Toddlers learn constantly by absorbing the world around them. In fact, research suggests that their brains simply absorb information when they are this young. This makes the toddler years an important part of their development and a great opportunity to teach them a huge variety of things.
The best part is that they can be taught through simple activities and play. It is important that you engage the services of a reputable Liverpool childcare center to back up the lessons you’re teaching your toddler.
To help you do the best for your child here are 5 of the best learning activities for toddlers:
1. Rhyming
There are several options when rhyming with your toddler. You can read rhymes from books, listen to audiobooks together, or make them up yourself. All three techniques have their place. For example, listening or reading to them is a great way to help them unwind and prepare for sleep.
But, if it’s the daytime it can be good to make them up and watch your child laugh. Rhyming games help to build your child’s vocabulary and understanding of phonetics.
2. Flashcards
This is another simple trick that builds word skills and phonetics. You can buy flashcards or make your own. All you need is pictures for word association or letters to help them sound out the alphabet and become familiar with it.
If you create two cards for each word or letter you can play snap, which helps your toddler to learn while playing.
3. The Memory Game
This is great for building cognitive function and recall. Select 6-7 items and place them on a tray. Then, let your toddler see and identify each item. Once they’ve done this cover the tray and, without your child seeing, remove one item.
Uncover the tray and see if your child can figure out what item you took.
A different version of this is to create a shopping list and see if you and your child can remember it, or not. It’s good practice for both of you.
4. Listening To Music
Listening to music builds word recognition, improves listening skills, and encourages speaking practice. Play a simple tune and ask your toddler what the song was about and if they can remember any, or all, of the words.
You can also talk about the instruments being used in the song, this can broaden your child’s understanding of the world around them.
5. Action
Finally, children have plenty of energy and you need to capitalize on this. Games that burn their energy while helping them to learn are great for several reasons.
Any activity is good, such as kicking a football around to improve coordination, creating a puppet show to tell a story to the rest of the family, or even dressing up as different characters.
The key in all of the activities is to keep it fun, your child will be learning without them realizing and you’ll be building the bond between them. That’s good on two fronts.
