Ask any parent who has a child under five at home and they’ll tell you that your little one will likely have your work cut out for you. That said, you want to make sure they focus all that daily energy on something beneficial, such as fun physical activities for kids their age. You can even do some of these games on varieties of toddler activity tables, which have an array of fun tasks in store for your youngsters.
Movement isn’t the only thing a child between two and four needs; he or she will also require variety in movement. So, while unstructured playtime works, it’s important to mix this up with activities you actually know the mechanics to help your children develop holistically.
Today, we’ll look at some fun activities for toddlers that suit almost any scenario, be it a child care situation at home, playtime with mom or dad, or a day with the nanny.
Eight Fun Activities for Your Toddlers
Short attention spans and a seemingly unlimited amount of energy means you’ll want to have the following activities up your sleeve:
Treasure Hunting
Digging for treasure is one activity kids can’t get enough of, whether it takes place indoors or outdoors. Hide some of your child’s favorite toys and have them look for them. Besides making your child’s day by letting them explore their inner pirate, you are also helping them develop their skills in carrying and putting down objects.
Simon Says
A child gets to experience all sorts of movement in this relatively simple-ruled game. Like Simon, you can have your little ones jumping up and down, making faces, balancing on one foot, spinning around, or standing on their tiptoes. Exploring these movements could help you discover the skills your toddler is good at.
Hopscotch
This is an all-time kids’ favorite that you can play both indoors and outdoors. When playing inside the house, you can use color or printed tapes to pattern the floor and use rolled-up socks as markers instead of rocks. As an outdoor game, you can draw a court using chalk and use rocks or the chalk to mark “territories.” The great thing about this game is that it’s simple and can be played solo.
Kite Flying
All you need for this is a kite, which you can purchase or make one yourself, and wide-open space to run around in. The park, field, or beach would be great areas to fly kites. Just make sure the breeze is just right, and there isn’t too much wind on the day you’re playing. Show your child how to do it, then watch the joy in their faces as they take over.
Puddle Jumping
One thing’s for sure; you definitely don’t want to play this game inside the house. Besides, outside is where “chocolate” puddles form, and your child can jump in and out without making a mess. Make sure they’re geared appropriately for safety and a whole lot of fun!
Ball Kicking
A lot of toddler games involve balls since they’re one of the easiest toys to access and a whole lot of fun, too. They also come in different shapes and sizes and are usually cheap, so feel free to buy your children as many as they want. Have them kick all these different balls to see how far they can get them to fly or travel. You can also act as a fence or goalkeeper and have your youngster try and kick the ball past you.
Balancing
No, we’re not talking about child gymnastics, although this is one way to discover if your little one excels in this area. You can help your child learn balance through a balance beam. Playing inside, mark the floor with a straight line using color tape.
Cheer your child into walking forward and backward on it while aligning his or her foot after every step. Your little one might not get it the first few times, but that’s perfectly alright as long as he or she has fun!
Freeze Tag
Freeze tag is a game played ideally with three or more kids. The child who is “it” has to try and catch the other kids. Whoever the “it” touches have to freeze until he or she gets “unfrozen” by another player. If all players end up getting frozen, the game restarts with a different child being “it.”
Why Have Your Child Engage in Fun Physical Activities
As much as you’re tempted to stick to the unstructured playtime routine due to your busy schedule, you have to keep in mind that play with parental involvement can help your child grow in various ways. Through these structured, supervised games, you actually get to see your little one’s skills develop and even help guide them into honing these skills further.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.