Activities for Toddlers

Each little toddler is a keen and active learner discovering a whole new world with myriad activities including bumps, jumps and falls. Toddlers love dancing, swimming and moving around. They pick up small toys, drop up and fit them inside containers and dump them again. They learn to turn pages and make marks with crayons.

This is the time for toddlers to lean about 'cause and effect'. Thinking skills are developing and toddlers begin to learn about relationships. They understand colors and shapes and learn to match things.

Toddlers crave for adult approval and demand a lot of personal attention. These are the early formative years of ones' life and a toddler's mind is inquiring and stimulating, always wanting to discover more.

Fun activities for toddlers

A toddler is not content to play on a blanket with toys alone. Now that they are more mobile, growing by leaps and bounds, the need for physical activities becomes stronger. Childhood obesity can be controlled and motor skills can be developed with physical activities for the toddler.

There are a whole range of activities that help the toddler have fun and yet learn at once. Most of these fun activities can be easily made from items at home. While these activities develop the child's imagination and improve creativity, they also afford the parent quality bonding time with the infant.

Sheer Walk: Encourage the toddler to simply walk in different ways at different places. It could be high marching steps or big strides. Music of varying tempos can be used while walking. The game can be tried with shoes and barefoot.

Toddler train: Pulling the train behind him/her should put loads of smile on to their pretty face. The materials required are 3 or more assorted boxes, string, ribbon, plastic straws and scissors. Poke small holes in the ends of each box and insert a foot string into the back hold of the first box. Tie the end of the string around a short piece of plastic straw to prevent it from pulling through the hole. Fasten all the boxes the same way. Use a longer length of string for the front hole such that the child pulls the train from behind.

Water games: This bath time variation should bring immense joy to the young ones. The materials required are a plastic bathtub and baby toys. Seat the toddler in an empty bathtub. Fill the plastic baby bathtub with water and set it beside the child. An assortment of bath toys like cups, spoons, bowls, empty squeeze bottles, and sponges make excellent water play toys.

Summer days activities for toddlers

Fun in the sun, fun with fish, water games and inner tube games and many more such activities can help beat the summer heat for the toddler.

Outdoor activities for the toddler

Mud play: The entire activity should take 15 -20 minutes. The materials required are patch of dirt, spoon, water and small stick. The toddler should strip down to a diaper or swimsuit. It is better to play in the shade while playing with mud. Once the parent locates a patch of bare dirt, dig using the spoon or stick. Small amounts of water can be added and model mixing it together with hands. This activity is a guaranteed winner with any toddler.

Kite balloons: As flying a normal kite should be quite a difficult task for any toddler, use helium balloons with kite strings which are guaranteed to fly. Tie one end of the string to the helium balloon while the other end may be tied to the child's wrist. Now the toddler will find it easy to fly his balloon.

Treasure dig: The materials required for this activity are small objects to hide, shovels, sandbox and colander. Hide the small objects in the sand box for the toddler to find as he/she digs out. Old kitchen colander should be ideal to sift through the sand. Rocks can be spray painted with shiny gold and silver and the toddler can be shown how to search for the hidden treasure.

Toddler car wash: Materials required would be a bucket of soapy water, sponge, hose and riding toys. Help the child to set up a toddler car wash. With a bucket of warm soapy water let him wash the riding toys with a sponge. The toddler can also use a hose to rinse them when finished.

Indoor games for the toddler

With toys and snacks and a treasure map, it is indoor treasure hunt game for the toddler. Hide several small toys, books and special snacks around the house. Give the child clues or draw a map that leads to the treasure.

Toddlers love to bake cookies, just looking at their mothers bake them. Although it can be a mess, it is a great learning and fun time for the mother and child.

It is fun indeed making a tent out of blankets and chairs. Make a pretend 'campfire'. All televisions can be switched off. Moms and dads can also join the infant and have loads of fun with their sleeping bags.

Hide and seek is one of the most popular games. Couches and closets work out as excellent hiding places.

Learning activities for the toddler

There are many a popular education activity including puzzles, zigzag, blocks, coloring and bottle toys which help the parent play with their children for stimulating their mind.

Memory game

Materials required are gift wraps in a variety of patterns and colors. Index cards, 3 to 5 inch, glue, scissors, clear contact paper and clothespins. Gift wraps should be cup into 3 to 5 inch rectangles, making two rectangles from each pattern or color of paper. Glue each rectangle to an index card. Both sides of the index card should be covered with clear contact paper and trim the edges. A minimum of 5 pairs of cards can be made. While young children will simply enjoy looking at the cards, gradually they can be encouraged to lay the cards face up and try to clip the matching pairs together with clothespin. Older toddlers will enjoy playing this game of memory where all the cards are laid out face down and each player takes a turn trying to turn over a matching pair.

It is math time

This game gives n opportunity for the toddler to develop math skill for everyday world. Count everything with the child, steps as one climbs, toys as they are picked, cups as they are set on the table etc. Doors and windows in the house can be counted. Count out loud as napkins get matched and forks and spoons are laid on the table.

Color find

Identify a color blue and then ask the child, 'I see the color red. Can you find it?' As the parent count down from ten to zero, the child must touch something the include color red before the count is finished.

Discover textures

Different kinds of household materials like cotton, paper, rubber, feather, cushion and other objects can be assembled. The child is made to pick up an object and rub against his/her face and feel the texture of the object. Now the parent can explain while the object is being rubbed against the toddler's face.

Follow instructions

Place several household objects under a chair or table. Ask the child to close their eyes and then ask to find the object. The concepts of under, over, on, beside etc is now understood by the child.

Rhymes time

Sing aloud the melodious rhymes and lullabies for toddlers. They usually enjoy and can dance to the rhythm of these rhymes. And the mother's voice is always melodious for her child.

Art activities for the toddler

Art and craft activities provide fun and learning for the toddlers. They also serve to boost the creative spark. Older toddlers can be initiated into sponge painting, creating mural and finger painting.