Rolling, Rolling, Rolling
Help your toddler develop motor skills by rolling a ball back and forth with him. It’s fun and it helps your toddler develop eye-hand coordination.
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Filling and Dumping
Babies enjoy container play, especially the dumping part! The “fill and dump” activities help infants build strength and coordination of small motor muscles.
Let’s See If We Can Find It!
Hide some of your toddler’s toys and let her find them. Hiding games are favorites for toddlers and they help them stay focused on an activity.
Magical Sounds of Language
Before infants are ready to say their first word, they listen very carefully to the speech sounds spoken to them. The development of this skill is an important foundation for learning words a little later.
Song Cards
Your 2-year-old may be able to recall repetitive parts to familiar songs, fingerplays, and nursery rhymes. Create song cards and invite your child to choose a card to sing or say.
Fruit Name Clap
In order to learn to read, children must become aware of the sound structure of spoken language. One way to develop this skill is to bring your child’s attention to the syllables that make up words.
Nuts and Bolts
Before you expect your child to develop the complex tasks of writing and drawing, it is important to give him many experiences to develop fine motor skills. It is through these types of activities that you prepare your child for the skills of picking up a pencil, holding it correctly and forming letters.
The Shopping List
Next time you start to write a grocery shopping list, stop! You can turn this everyday chore into an authentic writing experience for your child.
Playful Painting
This activity will encourage your toddler to use the muscles in his hand, wrist and arm to create unique designs on a large canvas. By allowing little ones to explore materials in new and interesting ways, you can provide the practice needed to strengthen the muscles that will one day be used for writing and illustrating stories!
Let’s Go on a Food Hunt
When learning the letters of the alphabet, children often first recognize the letters of their own names. They enjoy seeing the letters of their names and recognizing them. You might hear your child say: “That’s my letter!” or “That’s my name!” Why not go on a letter hunt with foods?
