Toddler Activities

i dont have kids yet but i used to work in a preschool setting so thinking of activities for kids is something that i used to do full time... you can mix fruit or veggie salad with her, you can do handprints/footprints in different media (paper, cloth,wood,etc), you can also tear, crumple, fold or even cut (introduce her to the use of scissors) and do all kids of things with paper, this will improve her fine motor skills. you also make a project together -paper mache is easy,or macaroni shell crafts(you can string it like beads or make collage out of it). gross motor activities are also fun. you can scatter plastic balls around & ask her to pick it up, crawl under lined up chairs and do an obstacle course out of huge boxes. there are tons of activity ideas that you can find online. There are also books that compile 365 days of activities for your toddler. 'ope this helps.

I know you may not like this idea, but have you ever tried fingerpainting with pudding? It's great for toddlers because it has a different texture than regular paint and it's completely safe so if she decides to stick her fingers in her mouth, it's just pudding and nothing else. Plus, it has a great smell too which is excellent for toddlers since they learn through their senses.

If I were you, I'd contact one of the home parties that sell educational toys and have a party...so you can get some free toys. The consultants are excellent about knowing which kinds of activities are best for each age group. When my son was that age - long, long ago - I got a child's (extra heavy-duty...works if it's dropped) tape recorder. He loved hearing his own voice. I also had some tapes of books that he loved, and he could listen to someone else (besides me and his dad) reading. The tape always said when to turn the page. Now, of course, you could have kid friendly CD players. He also loved pouring water from one container to another. Or pouring corn meal (indoor sand...and it doesn't matter if it gets in your mouth) from one container to another. We also made a game of labeling everything in the house. (I'm sure that's why he learned to read so early.) We played with the magnetic letters on the refrigerator. When we did finger painting, we often did it with pudding or icing or whipped cream. We made healthy snacks together - like ants on a log (celery sticks with cream cheese or peanut butter inside and raisins on top). We made necklaces (and Christmas ornaments) using O-shaped cereal and string. (The oat or fruit flavored cereal.) We also glued cereal on paper to make wonderful art displays. Or macaroni noodles. (Also good to string.) We glued paper plates together and put beans inside...and had some cheap "musical" instruments. We also made drums out of the old oatmeal cylinder boxes. And other instruments out of cardboard and string or rubber bands. We had a game that gave examples of all kinds of sounds, with cards to show what made the sound. Like a toilet flushing, a baby crying, a cow mooing, a cat meowing, etc. At bath time, we used soap crayons and drew all over the tub (and him). But his favorite thing to do - from about 18 months - was to have a big piece of poster board and some kid friendly markers. If I played classical music, he would move to the music while he tried to make a perfect piece of art. Then his dad and I always found a place on the wall for his art. Sometimes we even framed them. And once, a couple visited us and offered us $100 for one of his works of art.

Hmmm as I recall I spent a great deal of time running after my 2 year old... lol I guess I would take them for a walk to the park, read them a book for thier age group, you could check out the library because some of them have story time for smaller kids, start your child out on a simple instrument, let her/him help with your chores around the house like folding clothes etc...even if they don't do it perfect it still makes them feel good to be 'helping' mom. Hope some of these help. :)

Hi. When my son was two, we did many creative activities. Like finger-painting, but we did it with pudding. I also did flashcards to help with learning. I did try a savenger hunt with him, it helped him learned the surrundings around him outside. just different things. Just be creative.

Anything can be fun and educational for kids. Before you go to the grocery store, you can draw pictures of some things you need to pick up, like apples, bananas, bread (things that she can recognize, and are easy to draw!). That could be her little grocery list to take with her to the store. She can then pick out whats on her list. Someone else suggested the Library, and i think thats a great idea. The one we go to has a little kids area with activites like dress up and puzzles, plus, since there are usually other kids her age she will enjoy it. I hope that helps, for some reason i cant think of anymore right now! good luck!

