Activities by sevens--seven projects at a timeIn this section you will find some activities for toddlers. I'm going to ignore specific ages and just load up seven things to do with toddlers. You can judge if your child is ready for a certain project and pick and choose what you want to do today tomorrow and whenever. You can also modify any project to fit your toddlers age.
At a level two play with a ball, your toddler might be 6 months to 18 months and capable of grasping and if not throwing, then at least rolling or kicking the ball.
Level three toddler ball play, ages between 18 months and 2 or 3 on, ball play can include various more sophicated grasping, throwing, aiming, kicking, playing with another child or adult, and so on.
So... on with seven activities for toddlers.
BALL PLAY
---Sit on the floor, legs spread apart and roll the ball back and forth. ---Bounce the ball ---get a container and use it to throw the ball into ---make a hoop and "shoot some baskets" ---throw the ball as high as you can--introducing the concept of high and low in the process ---juggle two balls ---dribble the ball ---bounce the ball against a wall (one that won't get damaged by bouncing against it) ---play catch. for older toddlers, maybe even use a glove ---a blow up ball is great for keeping the ball up high and keeping it from hitting the ground
WADING POOL SWIMMING
***I have to reiterate that you must supervise your child whenever he/she is around water. It IS possible to drown in several inches of water. Just being present isn't enough.
Supevision means being highly tuned in and attentive. *********
In the beginning of your child's life his wading pool can be a baby bathtub or a sink. A small child will fit into a small space--but small babies are slippery so hang on! You can blow bubbles in the water for baby. You can dribble water over your baby's head and arms and all over for that matter. You and baby can make splashes (if you don't want the mess, cover what might get wet before hand, with some towels. Older toddlers love their bath time. Little floating boats and toy fish are fun to accompany bath-time. Outside when the weather gets warm, a blow up wading pool is great fun. Cautions are if you leave it filled, cover when it's not in use. Cover securely enough that no child can wander in it and get into trouble. And cover it so no cats or dogs or other animals will get in it and urinate or in other ways contaminate the water. If a small baby is using it, change the water because the baby will likely have urinated in it.
The pool doesn't need much water in it for a small child to have fun. Enough to splash around in is sufficient. As your child grows more water will allow her to put her face in and perhaps even learn some floating. To get a head start on correct breathing, teach your child to blow bubbles in the water.
Here's one good use for plastic. Plastic bottles and funnels and tubes and dishes are great for pouring and measuring and filling and emptying and no broken glass will get in the water area. There's enough fodder for fun in that last sentence to keep your little one busy for a whole day.
A useful toy to purchase for many hours of fun is a water wheel. I don't know who makes one but I remember using ones that stood up and had the little wheel at the top so you could pour water over it to make it spin.
BLOCKS Ok,who doesn't know about blocks. In any case, they're a fantastic building opportunity (get it? get the joke? building opportunity, building blocks? ok ok, enough being silly).
Any kind of blocks will do. You can buy a nice set of blocks or you can make a set of blocks out of wood or you can gather up a bunch of different sizes of boxes and tape them shut into blocks. If you have some large blocks of wood kicking around, if you sand the edges they can be used as walk-on blocks. I made up that word, so you won't find any "walk-on" blocks in a store. What I mean by walk on is that they be strong enough and big enough so that your toddler can climb on them and hop from one to another.
--blocks make buildings, structures (for your budding architect).
---blocks make cities or farms or fences
---blocks make towers to knock down and build back up
oh, here's a ta da, so I'd better fetch the Ta Da bird...back in a min.
I'm back. Here's the ta da:
Be aware that most young children break things down before they build them up! So, when you build it, they will come--whooops, I mean, they will KNOCK it down! If that frustrates you, don't build it. But don't deprive your child---let him build and knock down.
What else can your toddler do with blocks?
---build bridges and arches
---make roads and drive little cars over them
---match shapes. Put all of the squares in one pile, all the rectangles in another pile, etc. you get the picture.
---take turns putting a block on whatever structure you're building Endless imagination can play in here with a set of hand-made or bought blocks.
CHALK ART
There are great big chunks of chalk that you can get that are good for little hands. Or perhaps you have a box of chalk pieces kicking around that your toddler can use. Some things to do with it are:
---draw sidewalk pictures ---draw paper pictures ---make designs with chalk and wet it for an interesting effect ---tear off a BIG piece of paper and put it on the floor for your artists to use to make a BIG picture. There is a caution involving chalk. I'll go fetch the ta da bird again. I'm keeping him busy...
When you are using chalk with small toddlers it is imperative that you keep a close eye. I will give you an example from my own experience with my toddler. We were working at the chalkboard and when my back was turned for no more than seconds, he stuffed a small piece of chalk up his nose. Talk about panic!! How did we get it out? Not easily. We went to the clinic and the doctor there had not encountered this kind of episode and didn't know what to do. The toddler's father suggested that we use a piece of hosing, put it in the nostril and I think we blew in it--I don't remember for sure just how it worked but it did finally come out. I wouldn't recommend any of this experience to you. So the caution is to KEEP A CLOSE EYE on your toddler if you use chalk in any activity.
PEN PALS
Humm. Does anybody write letters anymore these days? It's a worth while activity to do if you haven't tried it. Children usually love to get mail. If you have friends who have children close to the ages of your toddlers, perhaps you can find a pen pal for your toddler with them. Or friends of friends of friends. Help your toddler write a postcard to your toddlers pen pal about your stomping grounds and/or of the interesting places to which you travel and send postcards back and forth. It might end up being a life long activity. My sister still writes to her childhood penpal--and that's more years ago than I will elaborate on.
MAKE A HANDPRINT
of your childs hands and send to grandparents or other significant others in your toddler's life.
I think most grandparents will be happy to get anything from their grandtoddlers.
With finger paint, make a print of your child's hands. When it dries write a little note to send with it and send it off to the grandparents who will cherish it.
MAKE A NECKLACE
In the early summer when dandelions are fresh and plump, help your toddler gather enough to make a dandelion Lei necklace. Caution: Some toddlers are allergic to dandelions so make sure yours is not, before you do this activity.
Thread a big needle with thick thread. String the dandelions on the string to make a necklace. You can use just the blossoms or you can string through the stems and out the blossom. Either way makes a nice effect. Involve your toddler in the decision. ...and go for it. Make two and each of you can wear them most of the day before you put them in the compost pile. There, that's seven activities. Seven more coming soon.
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