5 File Folder Games for Your 2-Year-Old

I’ve been collecting a bunch of file folder games I found on the internet and making them when Evan goes to bed at night. I want to have a collection of educational games he can play when the new baby comes in August. I’m hoping he’ll be able to play them next to me while I am nursing. This way I can still assist him when he needs it. I’m also hoping that they will be something new and interesting to keep him entertained when I can’t be fully present with him. Since he’ll be 28 months in August, I kept them rather simple for now. I focused on 3 categories of games: colors, shapes and numbers/counting.  Below is a list of the games I’ve made so far and some pictures of how they came together. I’m not letting him play with them just yet, since I want them to be “fresh” in August. However, I did test several of them out on him and he really enjoyed each one.

The first is a color matching game from Confessions of a Homeschooler and you can get it here. I love it because there are 4 paintbrushes per color, so the game isn’t as quick as some of the others. Plus, it’s just a really cute game.

20130626_203517 I laminated all parts of this one because I didn’t want the pockets that hold the paint brushes to rip. Then I taped the pockets on with clear packing tape.

 

The second is another color matching game. I picked it because Evan loves dinosaurs. You can find it here at File Folder Fun. Be sure to look around and check all the other free file folder games they have. There are lots of options! 20130626_203057 The pieces that aren’t attached to the folder are laminated.

The next one is a counting and number identification game also from File Folder Fun. Here it is.

20130626_203220 The pieces  with cherries on them are laminated. I also attached Velcro dots to both parts, so that the pieces stay in place. I will probably do this with the dinosaur game above as well.

This Hungry Bunny file folder game is also a counting and number identification game. It only goes to the number 5, so it is perfect for where Evan is at right now with his counting. He still doesn’t identify many numbers, so I am hoping this game and the one above will help with that. You can get it here at Preschoolmom.com. This site also has a bunch of free file folder games.

20130626_203348 There are 2 sets of bunnies that come with the game, but I just attached one for now. I also printed 2 sets of carrots (I didn’t show them all in the pic), so that we could leave them with each bunny without running out.

The last game isn’t really a file folder game (unless you want to put it together that way), but it is along the same lines as the other games. This one focuses on shapes. It is made so that you can use it several different ways. You can do shape matching, a shape memory game, shape tracing or even use them as flashcards. You can get this at my favorite Tot School related blog 1+1+1=1. Here is a link directly to the game.

20130626_202936 I laminated all parts of this game for durability.

I hope this will is helpful resource for you when gathering games and activities for Tot School!