TDT: Working on Following Directions & Hand/Eye Coordination

            Hey folks! It's been pretty rainy and gloomy here this week (and quite frankly I've been feeling even more anti-social than normal since I was sick earlier this week), so Myka and I have been working sporadically on more alphabet crafts/activities. She asks to do "cwafts" most days without me even prompting her and I'm totally ok with that. Anyways...
            As most of us know, toddlers aren't exactly good at listening or following directions. It's in their nature. So, other than helping with fine motor control and hand/eye coordination, I like that this activity below is also a fun way to introduce toddlers to the concept of following directions. (In a more formal way, at least.) Plus you can tailor it to whatever you want, not just alphabet learning.

As you can see, the idea is super simple:
-Figure out what you want pictures of.
-Make the objects simple enough that your child will understand/be able to figure out where the pieces go.
-Cut out your pieces.
-Play with them until you get them where you want them, then trace around each piece. (Or, you can draw where you want your pieces first and THEN cut them out. It doesn't really matter. Whatever is easier for you. :) )
-Depending on where your child is at developmentally/how they learn best, you can glue a piece on as an example of what to do, arrange a few pieces where they belong without gluing them on as a guide, or hand them the paper, pieces, and glue and let them figure it out on their own. I pretty much did the latter with Myka and she went to town right away with the first one we did, which was a grape bunch. (She was around 2 1/2.)

            You might be surprised at how well your kids do! And if they don't, that's ok too! That's what the practice is for. Plus, they're still little. They'll have plenty of years of doing structured "school work" ahead of them.

            What kind of learning activities do you do at home with your children?