The perks of flower arranging with your toddler
A lovely activity to bond with your child and develop their skills. Teach them care for their environment whilst exploring new words and concepts.
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Flower arranging was my lockdown hobby. I, like many others signed up to a letterbox subscription. Whilst pursuing my new hobby I noticed I had a few flowers that were too small for me to use, so I trimmed them and put them in a little jam jar for my toddler; he loved it.
It is a wonderful way in which we can develop their fine motor and language skills; as well as teaching them to care for their home and environment.
Activities
You will need:
- Flowers
- Jar
- Water
- Scissors
- Cloth (to clean up if necessary)
- Toddler
Take some time to sit down with your toddler to try this activity, there are various things you can try during the activity to engage them. Just follow their interests and their abilities; don’t worry if it isn’t “complete”.
Describe the flowers
Talk about the flower and ask them questions. Here are a few examples:
- How do the flowers look, feel, or smell?
- Are there large petals or lots of small flowers?
- What colours can you see? Describe the shades or hues
Water transferring
Get your child to fill the jar with water, if they are younger fill a small jug up rather than using the tap. This is also a good opportunity to teach them when to stop pouring.
🌻 Tip: Place a bit of masking tap on the jar to mark where they should stop pouring.
Cutting the stems
If your toddler is old enough you can teach them to cut the stems. Use the appropriate scissors. This will help develop their fine motor skills, just don’t be precious about the flowers as there is a risk they may get damaged.
Arrangement
Ask your toddler to arrange the flowers in the jar with water; they will need to be more careful as the jar fills up, and may ask for some help. This may test their patience but will teach care for their home and environment. When they are done ask them to place it somewhere for them to appreciate.
Benefits
Language skills
- Flower names
- Colours
- Smells
- Size
Fine motor skills
- Cutting
- Pouring
- Arranging
Listening skills
- Understanding
- Paying attention
- Following instructions
- Speaking
Alternatives
- Use wild flowers if you do not have fresh flowers. Make the most of a walk with you child and have them pick what flowers they like, but only take what you need.
- Mix and match the activity depending on your child abilities and interests.
