The Sorting Station (To focus a busy toddlers mind!)

Rhubarb is really into posting, sorting and putting things into containers at the moment, however; like all toddlers her age, her attention span is short! I wanted an activity to build her concentration. This activity also helps to develop fine motor skills and early maths skills. I needed something that was quick to put together as, like most Mummies, I don't have masses of spare time; I am usually being commandeered by a little legs and two doglets. Plus it was completely free to set up, bonus! Our Sorting Station included:

Coloured milk bottle tops (collected over a couple of weeks by my good friends Sam and Caz!),

Multicoloured pom poms from the craft box,

An egg box,

An empty milk carton with the top cut off and slots cut into it,

A selection of bags and clean empty containers.

 

Next time I'm going to include large buttons and ribbons too - there are tons of possibilities, you know your own tot. Rhubarb doesn't tend to put things in her mouth but I watched her closely nonetheless, without interfering obviously - as this was not appreciated!

 

 

I let Rhubarb explore the station how she wanted to and she had strong ideas about what she wanted to put where and how she wanted to sort the pom poms and bottle tops. I got a couple of tellings off when I dared to attempt sorting anything myself! I was really pleased with how this worked, I provided enough containers to keep her interested and she investigated each one with interest.

 

I was pleasantly surprised at how long the Sorting Station held Rhubarb's concentration, she enjoyed putting things in, taking them out, putting pom poms and bottle tops into separate piles and even matching some colours!

 

 

Of course, tipping them all out when she'd finished was fun too!