As an early years practitioner, you’ll know that toddlers spend every day absorbing information from every source. If you’re seeking inspiration for fun and educational activities that will really support their learning, read on! We’ve put together five of the best activities for toddlers that nursery staff can set up in any setting. All of the activities reflect our approach to childcare and are tailored to the abilities and interests of toddlers.
1. Dressing up and role play
It’s fun to pretend! Dressing up, whether as a firefighter or an astronaut, allows toddlers to take on and experiment with lots of different roles. They can act out situations they’ve seen in real life, on TV and in books – and use their fertile imagination to make up new ones! As an activity, dressing up boosts physical skills, helping toddlers to get better at the coordination needed when dressing and undressing. It’s also a great opportunity for toddlers to interact with other children, explore their interests and ambitions, and make sense of the world they see around them.
2. Parachute games
Always a favourite in our nurseries, parachute games are one of the most popular learning activities for toddlers. Sitting in a circle holding the parachute, children can enjoy group play, sing songs together, learn to take direction from an adult and develop fine motor skills as they grip and move the parachute. Moving the parachute up and down, bouncing balls on the surface or exploring underneath, helps toddlers to experience and understand these positional concepts.
3. Simon Says
Simon Says is a great game to develop listening skills, teach actions and body parts, and burn off excess energy! Easy to play with any number of children or even one-to-one, the teacher shouts out commands for the children to follow. But (and here’s where the listening comes in) the children must only follow the command if it begins with “Simon Says”! The actions involved can be as physical or silly as you like, so there are guaranteed giggles to be had.
4. Playdough
Every toddler loves to get their hands dirty, so they won’t need much encouragement to enjoy a session with playdough. As well as being great fun, squidging playdough is an excellent way for toddlers to develop their fine motor skills as well as expressing their creativity. Playdough can also be used as food in imaginative play: try asking the children to cook you a meal and see what they come up with!
5. Odd one out
Spotting the odd one out can be a hugely absorbing activity for toddlers. In order to understand which object is different, children will need an understanding of what makes the others the same! So this exercise is a great way to support learning about shape, size, colour and other characteristics.
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