We did a fantastic big and small activity for toddlers, comparing objects from around the house.
Engage in this tracing activity as you compare objects from around the house.
How do you teach the concept of big and small with tracing?
Try using blocks in a new way and sort them by size, color, and shape here.
For This Big and Small Tracing Activity You Will Need:
- Butcher paper
- Markers
- Feet to trace
- Objects from around the house in big and small sizes (example: a real-sized cup and a toy cup, a real shoe and a doll shoe, a big toy car and a matchbox car, etc.)
Setting Up Your Big and Small Activity for Toddlers
The first thing we did was roll out a piece of butcher paper big enough for us to trace multiple sets of feet.
You can tape them down if you don’t want them to move.
Get out markers in a few colors so each person can be traced in their color.
Get Tracing
Now, Henry and I ‘got our toes out’ (as Henry says), and traced our feet.
Henry tried his best to trace mine.
We even got George’s feet out next to add to our big and small activity fun.
Then we talked about who has the biggest, smallest, a little bigger, and so on.
And someone else’s too… can you guess? Blue Dog’s!
We traced all our feet on some paper for this big and small activity. We have a nice big roll of butcher paper for this kind of stuff, but this can definitely be done on a sheet of paper.
He noticed with this activity that his feet were bigger than George’s and smaller than mine. Just that simple of a learning activity and yet a crucial skill!
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Trace More Big and Small Objects
If you enjoyed tracing your family’s feet, why not trace some more objects for your big and small activities?
Take time to trace various items and discuss how they are bigger and smaller. You could start the activity with a hypothesis:
Which one do you think is the biggest object? The smallest object?
Can your child go around the house and find pairs of objects to compare? This will work on their comparison skills even more!
Find two cups. Maybe even a toy one.
Find shoes in different sizes around the house. Whether it’s different shoes of the family, or maybe a doll’s shoe to compare!
You can trace anything that you can find in more than one size!
Cars, blocks, hands, or anything else that has your toddler’s interest.
Go on a hunt for big and small versions of things around your home with the kids.
Extend Your Big and Small Activity for Toddlers
Grab small items like pom poms or stones and count how many it takes to fill a pair of your traced objects. Discuss how it takes more to fill the bigger ones and less to fill the smallest ones.
If you want to make your big and small activity into a little keepsake take more markers out and let everyone color and decorate their feet!
We all know how quickly those little toes grow and it would be fun to come back down the road and measure your feet against them again.
You could even turn them into Zen Tangles like this activity for kids.
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Candace @Naturally Educational says
This is so cute! Really brings it home and I know kids that age especially love to think of things in "families"–my kids always want four of everything. Now it will be five of everything, I suppose! It has been great for teaching animal names (Stallion, Mare, Foal, Colt, Filly) and you are right–relative size would be a perfect fit, too!
RedTedArt says
I like the feet exercise – what fun! And I also find that sometimes the seem to "get something in one context", but not at all in another… they have time to learn!
Maggy
Jackie H. says
I'm so glad you said that about him not getting it. My son gets the concept of "big" and "small" but he can not order things from big to small or vice versa. It seems like on other's blogs their babies are doing this and he is almost three. ;) I was wondering if he should be able to do it. But I think I'll just let it come when it comes!
The Book Chook says
It sounds like he's on the way, but just not quite ready for stacking and comparing more objects. He's doing so well for his age and the rest will come as he matures.
Itsy Bitsy Learners says
I need to do this concept activity with my 2 year old!
Rachel says
We did that reinacting Goldilocks and the three little bears a few weeks ago. They love finding and sorting objects.