Life at the Pond Invitation to Play

We’ve done so many fun pond-themed activities in the last month and I still have a few to share. This one was definitely a favorite and of course it was quick + easy too.

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Pretend play is so important to help little kids learn about themselves and the world around them. It’s also an opportunity to encourage curiosity, problem-solving, and creativity.

And don’t forget about exploring life science as toddlers and preschoolers create their pond and interact with it, which makes this an awesome time to talk about life cycles and habitats.

This Life at the Pond invitation to play is sort of a mini sensory bin. And you know what? The little guy totally loved it. We used a small container and the Safari Ltd Life Cycle of a Frog (the same one we used for our Frog Life Cycle Sensory Activity), but the possibilities are endless. Any small pond plants + animals would totally work.

Life at the Pond Invitation to Play

What you’ll need

• Small Container
• Water
• Safari Ltd Life Cycle of a Frog or other small pond plants + animals
• Rocks or Stones

Here’s how to do it

• Set out the small container full of water and of course the other materials too.
• Encourage your child to create their own pond.
• Give your child the opportunity to explore and ask questions.

Little kids are inquisitive by nature and, at least around here, I’m always getting asked why. Thankfully, these types of activities are open invitations for inquiring minds.

If you’re looking to add math + reasoning skills, ask your toddler or preschooler how many rocks or stones they’re adding. Can they sort the two? How many tadpoles? How many frogs? If you add them together, how many are there all together?

And of course language + literacy skills too. Ask your little kids to tell you a story. What are the tadpoles doing? What about the frog? What else is happening at the pond?

Looking for more insight & inspiration? Here are the top 10 most popular posts from The Keeper of the Memories. You’re definitely not going to want to miss these!

Thanks so much for visiting. See ya next week!