According to Healthy Children, playing and being active is an important part of your toddler's development. Engaging your toddler in a variety of games can encourage healthy exercise habits and will allow you to spend quality time with your child. Activities that are age appropriate will be fun for your toddler and will promote healthy development.
Treasure Hunt
Since your toddler loves the thrill of a surprise, set up a simple treasure hunt to engage her and provide an opportunity for her to get active. Joni Levine, author of "The Everything Toddler Activities Book: Games and Projects That Entertain and Educate," suggests using one roll of crepe paper and a small prize.
Unroll the crepe paper and thread it around the room going over and under furniture and around objects. Attach the prize to the end of the crepe paper. Give your toddler the opposite end and encourage her to follow the trail until she reaches the prize.
Levine says you can repeat the treasure hunt as many times as your child is willing to play. By following the trail, she will get plenty of exercise while trying to find her prize.
Parachute
Fabric parachutes are highly entertaining for toddlers, and Kids Health reports there are many games to play with a parachute. You can encourage your toddler to hold one side of the parachute while you hold the other. Say, "up, up, up," and show your toddler how to hold the parachute above her head. Then say, "down, down, down," and show her how to lower it back down.
You can also instruct her to go under the parachute. Another option is to use the parachute as an umbrella and pretend that it is raining or thundering, so your toddler can hide underneath. Each of these games are fun and will promote physical activity.
Note: Many parachutes are large and will require several toddlers to play. If it is just you and your toddler, you can play the same games with a sheet or a blanket.
Pretend To Be...
Toddlers love to pretend and think it is funny when games involve doing silly things. Sheila Ellison, author of "365 Games Smart Toddlers Play: Creative Time to Imagine, Grow and Learn," suggests engaging your child in a game of pretend. You can pretend to be anything that will entertain your toddler and get her moving. Ellison suggests pretending to be a flower growing toward the sun or a car racing around the race track. Let your toddler take the lead and she will enjoy pretending she is different things while being physically active at the same time.
References
- Healthy Children: Young Children Learn A Lot When They Play
- "The Everything Toddler Activities Book: Games and Projects That Entertain and Educate" Joni Levine; 2006
- Kids Health: Games for Toddlers
- "365 Games Smart Toddlers Play: Creative Time to Imagine, Grow and Learn"; Sheila Ellison; 2006
