Having Fun With Two Year Olds
In a calm environment a two-year-old child can take time for quiet play.
It is important for a child to have time to
work on skills, experiment to discover the properties of things in their world,
enjoy examining things, and investigation -
either together, or while you get to enjoy a break.
We can give them some input to help them get started, but then let them be undisturbed.
(Most of these activities are great for doing together, just remember to not do too much of the work yourself.)
Skills:
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Zipping, snapping, buttoning, using Velcro
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Turning pages, opening and closing things
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Eating a snack with a spoon or fork
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Building with blocks, or other stacking toys
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Dressing themselves, or their toy animals or dolls
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Coloring, drawing, painting, paper tearing, play dough, mud pies
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Balance and movement skills like hopping, jumping, climbing, dancing,
Throwing, rolling, bouncing balls
These are the kind of skills that, after a simple demonstration, the child can work on by himself
- the kind of skills that a person just has to get the feel for.
Encourage and praise their hard work, and help them learn to enjoy the good feeling you get from a job well done.
For skill where there is a complex procedure to follow, the two of you need to work together.
Experiment and Discovery:
These experiments are ideal for solitary play and don’t require much direction, though they generally require some supervision - for safety. You provide the opportunity - all they have to do is play.
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Pouring water from container to container ·
Making musical sounds – instruments for kids like xylophone, flute, harmonica, drum, guitar, tuning forks ·
A pan, sink, or tub of water and: floating items, funnel, sponge, soap . . . ·
Sand, mulch, pebbles, gravel, snow, dirt, mud (You may draw the line where you wish) ·
Playing with shadows, prism, flashlight
Your little scientist is very good at finding his own experiments too - if it is safe and harmless be sure to let him enjoy his research project.
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Pouring water from container to container ·
Making musical sounds – instruments for kids like xylophone, flute, harmonica, drum, guitar, tuning forks ·
A pan, sink, or tub of water and: floating items, funnel, sponge, soap . . . ·
Sand, mulch, pebbles, gravel, snow, dirt, mud (You may draw the line where you wish) ·
Playing with shadows, prism, flashlight
Your little scientist is very good at finding his own experiments too - if it is safe and harmless be sure to let him enjoy his research project.
Examining and investigation:
- Books, albums, catalogs
- Plants, flowers, weeds, trees, rocks,
- Watching ants, ladybugs, roly-poly bugs, caterpillars
- Books, albums, catalogs
- Plants, flowers, weeds, trees, rocks,
- Watching ants, ladybugs, roly-poly bugs, caterpillars
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Expanding their
collection of ideas for play It’s great for you to do things together that will open the child’s mind to new games, new ways to play, new areas to investigate or skills to work on. Make believe play can be based on real things they know about, like playing house, or store, restaurant, veterinarian or zoo with stuffed animals. Show how to pretend with trucks and cars: going on a trip, delivering things, or create a little city (using blocks, boxes, sand, etc). They already know how to race and crash. Play with dolls or stuffed animals pretending they are doing all the things the child does each day – you can go through the whole day from waking up to getting tucked in. Or make believe by roll playing with dress-up costumes made from scarves, towels, fabric, your clothes, or have a costume box. You can become royalty, pirates, explorers, animals, firefighters, astronauts, rock stars, dancers . . . Roll playing is a great way to teach children how to act in different situations like a restaurant, a kids party, a formal tea party, and if you want to show them a video, you can take tickets, make popcorn, darken the room, and then watch it. Taking a walk together should be a special time to share. In my work I get to do a lot of people watching, and more than once I’ve seen a little girl trying to show some delightful discovery to her mother who is talking on a cell phone, ignoring her completely. It breaks my heart. So, when you are there – be there. Talk about what you see, or what you did yesterday. Search together for leaves one day, then notice every flower the next. Of course your child will want to have input, and you may end up spending weeks collecting leaves every time you step outside together – but that’s okay. |
Benefits of out doors
Have you ever heard or said “use your indoor voice,” or “don’t run in the house?” There is great freedom in outdoor play. Many of the things they may not be allowed to do inside like jump, yell, blow bubbles, or throw a ball are things that kids need to do. In addition, they need to be in a variety of environments for their proper development. They need to run around on sloping and uneven ground, not just perfectly flat floors. They need to be in open areas where they can see things that are a mile away, all the interesting shapes, surfaces, and sizes for them to see and touch. Teach them to wonder at clouds, sunsets, tall trees, flying birds, the wind, and the moon. Once when my daughters were children I pointed out a rainbow when a friend was with them. She was about ten years old and she said it was the first rainbow she had ever seen. I was shocked – how sad. Imagine all the rainbows she missed just because she wasn’t looking for them. The most immediate blessing of little ones playing outside is getting movement and exercise in an appropriate time and place so they will be calmer indoors and they will sleep so much better at night. The weather doesn’t have to be perfect for outdoor play, of course lightning and high winds are a safety issue, and extreme heat and cold, or wet (when it’s cold), might be a health issue. But I never let just the fact that “it’s nicer in the air conditioning” be a reason to not take them out for at least a little while. |
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When a child is calm, and it's just the two of you try reading, singing, taking a walk, cuddling, talking together, . . .
With one child you can just calmly say, “Let’s go look at my books. You can tell me which one to read.” Generally this sounds like exploring and making choices to a two-year-old: activities they are usually ready for anytime.
With one child you can just calmly say, “Let’s go look at my books. You can tell me which one to read.” Generally this sounds like exploring and making choices to a two-year-old: activities they are usually ready for anytime.
Tips for Grandparents
Before a two-year-old visits your home, get down and take a look at your place from their perspective.
Crawl around and see if there are dangers or temptations that you need to remove, hide, watch the child around, or limit access to that area. Think of some ways to entertain your little guest.
You may not have toys, but if necessary you could get out plastic bowls and ups, maybe you have some sturdy and harmless things made of wood, and if you can take the noise let them play with your pots and pans.
When the little one arrives, get down on the floor, and enjoy the adventure.
Before a two-year-old visits your home, get down and take a look at your place from their perspective.
Crawl around and see if there are dangers or temptations that you need to remove, hide, watch the child around, or limit access to that area. Think of some ways to entertain your little guest.
You may not have toys, but if necessary you could get out plastic bowls and ups, maybe you have some sturdy and harmless things made of wood, and if you can take the noise let them play with your pots and pans.
When the little one arrives, get down on the floor, and enjoy the adventure.
