A two-year-old is full of curiosity and energy, making every day an adventure. Engaging with 2 year olds can be both a joy and a challenge. At this age, children are eager to explore the world around them. Creating fun activities that support their cognitive, motor, social, and emotional development is essential. So, you need to explore activities that combine fun with learning. Here’s a detailed guide filled with creative and educational things to do with 2 year olds to keep them entertained and growing.
Thigs to do With 2 Year Olds That Foster Creativity
Artistic activities allow toddlers to express themselves freely while improving their motor and social skills. Here are a few ideas for creative things to do with 2 year olds.
- Finger painting: Purchase washable paints and large sheets of paper. Lay out the paper and the paints, and let your child have fun with colors and textures. It’s a fantastic sensory experience that enhances creativity.
- Playdough: Remember playdough? I had no idea that there’s an inexpensive way to make homemade playdough with your child. All you need is flour, salt, water, and different food colors for each batch. Show your child how to create shapes, squish them, and mold them into their own creation. This activity develops hand strength and imagination.
- Collages: I remember doing something like this in elementary school. Gather all of your old magazines, then grab some child-safe scissors and glue sticks. Allow your child to cut out pictures and arrange them on paper to create their art. Encourage them to create collages about their feelings, their favorite things, or what they want for their next birthday. To change things up a bit, use stickers instead of magazines.
Outdoor Adventures For Two-Year-Olds
Spending time outside helps to promote physical activity and healthy habits.
- Exploring the local park or your backyard to collect leaves, rocks, or flowers is always a good time. You can always use the leaves, flowers, and rocks you collected later for crafts or simply enjoy discovering nature together.
- Blowing bubbles is always fun for toddlers, especially when they get to run around and pop them. This simple activity never fails to delight.
- If your backyard is large enough, you can set up an outdoor play space. This space could include playground equipment, a water table, a sandbox, or many other fun features.
- If you have a sidewalk or a driveway, sidewalk chalk is a classic outdoor activity. Let your kid draw whatever comes to mind. At this age, it will all look like scribbles anyway. But this is still a good way to encourage creativity and freestyle drawing.
Learning Through Play
When your kiddo is two, pretty much all of their learning is done through play. So, it’s important to provide play opportunities that foster learning.
- Imaginative play: The experts at HealthyChildren.org recommend encouraging imaginative play by providing realistic toys that help children mimic real-life activities. Play with a toy kitchen set, let them care for a baby doll, or use toy tools. This kind of imaginative play can help toddlers develop social and problem-solving skills.
- Action Songs: Singing songs with actions, like “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” or “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” can help children learn new words, practice coordination, and learn broad concepts, say the experts at the Department of Early Education.
- Sensory play: According to the folks at Brightwheel, sensory play is “any play-based learning activity that stimulates children’s senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing, body awareness, and balance.” When parents use sensory play materials like sand, water, or playdough, it helps to boost not only creativity but also fine motor skills.
- Reading books: Of course, reading age-appropriate books is one of the most effective ways to combine learning and play. Reading helps increase vocabulary as well as develop language and visual skills.
Daily activities can be used as learning opportunities as well. Counting everyday objects and measuring ingredients when you’re cooking in the kitchen are both practical ways to build math skills.
Music and Movement With a Two-Year-Old
Incorporating music and movement helps your toddler with both fine and gross motor skills as well as rhythm and balance. It can also increase literacy! Children tend to learn faster and retain information better when its paired with music, rhythm, and movement.
Have a dance party with your toddler. You can play your favorite songs and dance together. To add some more fun create your unique drum line by pulling out pots, pans, and spoons. You can always add rice to shakers to enhance the rhythm.
Have Fun!
The most important thing to do with your 2-year-old is have fun! Remember to encourage your child’s interests, and let them lead the way. If they’re not interested, it will be nearly impossible to maintain their attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Vygotsky’s learning through play theory?
According to the Department of Education, Vygotsky’s learning through play theory is the basis of play-based learning. Essentially, this is the idea that children will develop critical social and cognitive skills through play rather than explicit instruction.
What is a red flag behavior for a 2-year-old?
This is a common phrase used for signs that your toddler isn’t hitting their developmental milestones, per Parents magazine. Two years old is a critical age for developmental milestones as this is when children typically begin to show clear signs of autism and other developmental disorders.
What should you be doing at 2 years old?
By the age of 2, your child should be very active. They should be talking, walking, climbing, jumping, running, and bursting full of energy. Your child will have an ever-growing vocabulary and will explore new words by listening to your conversations. They should start to recognize and identify colors, numbers, and shapes. Some two-year-olds may be potty trained, but this is still early for this milestone.