Activities for Ella

For a few months now I've been wanting to start doing some different teaching activities with Ella. I've been looking for recommendations for websites or blogs that have activities for kids her age (she is almost 20 months old), and several friends recommended the blog Confessions of a Homeschooler. I haven't made it through all the material on the blog yet (there are tons of resources to look through!), but I've already taken advantage of some of her materials for Ella. Although most of her materials are for kids older than Ella, there are definitely some things on her blog that Ella can use now, and I've been very pleased with how much Ella already enjoys doing these different learning activities.

The first activity I made for Ella from her site is called the Shape Silhouette Match-Up. I printed the materials, laminated them, and created a folder game for Ella using velcro to match up the pieces.  I wasn't sure how well Ella would do with this activity (although I was optimistic she'd be able to at least work on it a bit), but she has done really well, and can get most of the shapes most of the time! I'm really surprised at how long she will sit and work on the activity.

The second activity I made for Ella is called Color Puzzles. I printed out the sheets, cut out the animals or shapes, laminated them, and then put magnets on the back of the pieces. You could use these puzzles without magnets, but I liked the idea of Ella being able to use them on the refrigerator or the back of a cookie sheet. I think these puzzles are a little bit harder for her than the shape matching, but if I ask her to find the apple pieces, for example, she can usually find both pieces even if she hasn't quite figured out the puzzle-putting-together part of the activity.

I'm excited to look for more activities to make for Ella to work on - it really is a joy watching her learn and work on these things!

Do you have any favorite websites or blogs for more toddler activities?