dressed in clothing that can get wet.
