Toddler Fun and Learning

[wisdom]

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a great day! I wanted to start a thread focused on fun activities for toddlers that also incorporate learning and development. Toddlerhood is such an important phase where they soak in so much knowledge and skills, it's incredible!

What are some of our go-to activities that our littles enjoy and benefit from? I'll list some of my daughter's favourites below, would love to hear yours too!

1) Sorting laundry - my toddler loves helping me sort the different coloured clothes into piles and then putting them in the machine. It teaches colours and also encourages her sense of responsibility!

2) Scavenger hunt - we hide small objects around the house for her to find, and give her clues to encourage problem solving and critical thinking. We also reverse roles sometimes and she hides things for me!

3) Making music - basically just dancing and banging on pots and pans with spoons! But it's a great way to develop rhythm and encourages creativity too. She also loves it when I make up songs about her or the things around us.

4) Reading, of course! Stories are such a wonderful way to bond, learn new words and develop vocabulary and imagination. She has so many books, but her current favourite is any book with lots of different animals because she loves making the animal sounds!

5) Cooking/Baking - my little one loves helping me in the kitchen and licking the bowl of course! We measure ingredients, count them out together and it's a great way to learn about textures too.

Those are some of our fun, simple activities. Can't wait to hear all your ideas!

 

[Le Mon]

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a great day! I wanted to start a thread focused on fun activities for toddlers that also incorporate learning and development. Toddlerhood is such an important phase where they soak in so much knowledge and skills, it's incredible!

What are some of our go-to activities that our littles enjoy and benefit from? I'll list some of my daughter's favourites below, would love to hear yours too!

1) Sorting laundry - my toddler loves helping me sort the different coloured clothes into piles and then putting them in the machine. It teaches colours and also encourages her sense of responsibility!

2) Scavenger hunt - we hide small objects around the house for her to find, and give her clues to encourage problem solving and critical thinking. We also reverse roles sometimes and she hides things for me!

3) Making music - basically just dancing and banging on pots and pans with spoons! But it's a great way to develop rhythm and encourages creativity too. She also loves it when I make up songs about her or the things around us.

4) Reading, of course! Stories are such a wonderful way to bond, learn new words and develop vocabulary and imagination. She has so many books, but her current favourite is any book with lots of different animals because she loves making the animal sounds!

5) Cooking/Baking - my little one loves helping me in the kitchen and licking the bowl of course! We measure ingredients, count them out together and it's a great way to learn about textures too.

Those are some of our fun, simple activities. Can't wait to hear all your ideas!

Another simple activity is teaching them about shapes! You can cut out different shapes using cardboards and let them learn how to identify and distinguish them. And of course, it's fun to make it into a game by asking them to fetch you the circle or triangle shape when you call out for it. They can also try putting these shapes in order according to size, which helps them develop spatial awareness!

 

[wisdom]

Another simple activity is teaching them about shapes! You can cut out different shapes using cardboards and let them learn how to identify and distinguish them. And of course, it's fun to make it into a game by asking them to fetch you the circle or triangle shape when you call out for it. They can also try putting these shapes in order according to size, which helps them develop spatial awareness!

Shape games are such a fun way to learn - great idea! My son loves playing with his wooden shapes too, and it's amazing how quickly toddlers pick up the names and start identifying them everywhere. A good way to enhance this activity is to have them draw around the shapes on paper, or better yet, trace around their own hand and identify the different shapes in their body parts - like circles for eyes and triangles for noses!

 

[Le Mon]

Shape games are such a fun way to learn - great idea! My son loves playing with his wooden shapes too, and it's amazing how quickly toddlers pick up the names and start identifying them everywhere. A good way to enhance this activity is to have them draw around the shapes on paper, or better yet, trace around their own hand and identify the different shapes in their body parts - like circles for eyes and triangles for noses!

Someone's already talking about wooden shapes! That's a great one cuz toddlers learn fast to identify them and count 'em too.

My go-to is sticking activities - like using those sticky back papers you peel off and tot sticks coloured paper cutouts onto them. Teach some adhessiveness ;-) Also good for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Plus the little one can learn about shapes and colours while sticking away!

Another favourite is a simple game of throwing bean bags into a laundry basket, teach 'em some ball sense and hand-eye coordination!

 

[wisdom]

Someone's already talking about wooden shapes! That's a great one cuz toddlers learn fast to identify them and count 'em too.

My go-to is sticking activities - like using those sticky back papers you peel off and tot sticks coloured paper cutouts onto them. Teach some adhessiveness ;-) Also good for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Plus the little one can learn about shapes and colours while sticking away!

Another favourite is a simple game of throwing bean bags into a laundry basket, teach 'em some ball sense and hand-eye coordination!

Ah yes, my son loves those sticking activities too - it's such a satisfying activity for them, like creating artwork! And an easy one to pack up and bring out when you're eating at a restaurant or travelling somewhere - portable and low mess. Great idea! Bean bag games are a good way to get some energy out too.

