Craig and I both agree the less time spent in unstructured play time the better.  This does not mean that we should have no fun, or no play. It just means that playing with toys tends to lead to tears and lots of noise, and people getting hurt.  So I have been exploring for some ideas of activities we can do at the beginning and end of nursery. I found a website called LDS Treasure it seams to have some fun Ideas.

Nursery Games

Two hours is a long time to entertain toddlers. The schedule suggested in the lesson manual is valuable for making the time move along without allowing children to become bored or fussy. However, it can be challenging to think of games to play with children so young.

Little ones like simple games. Anything with a bit of action will entertain them and the same games can be played week after week. Toddlers like that which is familiar, so don't try to think of new games for each week. It takes time for them to learn activities. Introduce one or two new games at a time. Eventually you'll learn to stop just before the children become bored, but this takes practice. Watch your students to see if you can tell when they are getting tired or perhaps too stimulated. Then notice what happens just before that.

Following are some simple activities that will keep your little ones occupied for the fifteen minute gathering time:

Blanket and Ball

Have all the children hold the edge of a blanket or sheet. Place an under-inflated ball, cloth doll, stuffed animal or other safe toy on the blanket. Have all the children bounce the blanket up and down to make the toy bounce. This may not sound exciting, but toddlers find this highly amusing. They especially enjoy trying to knock the toy off the blanket, which is why it must be safe.

Blowing Up a Balloon

I believe this was in a previous nursery manual. Children join hands and move in very close together. They gradually move backwards, blowing as they move. When they are stretched as far as their arms will go, yell "Pop!" and fall down. Children love anything involving falling down.

Flashlight Chase

Move a flashlight beam slowly around the room. Let the children try to stomp on it. If each adult has a light, you can keep a number of children occupied at once.

Balance Beam Game

Create a masking tape line around the room in a square. Have the children line up on the line and move around it following your instructions. Have the children hop, wiggle, tip-toe, take large and small steps and so on. Tell them to pretend they are on a high wire or balance beam way up high.

Let's Pretend

Have the children pretend to be anything that fits your lesson or interests them. They can be animals, trees, butterflies, fish, and so on.

Line Ball

Have the children sit in a line facing to the left. Give the first child on the left a ball. He must turn around (scooting while sitting) and roll it to the next child. That child catches it and also turns around to roll it. If you have a large nursery, make two lines. The last child could get up and run to the front of the line and sit down.

Toy Pass

Have all the children sit or stand in a line. Give the first child a toy. Have her place it on her head and take it to the next child. Vary this game by thinking of new ways to get the toy from child to child.

Block Stack

If your nursery has blocks or other stacking toys, let each child in turn get a block and stack it up. Build the excitement. When it topples, laugh. This helps children decide it's okay to make mistakes.

By Terrie Lynn Bittner

Check in and Check out

I think it is very important to have a very organized check in and check out system. A couple weeks ago I substituted in nursery and parents would drop off kids and not saying anything, there were a couple of kids we didn't even know their names or who their parents were, there were new kids (which happens often in our ward because we have lots and lots of appartments and so people are always moving in and out) And then the parents would come pick up their kids without us even knowing. And then it was panic because we thought a kid escaped!  The saftey of the kids I think is the first and foremost important thing. If the kids are not safe, and do not feel safe, they will never feel the spirit, they will never learn and they will never make friends. I feel an organized nursery will help them feel safe and be safe. Also if I am constantly worry about who is lost, I won't have time to teach the rest of the kids. So the check in and check out systems are very important. So here are the ideas I have found that I like. Once again I think most of these have come off of sugardoodle.net

For Check in I liked this idea

It's hard to get names and faces for everyone. I brought my digital camera to church for several Sundays and took everyone's picture. Then I bought wooden flowers at the craft store, painted them all a different color, and glued their photo to a flower. The wooden flowers are indestructible, so the children can't smoosh them and ruin them. I used a Sharpie to write the child's name on the flower. We use a basket to hold the flowers, and as each child comes in, they find their flower and attach it to a poster that I made. It's a field of 'stems' with a piece of Velcro at the top of the stems. I have a Velcro dot on each wooden flower. The poster says: "Our Nursery Friends". The children love their flowers, and it gives them something to do when they get there. It helps with separation anxiety a little bit.
One thing I think I will change will be I want everything to have a teaching purpose, not just be cute. It needs to be functional and it needs to bare testimony of something in the gospel. So I thought I could either change the flowers to suns, and put at the top that Jesus wants me for a sunbeam. And every week we can talk about ways of being a sunbeam. So they think about it when they find their name on a sun.  Or I might find just little boy and girl figures and glue their faces on it and say something about being a Child of God. When Craig and I decide, what we think will be best I will put pictures.

For Check out I liked this idea



I have found that in nursery you have three kind of children. The ones that cry EVERY time the door opens, the runner who runs out when the door opens, and the ones who are bored.

I found a way to make all 3 happy. By putting their name on a star, outside on the door. Then the parents come to the door pull off there child's star. Sliding the star under the door, the children then RUN the star to the teacher to find out who is outside the door. Using the 2nd door in the room, the child with their name on the star goes through. Those who cry or run, are to busy waiting for their star to be doing so, and no one is bored.

Doing this has make pick up time so much easier and less crazy. You don't have to use stars. you can use just about anything: apples, animals, circles, squares, triangles...any kind of cut out you can think of.

I like the star idea because we can talk the song "I am like a Star Shining Brightly" We sing this every week in singing time and the kids love to do the twinkles with the stars, once again we can do a short weekly lesson on what it means to shine like a star. Repitition is important at this age. Also giving visual reminders  during the day is a great way to help instill in them a testimony of being a good example.