Many parents think that planning fun toddler activities is a challenging task and do not have any clue where to start. However, with a little creativity, you can plan interesting and enriching activities that your little one will enjoy. Here are two activities that my own toddlers love and that your child will also enjoy. In addition to having fun, he or she will also be learning important skills through the activities I am about the share with you. For each activity, I will also share with you exactly what materials are needed.
1) Creative Story Activity
Crib Toddler Mattress
*Time: 30 to 45 minutes
*Materials Needed: Big sheet of drawing paper, colored markers or crayons, Blu-Tack
*Skills we will be developing: Word recognition, counting, questioning and critical thinking
In this activity, we are going to leverage on storytelling to teach your toddler about words, numbers and critical thinking skills in a fun way. Let your toddler pick a book he or she likes, and read it out loud together. Get your toddler involved by requesting his or her help to turn the pages. An important tip to getting the most out of this activity is to ask your toddler plenty of questions when you are reading the story to stimulate creative thinking. Also, look out for opportune moments in the story when you can teach your child the concept of numbers indirectly -- for example, getting your toddler to count how many apples there are in the picture, or how many birds are flying away.
After you have read through the story once or twice with your little one, ask your child to pick his or her favorite phrase from the story. Using a big sheet of drawing paper, write the phrase down with a marker or crayon and then get your child to draw and color some pictures to go with the phrase. You can then use some Blu-Tack to stick your child's completed work on the bedroom wall, preferably at eye-level. You will be surprised at how quickly your toddler will learn the words in these phrases, and he or she will be able to read them back to you in no time!
2) Music And Movement Activity
*Time: 15 to 20 minutes
*Materials needed: CD player (optional), piano or guitar (optional), simple musical instruments such as maracas or a toy tambourine
*Skills we will be developing: An appreciation for music and rhythm
Toddlers love rhythm and movement, and in this activity, we are going to strengthen your child's sense of music and rhythm. If you play a musical instrument such as the piano or guitar, you can try playing a couple of popular children's songs such as Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes and get your toddler to accompany using a toy tambourine or maracas.
If you do not have any musical instruments at home, you can simply play a CD of children's songs while getting your toddler to dance and clap to the rhythm. If you have more than one toddler, get them to form a circle by holding hands with each other and with you while moving and clapping to the music.