 

[bookworm]

Grew up helping mum with laundry! Sorting socks by colour and pattern was fun. Also enjoyed the scavenger hunt, especially when it involved finding treats hidden around the house - a fun twist to the usual hide-and-seek.

Music and dance are great ways to have fun and bond, too. Toddlers love some drama, so putting on a concert for the family with all her stuffed animals as an audience could be fun for your little one!

Storytime's a daily staple, and it's sweet that she likes books with animal sounds - a great way to learn about different creatures! Reading's such an important habit, and fun too.

Cooking's a messy but enjoyable activity, a great introduction to the kitchen. All those yummy smells sure make it tempting to keep totting around the stove! Measuring ingredients and counting them out is a good learning opportunity. And of course, licking the bowl's a fun reward for helping!

 

[bubblyfish]

Yup, totally feel u there! Sort of balancing fun and learning is key to keeping toddlers engaged and also giving them some mind exercise!

My tot loves helping pack groceries after marketing - it's like her own special job to put all the items away in their respective places . Also keeps her busy and saves me a job!

Another go-to is teaching her different shapes and then getting her to point them out wherever she sees them - like the triangles on roof tops or squares on windows. Simple but it keeps her observant and interested in the world around her.

And of course, cannot fail the good old sticker books - excellent for fine motor skills plus they learn animals, colours etc. The stickers keep em entertained for quite a while too which is a win!

 

[queenie]

One go-to activity my kiddo loves is what we call the "Clean Up Game". Essentially a fancy name for tidying up, but it's amazing how much fun kids have putting things away in the right places. I make it into a bit of a competition - timing him and seeing if he can beat his previous time or something. Teaches some basic time concepts too!

Also a fan of the scavenger hunt idea, especially when the whole family can join in. Gets everyone moving and it's so cute seeing the little ones proud when they find the hidden items!

 

[sunnybunny]

Yeah, it's really cool how playful learning can shape toddlers' cognitive and social development!

At this age, they're like little sponges, so absorbing and picking up all sorts of stuff. My kiddo loves those same activities you listed - especially the scavenger hunt! - but one simple thing she enjoys a lot is stacking cups. You know, those nesting toys that you can stack up then knock down? Teaching basic concepts of size and order, and it's satisfying for them to clack the cups together too.

Also, teaching simple dances like the Electric Slide or the Macarena - basic moves are easy for them to follow and they love trying to match the movements. We also do a lot of role-playing, which I think encourages imagination and language skills. She 'plays doctor' a lot, giving me checkups and prescribing me fake medicine. Haha, lots of fun too!

Anything with balls is a winner as well - kicking, bouncing, throwing. Great for gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination. I'm keen to try out some painting and messier art activities soon too, now that she's a little older and won't instantly eat the paint.

 

[melissa.koh]

I find that simple art activities are a hit with my tot! I keep a little basket of safe, toddler-friendly art supplies that she can access by herself - like washable markers, colouring pencils and safety scissors . She loves the independence and it keeps her engaged.

Another favourite is her play kitchen and 'cooking' with pretend food. Teaching her to 'make' her favourite dishes has been fun and we role-play lots of scenarios too - it's adorable watching her 'serve' me food and practice her communication skills!

These are great ways to develop fine motor skills, and I think it encourages imagination and creativity too! Would love to hear more toddler activity ideas too!

 

[bubblyfish]

Totally! I find that giving toddlers a sense of 'job' or responsibility really keeps them engaged and feeling useful, like they're contributing to the household haha. Love the grocery-unpacking idea, it's a good one!

Shape hunting's a fantastic activity too; keeping their eyes peeled for different shapes around the house and beyond encourages observation and also spatial awareness.

Sticker books are definitely a win! Anything with stickers is a huge hit and so educational - like you said, fine motor skills, colours, shapes, animal recognition... the list goes on! And yup, the sheer amount of time they'll spend happily sticking and re-sticking is a huge bonus.

 

[melissa.koh]

Yah, I find that simple is best for my tot too! Art and craft keep her engaged and she loves the independence - I supervise kee while she picks what she wants to do. I also keep a basket of safe art supplies within her reach so she can choose what and how she wants to create. These days, she's really into cutting and pasting, and it's quite amazing to see the little artwork she creates!

She also loves her pretend kitchen and playing with playdough. Keeping things simple yet fun seems to be the trick for keeping her occupied!

 

[sunnydays]

Ah, that's a great thread idea! Little ones at this age are so curious and spongey, it's enjoyable to think of creative ways to engage them.

My tot loves all things artsy. Drawing with different materials - from chalk on the pavement to painting with brushes and even stamping with potatoes - is a fun way to develop those fine motor skills and train their eyes-hands coordination. Also encourages creativity and sense of aesthetic, I believe!

They also love water play - anything from splashing in the tub to playing with a simple watering can or helping with the mopping ! Taming the spray from the hose pipe is another favourite, especially on a hot day. A great sensory experience and they learn about cause and effect too.

These activities keep them engaged and hopefully yours will enjoy them too!