Wind

Wind

Activities for toddlers and babies

Since autumn is a windy season, it's a great time to introduce little ones to wind.

AREA SETUP

Pinwheel
Stick several colourful pinwheels in the ground throughout your yard. Babies and toddlers will enjoy admiring them as they spin around when the wind blows.

Wind chimes
Hang tiny wind chimes from the ceiling in your daycare. Have fun blowing on them to hear them tinkle.

ROUTINES AND TRANSITIONS

Gentle wind
During diaper changes, gently use your mouth to blow air on children's feet, hands, or stomach. This will make them smile.

Helicopters during walks
When you are out and about with your group, have fun watching samaras (the fruit of the maple tree) fall from trees, spinning to the ground. Collect them and toss them up in the air on a windy day. Help children notice how they look like tiny helicopters.

SENSORY ACTIVITIES (look)

Feathery mobile
You will need a large quantity of colourful feathers for this activity. Use curling ribbon to tie the feathers to a small branch to create a mobile. Have fun blowing on the feathers with the children in your group to make them flutter around.

SENSORY ACTIVITIES (look)

Flying a kite
Purchase an inexpensive kite (or make your own) and take it to a local playground or a soccer field. Take advantage of this wide open space to fly your kite. Children will love to observe the kite as it flies high up in the sky.

ARTS & CRAFTS

Kites
Cut diamond shapes out of cardboard. Let each child draw on one shape. When they are done, transform the diamonds to represent kites, adding a long tail and bows. Hang the kites from the ceiling, within your daycare. There is a kite model in the educatall club, simply type "kite" in the search engine to find it.

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

Learning how to blow out a candle
Children love blowing out candles. This simple activity will prepare babies and toddlers for their birthday. Bake cupcakes and set a candle on each one. Light one candle at a time and encourage children to blow on it to extinguish the flame. Of course, constant supervision is very important here.

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

Exploring "heavy" and "light" with wind
Purchase small, battery-operated fans that are safe for little fingers. Arrange different objects on the floor, some that are very light and others that are heavy. Some examples of objects that are perfect for this activity are feathers, rocks, pieces of tissue paper, a shoe, etc. Show children how they can position the fans so that they blow wind towards the objects. Encourage them to notice which objects remain in place and which ones are blown away. Discuss the concepts of "light" and "heavy" with your group.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS

Bubbles
Blowing soap bubbles represents a fun way to explore wind. Babies and toddlers will enjoy running after the bubbles and trying to catch them. Toddlers will love to attempt to blow bubbles on their own. Variation using a fan: Use a fan that is safe for little fingers to make the soap bubbles fly away indoors. Supervision required.

Beach balls on a windy day
Choose a very windy day and play with large beach balls in a fenced in area. Let babies and toddlers run and crawl after the balls. They will enjoy watching them roll away, pushed by the wind.

Chantal Millette
Early childhood educator

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