Printable activities have been a staple in my home since long before my now-3-year-old entered the preschool stage. As a toddler, she loved coloring, cutting and folding printable activities, and they significantly helped her development. If you're looking for fun, simple, educational activities for toddlers, here are a few of the best websites offering printable, age-appropriate sheets.
1. DLTK Crafts offers dozens of crafts and printable worksheets.
DLTK Crafts is owned an operated by a woman named Leanne, a mom of two girls. She has been running the site for 13 years and regards it as "a terrific hobby." Looking at the website, you would never know that it was run by just one mother. Its diverse array of educational activities makes it look far more like a quality resource for preschool teachers than a side hobby. Available toddler-friendly worksheets include shapes, colors, letters, numbers, animals, and cutting sheets. Check out DLTK's printable activities for toddlers here.
2. Hundreds of coloring pages are available at First School.
These educational worksheets for toddlers and preschoolers cover dozens of important topics, from dental health to Olympic games. These can help to introduce new vocabulary words to toddlers, and they are simple enough for even 2-year-olds to comprehend. Try giving your child one or two coloring pages per day to keep an influx of new words and concepts in his daily life. First School is completely free and easy to use.
3. Early math activities are abundant at PBS Kids.
PBS Kids offers math activities appropriate for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. These simple coloring pages and worksheets truly grow with your toddler -- starting with simple coloring, then moving to number identification, simple counting, and pattern recognition. These all require parental involvement to be truly worthwhile, but they do pay off if you're willing to invest your time and energy into success. Check out PBS Kids' website here.
4. Family Education has school-quality printables for toddlers.
Family Education's toddler printables are virtually unlimited, with hundreds available to choose from. These grow with your child well into the elementary school years, and you can tailor them to your child's interests and developmental level. Choose from insect identification, health, skill builders, games, charts, and forms. Although Family Education does require an e-mail address for you to print their activities, I have never received spam from the company, even after printing toddler activities from them on a regular basis. Visit Family Education for some of the best printable activities on the web.