Tot School Ideas

At the start of the new year, we introduced Luke to "Tot School" here at home. Since we are living with intention and all, Luke becoming a child genius ranks high on the list ;) But honestly, I don't want to stifle his creativity with a 42" TV and a remote, so it was time to get in gear with a daily structured, educational playtime. 

Here is our ever-growing Tot School activity list:

• Do-A-Dot Letters. Each week we highlight a letter of the alphabet and keep all of the cutouts and activities surrounding that letter on the wall underneath our counter where Luke can see it at his level. The Do-A-Dot activity is good for his motor skills and letter recognition. I bought my Do-A-Dot markers at Michael's, but you can also get them on Amazon.

• Alphabet Sticker Game. All you need is a booklet of alphabet stickers (Target $1 bins to the rescue!) and this print out.

• Magnet Board Alphabet. Luke got one of those nifty art easels for his birthday, which is complete with a magnetic alphabet. We've made a game of picking a letter out of a basket, reciting the letter and letting him stick it up on the board. Seems tedious, but Luke loves it and thinks it is an awesome game.

• Flashcards. Thanks again to the Target $1 bin, we go through alphabet flash cards, learning both the upper and lower case letter and an animal that starts with that letter. That card then goes up on the weekly letter showcase under the counter.

• Sensory Bag. This one is fun because you simply take a paper bag and fill it with all sorts of objects that have a different texture, shape, and size. You can also fill it with items that start with the letter you are working on for the week. For example, our "A" bag would have an apple, airplane, acorn, apricot, arrow (a safe play one), etc.

• EZPaints. I was just barely introduced to these and love them. Like the name suggests, they are easy in every regard. They come in little bottles that resemble a fingernail polish bottle, but they are engineered so they don't spill. Since they are small, your little ones can hold on to the bottle themselves, and it is good for their motor skills with dipping the brush in and out of the bottle. They come with darling little paint cards as well, should your kiddo want to paint a specific item as well as free paint. In my opinion painting is so great for expanding the imagination and flexing those creative muscles.

I know there are loads and loads of other Tot School ideas out there, and I would love to hear what yours are if you do a Tot School type of thing with your kids! This list of ours needs to grow. 

In celebration of all things Tot School and learning, we have partnered up with EZPaint to give away 3 sets of EZPaints for your own Tot School adventures (or whatever you call it). One winner will receive a set of 16 EZPaints, second prize will receive a set of 8 EZPaints, and third prize will receive a set of 5 EZPaints. They come in a beautiful array of colors, which include neons and metallics dependent on the package you get, and they are also an extremely affordable price point. 

I truly, honestly stand behind this product when I say you need these for your little people. I mentioned a lot of good things about them above, but also wanted to state this business is run by a mother herself (and you know how I feel about female-run, small business!), they are non-toxic, washable and good for traveling, too. Basically you are in the clear should your child decide to eat the paint, use your gorgeous white walls as a canvas, or smear it all over their face. Our kitchen table is white and after a vigorous paint sesh from Luke has ended it looks as if our EZPaints have exploded in a tragic battle. However, in one fell swoop of the washcloth it is clean as ever. 

Bottom line, these paints rule and you have three chances to win! Enter the giveaway in the widget below! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is sponsored by EZPaints. Thanks for supporting our sponsors!