Tot Explorations: Stamping On Target

Thank you to readers for encouraging this series of toddler activties! Planning a new Tot Explorations post each week is fun, because I’m on my toes trying to imagine what might be fun and engaging for my son (and your kids too!). Have you tried the Window Clings, Beach in a Box, or Matching Game yet?

This week, I decided to try a new activity with little stampers my son got from his aunt for his birthday. He loves stamping – my walls, floor, and other household objects are the proof! Typically, I just have him stamp plain or construction paper.

To mix up the fun, I created “worksheets” with different sized circles on them. I made three sizes: 3-inch, 2-inch, 1-inch. I started him with the set of 3-inch circles, and he easily stamped inside each one. He quickly figured out I wanted him to aim for the inside of the circle. I was delighted!

We moved to the 2-inch circles. I noticed he took a bit more concentration to aim for the inside of the circle, and I think he had more fun because this size circlewas more challenging. I tried the 1-inch circles. On this sheet, he started randomly stamping. It could be that he was tired of the activity, but also probably he needs more time to develop accuracy with the smaller circles.

My 20-month-old definitely was attracted to this new activity. I’ll be printing out more sheets (I used the backs of printouts I was going to recycle) to use another day. This stamping on target activity is builds motor skills and eye-hand coordination! If you’d like to try it, I uploaded my worksheets as PDFs: 1 inch circles, 2-inch circles, or 3-inch circles.

Have fun!