I often get asked to share some activities to do with infants and toddlers. I also quite often get to hear how the mommies (usually the primary caretakers) are so time strained that they can’t sit and plan and prepare “activities” for their child beforehand. Some even share their guilt of not being able to buy their children any of those “early learning products” or “programs” and that they may not be doing enough to get their child ahead in the race!
Here’s a list of activities you can indulge your child in:
- Read, read and read: Set out some time for reading to your child, everyday. Make sure that this time is free of any kind of distractions (phones, etc). Reading is a great way to enhance the child’s vocabulary and also her understanding about the world. Reading helps develop strong socio-emotional skills. It is also a great way to introduce her to various concepts and to fire her curiosity. It is also a great way to establish a strong bond between you and her.
- Music: Expose your child to good music. If possible, have someone play an instrument around your infant/toddler and see how she takes to it! Sing and maybe, even dance to the rhythm. Apart from other benefits, this will also aid in developing abstract thinking and mathematics.
- Paint/ Draw: Just take a blank sheet of paper and some crayons and start scribbling (or paint) whatever you can! Tell her what you have drawn. While it is a great stress-busting activity for us adults, your toddler shall soon start wanting to imitate you. Just make sure you do not instruct her and don’t be critical! Let her imagination drive her! This will aid her fine motor development. As the child reaches the age 3, you may even find her trying to articulate her thoughts in (what she’ll call) pictures.
You may start with curd and food color if you are worried about the mouthing.
- Nature walks: Take your child out on unhurried walks where you Let her lead. Get her to appreciate the wonder of Nature. Stop to feel the breeze. Teach her to be gentle to the flowers and the insects. Get her to plant trees; get her to water plants. Model empathy. Talk to her about the softer details like the dew drops on the leaves or the spots on the beetle. This will make her a keen observer. Cook up stories about these. This will fire her imagination. It’s ok if she gets her hands dirty or she splashes in a puddle. It is a great tactile stimulation and will also probably strengthen her immunity. If she collects feathers, twigs or pebbles, let her bring them back home. Have a special place where she stores them. Arrange them in patterns, make art from them. She’ll learn about symmetry, shapes and sizes. Talk to her about them.
- Mud/ Sand: Have a small sand pit with a bucketful of water where your toddler can spend time experiencing her first lessons in physics and mathematics. Throw in some spoons and glasses and let your child have fun! Again, talk to her giving her words like empty, full, heavy, wet, etc.
- Gardening: Love the idea of the child growing their own chemical free food, harvesting their leaves and fruits to make a meal? Where does her food come from? What is edible and what is not? Why do we need to eat at all?
Watch how your child learns about the circle of life!
Again, talk about the bees, the seeds, the flowers, the roots, the weeds, the water, the sun, the seasons… the possibilities for learning here are endless!
Don’t worry about the dirt! Research shows that children exposed to earth have stronger immune systems!
- Include your toddler in Domestic chores: Kids learn through imitation more than instruction. Let her imitate you rolling chapattis. Let her play with your pots and pans, bang them and stack them. Let her play with your fruits and vegetables. Talk to her about them, let her taste them and squish them if she wishes to. Cut and peel vegetables. Try to assemble them back.
Have her around when you fold the laundry. Let her help (by undoing them!)
While it calls for more effort in cleaning up from your end, Make her a part of cleaning up. Let her fetch you her diapers and throw her dirty laundry in the bin.
All these activities will help her cognitive, gross and fine motor development.
Talk to her about each of these. Tell her stories. The more you talk, the more she learns. Better language skills lead to better socio – emotional development.
- Pretend Play: Tuck strings on your pajamas and pretend to be a dog family. Roll up paper horns on your heads and pretend to be cows. Make sure to model empathy and gratitude in all your actions. These work great for language development.
While it is good to talk a lot to your child, giving her words for everything; it is imperative to give her time by herself. Not only does this help in building her concentration, it also gives her the “me-time” to process so much data flowing in.
As long as she’s not damaging anything or putting herself in danger, I’d suggest that you let your child be. While it may be tempting to stop your toddler from crushing the biscuit you just gave him, it might be better to just let her give in to her curiosity.
And as far as this “race” is concerned, remember to teach your child to compete against her own self and not others!
Good luck!