DEVELOPING PLAY SKILLS

Social and Emotional Development:

You’ve probably heard of the “terrible twos.” In reality, they actually start before your child’s second birthday, and it’s not all that terrible if you understand what’s happening: There’s a big, frustrating gap between what your child wants to do and what she’s capable of and allowed to do. She also doesn’t understand what is a potential hazard or the value of your favorite vase, so when barriers are put in place, she will show her displeasure the only way she knows how—a tantrum.

Language:

Your child may move beyond “Mama” and “Dada” and may speak and begin to be understood. She may point to something like a body part if you name it and can follow simple instructions, like “Give mommy the ball.” Asking her to get a toy that is out of your reach lets her show off how much language she understands—and also boosts her sense of independence. At this stage your toddler may also point to things, hoping you will supply the name for them.

Cognitive Skills:

Now is the time for her to start seeing the difference in things. There can be both a gray and a white cat, and even though they look different, they are both cats! When she’s stacking blocks, she is beginning to learn that order can help her build a successful tower and that one block may be a different size than another. While your toddler is capable of following simple instructions, she is still some time away from reasoning. Telling her why she can or can’t do something is important, but know that her logic is very black and white at this time.

Fine Motor Skills:

Her fingers are getting more nimble now. She’ll delight in picking up small objects and exploring how they can be combined and manipulated. She can hold a crayon and scribble spontaneously, complete a puzzle more easily, and build a tower of four blocks or more (then happily knock them down). Covering and uncovering boxes and containers or putting pegs into holes are other activities that help develop hand skills and spatial concepts like “in,” “on,” or “under.” She also loves messy play: getting her fingers dirty when baking with you, or making mud pies outdoors. Messy play actually helps strengthen muscles in her fingers, preparing her to button her own sweater or hold a pencil in years to come.

Gross Motor Skills:

She’s walking, running, climbing and jumping—once she starts she won’t want to stop! She can now stop to pick up a toy and carry it across the room, push or pull a toy wagon and throw a ball while walking. Climbing up and down stairs is another great adventure, but she’s still got to hold the banister carefully for support. And she’ll begin to jump—on the couch, the bed and wherever there is something to support her. Having her upper body supported helps her feet leave the ground. So if you don’t want your couch or bed jumped on, guide her to a similar spot where she can safely hop.

Imagination:

Your little one is beginning to role-play and use her imagination. She’s learning that toys represent things—you might see her pick up a toy phone and begin to talk. She’s also at the point where she can pretend an object is something else, which is a breakthrough. Imaginative role-play helps her understand her world, and sparks new language development too.
P.S. Encourage your child to pretend, and play along when she does. Prepare to “eat” crackers made from blocks and “drink” from doll bottles.

FAVORITE PLAYTHINGS

• Toys that help build language skills: Picture books, story books, books on CD or digital app, talking toys
• Toys that help build gross motor skills: Ride-on toys, push toys, ladders and slides, jungle gyms, balls to throw, hit and kick, things to jump on
• Toys that help build fine motor skills: Finger paints; PLAY-DOH compound; crayons; interlocking blocks; puzzles; connecting toys (links, large stringing beads)
• Toys that inspire imagination: Dolls; animals; make-believe play toys (lawn mower, brooms); dress-up clothes; situation play sets
• Toys that stimulate creativity: Crayons, PLAY-DOH compound, clay, dress-up clothes, cardboard boxes (large and small), sandboxes, water paints, paper, playhouses, tea sets, scarves, musical instruments.
• Toys that teach differentiation: Shape sorters, blocks, cups, unbreakable containers, stacking toys
• Toys that encourage sharing and social skills: Turn-taking games, balls, musical instruments to play together

WHAT EXPERTS SAY

“Imitation is a big part of the learning process at this age. Instead of simply manipulating household objects, your toddler will actually use a brush on her hair, babble into the phone, turn the steering wheel of her toy car, and push it back and forth.… Well before her second birthday, your toddler will excel at hiding games, remembering where hidden objects are long after they leave her sight.… As she masters hide-and-seek, she’ll also become more understanding about separations from you. Just as she knows that a hidden object is somewhere, even when she can’t see it, she’ll now recognize that you always come back, even when you’re away from her a whole day.”
— American Academy of Pediatrics, Steven P. Shelov, M.D., M.S., F.A.A.P., Caring For Your Baby and Young Child

