Everyday ways to support your toddler's learning

To play Simon Says, choose one person to be Simon (it’s best to start off with you or an older child being Simon until younger kids get the hang of the game). “Simon” then calls out commands such as “jump up and down” or “touch your toes.” The key is the other players must listen for the phrase “Simon says” before each command before they follow it. If they follow a command you didn’t preface with “Simon says” then they are out. The last person remaining in the game is the winner.

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Originally Posted by carnachpace

To play Simon Says, choose one person to be Simon (it’s best to start off with you or an older child being Simon until younger kids get the hang of the game). “Simon” then calls out commands such as “jump up and down” or “touch your toes.” The key is the other players must listen for the phrase “Simon says” before each command before they follow it. If they follow a command you didn’t preface with “Simon says” then they are out. The last person remaining in the game is the winner.

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Many toddlers still struggle to correctly hold a pencil at this age, but you can help them practice their writing and drawing skills with foam writing. They’ll love playing with foam, and at the same time they can learn how to form different letters and shapes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by carnachpace

To play Simon Says, choose one person to be Simon (it’s best to start off with you or an older child being Simon until younger kids get the hang of the game). “Simon” then calls out commands such as “jump up and down” or “touch your toes.” The key is the other players must listen for the phrase “Simon says” before each command before they follow it. If they follow a command you didn’t preface with “Simon says” then they are out. The last person remaining in the game is the winner.

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Spread the shaving cream in a thick, even layer across the surface. For younger toddlers you can start with just having them draw any patterns they like in the foam to improve motor skills. For older toddlers, write a number, letter, shape, etc. in the foam and have your toddler copy you. As they get more advanced, you can also have them write out letters or numbers on their own without you writing them first. After you’ve played for a while, the foam can be smoothed over with your hands to create a blank surface again.

Most toddlers love sorting things, from their toys to the food on their plate, and you can use this activity to help them learn. It’s also very easy to customize this game to focus on whatever you want your toddler to learn: colors, shapes, sizes, etc. This game will help your toddler recognize similarities and differences between items and learn the basics of categorization.

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Originally Posted by donaldrsimonn

Most toddlers love sorting things, from their toys to the food on their plate, and you can use this activity to help them learn. It’s also very easy to customize this game to focus on whatever you want your toddler to learn: colors, shapes, sizes, etc. This game will help your toddler recognize similarities and differences between items and learn the basics of categorization.

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For the sorting game, you can either ask your toddler to sort the items based on a specific characteristic (“show me all your red toys” or “can you group your toys together by color?”) or you can ask them to sort the items on their own, then ask them to explain how they sorted them. This is a great game for facilitating discussions with your toddler as you talk about the different objects and how they are similar to and different from each other.