Calm, playful days at home with your toddler or preschooler
A practical method and a complete toolkit for parents, grandparents and nannies of children aged 1 to 5: a weekly rhythm, one play invitation a day from things you already own, and simple ways to notice how your child is growing.
- An e-book method in 10 chapters: Rhythm, Invite, Notice
- Toddler Days Planner workbook: weekly rhythm, 52-week theme plan, 200 play ideas, logs and a dashboard
- 6 fillable forms and 6 Word templates, including 48 phrases for limits and transitions
- 17 print pages: 60 activity cards, 32 day chart picture cards, a Today board and a First-Then board
Toddler and Preschool at Home · Bodhih Pro Kits · 102 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How do I plan play-based learning at home for a toddler?
Keep a loose daily rhythm of anchors (food, time outside, rest, stories), offer one simple play invitation a day made from household things, and talk with your child in back-and-forth turns. Toddler and Preschool at Home by Bodhih Training gives you the method plus a planner, 200 ideas, forms and printable cards.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to plan play-based learning at home for toddlers and preschoolers.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
The long morning with no plan
It is 9.40, breakfast is still on the table, and lunch feels a very long way off. You want days that are calm and interesting without turning your home into a classroom.
Too much advice, not enough method
Flashcards, no flashcards, more toys, fewer toys, screens are fine, screens are terrible. You need a simple way of working that holds up on an ordinary Tuesday.
Every carer does it differently
Grandparents, nannies and partners all have their own ways. Your child gets mixed messages about limits, screens and routines, and the hard moments get harder.
Quiet worries you cannot quite name
Is the talking on track? Is this tantrum normal? Without notes or examples, it is hard to know whether to wait or ask, and hard to explain it to a professional when you do.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Imagine Sunday evening. You open the planner, glance at the dashboard, and see this week's theme is Water. In fifteen minutes the Weekly Plan form is done: one invitation a day, the library on Monday, Grandad on Tuesday. You set out a tray of cups and a jug before bed.
Monday morning, your child finds the tray and pours for twenty minutes while you talk together. As you notice what they say, you write one line on the Skills Noticed sheet. When it is time to leave the park, you use the same calm words every carer now uses, and the exit takes minutes instead of a battle.
Whether you start with the day chart cards tonight or the workbook tomorrow, each piece makes the next one easier. When a new carer starts, you hand over one sheet. When a worry comes up, you already have dated examples to share with your doctor or health visitor.
Picture a few weeks from now: the rhythm mostly holds, the toy pile is smaller and better used, the screen plan is written down and shared, and the days feel more like yours.
22 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
Toddler and Preschool at Home (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start-here map
The whole job on one page: which file to open at each step, your first hour, and a 30/60/90-day plan.
Toddler Days Planner workbook
Settings, weekly rhythm, 52-week theme plan, 200-idea activity bank, outings log, skills noticed, screen and toilet trackers, weekly summary and dashboard.
Weekly plan
One page each Sunday: theme, anchors, one play invitation a day, outings, meals to prep, who is caring when.
Play observation sheet
Ten minutes of watching without directing: what your child did, said and tried, and one next idea.
Behaviour plan: calm, connect, consistent
Plan for one repeating hard moment: what happens, what is behind it, the words every carer will use and how you will review it.
Nursery readiness checklist
Choosing, preparing, settling-in and the first month at nursery, preschool or a childminder, with a page of questions to ask on a visit.
Carer handover sheet
Everything a grandparent, nanny, babysitter or new key person needs for a day: routine, food, sleep, comfort, limits, contacts, emergencies.
Concern record to share with a professional
Write down a developmental, health or behaviour worry clearly, with examples and dates, to take to a doctor, health visitor, nurse or paediatrician.
Scripts for limits, transitions and messages
48 phrases for hard moments, 10 ready-to-send messages and 4 letters to nursery, health professionals, family and employers.
Nanny and grandparent guide to our days
A ready-to-send guide for anyone who cares for your child: rhythm, food, sleep, limits, play ideas, screens, safety and contacts.
Family screen agreement
A one-page household agreement on screens for under-5s: when, what, where, how long, and what adults model.
Rainy-day, sick-day and travel plans
Ready-made plans for 12 kinds of hard day: rain, too hot, sick at home, a parent unwell, working from home, flights, long drives, trains, waiting rooms, visits and holidays.
Worked example pack: the Okafor-Reid family
The main forms filled in for one illustrative family (Ayo, 2, and Zara, 4) so you can see what good looks like.
AI prompt pack for parents and carers
27 tool-agnostic prompts for planning, play, limits, body basics, big changes and preparing for appointments, each with what to paste and what to check.