“Play is an essential part of growing up. While a child plays freely, he satisfies his curiosity and finds out how to use objects; he learns to plan and classify; he begins to evaluate, predict, question, discover, draw conclusions, and solve problems; and he also learns how to interact with his peers and imitate the people around him. A child whose play is not controlled and channeled by adults… gains confidence through play and rarely has a fear of failure.”
—Robin Goldstein, Ph.D., The Parenting Bible: The Answer to Parents’ Most Common Questions

“For small children, there is no distinction between playing and learning, between the things that they do ‘just for fun’ and things that are ‘educational.’ Toys and other playthings are fun… but they are also tools for finding out about the world and acquiring grown-up skills.”
—Penelope Leach, Your Baby and Child: From Birth to Age Five

PLAY STARTERS

Read aloud:

You can start reading to babies as soon as they are born, but at this age make sure to read aloud often and make up new stories to go along with familiar picture books.

• Invite your child to find characters or familiar objects in the pictures.
• Find books your child can relate to—if you have been to the beach, read books about the beach so your child can begin to associate her experience with what is happening in the book.
• Repeat rhymes in books and play up words that have fun sounds.
• Read the same books over and over— she will have her favorites, just like you.
• Enjoy books based on familiar songs or nursery rhymes, like “Wheels on the Bus.”
• Make sure your books are sturdy and not easily ripped. At this age she is enthusiastic about everything but doesn’t know how strong her muscles are; she can rip the pages easily.
• Ad lib through difficult words.

Build together:

Partner with your child to build a train of blocks or a tower. Children this age love to play on the floor. Get right down there with her so you become a play buddy rather than her occasional helper.

• Demonstrate some possibilities, and then invite her to take over and see what happens.
• Mix and match different shapes, sizes and colors.
• Talk about what you’re doing and take turns.

Go climbing:

This is the age when she’ll really start to use playground equipment. It’s good for building gross motor skills and a great way for your toddler to let off a little steam.

• Get outside to a playground and let her (safely) challenge herself on a play structure built for little ones.
• On rainy days, you can stack up a few cushions and let her scale the living room sofa under your watchful eye.
• Be rough and tumble, and giggle and laugh together while rolling round on the floor. It’s a great way for your child to get rid of pent-up energy. At the same time, she’s beginning to learn to control her energy. Exuberant play like this actually teaches your child how to control her sillies, not how to become sillier.

Start a collection:

Find something from nature or around the house that interests your child so she can begin to collect, classify, sort and count.

• Large rocks or pine cones can be found on exploratory nature walks.
• Hats, bags and swatches of fabric double as fantasy dress-up gear.
• Toy cars or animals make sortable collections.
• Let her help you sort the laundry into socks, pants, T-shirts, etc.
• Collect pictures of cars, animals or toys from magazines.

Match and group colors:

Find some common items of the same color, say the name out loud, and invite your child to get one that is the same. This teaches her that colors have names and things can be grouped by color. Children learn their colors best by matching red with red, blue with blue, and saying the name of color at the same time.

• Match foods like apples, oranges and potatoes. These foods can be grouped by color.
• Arrange blocks in rows by color.
• Household items like socks or dish towels can also be sorted by color.

Cultivate a sense of rhythm:

Children have an innate sense of rhythm, but you can actively bring out your child’s ability to appreciate music.

• Listen to music you like as well as children’s songs and rhymes.
• Encourage her to clap, dance and march in time with the beat.
• Keyboard instruments, xylophones and musical toys offer tunefulness beyond pots and pans.
• Encourage her to move while waving something like a scarf.

Encourage a gentler side:

At the rare moments when kids this age slow down, they continue to need—and want—lullabies, rocking and soothing, especially when they are tired or upset.

• Try a warm bath and bath toys as a means to comfort a tired, cranky child.
• Have consistent gentle tunes to sing or play that signal winding-down time.
• Stroke your child’s forehead and sing gently to her.
• A pet, the real thing or a special plush toy, can also provide comfort and give her an opportunity to care for something else.