Jogging in the morning, I play my guitar while he dance and sing. Browse the computer together. Play games on my PC together. Do the groceries with him and lets him choose what he wants for that day. We do wrestling as well. Actually, I don't have any specific activities for my son, the moment I think of something interesting, he'll surely love it.

i have a two year old child too but he is a boy. we play ball and ride the bike. we also watch together, draw together and run outside together. when it rains we like to bathe together under the rain. i wish i can give some suggestions to you but girls activities are different from guys. sooni want him to learn how to plant so next year we will both try to plant tomatoes. why not try to cook or bake together. she can put designs on your cookies.

We do colouring and painting, and my daughter also loves to do jigsaw puzzles. You can get suitable ones for two-year olds, and it really keeps them occupied, they start to think logically about which bit goes where and why, and trying to fit the pieces together develops their motor skills. You could also do some baking with your daughter. I haven't yet baked anything major with my daughter, but I get her to help me whisk eggs, put pasta in the saucepan and other little tasks like this. It's lovely to let them feel involved in things like this. I'm planning on making a chocolate cake with her; it will be messy, but hopefully fun! My cousin suggested rolling out pastry and making biscuits, as she'll be able to use cutters to make different shapes. It would also be really good fun to make simple types of treats, like chocolate rice crispy cakes. Lego (or other building toys) is also a popular activity. Anything you can use to build a tower (like blocks), or make things like cars, buildings or flowers! You can also make these activities educational by counting the bricks as you put them on. Another very popular activity with my daughter is gardening of any kind. She loves weeding(!), planting plants or seeds, and watering things and picking anything that grows and can be picked! Even if the weather's not too great, you can always get some trays and plant some seeds indoors. Then she could be in charge of watering them every day. She could watch them every day and learn about how seeds grow into shoots, then plants and then flowers.

I would suggest you to buy her colouring books or take printouts from the internet and make her colour those pages. building blocks was also quite engaging for my kids, they spent hours trying to make a ship or a dinosaur . also I had bought them a leapfrog infants laptop, it was really very educative, my daughter was able to identify alphabets and numbers even before she started her play school because of this laptop, it has this interactive key and mouse which lights up as we move them. it was worth the money. I still have it after all these years, my daughter is 8yrs now. It is a hit with all the kids.

How about making some playdough (as long as she doesn't eat it...) you can make it whatever colour you like and/or add glitter. You can make 'gloop' with cornflour - it has a wonderful texture but isnt really messy. If you can get some shredded paper, you can put it in a box and hide small toys for her to 'find'. She could probably do crayon rubbings if you held the paper still for her and you could roll marbles, cotton reels or plastic trucks in paint and then across paper for some abstract art work! Painting with water on your outside slabs is good or you could do some floating and sinking experiments or use a simple balance for heavier/lighter. A 'feely' box or bag is usually quite popular or things with different textures. All these things give you the chance to use lots of new vocabulary which she may not be able to say as yet but she'll recall later on. You could make one of those magnetic fishing games or let her decorate biscuits/cookies etc. Whatever you do I'm sure you'll both have fun

I have a 2 1/2 yrs old son and I am also like you. I never stop thinking of what activities to do in order to make my toddler busy and spend quality time with him. I bought him educational books, the colorful ones. Books for ABC's, numbers, animals and shapes. I let him explore and at this point in time he already knew the contents of the book I bought for him. And, I am still buying new books for him until now. We also spend some time watching dvd's of nursery rhymes and some selected kiddie movies. He knows already the story of Lion King coz he's watched it several times already. Be sure that you screen the movie first before you let you toddler watch it.

What about playdough - you can make your own. You can make you own book. You can make one with textures, shapes, different numbers and letters. The fun part is finding things to paste in the book. You can make pictures out of dried beans or seeds by pasting them on a paper plate or cardboard. String cereal onto a necklace like fruit loops. You can make your own grocery store by saving carboard container from food our plastic containers and set up a store for her to shop and then play with. Chalk is great outside. You can trace her body and then you can both make a face and clothes and she has a lifesize picture of herself.

I'd highly recommend getting flashcards to start teaching her her letters, numbers, and colors - even as young as she is, it's possible for her to get it. My son did very well at that age in learning his letters and such. Make it fun for her; we use sticker charts here. Every time she learns a new letter and can remember it, you could let her put a sticker on her chart - it's very inexpensive and it worked so well with my kids - it made learning fun for them. It may take her a while to start remembering, but don't be discouraged - you'll love the results when she starts catching on!