How to keep your toddler entertained with popsicle sticks. Easy ideas for ages 2-3.
1. Make the world’s longest caterpillar and count the sticks as you go.
2. Spread them out or throw them (preferable!) in a big pile on the floor, call out a colour and have your toddler race to collect sticks of that colour. Then count each colour group together.
3. Make dancing stick men and imitate their dance moves. Good for practicing directions up/down, left/right.
4. Cut slits in a kitchen roll to build a stick tree. This also makes use of their fine motor skills.
5. Make shapes. Build or draw one and ask your toddler to copy it. If your child isn’t into building shapes yet, simply make one out of sticks and have hand-drawn flash card shapes for him/her to match it to.
6. Montessori-style counting.
7. When your toddler’s educational patience has run out, making it “rain sticks” on each other’s heads over and over turned out to be a favourite for us. This depends on how safety-conscious you’re feel at the time and how zealous your little one gets with sticks! He later wanted to throw them over his baby sister’s head. That I would not recommend.