Play ideas by age
Five quick ideas per skill area for ages 1-2, 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5, with safety notes.
Decision card: what to do when...
If this, then that: 18 everyday situations with a first step, and when to call a professional.
Talking with toddlers card
Serve-and-return talk in five moves, comments that build language, and phrases that work better than questions.
Mistakes to avoid
Twelve common mistakes in days at home with young children, and what to do instead.
Activity cards and visual day chart
17 colour pages: how-to page, 60 illustrated activity cards, 32 day chart picture cards, a Today board and a First-Then board.
12-week toddler days plan
37 calendar reminders over 12 weeks: Sunday planning, weekly set-up tasks and an outdoor hour. Change the start date before importing if needed.
Activity board import
30 cards for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira: 24 activities by list plus set-up tasks.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 22 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 64 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, GoodNotes, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Notion
- Best for
- Parents, grandparents and nannies of children aged 1 to 5
- Print pages
- 17 colour pages (A4, prints on US Letter with fit to page)
How young children learn: play, talk and serve-and-return
Serve-and-return talk in five moves, and why describing beats quizzing.
A weekly rhythm that holds the day
Run the day on anchors (food, outside, rest, stories) instead of a timetable, and plan the week in fifteen minutes.
Play invitations from household things
Set out one play invitation a day from household things, safely, and rotate toys instead of buying more.
Early words and numbers without worksheets
Build early reading and maths through books, rhymes and everyday counting, with no worksheets.
Outdoors, movement and screens
Make outdoor time a daily anchor and write a family screen plan based on WHO and AAP guidance.
Limits that stick: calm, connect, consistent
Hold limits with calm, connect, consistent, and plan for the one moment that repeats.
Body basics: toilet learning, eating and sleep
Readiness-first toilet learning, calmer mealtimes and smoother sleep transitions, without pressure.
Big changes: a new sibling, a new carer, starting nursery
Prepare for a new sibling, a new carer or starting nursery so your child keeps their footing.
Rainy days, sick days and travel days
Ready plans for rain, illness, working from home and travel, with a lower bar and the same anchors.
Noticing development and raising a concern
Notice development calmly, keep a clear record, and raise a concern with a professional without waiting to be sure.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
E-book
- Toddler and Preschool at Home: 10 chapters, 6 illustrations, dated country notes and a 12-week starter plan
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Map: the whole job on one page, your first hour, and a 30, 60, 90 day plan
Spreadsheet
- Toddler Days Planner workbook: Settings, Weekly Rhythm, 52-Week Plan, Activity Bank of 200 ideas, Library and Outings, Skills Noticed, Screen Time, Toilet Learning, Weekly Summary and Dashboard
Fillable PDF forms
- Weekly plan
- Play observation sheet
- Behaviour plan: calm, connect, consistent
- Nursery readiness checklist
- Carer handover sheet
- Concern record to share with a professional
Word templates
- Scripts for limits, transitions and messages: 48 phrases, 10 ready-to-send messages and 4 letters
- Nanny and grandparent guide to our days
- Family screen agreement
- Rainy-day, sick-day and travel plans: 12 ready-made plans
- Worked example pack: one illustrative family's forms filled in
- AI prompt pack for parents and carers: 27 prompts
Cheat sheets
- Play ideas by age
- Decision card: what to do when...
- Talking with toddlers card
- Mistakes to avoid
Print pack
- Activity cards and visual day chart: 17 colour pages with 60 activity cards, 32 day chart picture cards, a Today board and a First-Then board
Calendar and import
- 12-week toddler days plan calendar (ICS, 37 reminders)
- Activity board import (CSV) for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- Run each day on a simple rhythm of anchors that bends when it needs to
- Plan a week of play in about fifteen minutes using themes and a bank of 200 ideas
- Set up safe play invitations from household things and rotate toys instead of buying more
- Use serve-and-return talk and comments that grow your child's words
- Write a family screen plan and share it with every carer
- Agree calm, consistent words for limits across parents, grandparents and nannies
- Prepare your child for a new sibling, a new carer or starting nursery
- Keep a clear record you can take to a doctor, health visitor or nurse if you are worried
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Early Years & Childcare Practice Judgment
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentDigital Parenting & Online Safety Judgment
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentLesson Design and Questioning Technique Assessment for Teachers and Trainers
Take the assessment →JobularyLearn by doing: the 70-20-10 model explained (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 2
Toddlers run on hunger, tiredness and mood far more than on the time. A timetable fights that. A rhythm works with it. A rhythm is a reliable order of anchors: the same kinds of things happen in roughly the same sequence every day, but the times bend.
