Showing posts with label toddlers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label toddlers. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Toddler Playtime Can Improve Balance, Walking and Climbing
Toddler playtime is vital for helping your child reach these milestones. Consider some of the best toys to help improve balance, walking and climbing.
- Ride-on toys: An 18-month-old loves the mobility a ride-on toy provides. A toddler can scoot around even before she has mastered walking, and the action strengthens her leg muscles to make walking come faster to her.
- Push toys: A shopping cart offers the chance to practice walking. It makes toddler playtime more interesting a little later down the road by facilitating imaginative play.
- Pull-along toys: As your toddler’s standing and walking balance improve, she’ll be able to turn her head while walking. This introduces the chance to enjoy brightly colored pull-along toys. This type of toy improves walking, balancing and physical coordination.
- Balls: As your toddler approaches age two, she’ll be ready to “kick” a large, soft ball. She can’t yet sustain her balance on one leg, but she can use her legs and lower body to bump the ball forward along the ground and have a fun time doing so.
- Ring around the rosy: This classic game gives your toddler the chance to practice walking sideways in a circle, falling down, standing back up and maintaining balance throughout. Any kind of dancing encourages the same physical skills.
- Toddler slide: Having a safe toy for your child to climb on helps curtail the urge to scramble up more dangerous things, such as kitchen chairs and shelves.
- Obstacle course: Set up a fun place for your child to balance, walk and climb by arranging couch cushions, cardboard boxes, the toddler slide and other obstacles in the living room. This can even turn into an imaginative play situation, such as escaping the monster.
Image via Shutterstock.com
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Roles Parents Can Play While Trusting Toddlers to Make Their Own Fun
Then, be sure to set aside special time to play with your child. At this age, don’t worry too much about the specific skills your child learns from one game or another; instead, simply trust your toddler to make his own fun. Trusting toddlers to play is all about letting them lead the playtime without interrupting or changing the game’s direction.
When you sit down with your toddler, let him be in charge of experimenting with new toys. You’re an adult, so of course you know the “right way” to complete the puzzle or play with a specific toy – but don’t do it. Sit on your hands if you have to! Unless your child asks for help, back off.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t still be involved in playtime. While trusting toddlers to play and make their own fun, adopt the following roles to still remain involved:
- The cheerleader: Clap and cheer when your child achieves a goal or masters a new skill during play.
- The playmate: Some games require a partner. When your child rolls you the ball, roll it back. When he laughs and runs from you, playfully chase him.
- The research assistant: If a game or toy is getting boring, run off and find the perfect addition to make it feel new again.
- The expert: Answer questions about what a toy is or what it’s made out of. If your child asks how to use it, show him some ideas.
- The psychologist: Play can become frustrating when you’re too young or too small to do something. Encourage your child, comfort him, and offer to help press a button hard enough or undo a stubborn latch.
Image via Shutterstock.com
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