Five DIY Activities Your Kids Will Love

Especially for the youngest members of your family, do-it-yourself projects can provide an opportunity to spend time together while developing motor skills and coordination. While some of these activities are best suited to the great outdoors, others can provide added help for managing rainy-day afternoons or evenings at home. Here are five of the most engaging DIY projects for you and your toddlers to enjoy, courtesy of the early childhood education experts at Discovery Point.

Building a Garden

Cultivating the soil and caring for growing plants is one of the most basic projects and can help toddlers learn more about nature in a hands-on way. Plastic trowels and watering cans can allow your younger children to participate in all phases of the preparation and planting process. At harvest time, the thrill of picking the fruits and vegetables can often translate into increased willingness to try new foods, allowing your toddlers to enjoy a wider variety in their daily diet.

Creating a Play Fort or Playhouse

A large box or packing crate can open up a world of imagination for your younger children. By cutting holes for doors and windows, you can create a temporary fort, playhouse or boat that can then be decorated and enhanced by your toddler or preschool child. Crayons, tempera or watercolor paints and glued-on buttons or stickers can turn a simple cardboard box into the perfect setting for a wide range of adventurous activities. Be sure to bring this project inside your garage or home at the end of the play session to allow its reuse over multiple days or weeks.

Building Plastic Bottle Rocket Packs

A few colorful streamers, a rubber band or two and some silver or gray tempera paint can transform soda bottles into rocket packs for a rousing scientific adventure. This is especially appropriate for children interested in space exploration and can spur a discussion regarding the principles of gravity, the history of flight and the basics of astronomy. This easy-to-construct project can spark a lifelong interest in science that can serve your child well in their later academic and career activities.

Discovering Found Art

One of the most intriguing developments in recent years is the increasing popularity of found art that incorporates items found in nature or discarded items to create unique perspectives on aspects of modern living. A trip to a nearby park can provide artistic inspiration for your child and can allow you the opportunity to discuss the potential for reusing and recycling items. This green-friendly approach can also increase interest in environmental responsibility for toddlers and children in the preschool environment. The creations resulting from this activity can be used as outdoor decorations for your yard, garden or deck area.

Soap Racers

Lengths of rain gutter from the hardware store can be connected in various configurations to create a track for soap bar racers. The addition of a toothpick or straw and a paper banner can turn almost any soap bar into a boat that can be sailed down the track on a steady flow of water. By using different configurations for the soap and the banners, your child can learn about the concepts of resistance and friction at an early age.

At Discovery Point, we specialize in providing your child with age-appropriate enrichment experiences to jump-start curiosity, creativity and achievement at an early age. By entrusting your infant, toddler or school-aged student to us, you can be sure that your child receives the best educational opportunities in a safe and caring environment.