Note: With all activities, safety comes first. These activities need to be supervised by an adult and may need to be modified if you child has a lot of hand and arm strength.

The kitchen is the heart of the home and a great place to find things to use to create Active Learning environments. If you are working in the kitchen, fill a lower cabinet space with containers and other items the child can get to so they can play on the floor or simply give them a variety of kitchen gadgets to explore. Consider the variety of materials the items are made of such as metal, wooden, plastice, stone, ceramic, etc.  Also think about the size, shape and weight of the objects as it relates to the child’s ability to grasp, bang, scratch, etc. Most importantly be creative! See which things your child finds interesting and note how he or she engages with the object.

You could also hang some of these items from the cabinet door with string or use an over-the-door hook to hang them from and attach with strings or rubber bands.