While driving, entertain your toddler by singing songs and playing games. For example, sing Old McDonald and encourage him to sing along and to make the animal sounds. You can turn this song into a game too by naming an animal and asking him if he can make the sound of that animal. Add hand motions and/or facial expressions to make the game even more fun!
This activity will help your toddler show more awareness of his abilities, recognize and react to the sounds of language, improve his memory, and develop his eye-hand coordination.
Bring paper and crayons to your next doctor’s appointment and ask your toddler to make you a picture while you are waiting. Make sure you have plenty of paper! Allow him to use the crayons to make whatever designs, shapes, or scribbles he would like. If he asks you to help him, do a little bit and then encourage him to keep working. Talk to him about what he is drawing. When he is done, ask him if you can write the words to describe his picture on the paper.
This activity will help your toddler show more awareness of herself and her abilities and ask for help if needed. It will also help her use an increasing number of words, explore drawing, and develop eye-hand coordination.
While grocery shopping with your toddler, talk about some of the foods that he likes to eat. Discuss their color and shape. Help lead him to find some of his favorite foods in the store. For example, when you are in the fruit section you could say, “Remember that long and yummy fruit that has yellow skin?” Allow him time to answer, and then say, “Yes, it is a banana!” Help him to look for and find the bananas. When you find the item, allow him to grab it and put it into the cart.
This activity will help your toddler show more awareness of himself, use an increasing number of words, start to understand and use common rules of speech, begin to sort objects, and be able to do more things for himself.