Simple Activities to Entertain Your Toddler
by Christina D. Archer As a preschool teacher and home educator, many of the parents I work with ask me what they can do at home to keep their two year old out of trouble. First of all, it is important for parents to understand that a child at this age level is engaged in active brain development.
It is imperative that we provide quality, age-appropriate learning experiences for toddlers, because this stimulates hundreds of thousands of neural connections within the brain. The more neural connections formed up to age 3, the less brain cells will die off as the result of lacking synapses, or connections between the cells. Many of the simple activities I am about to suggest, I utilize often in my preschool class of 10 students. These activities will create a unique bonding experience for parents and child, serving as true quality time. 1. Puppets tell a story. Use a hand puppet to tell a short story to your child. If possible, us a puppet that is part of the story. You can use a puppet to say rhymes, sing songs, and even give your child instructions. 2. Match pictures. Make a few sets of matching picture cards. Use clear pictures of things that are familiar to your toddler, such as two pictures of the same dog or two of the same cup. Put one card from each pair where the child can see them. Then help the child find the matching pictures and put them on top of their mates. 3. Make a necklace. Children love to make something they can wear. Using yarn, string, or a shoelace, your child can make a necklace out of Cheerios, Fruit Loops, pasta, or any other non-toxic item that is not too small for them to choke on. 4. Water play. We all know how much children generally love to play in the bathtub. Your child can have a similar experience with a simple dishpan, some small plastic toys, water, and a little food coloring. Try this with your child. You can pretend the toys are swimming at the beach, etc. 5. Rice play. Fill a dishpan with about 4 inches of clean, dry rice. Put a few plastic cups, bowls, spoons, and small toys in the rice. Talk to your toddler about how the rice feels. Suggest your child bury the toys in the rice. These are just a few, simple suggestions that work well in the classroom, and provide the kinds of sensory experiences that will expand the attention span of toddlers. Remember, there truly are no terrible twos; there are only toddlers who are not being provided with simple learning experiences that will undoubtedly affect the rest of their lives.
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