Five fun, cheap activities to do with your child

Fun activities Lend and Learn Families are doing with items already in their homes

#1 Clothes Washing Station!

Mom Leah and 2-year-old Josephine set up a clothes washing station in their laundry room to demonstrate an activity from the nature kit they received from Lend & Learn!

What You Need:

  • Doll clothes or play clothes
  • Tub of soapy water
  • Tub of clear water
  • Clothesline & clothespins/ Dry rack

What You Do:

This activity can be done outdoors or indoors. Set out the tub of soapy water for your child to wash the clothes. Once washed, use the tub of clear water to rinse the clothes. Show your child how to ring out the clothes and then hang to dry on a drying rack or outside on a clothesline. Ask your child what they think will happen to the wet clothes. How will the clothes get dry?

This sensory-rich activity will help your child to notice and learn about the phenomenon of evaporation and the water cycle.

#2 Dry Erase Marker Temporary Tattoos!

Did you know drawings with dry erase markers can float? L&L parent Lili shares a fun activity that will amaze your child and spark curiosity!

What You Need:

  • Plate
  • Dry erase marker
  • Cup of water
  • Chopsticks (optional)

What You Do:

  1. With a dry erase marker, draw shapes on the upward slope of the plate and let dry.
  2. Pour water into the dish and be amazed at how your drawings begin to float!
  3. Carefully dip your hand on top of the drawing and let it attach to your skin like a tattoo! You can also experiment using chopsticks to pick up the floating tattoos.

#3 Yogurt Painting!

L&L family Lili, Itzy & Otoño share the perfect “snack-tivity” for you – yogurt painting!

What you need:

  • yogurt
  • food coloring
  • pretzels

What you do:

Have your little helpers mix yogurt and a couple drops of food coloring in each bowl. Paint with pretzel sticks!

A tip for littles: tape their paper to their high chair tray to keep it in place. It’s a safe, fun opportunity to allow them explore, paint, and nibble!

#4 Peel & Stick Toys!

L&L mom Danielle shares a fine motor activity she is working on with 2-year-old Cora! This activity builds your little one’s hand strength, focus, problem-solving skills, persistence, and coordination!

What you need:

  • tape
  • a hard surface
  • a toy that can be taped down, like a block. or magnatile

What you do:

Tape the toys to the surface and let your little one try to peel the tape up to get the toy!

#5 Rock Painting!

L&L mom Sammy set up a rock painting activity for her 22-month old McKenna. Here’s how they did it!

What you need

  • paint
  • brushes, cotton balls, or q-tips
  • cup of water
  • tarp for mess
  • rocks of varying sizes we found in the yard and trail
  • paper plate or construction paper to make color palette
  • clothes you don’t care get painted on.

What You Do:   

They painted six medium sized rocks. Once they were all painted Sammy took a paint marker and wrote vegetable names to mark seeds in the garden, but you can put them around your landscaping for a splash of color and fun!