Snow Day + Toddler Table + Butcher Paper = Family Harmony Tip #5

I hit a milestone today: A stay-at-home mom on her first snow day with an active 3-year old. This tip kept us entertained and TV-free during a Nor’easter – at least for 45 minutes until we could go out and play! First off, Cricket's table and chair set was one of the best Christmas gifts that Santa brought her. And, I’d been looking for butcher paper for arts projects and found a great option at Michael's Crafts, about 10 hours before the snow started to fall. The novelty of butcher paper really helped us to enjoy our snow day.


 3 ways to use butcher paper to entertain your toddler:

1. Encourage large-canvas art skills
2. Sneak in a few educational concepts
3. Play restaurant
1. Encourage large-canvas art skills
Cricket did some coloring while I made our snack. As usual, she wanted to trace her hands and then draw a circle around them – and even put in the fingernails and a ring or two. The best part about covering the whole table was that she could color without hearing me say, “Paper only!  Not on the table!”

2. Sneak in a few educational concepts
Before and during snack, we did comparison concepts (small, medium and large), and color-coded them.

3. Play restaurant
When it was time for snack, I drew a placemat and made shapes for the location of the main items: glass, plate, and napkin.  Even though we generally use actual placemats and coasters, this was just plain fun.  (Can you spot the place-setting breach of etiquette?)

Of course, there are lots of ways to enjoy (endure? survive?) a snow day at home, and lots of uses for butcher paper, too. Now…what are we going to do tomorrow when I flip the paper to the other side?  Any ideas?