There are many ways that you get your toddler having fun, playing, whilst also learning. Here, we will guide you through some of our favourite play ideas.
Over recent years, it has been recognised that play is an extremely important part of a child’s development. There is a growing body of evidence that supports the idea that playing, throughout childhood, is not only an innate behaviour but it also contributes to children’s quality of life, their well-being and their physical, social, emotional and cognitive development.
Within this article, we will look at why play is so important and guide you through some of our top toddler play ideas.
Why Is Play So Important?
Play is important because it contributes to many areas of your toddlers life. It will help them to have a good quality life and general well-being but it will also help their development in many areas, such as physical, social, emotions and cognitive development.
For a long time, it was thought that play was simply about children practising skills for adult life. It has now been accepted that play plays a fundamental part in a child’s development. From the early stages of brain development and bonding with parents, to the independence and autonomy of the teenage years, play makes contributions at all stages. As your toddler grows up, play offers children the opportunity to develop and hone a range of physical, emotional and social skills, helping them make sense of and relate to an increasingly complex physical and social world.
Toddler Play Ideas
There are a lot of fun ways to play with your toddler that will also help them learn and won’t break the bank. Within this section, we will look at some of our favourite toddler play ideas.
Reading To Your Toddler
You can begin reading to your child when they are a young baby as it will help them with their future learning and will be excellent for their language development. Hearing you read will give them a feel for the sounds, rhythms and rhymes of language. It is also an excellent way to bond with your child and it is good for their emotional wellbeing.
As they get older, they can start to join in with reading, even when they are still just doing baby babble. And you can show them the pictures and allow reading to become a fun activity that really fuels their imagination.
Playing With Water
From a young age, your toddler will love playing with water. This could be in the bath, in a paddle pool or in a plastic bowl. In the summer months, you could have a water fight, splashing or squirting each other with water.
You will need to be ready for a little bit of mess so you may want to have the garden be a designated ‘Playing with Water’ space.
When playing in the bath, make sure to never leave your toddler alone whilst they are in the bath. A young toddler can drown in less than 5cms (2 inches) of water so make sure they are always supervised.
Drawing And Painting
As your toddler gets a little older, you can begin trying toddler play ideas like drawing and painting.
You could use felt tip pens, crayons or kid’s paints to create some creative masterpieces. You could do some potato prints or finger painting. Join in with your toddler so they have even more fun. This will also stop them from getting quite so messy!
Walking
Walking can be a great toddler play idea as they can have fun exploring places and begin to feel a level of independence. You could take them on a walk and play other games such as I-spy or counting the amount of trees you see.
Walking will be a great way to get your child active whilst enjoying and having fun in the outdoors.
Playing Dress Up
When your toddler is a little older again, from around 2 years old, a great toddler play idea is playing dress up. You could collect old hats, bags, gloves, scarves, nighties, lengths of material, tea towels and curtains from family, friends and/or charity shops. Or you could create masks by using paper plates.
Your toddler will have a lot of fun creating the mask and getting dressed up and it will fuel their creativity and imagination.
Attending A Sports Class
A great toddler play idea is to take them to a taster session for a sports class. When they find one they like, they will have a lot of fun whilst developing a love of physical activity.
There are many sports you can do from a young age, such as swimming, gymnastics and football. With our football classes, you toddler can join in from as young as 6 months old.
Toddler Play Ideas
Play is really important for toddlers. It helps with their general well-being and to have a good quality life but it is also fundamental in the development of many skills. Engaging in play as a toddler will help your child with the development of their physical, social, emotional and cognitive skills.
There are many different ways that you can play with your toddler that will help them to have fun, learn and that will not be super expensive. Reading to your toddler is a great way for them to have fun, strengthen the bond between you and them and for you to help them with their language development. Playing with water, drawing and painting and heading out on a walk are all great toddler play ideas that will allow your child to have fun and further their development. When they are a little older, you could add in playing dress up which will fuel their creativity and their imagination.
Attending a sports class, such as football or swimming, is a great way for them to play which helps them to develop their motor skills, cognitive skills, social skills and to help them develop a love of physical activity.
There are so many excellent toddler play ideas and we hope you have enjoyed reading about some of our favourites.
If you would like to know more about our football classes, please click here to find your local class.