How to Keep Toddlers Busy
Being a parent to a toddler most likely keeps you on your toes throughout your entire day. Toddlers possess active energy during a developmental stage of constant curiosity. Toddlers need ample opportunities to explore their environment and interact with various objects, people and situations in order to stimulate their senses and encourage development. Structure your toddler's day in a manner that will provide developmentally appropriate activities and experiences.
Things You'll Need
- A variety of vegetables and fruits
- Sink
- Step stool
- Vegetable scrubber
- Dish towel
- Sponge
- Spray bottle with water
- Bowls
- Mixing spoon
- Flour
- Water
- Oil
- Measuring cups
- A variety of small plastic containers
- Small pitcher or cup of water
- Laundry basket with clean clothes
- Music player
- Child-friendly instruments
- Scarves
- Pillows
- Chairs
- Children's books
- Age-appropriate toys like blocks, puzzles and picture cards
- Finger paint
- Newspaper or construction paper
- Crayons
- Play dough
Instructions
Housekeeping
Supply your toddler with a bowl of whole fresh fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, blueberries and potatoes. Place a step stool at the kitchen sink and show your toddler how to wash the various foods using water. Demonstrate how to scrub the potatoes and cucumbers with a vegetable scrubber. Show your toddler how to dry the food off with a dish towel when he is finished with the activity. Fill a spray bottle with water. Find a clean sponge and demonstrate to your toddler how to spray an area of the home and wipe it clean with the sponge. Be clear with your toddler about what areas are appropriate for cleaning such as tables and chairs. Arrange four bowls on the kitchen table. Put flour in one bowl, water in another and oil into the third. Using measuring cups, show your toddler how to transfer the various ingredients into the fourth bowl. Show your toddler how to use a mixing spoon to stir the different ingredients together. Find three or four different plastic containers in the kitchen like empty food storage containers, cups and bowls. Arrange the containers on the kitchen table. Using a small pitcher of water, show your toddler how to pour water into the different containers. Encourage your toddler to transfer the water back and forth between the various vessels. Fill a laundry basket with clean clothes, preferably your toddler's clothes. Place the laundry basket in one area of the house. Encourage your toddler to match socks and fold clothing. Show your child where to take the clean clothing to put it away, if possible. Provide containers low to the ground where your toddler can place the clothing if the dresser or closet is inaccessible. Active Play
Stock your home with plenty of age-appropriate toys for your toddler such as blocks, simple puzzles and picture cards. Encourage your toddler to explore different ways to stack blocks. Develop his vocabulary by playing with picture cards. Offer toys that are colorful and present a variety of sizes, shapes and textures to maintain your toddler's interest. Play music and motivate your toddler to dance around the house. Incorporate additional elements like scarves and ribbons to enhance the activity. Keep a basket of children's instruments such as shakers, a drum and a xylophone in your home for your toddler to investigate and enjoy. Build a simple obstacle course in an open area of your home. Arrange pillows and on the floor and place chairs at various locations around the space. Demonstrate to your toddler how to jump, hop, walk or run from one pillow to the next and how to navigate his way around the chairs. Incorporate outdoor activities into your toddler's day with a walk around the neighborhood or a trip to the park. Allow your toddler to walk on his own during excursions, encouraging coordination and large motor development. Find a local park that offers various age-appropriate play equipment like toddler-sized slides and climbers, swings and sandboxes. Sensory Stimulation
Engage your toddler's senses by providing toys that challenge his sensory development like shape sorters, color-matching games and simple puzzles. Keep several toys in your home that offer a variety of texture like toddler touch-and-feel books, play blankets with different types of cloth and toys that make various sounds. Set up an area in the home for craft projects. Supervise your toddler while he explores with finger paint, crayons or play dough. The various colors and textures of the craft supplies can stimulate your toddler's senses and hold his interest. Invite your toddler to help prepare meals with you. Give him a tour of your spice cabinet, encouraging him to smell the different spices. Allow your toddler to handle different foods, like sliced tomatoes and lettuce leaves, to experience the different textures. Language Development
Talk to your toddler throughout the day to help build his language skills. Describe what you are doing during different activities, like cleaning up or making lunch. Verbally label different aspects of your toddler's toys during his playtime such as color, letter, number, animal and shape names. Read books to your toddler on a regular basis to assist with language and vocabulary development. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents read out loud to their children every day as part of a daily routine. Provide books that are toddler-friendly such as board books or soft books that can be mouthed and explored in a sensory manner. Play a simple game of seek and find with your toddler as a way to increase his vocabulary and encourage physical movement. Ask your toddler to find various objects throughout the home and bring them to you, such as daddy's slippers, a toy elephant or a clean diaper. When your toddler finds the requested item and brings it to you, encourage him to tell you what he found as a way for him to practice his vocabulary skills.