A typical rhythm for a toddler looks like this: wake and breakfast, a big play or an outing, lunch, rest or quiet time, afternoon play, tea, then bath, books and bed. Your child learns the order, and the order makes them feel safe. You stop watching the clock and start watching the child.
Four anchors do most of the work: food, time outside, rest, and stories. If those four happen, the day was a decent day, whatever else went wrong. Everything else is extra.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily structure | A printable timetable by the half hour | A rhythm of anchors that bends with naps, moods and weather |
| Activity ideas | A list of crafts that need shopping | 200 ideas from household things, with age band, skill, mess level and safety notes |
| Early learning | Alphabet and number worksheets | Talk, books, rhymes and everyday counting |
| Behaviour | General tips | A one-moment behaviour plan and 48 exact phrases every carer can use |
| Carers | Nothing | Handover sheet, carer guide, screen agreement and ready-to-send messages |
| Development | Milestone lists that make you anxious | Calm noticing, a skills log and a concern record for professionals |
| Countries | One country's assumptions | Works anywhere, with dated country notes to check |
Made for you if…
- Parents at home with a child aged 1 to 5, full time or part of the week
- Grandparents who care for grandchildren regularly
- Nannies, au pairs and childminders who want a simple structure
- Foster, adoptive and kinship carers
- Parents working from home around a toddler
- Families preparing for nursery, a new sibling or a new carer
Probably not for you if…
- Parents looking for a formal early-years curriculum or worksheets
- Anyone looking for medical, diagnostic or therapy advice
- Families of newborns (see the Bump to Baby kit)
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Make tomorrow morning a little easier
As you open the planner tonight and set out one invitation for the morning, notice how little it takes to give the day a shape. Whether you begin with the day chart cards or the Weekly Plan form, start with one small step and let the rhythm build from there.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
Bump to Baby: The Practical Planner
The pregnancy and newborn planner.
Morning Heroes
Routine cards for ages 3 to 9.
AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
Toddler and Preschool at Home: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkWhat ages is this kit for?
Children from about 1 to 5 years old. The Activity Bank and cards are tagged by age band (1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5 and all ages), and the workbook works out each child's age band from their date of birth.
Do I need to buy special toys or materials?
No. The 200 play ideas use household things such as cups, boxes, socks, pans, paper and water. Every idea assumes an adult close by, and the e-book explains simple safety rules for small items, water and food.
How much screen time is OK for a toddler?
WHO (2019) advises no sedentary screen time for 1-year-olds and no more than one hour a day for ages 2 to 4, with less being better. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests avoiding screen media under about 18 months apart from video calls, and choosing high-quality, shared content for 2 to 5 year olds. The kit helps you write your own family plan and follow your doctor's advice.
How do I know if my toddler is ready for potty training?
Common signs include staying dry for an hour or two, knowing when they are wet or soiled, interest in the toilet and being able to pull pants up and down with help. Chapter 7 explains a calm, readiness-first approach, and the optional Toilet Learning sheet tracks progress for a week or two. Ask your health visitor or doctor if you are unsure.
Can grandparents and nannies use it too?
Yes. The Carer handover sheet, the Nanny and grandparent guide and the Family screen agreement are written to be shared, so every adult uses the same rhythm, limits and words.
Will it work in my country?
Yes. The method and tools are country-neutral and the workbook has a currency label you can set. Rules on childcare funding and employing a nanny differ by country, so the e-book has dated country notes with official sources to check.
Is this medical or developmental advice?
No. Toddler and Preschool at Home is educational content, not medical, developmental or legal advice. For feeding, sleep, growth, development, vaccinations and safety, follow your doctor, health visitor, nurse or paediatrician and your country's official guidance. The concern record helps you prepare for that conversation; it does not diagnose anything.
How can I measure my starting point as a carer or early years practitioner?
If you work with young children or want a structured check of your own judgment, AssessAll offers the Early Years and Childcare Practice Judgment assessment and the Digital Parenting and Online Safety Judgment assessment. They are separate from this kit and optional.
How do I turn what I learn into a development plan for myself?
Most learning happens by doing, which is the idea behind the 70-20-10 model. Jobulary's guide, Learn by doing: the 70-20-10 model explained, shows how to plan practice, feedback and a little formal learning, which suits anyone building a career in childcare or early years.
Can I get a refund?
Digital kits are non-refundable once downloaded. If a file is corrupted and not fixed within 3 working days, if you were charged twice, or if delivery failed, contact solutions@bodhih.com and we will put it right.
How much does Toddler and Preschool at Home cost?
₹999 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $29 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
