Tot School For an Almost 2 Year Old

I know what you're thinking - '2 is too little to be thinking about school!' and you would be correct! The toddler years are for exploring, vocabulary building, fun. So while this is true, it doesn't mean you can't have some fun, focused play time where you focus on vocabulary building, motor and practical skills. As many of you know, I am pregnant right now, and will give birth right before school starts, so let me reassure you, we will be doing simple easy-to-do activities and crafts. There may also be days (or weeks) where I simply am overwhelmed with what I need to do that I simply bring out chunky puzzles, finger paint, or building blocks. Those things, while maybe not in 'theme' will still help instill the motor skills she needs to succeed!

Just like I did for Little Man, when he started preschool, I started out by jotting down some goals for Baby Girl.

• fine and gross motor skill building
• ability to sort by like colors
• increased vocabulary
• learn skills for independence (learning to dress herself, get things for herself, etc. )

These are simple skills that can be applied to almost any theme, and that's where the fun begins! Here are my themes for the year. I am doing 2 weeks per theme, so that if something comes up, shes just not feeling the activity, or anything else that might happen, we can still have extra days for that theme. 

September

Farm Animals

Colors

October

Zoo

Pumpkins

November

Fall (leaves, harvest, Thanksgiving)

December

Christmas

January

Body Parts and Getting Dressed

Fairy tales and dress up

February

Hearts/Love

Grocery Store

March

Rainbows

Weather

April

Bugs

Gardening

May:

Ocean and beach 

Next Week I'll be sharing activities to go with each theme, and supplies that I always keep at the house, as well as things I plan to add to this year!

If you are planning out your own tot school for your toddler, remember that each kid is different and go at their own pace. I try to keep the goals as simple as possible. Learning her colors and shapes will hopefully be a result as we do these activities, but I don't want to feel defeated if she doesn't have them all down. There's plenty of time in preschool for that, or even tot school 2.0! Next year I plan to do another year of tot school, but perhaps with some more advanced goals in mind. Do you have a toddler you would like to do some 'school' with? You can follow me on Pinterest, where I'll be adding activities throughout the year!