DIY Farm Animal-Theme based activities for Toddlers – Part 1

Next in line in the series for theme based activities is farm Animals. Children are somehow very attracted to animals in real life as well as in their imagination. If you see carefully most of the TV shows targeting toddlers, have animal characters in them. Using the interest of the child to fuel his imagination and develop his other skills could be interesting! 

These farm-theme based activities are typically good for 1.5 – 2.5 year olds. 

Start talking about the farm life and animals. Tell them about the farmer and other things around their lives apart from farm animals – including usefulness of all farm animals and how we get our eatables from the farms.

Nursery Décor

Remove prints of bright pictures off the internet and hang on a string in the nursery or your child’s room to set the theme at the beginning of the month. You can, of course, keep adding to them as you make fun stuff together. Inexpensive party décor for the farm theme can also come handy. If you are enthusiastic for more, you can create a horse stable at one corner of the nursery using large cardboard boxes or even a farmer’s market stall can be created.

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Music and Rhymes

This theme has rhymes galore, for help. Sing and dance with your child. Download them and play while you are on a drive together to school. Apart from the regular Old McDonald had a farm and Baa Baa Black sheep you can also  sing these.

THE TRACTOR ON THE FARM
Tune: “The Wheels On The Bus”
Oh, the tractor on the farm goes ‘round and ‘round,
‘Round and ‘round, ‘round and ‘round.
Oh, the tractor on the farm goes ‘round and ‘round,
All around the farm.
Oh, the cow on the farm goes, moo, moo, moo,
Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo.
Oh, the cow on the farm goes, moo, moo, moo,
All around the farm.
Continue with other farm animals and farm objects.

Art and Craft

There are several activities you can plan here. Right from basic activities like coloring a farm animal or farm animal collage to bigger activities you can do together. Some of the activities you can plan are as below.

Tractor Printing

Materials Needed: Toy Tractor, Drawing Sheet, Paint
The children can use the toy tractor to make patterns on the paper. They can run the tractor through the paint and then on paper. It makes really great designs.

Vegetable and Animals Prints

Materials Needed: Paint, Drawing Sheet, Animal Cookie Cutters, Vegetables like Onions, Potatoes, Lady Finger sliced into half.
The children would dip the vegetables slices into the paint and then make patterns on the paper. They can also create a barnyard scene using the cookie cutters.

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Cooking Time

Enjoy cooking time with your child. Make some butter at home while talking about all the great things you can get from farms. Bake some sugar cookies in farm animal shapes and cook some vegetable soups. 

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Visiting outside

You can visit a farm near your place. Show the children around and tell them how much work is done in the farms for us to get our daily bread. A great way to learn respect for food and why it should never be wasted. There are lot of resorts near cities which give a farm-like ambience and experience. You can visit them too!

Song and Movie Time

Watch movies like Babe and Charlotte’s Web and series like Big Barn Farm and Shaun the sheep together. You can also listen to sounds made by different animals together. 

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Playtime

Playtime could be creatively arranged as well.

What Animal Made That Sound
Play various animal sounds from a CD and let your children identify what farm animals make that sound. For further reinforcement, have them match the sound with a cut out of the animal.

Who Am I?
Materials Needed: In a bag or box, have a variety of stuffed farm animals or produce. Place your hand in the bag or box and give hint to your child about the type of animal or item it is.
I am yellow and soft and fluffy (duck)
I am yellow and bumpy. I have green stuff around me. When you pull the green stuff off…etc. (corn on the cob)

Try these ideas and share with peer moms!

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