5 Activities To Play with Toddlers

Hey guys,

Welcome to my blog. Hope you all are doing great:)

Toddlers are the bundle of energy, they always want to play with someone. In Today`s scenario, most of the families are nuclear and kids hardly get a chance to play with other kids, thus they look up to us for playing which is quite obvious but catching up with their energy level and playing with them every day sometimes gets overwhelming. Another big task which I guess most of the parents would agree with me is choosing ACTIVITIES to play with your kid.

As we know babies learn through playing thus it is very important to incorporate activities through which we can teach them skills, manners and some important lessons of life. In one of my blog I talked about how to play with kids, you can check HERE. In today`s blog, I want to share 5 Activities which you can play with your toddlers.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

PLAY THE GAME “I SPY”

Play this game ” I SPY ” with your toddler. Look around your place and point to an object (let`s say you find a chair around you) and say ” I SPY WITH MY EYE… a CHAIR.” Then ask your child to do the same . Take turns being the “spy”.  In the beginning, your child may only be able to say ” I SPY. A CHAIR” or simply ” A chair ” but eventually they will learn how to play. This Activity is a fun activity you can play with your kid anywhere and it doesn’t need any particular object.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• They will learn the names of the different object they find around themselves.
• Observing, How you make the association between seeing and your eyes will help your child to recognise the body`s sensory functions.
• This game will also help in developing your child`s communication skills
• Children will learn to combine words into phrases or sentences to express themselves.

ROLE PLAY

This is a great way to communicate with kids. Toddlers love to pretend and play, you might have observed kids pretending to talk on phone or they ask you to come to their shop. We usually just encourage them by saying very nice, good job or play with them a little but try to dedicate a proper time in their pretend and play , you will see many positive changes in their behaviour.

Tell your child that you are going to pretend one of his/her friends at school. Sit down together and play with some of your child`s toys at home. When your child wants the toy that you are playing with, teach them how they should ask for it. Emphasise on using the words “Please” and “Thank you”. For example ” please can I have a turn with that?” or ” thank you for giving me a turn”.

 

Mediate between your child and his/her friends during playtime. If you notice that two children want the same toy, suggest that one child should play and then give the other child a turn, so that they both can play together. This was just an example you can opt for any role which you find exciting.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Children respond to questions in a conversation.
• They learn to take turns
• They learn to use “Please” and “Thank you”
• They learn to share things with other kids

SORTING

Sorting is an early math skill that helps children recognise relational similarity and differences. It’s a great way to introduce your child with different shapes, texture and numbers.

Take out a few (non-breakable) small cups and bowls or pom-pom of different colours mix them up. Explain to your child that sorting means keeping similar objects together. Ask them to sort the cups and bowls or pom-pom by keeping cups together and bowls together or same colour pom-pom together. This activity can definitely give you some time to complete your chores as once child understand the concept they get engaged with it.

You can teach numbers while sorting. Ask different questions like what are cups used for? What are bowls used for? What do you pour into cups? Where do you keep cups and bowls at home? and many more.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• It improves fine motor skills of your child.
• It helps them in learning math skills
• It helps children recognise relational similarities and difference.
• They can learn numbers and colours by sorting.
• Asking different questions encourage them to communicate and give answers.

DIY CARDS

It`s time to explore your creativity along with your children. It’s a fun activity for both parents and children :D. Make a card for a birthday, an occasion or to say “I Love You”. Provide paper and crayons to your child. Make sure to write your child`s name and a note about what he/she has made. Give them unstructured time to experiment with these early writing tools and exercise their imagination.

You will be surprised to see the end result, sometimes your child uses his/her imagination beyond your expectation. Let them explore being messy, it is also an important part of development. You can also help them to prepare a card for their teacher or friend which you want to be little more structured, instruct them what they need to do, select colours for them, help them by holding their hands.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Scribbling and holding crayons or other writing materials are an important early skill for writing and literacy development.
• Children will explore colours to create an artwork.
• They will use their imagination which is beneficial for their development.
• They will learn to be more focused
• They will learn about colours and their combinations.
• The will learn the idea of giving something to others on special occasion

BEST OUT OF WASTE

We are quite familiar with this concept but have you ever thought to involve your kids in making DIY? I saw a post on my friend`s Instagram misszesty (check out her blogs too, they are amazing) she made a beautiful jewellery box along with her daughter from a waste cardboard box. I really liked her idea of doing DIY with kids. I got so inspired that I am planning to make same box with my daughter. I`ll share on my Instagram soon, so do not forget to follow me on Instagram as well.

By doing this activity you are actually helping them to use their imagination and creativity. They will learn to value things which is an important lesson of life. It also gives them a constructive sight to look at waste. Try to make any DIY with your kids and put that in their room. Trust me You will see a sense of accomplishment on their face. They will be more happy to use your DIY box than any marketed item.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• It will improve their fine motor skills
• It will enhance their imagination and creativity
• They will learn to value things
• They may also find their interest in Art and Craft

This is all I wanted to share. The best part of all activities mentioned above is the fact that they are sit and play activities thus it will make your toddler sit at a place which is a big positive for we as a parent because trust me kids at this age are extremely mobile, making them sit at one place is the most difficult task.

Try this activities and let me know how do you find it. Please share other activity ideas you have, we would love to include in our play time.

Thanks for reading. do not forget to like, share and follow if you find my blog useful.

I’m taking part in the Mummy Monday linky with Becca from Becca Blogs It Out-Becca Blogs It Out

Love 🙂