Children learn about their world through experiences and play and creative play can represent life. What do I mean by this? Well, a child can learn about mail by writing a letter, putting it into an envelope, having an adult address and stamp the letter and then taking the letter to the post office. Or a child can learn about how clothes, once dirty, the clothes are cleaned by doing the laundry with mom or dad. Real life experiences definitely take the child out into the wider world to learn the activities of daily living. Playing with toys that represent real objects, helps the child learn about activities of daily living, allow them to practice these activities and use their imagination about these activities.

Toys help us build a pretend world based on real objects. Setting up a market with fruits and vegetables involves so many learning experiences; your child can sort fruits from vegetables and learn all the names even the ones they don’t eat! Using a shopping cart
children can set up a scenario where one is the shop keeper and another the customer. Look at all these new vocabulary words. Playing “store” keeps children occupied for hours and days. As your child becomes older adding play money adds the math dimension to this kind of play.

Who are the works in our communities? Most children will experience community workers in their daily lives. Police officers, firefighters, nurses, doctors, teacher, truck drivers surround us and help us. Children can play with these figures and their vehicles and set up simple or elaborate play schemes. What fun to build a space station for the “would be “astronaut or a race car driver. As you play with your child with these toys you are encouraging a deeper and more sophisticated understanding of words and concepts. Remember, the more words and concepts your child has before entering school the more prepared she/he will be.

Household chores- children see the adults around them involved in cooking,
washing, cleaning throughout their day. Sometimes they can help you in the kitchen or cleaning up but more often they are playing representationally. They are practicing these skills through play and if playing with others are learning how to cooperate. Having toys to set up and create their play schemes are powerful ways to learn and grow.

Remember blocks!

Children have always played with blocks.  As your child uses more sophisticated blocks, her play becomes more sophisticated. Different types of block sets encourage your child's creativity to blossom. Blocks can be a solo  play activity, social play with peers or an adult and child activity, all leading to social emotional and cognitive growth through fun, fun, fun!

As always,  play and have fun!

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This age group can be described two ways- the terrible twos or the terrific twos, I choose the latter and it is all a matter of knowing how to help your 18 month old to 3 year old learn!

Starting at 18 months of age you child has become mobile, they are starting to walk or are already pretty steady on their feet and they are ready to move! They love to push and pull toys and collect things. While pushing the Wonder Walker they also have a place to select and collect their toys and move them to where they want to play. As they become 2 -year olds they like to ride and pretend. They can be a fire fighter on the Fire Engine or just ride and be anyone they choose on the Driver.

Bouncing Sorter

Your 2 year old is very busy as he/ she starts developing their hand-eye co-ordination. Playing with a Bouncing Sorter gives your child the sensory input  of touch and strengthens hand eye coordination while they learn about shapes through sorting. They also continue to love music and playing a toy piano gives them the sensory input of touch and sound, add words to their songs and language skills become enhanced. A Deluxe Playcube will keep your 2-3 year old busy and learning all day long, moving colorful beads, playing with the alphabet blocks or spinning the gears and there is no clean-up because it is all self-contained.

Deluxe Playcube

Barnyard Activity Boxes

Between you child’s 2^nd and 3^rd birthday is when language explodes. Your child begins to store words in categories moving from sounds to words to description. Playing with barnyard activity boxes encourages one of the first categories of animals. In addition to playing with farm animals sing Old MacDonald Had a Farm or read a book like the classic The Little Red Hen. Playing, reading and singing stimulates your child's language explosion and gives form to their play. Your child will be building their vocabulary through fun. Did you know at 24 months a child understands 500-700 words and by 30 months as many as 800-900 words!

“ A 2 year old’s imagination develops naturally, but there is a lot you can do to spark it,” says Kristi Alexander, a pediatric psychologist at Alliant International University in San Diego. “ As you expose your child to new sights, sounds and sensations you open her mind to a bigger world.” Imagination! It really begins now. Building with big blocks they can they can build a castle, a city, a house, a road and play alone or with others to create a make-believe world. Your child’s imagination through play builds a deeper understanding of the world around them. Ding- dong! Let’s play house.  It is so much fun to learn all the names of the furniture and rooms of the house while playing with a mini house with a doorbell that works. Social skills of greeting and inviting begin here.

Doorbell House

Although you could just sit and watch, it is even better if your join in to your child’s play. By playing with them you are teaching them so much while you learn about your child.

At each stage of your child’s imaginative development, listening to him and taking part in his games will help you keep up with what he is thinking. You might revitalize your own imagination in the process.

As always, wishing you lots of fun through play!

 About the Author