just frivolous entertainment … a “waste of time.” Actually, play is much
more important than academics during the toddler years. Play is a top
toddler nutrient. When you give your child a big daily dose of “Vitamin
P,” you:
• thrill his senses
• help him master movement
•
sharpen his thinking
• encourage his language use
• boost his people skills
• teach him about the world
• stimulate his immune system
• build his self-confidence
•
improve his sleep
Do you see why play is such a brilliant way to feed your child’s meter?
Happy, healthy toddlers have their days filled with chasing, pretending,
rolling, and tinkering.
How to Do It:
There are three types of play that you should try to
give your child
every day: outside play, creative activity, and
reading.
Outside Play: Kids “Go Ape” When They’re Cooped Up
Some of my happiest childhood memories are of playing outside:
rolling
down grassy hills, kicking heaps of fallen leaves, making snowmen.
(Many of us
still revel in these activities.)
But while adults enjoy the fresh air, toddlers don’t merely like it—they
need it. A two-year-old cooped up in an apartment all day may feel as
trapped as Tarzan stuffed into a tight tuxedo.
And don’t be afraid to go out in “bad weather.” Rain, wind, and snow
add to the fun. Just get the proper clothes
and shoes for yourself and
your toddler and run out and have a ball!
Creative Play: Your Child’s Favorite Toy—His
Brain
Creative Play: Your Child’s Favorite Toy—His
Brain
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
—Albert Einstein
Imagination is the key to mankind’s greatest advances, from the arts to
the sciences. That’s why I am so sad about art classes being dropped in
schools across our nation. Science and math are important, but, as the
complete
quote from Einstein reads, “Imagination is more important
than knowledge.
For while knowledge defines what we currently know and
understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.” (I
know it well, because it’s printed on my computer mouse pad!)
Feed your toddler’s creativity with:
•
Art materials: Go for variety: crayons, Play-Doh, collage
materials, watercolors, finger paint.
•
Real—or replica—household items: Toddlers love “monkey
see, monkey do.”
As the months pass, they want to imitate you
more and more. Use household goodies like pots/pans/wooden
spoons, a toy phone, or a small broom and dustpan.
•
Props for pretend play: Dolls and dollhouses, action figures,
toy dinosaurs, and lots of costumes and dress-up clothes.
By age
three, a child’s interest expands from imitating Mom and Dad to
trying on new identities—such as princess, ballerina, firefighter,
and cowboy.
•
Sensory materials: Molding clay,
a sandbox or sand table, a
splash pool, a watering can, pouring toys for the bathtub,
swatches of different materials (satin, velvet, corduroy,
sandpaper)
