Playing toddler games and engaging in toddler activities is not only fun, stimulating and a great way to spend time with your child, it also effectively fertilizes the ground for cultivating many important life skills (the benefits of which we will get to in a bit).
The inspiring toddler activities you'll see on this page will be
tailor-made your child's age - although older kids may have
lots of fun with them too.
Thus you'll find lots of fun
toddler activities suited your:
Besides the obvious purpose of helping out a desperate mom or dad on
a rainy day or being a good pastime activity, really good
toddler activities can help develop, instil and
fine-tune basic existential, bodily and mental life skills such as:
Being 100% present here and now with your toddler is one of
the most important gifts you can give your child. Really, I'm
not kidding!
Nothing beats love and attention.
When your child experiments, expresses himself / herself,
tries new things and succeeds, this process of 'mastering' the
world on your own terms will pave the way for the vital
existential belief of 'I can'.
This 'I can' may sound
trivial but it is not, I can assure you.
'I can' is
one of the most essential and basic building stones of self
esteem and consequently self realization: living out your
potentials!
Many games have an inbuilt logic that automatically teaches
your child many aspects about communication and time, for
instance in terms of taking turns, doing things in a certain
sequence etc.
Recent research has made a strong link between great motor
skills and strong learning abilities. In short the conclusion
is, using the body, boosts the brain!
By the way, did
you know that from birth to the age of four, children pass
more
developmental milestones than at any
other stage of their lives.
Amazing, right!
So
dig in, get inspired and prepare to have hours of fun with
these fun toddler games (and yes, some of them your toddler
can do alone) which at the same time function as inspiring
learning activities for toddlers.
This
most basic of toddler game will help build your child's fine
motor skills, improving their ability to pick items up using
their forefinger and thumb.
This is known as the
"Pincer Grasp" and it will eventually lead to your child being
able to do anything from manipulate the use of a pencil to
buttoning up their own clothes.
According to the
American
Academy of Pediatrics, children develop basic number
skills as young as 12-months-old, so this fun toddler activity
is a great and fun way to introduce your toddler to numbers
through play.
The
words paint and toddler in the same sentence are enough to
strike fear in the hearts of even the most devoted of parents.
However, there is a way for your toddler to enjoy an
exciting painting activity without getting the clothes, the
furniture and the carpet covered in paint ;-)
The result should be a truly creative masterpiece your toddler
will be proud of.
Proof itself that not all toddler
games mean mess and chaos!
Here is a great game that will fuel your toddler's sense of
curiosity and exploration as well as fine-tuning her finger
dexterity.
Also this is a game that your toddler can
play independently next to you while you're cooking or doing
other household chores that you need to get done.
All
you need to do is to devote 5 minutes of preparation.
Once your toddler gets the drift of the game, containers will
probably be opened faster and faster - so the more surprises
you have prepared, the longer the game will last.
This one of learning activities for toddlers will stimulate
your toddler's senses as well as teach him some of the most
basic principles of physics.
And who can teach us
better than Mother Nature.
The result can be really spectacular if you choose a colored
piece of paper in e.g. yellow, orange or red.
If the weather is nice and warm, this toddler game
will provide lots of great fun for your little one.
As
it involves water, you need to be nearby and never leave your
toddler unsupervised.
The one
game is great for stimulating
cognitive
thinking in terms of gently introducing the abstract skill of
categorization along with fun memory training.
Create a wonderful and exciting physics lab for your toddler.
These types of toddler games will have the potential for hours
of fun for your toddler.
By the time your child reaches two-years-of age, you
will notice their enthusiasm for learning has increased yet
again.
Not only will toddlers have mastered walking by
this age, their speech will be rapidly improving.
Games for this age group are slightly more advanced to
account for your child's growing knowledge, comprehension and
abilities.
Acitivities
for toddlers at this age need to be interesting,
as their concentration span is still fairly short.
The idea is you shout out a body
part, such as the arm, foot or nose, and then shout out a
shape.
Your toddler then has to put the correct body
part on the right shape. Your toddler will find this game
highly amusing, as they tie themselves in knots trying to get
to the right shapes.
However, as well as fun, your
toddler is becoming more familiar with different shapes and
parts of the body.
