Social Development in Toddlers.

Example of  Onlooker (Spectator) Play.

 Watching but not engaging. 

Example of Parallel Play.

Play near each other with similar toys but not cooperating or interacting.

Practice makes Progress!

References

            BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board. (2015) Toddler Milestone: Socialization. BabyCenter.com. http://www.babycenter.com/0_toddler-milestone-socialization_11742.bc

Berger, K. (2003). The Play Years: Psychosocial Development. The Developing Person: Through Childhood and Adolescence. (P. 305). Worth Publishers. New York, NY.

Loehr M.D., J. & Meyers, J. (2015). How to Encourage Social and Emotional Development: 18-24 Months. Parents.com. http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/activities-for-social-development/

Gross Motor GAMES

Time to move those little bodies! Strong bodies are very important to proper development. Children NEED to be active. Toddler are just learning how to use their bodies. Walking and climbing are skills that need to be encouraged and embraced. Here are some activities to promote Gross Motor development.

1. Boxes!

2. Play Ball

3. Crawl Through

4. Climb

Educational Goal: Gross Motor, Strength, Flexibility, Balance, Attention Span.

Fine Motor FUN!

As a Pre-K teacher I have seen first hand (pun intended) how fine motor development affects writing skills. In our home we do several activities to promote fine motor development.

                                                                   1.  Ball in a Tube

 

2. Dominoes in a Can

 

3. Popsicle Sticks in a Can

 

or in a bottle for an extra challenge!

Educational Goals: Fine Motor, Hand-Eye Coordination, Attention Span.

Tub Turned Water Table

As the summer comes to a close and my big kid heads back to school, I am finally finding some time to post the activities we have been doing this month. We live in a desert where it is HOT HOT HOT all summer long. BUT we are also in the middle of a drought, so we try not to over-use our water. One solution is this up-cycled baby tub turned water table.

Water tables can be expensive. Instead we just pulled the old tub out of the closet, filled it with water and bubbles and had a BLAST! Mermaid Barbie got a bath too!

 I like that I was able to put it on the ground where my little one could easily splash and play. As she grows I may build a stand for it.

Educational Goals: Sensory experience. Fluidity/Volume. Bubbles.