One thing you will learn if you stick around here for a while is that I hate worksheets for anyone under five. I strongly believe that kids learn best while playing. If I had to pin down my educational philosophy, it would lean heavily towards Montessori and Charlotte Mason. This is why I love the freedom of being a nanny!
At the moment, my nanny kids are at two very different developmental stages. Sister (E) is two weeks away from being three. She is super ready for more structured learning. Brother (J) is almost 14 months old, getting ready to walk and still puts everything into his mouth. He also gets upset when E has activities that are not baby safe! Creating experiences for both kids without having two separate themes has been a challenge in the last few months since J has dropped down to one nap. I’ve noticed that E is starting to show interest in sorting everything while working on color identification. To help support her exploration, I thought we’d spend a few weeks focusing in on primary colors. The majority of activities are appropriate for both kids but I did plan a few extras for J!
Most of the activities require little prep and few supplies. They tend to be open ended which requires little adult supervision. The art projects for 1 year olds can be placed in a plastic bag to eliminate mess; it depends on how brave you feel that day! I plan on using these activities throughout the next two weeks. I’ll space them out during the day in between free play and our normal day to day routine.
There is a lot of sorting involved in these activities! I’ve included a printable color wheel for you to use. (right click to save as photo, send to your printer!)
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at theteachingnannyblog@gmail.com
or hit me up on Instagram (@rachrunstx)
The Teaching Nanny 