You can turn this activity into a
game for the whole family by simply drawing or
printing off more shapes.
Many parents feel guilty about the
lack of time they have available to spend one-on-one with
their toddler.
With busy work and home lives, it is
often difficult to set aside time to play exciting
games. However, you can turn many of the boring chores you
have to do around the home, into exciting games for toddlers.
For instance, learning to throw and catch is harder than
it looks, so when teaching your child to do these tasks, it is
always a good idea to start with something soft - such as
socks.
Your toddler is likely to drop many
more than he can catch at first, but if you play this toddler
game on a regular basis, you will be surprised how fast your
toddler will pick it up.
Another bonus: You will also
get to enjoy time playing with your toddler, while still
completing a chore.
This one of the fun activities for toddlers
is like a simple variety of a treasure hunt. In this way older
children are bound find this toddler game fun, too.
Warning: Your toddler will probably love this one of
indoor toddler activities so much that he will require you do
it again :-)
This
outdoor game is ideal for a hot day.
I actually remember having lots of fun doing this myself when
I was a child.
As this is a game that involves water,
make sure to supervise closely.
This
game can go in many directions all depending on your toddler's
personality. Some toddlers might be very systematic and take a
long time painting the whole thing until the project is done.
Other toddlers might paint a little bit and then start
'painting' themselves and start splashing games with the water.
Whatever the case - your toddler will do what is most
fun for him or her and that's the whole purpose of it, right!
This is another
playful activity for the outdoors. This one is great for
improving bodily coordination and strengthening flexibility.
The only thing you need is some pavement chalk. Although
some white chalky stones can also be used.
Even
though the actions in this toddler game are
physical, the game itself is rooted in a form of cognitive
play.
Through this extended game (yes, it will last a
whole day), you will introduce systematic thinking to your
child in terms of applying simple thought principles to
actions.
There are no limits to the 'green' possibilities in this
game. So put on your green glasses to see the world in a new,
green light!
Most kids
love playing with a flashlight in darkness where they get to
see and experience the world in an entire new, fascinating way.
Three-years-old marks the transition from toddler to
preschooler and the fact your baby is becoming more of an
independent child.
As you have probably noticed,
children of three are able to engage in more complicated play.
For instance, you may also notice your
toddler
is developing a much more vivid imagination which
can also be used in your toddler games.
The saying "the old ones are the best" is
most definitely true when it comes to this exciting toddler
game.
Not only does this game promise lots of fun, it
also helps your toddler learn to follow directions.
This game, one of the
oldest activities for toddlers around, helps to develop
hand-eye coordination and encourages enhanced cognitive
development all round.
Doing the same jigsaw puzzle
over and over again can be boring for a young child, so giving
this old favorite a twist will make the fun last longer.
This is a musical game where your toddler gets to make her
own instrument.
Although, it is unlikely that she will
play a 'real' tune just yet, she is sure to have a lot of fun
making all the noise :-)
Let you toddler have fun with the eating
experience itself while at the same time helping him develop
his fine motor skills.
This one I have used quite often with
my own son and he just loves eating with chopsticks.
Mind you, he doesn't use the chopsticks 'correctly' - has one
in each hand - but who cares, as long as he has fun eating.
This game
for toddlers
will be very exciting for your toddler as it has the potential
of involving the forever fascinating sensory interplay of
taste and touch.
Ah yes,
what better way to end this page with a
tidying up or cleaning up game :-)
With this type of
activities for toddlers you make cleaning up exciting with
interesting riddle-like tasks your toddler has to perform for
the pure fun of it.
This game can be used in any room
of the house. You mere need to just my example to fit your
current circumstance.
Here we take the example of
cleaning up your toddler's room.
Don't expect to be able to play the game until everything is
tidied up. Your toddler will probably be distracted along the
way and perhaps also get enough after a while.
But it
may take you quite far ... all while having fun.
Whatever toddler
games you decide to play with your child, there is no doubt
that each one will be a learning opportunity. Even the
most
basic of toddler activities, offer your child an educational
experience - through the senses, the mind and feelings.
And what better way to learn about the oneself, others and
the world than through joyful play.
Your Positive Parenting Ally,
Birgitte
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