5 favorite toddler activities

Truth be told I am LOVING the toddler stage- Lucy's brain is developing and growing by the second and her creativity is EXPLODING! We want to do whatever we can to introduce her to interesting and creative learning activities that are fun. While we do all kinds of cool stuff around here, I've put together a list of our current TOP 5 TODDLER ACTIVITIES.

1. HOMEMADE LIGHT BOX: Grab a clear plastic box, fill it with Christmas lights, turn out the lights and instantly you have a light box. All three of us are having so much fun playing with it! We use it for sorting games (colorful beads and anything translucent), playing and learning shapes (jar lids, bracelets, cookie cutters, magnet letters), a place for drawing and painting and Lucy's favorite- using all my jewelry to create shapes. For some reason a light box makes everything more fun!

2. PAINT WITH OBJECTS AND THINGS: As you know we do a lot of painting and while Lucy loves creating with a brush, I like to mix it up so she can really have the opportunity to experiment with all kinds objects and things. We collect stuff around the house- rolling pins, kitchen utensils, old food box, cardboard rolls and pretty much anything that can be dipped in paint. Then we let her go to town painting with different things. This process is really fun for artists of any age because there is a lot of "creative excitement" when you get to use unconventional tools! Her favorites are sweet potatoes, a whisk and a fork.

3. WINDOW CRAYONS: I actually purchased a set of window crayons for myself to use in a  lesson in my latest online class but when I brought them home, Lucy went wild for them. There is something so satisfying about drawing on things that are normally off limits! We let her draw on the mirror doors in her room and much to my surprise her favorite part of the process is cleaning the crayon off the surface.

4. SPIN ART: I'm obsessed with spin art- it is such a fun process for artists of all ages! Recently I purchased a little Melissa and Doug spinner for Lucy to play with (or you can make your own from a salad spinner). We've had so much fun making spin art together and to be honest I have to control myself when Lucy is creating because I get WAY too excited and want to take over! We have been creating and experimenting with our little spinner and I've got some fun ideas that I will be sharing in the coming weeks.

5. BEACH DOODLES: If you follow me on Instagram you will know that we spend a lot of time at the beach and often we will end the day doodling in the sand with sticks. This activity is a family favorite and something we all have fun with in our own way! While I am doodling flowers, Lucy draws lines around my flowers, Andy draws waves and Gam Gam and "G" (my parents- the grandparents) even get involved drawing funny faces, castles and shapes to jump in and out of. The best part is that you don't have to live at the beach- grab and stick and find some dirt and and get creative!