Five senses. Provide objects with different colors, shapes, sounds, and textures. Your baby will love to examine items from your home and nature, like keys, sponges and pinecones. Sit back and see what interests them most.
Let them move around. Give your baby time and space to explore their surroundings by reaching, rolling, scooting, and crawling. Just make sure they are safe.
Tummy time. Your baby should sleep on their back, but during the day while awake, make sure they get supervised “tummy time.” Start with just a few minutes until they get used to it. Make it fun by getting on the floor with them.
Practice Reaching. Hold a toy over your infant’s head or put one on the floor just beyond their reach to encourage movement.
Move arms and legs. When playing with your baby, help them experience new movements. Gently bicycle their legs. Or clap their hands or feet in a rhythm as you sing or chant.
Container play. Once your baby can grasp objects, they will enjoy picking them up and dropping them into containers. What objects/containers could they use? Describe their actions using position words.
Mirror play. Give your baby a small mirror to play with or sit in front of a large mirror together and make silly faces. Point to and label their body parts.
Play peek-a-boo. Hide your face with your hands and then open them up to show a big smile. You can also hide objects under a towel or in a box for your baby to find.
Help with experiments. Your infant discovers how the world works by experimenting. They also learn through repetition, so they might drop a spoon over and over to see what happens. Watch and assist!
On and off. Help your older baby push buttons or turn things on/off (with supervision). Think doorbells, light switches, or faucets. Talk about what they did and what happened as a result.
Sink or float. During bath time, guess whether an item will sink or float. Then place it in the water to find out. Try a different object. See what happens and talk about it.
Go outside. Use all five senses to observe your surroundings. Stop and linger when your child shows interest in something. Examine it and talk about it.
Roll a ball back and forth. Make a “Wheee!” sound when you roll it toward them. Or say “My turn/your turn.” They might enjoy throwing or kicking the ball.
Play obstacle course. Make a simple obstacle course using blankets, pillows, or boxes. See if your child can go “over,” “under,” “around,” and “through” them. Toddlers need at least one hour of active play each day.
Move like animals. Invite your child to move like different animals. Can they hop like a frog? Flap like a bird? Slither like a snake? Burn off some energy and have fun choosing new animals to imitate.
Make art. Your toddler will enjoy scribbling with crayons, markers, or chalk. They can also experiment with folding or tearing paper. Talk to them about the colors and shapes.
Keep it simple. Simple objects provide opportunities for using imagination. Provide your child with simple toys and objects to use creatively. What can they do with a big cardboard box and paper towel tubes?
Act it out. Toddlers will start to imitate grown-up activities, like putting a doll to sleep or giving it a shot. Follow their lead and play along, or watch as they play independently.
Mystery bag. Play guessing games. For example, put a few objects in a bag and have your child guess what’s inside without looking. They can feel, smell, and shake the bag.
Fast and slow dancing. Play a fast song for your child to dance to, then a slower song. Talk about the different speeds and how your child’s dancing changes with the music. Join in if you could use a dance break!
Let them problem-solve. If your toddler is concentrating on something, stand back and see what they can figure out by themselves. If they get stuck, give just enough help so they can keep going and not give up.
On and off. Find opportunities for your child to push buttons or turn things on/off (with supervision). Think doorbells, light switches, or faucets. Talk about what they did and what happened as a result.
Go outside. Ask your child to describe the weather using some of their senses (eyesight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell). Share something that you like about whatever season it is.
Mystery bag. Play guessing games. For example, put a few objects in a bag and have your child guess what’s inside without looking. They can feel, smell, and shake the bag.
Move like animals. Invite your child to move like different animals. Can they hop like a frog? Flap like a bird? Slither like a snake? Help them burn off some energy and have fun.
Test balance. Time how long your child can balance on one foot. Then have them switch feet. Turn it into a game and see if they can break any of their “records.”
Alphabet hopscotch. Draw 8-10 squares on the ground with sidewalk chalk. Write a letter in each square. When your child jumps on a square, see if they can say the name of the letter.
String beads. Invite your child to make a necklace using string and large pieces of pasta or cereal. They can make patterns by shape or color.
Make art. Have your child draw a family picture using crayons, pencils, or markers. Talk about different parts of the body. “Abuela’s ears have earrings on them!”
Play pretend. Build a tent by covering some furniture with a blanket. Pretend you and your child are camping. What sounds do you hear outside? What animals are around you?
Make a plan. Help your child make a plan before they play pretend. Ask them who or what they want to be and what they need to play that role. You can offer ideas but make sure your child feels in control.
Play a game of Simon Says. Give your child a pose or action to do. Then they have to stay still and quiet until you give them another direction. “Simon Says: pat your head…Simon Says: stomp your feet.” After they get the hang of it, let them be Simon!
Think like scientists. Encourage your child to make predictions. “I wonder what will happen if you mix the red and green paint?” You could remind them of a time they did something similar. Then see if their prediction comes true.
Practice problem solving. See if your child can think about different ways to solve a problem. When a toy breaks, they could play doctor and send it to the hospital or they could pick a different toy to play with.
