Games to play with your toddler

Having a toddler around the house can be so much fun and learning to play on their level with their attention span takes out the frustration often felt by adults when teaching or playing with toddlers.

Toddlers and babies normally have a short attention span, and you will find unless a toy does something different or they can pull the toy apart and put it back together they really are not interested for very long. That said usually the simplest thing will keep them entertained for hours. I have found that the games below have entertained my little girl for far longer than any expensive shop bought toy.

So Mums Dads carers out there the trick is very simple, have lots of different activities to do and only do them for a small amount of time. The minute you start showing frustration at the child is the time to stop.

So here are a few games to get you started playing with your toddler.

PASTA/RICE POUR

This can entertain a little child for quite a while. Get two plastic cups, fill about a quarter of the way with uncooked rice or pasta and show your little one how to pour between the two cups, give them the cups and let them experiment. It may be a good idea to put some old newspaper on the floor if you have carpets save cleaning up later as invariably things will get spilt.

You can also use coins or uncooked beans or lentils for this.

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Water painting

All children love to paint but painting with water is the most fun of all as it will just dry off and go, so nowhere is off limits. We have painted walls, floors windows, cardboard boxes, coloured paper and so much more.

Simply get a large paintbrush, a plastic tub with a little water and go paint, if it’s a lovely day use the outside wall of the house, this gives a huge canvas and everyone can join in.

Catching

Buy a packet of balloons, blow them up, throw them up in the air and get your toddler to chase it around the room.

Watch your toddler delight in catching them. This is a great way to teach your little one to catch as they are slow enough for them to react.

Box of things

Get a box large enough for the child to see what is inside, place inside between 10 or 20 small items, things such as a spoon, cotton wool, tissues, pasta, ball, teddy, large counters, bangles, crayons, scarves, hats, socks, mittens, duplo bricks or anything else you thing your child may like. Place all the items in the box and allow your child to see. Then show your child how to remove the items and then to put them back. Allow them to do this and it can also bring hours of peace for mums. Children love taking things out then putting them back in.

Musical colours

Take some old cereal boxes or other cardboard, a medium sized plate and draw around the plate to get a cardboard circle. Cut out 2 of these for now we can add more as your child gets used to the game. Get some coloured pens/crayons or paints and colour each one a different colour. Now create a small space to dance in, put the two circles at opposite ends of the space put on the music and start dancing for a minute. Turn off the music and tell your toddler to run to the yellow (or whatever colour you have painted the circle) circle. Take their hand and show them what to do. Praise them for getting there then put the music back on. Do this about 3 or 4 times with that colour then introduce the new colour and run to that one 3 or 4 times. Then alternate the colours.

Once your toddler has mastered both these colours create a new one and introduce this as well. Eventually you will end up with a circle of colours to run to.