Who knew making reindeer food could be so much fun?!

Needing a quick and easy gift for my toddler to give to his classmates, I settled on reindeer food. With only 2 ingredients, it's so simple! However, I had no idea how much fun my little man would have with the process of making it!

What You Need

Ingredients:

• Quick Oats
• Christmas”y” sprinkles

That is it!

I purchased the small bowl, cup, and cocktail spoon at Wal-Mart in the Christmas party section. They came in packs of 8 or so. I had purchased them for my older son's Christmas party, but had plenty left over. They were perfect for this activity and my toddler's little hands.

The Process

I gave my little guy a cup full of oats and put the spoon in the sprinkles. He sat there, stone cold. Seriously did not move for a solid minute. I could tell he would need some help to get started. I showed him how to pour the oats in the bowl. Then I modeled scooping the sprinkles with the spoon and pouring them into the bowl.

From there, it was all him and boy did he go to town! He scooped, transferred, poured, and stirred for a solid 30 minutes. 

I made the rest of the reindeer food for his class, while he made his one…over and over and over again.

Extending His Learning

He enjoyed making the reindeer food so much that I decided to toss some of the leftover ingredients and supplies in a bin for him to revisit whenever he likes. So far, it is still a huge hit!

What He is Learning

• Hand/Eye Coordination
• Fine Motor Skills
• The concept of too much
• Experimenting with cause and effect

I'd love to hear from you!

How do you extend your children's learning? 

Share a time when you stumbled upon an activity your child fell in love with.