As your child starts to get older and hit new developmental milestones, it is vital to find ways to spend time together that are bonding opportunities between the two of you and offer the essential enrichment your child needs.
Luckily, many activities do just that. From playing ‘Simon says’ to imagining fairytale lands, your child will not be short of chances to have fun and build new skills. So grab their shoes for toddlers and plan your next day of fun with these educational activities for toddlers, boys and girls.
Fun Learning and Educational Activities for Toddlers to enjoy Learning Through Play
Hide Toys
Take some of your child’s toys and hide them for a fun activity that can be played indoors and outdoors in a predetermined area. When it is time for them to find it, search with them, using verbal cues to help them determine whether they are on track or looking in the wrong spot.
This activity will help them practice listening and building their problem-solving, social, and memory skills. Then, for a twist, allow them to hide the toys for you to seek out and encourage them to provide the same cues to help you along.
Trace Their Body
We are all familiar with tracing our hands at school and turning it into some kind of animal, but go one step further and have your child lie down on a large piece of paper to have her entire body traced. Because they will have to lie still to get an accurate outline, they will learn the importance of self-control.
Additionally, you can use the trace to teach them the different parts of the body and what we call the features of the face. This allows them to gain a better sense of self in the process.
Play Dress Up
Bring out a big pile of clothes, which can be old clothes out of your wardrobe or a selection that you have acquired from a secondhand shop, and allow your child to play dress up. You are welcome to get involved, but this activity is best played in a group setting with other children their age.
It allows them to have enriched social interactions and helps them build their imagination, creativity, and communication skills while playing with others.
Red Light/Green Light
Red light/green light is a game that encapsulates the idea of stopping and going on cue. It may be challenging to explain to a child a bit younger, but it creates an environment for your little one to learn the importance of self-control.
This skill eventually turns into our ability to negotiate with others, compromise on situations and work through conflict with other people without losing our temper.
Decorate a Pencil Case
Cover a table with newspaper for protection and bring out the arts and crafts to give your toddler an opportunity to decorate a pencil case. It is an excellent way to build their motor skills as they negotiate their way through using glue and applying various crafty elements like glitter and fluffy pompoms.
Additionally, it is another fantastic activity that allows them to express their creative side in a way they can visually see and comprehend.
Imagination Game
The imagination game is a creative game where your child must make believe certain situations, environments, or scenarios based on a collection of props you provide. For example, lay a blanket on the floor they can sit on and gently pull them around the room. Ask them to imagine being on a boat or train and help them build an imagined environment.
The movement on the blanket helps to build balance, and the interactions between you two build communication, creativity, and language skills.
Play Simon Says
Simon Says is one of those old school games we all played as kids. It’s a game that is best started with simple instructions to give them time to understand what the game requires. Then, as they grasp it better, you can make the commands more complex and fun. Finally, encourage them to jump, run and catch items to make the game more interactive.
And, of course, drop the ‘Simon says’ occasionally to see if they understood the game’s instructions. As a result, they will develop gross motor skills, comprehension, and receptive language vocabulary.
Roleplay
Roleplay is a brilliant way to engage in educational activities for your toddler. Ask your child to imagine a scenario and story for the two of you to act out. This includes characters, environments, and a storyline of some sort (you can create these instead of they are having difficulty coming up with something).
Ask them to have conversations and perform small activities appropriate for the fictional world in which you live. You will practice fine motor skills and allow yourself an opportunity to delve into the worlds your child thinks about.
Catch & Throw
Catch and throw can be played indoors, but for more freedom and less stress over breaking anything important, use it as a chance to get outside and get some fresh air. It is an alternative way to get your daily exercise with your little one and helps them build motor skills and comprehend instructions.
If simply throwing and catching becomes boring, incorporate tricks or props that raise the difficulty level but provide far more reward when successfully executed.
Craft a Collage
Crafting a collage offers opportunities to practice various skills, which makes it a brilliant activity to do, with some supervision during the cutting stage. For example, ask them to make a face, cutting out the different features from various old magazines. Encourage them to make silly or funny faces so that they can think outside the box.
Show them briefly how to glue the paper down but primarily allow them to navigate this time alone, offering verbal hints to help them when they are stuck. Furthermore, let them watch you cut out the pieces, explaining your actions as you go until they can safely attempt it themselves with scissors under your supervision.
I hope these 10 educational activities for toddlers has given you a few ideas of ways to interact with your child in a play based and fun way. Let me know in the comments if you have any other ways you encourage learning through play with your children.
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