15 Colorful Ways to Enhance Your Toddler's Development
Have I mentioned how much my toddler loves to color? She can entertain herself for hours with a handful of crayons and a thick stack of paper.
Ok, minutes…but they feel like hours.
(I’m just happy if it buys me a solo bathroom break.)
Anyway, this child is all about the coloring. So what does she draw?
Babies. Flowers. The occasional butterfly.
But more than anything else, my daughter draws rainbows.
Big rainbows, small rainbows. Rainbows that arch and rainbows as flat as the day is long.
While she may not yet grasp the concept ROYGBIV, one thing’s for sure: the girl loves rainbows.
We’ve started using the rainbow as a basis for a variety of toddler-appropriate activities from counting to learning the alphabet. Just like with older kids, learning is more fun if they’re able to incorporate what they’re most interested in, and in her case, rainbows are the perfect vehicle for all kinds of critical developmental tasks.
I’ve rounded up a 15 of my favorite rainbow-inspired finds. I hope you and your kiddo love them too.
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Matching Hearts
Matching games are great for enhancing your toddler's memory, social, and language skills. Encouraging your child to match colors, shapes, and objects also builds fine motor skills.
Photo Credit: Daisy Brains/Etsy -
Rainbow Stacking Toy
My daughter would love to play with this all-wood rainbow stacking toy. Simple puzzles like this are a great way to build her problem-solving skills.
Photo Credit: made4munchkins/Etsy -
Rainbow Crayon Set
I love the detailed shapes in this coloring set. Besides basic coloring, we could use these crayons to draw simple pictures using the letters and colors represented in individual crayons. Fun and educational!
Photo Credit: The Scatter Box/Etsy -
Colorful Family
How cute is this set of little wooden people? This toy would be a great tool for exploring feelings and modeling appropriate social behavior.
Photo Credit: Mama Mayl/Etsy -
Sort and Scoop
This is another great tool for building those critical fine motor skills.
Photo Credit: Bumble Fly and Butter Bees/Etsy -
Rainbow Toadstools
This fun set of wooden toadstools could be used as a stacking toy, for counting, color recognition, or so many other important toddler tasks!
Photo Credit: Bright Life Toys/Etsy -
Alphabet Set
This colorful fabric alphabet set is a great way to introduce letters to your toddler.
Photo Credit: So Sew Lovely/Etsy -
Bean Bag Toss
This is a fun tool for enhancing number and color recognition. We love toys that get our kids moving and burning off some of that famous toddler energy!
Photo Credit: AB Shoppe/Etsy -
Lacing Beads
These rainbow lacing beads are wonderful for building those fine motor skills.
Photo Credit: Mama Mayl/Etsy -
Balancing Birdies
By now you know that I love birds, and this set of wooden balancing toys is no exception! My daughter would love working on balancing these little beauties.
Photo Credit: Mama Mayl/Etsy -
Rainbow Play Silks
If your toddler is anything like mine, he or she loves music and dancing. These rainbow play silks would be a fun addition to any toddler dance party!
Photo Credit: Beneath the Rowan Tree/Etsy -
Ribbon Rings
Ribbon rings are fun for indoor or outdoor play. I know that my daughter would love to dance and twirl with these gorgeous rainbow ribbons.
Photo Credit: Green Baboon Designs/Etsy -
Rainbow Play Dough
Play Dough like this is so easy to make and great for toddler fun!
Photo Credit: KT and the Squid/Etsy -
Retro Ironing Play Set
This retro ironing set with rainbow clothespins would be an adorable and fun addition to any toddler's play room.
Photo Credit: Pretty Dreamer/Etsy -
Rainbow Forest
Toys like this fabric rainbow forest set enhance imaginary play. I think these are so fun...and so would my daughter!
Photo Credit: Quietude Quilts/Etsy
Top Photo Credit: Flickr
Mary Lauren Weimer is a social worker turned mother turned writer. Her blog, My 3 Little Birds, encourages moms to put down the baby books for a moment and tell their own stories. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
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