[ShannonMVT]

So I checked out a book at the library today with games to play with toddlers. Since a lot of us struggle with this, I thought I'd post one idea for each age group from the book (so long as I have time). It's for ages 12-24 months, but might be useful for older kids as well?

12-15 months
Color Games

-The first step to learning to identify colors is matching them.
-Sit on the floor with your child. Zoom a toy car back and forth. Choose a red or blue car.
-After you and your toddler have played for a while, take out a car of a different color and play with that one.
-Next, take two sheets of paper the same color as the cars. Put the paper on the floor and the cars on the matching paper.
-Take a car off the paper and ask your child to put the car on the matching paper. As you play the game, always name the color to which you are referring.
-Consistently playing this game with develop your child's matching skills.

15-18 months
Cup stacking

-Gather several small paper cups.
-Put them together and then take them apart as your toddler watches.
-Your child will want to do the same.
-After he has done this several times, add other cups of different shapes and sizes.
-Watch how he experiments to see which cups fit into other cups.
-This is a lovely game that develops problem-solving and thinking skills.

18-21 months
Fit the pieces

-This is a game that your toddler will enjoy playing over and over.
-Collect several cookie cutters. Try and get shapes that your toddler will recognize, such as animals or holiday figures and objects.
-Start by tracing around one cookie cutter with a marker. Give your toddler the cookie cutter that matches the shape you drew. Show her how they fit together.
-After tracing several cookie cutters and showing how they match, give your toddler two cookie cutters and see whether she can choose the matching cookie cutter.
-Once she understands, add another tracing and another cookie cutter.

21-24 months
Baster Game

-This game is a challenge and your toddler will love squeezing and watching the liquid.
-Arrange two medium sized plastic bowls next to one another.
-Fill one bowl with water. Add food coloring to the water for artistic purposes.
-Show your toddler how to put the baster into the water and squeeze the bulb. Show him where to look to see the water filling up the tube.
-Show him how to empty the baster into the second bowl.

[~*sierra*~]

how cute!! thanks for sharing!

[Trannyfromtheuk]

Might try the baster one with Mia!

TFS!

[SandKmommy]

I really like the Cookie cutter and blaster ones, I'll have to get some supplies and do that with Kieran while Seamus is in school. Does the book only go to 2yrs old?

[ShannonMVT]

Yup, the book only goes to age 2. I read online there is another book that goes from age 2-3.

I tried the cookie cutter one but Matthew was not very interested in putting the shapes back on the paper.

[Mars]

We've done the earlier ones in a similar way but I've never tried the baster one so I'll be doing that. It sounds like fun.

[ShannonMVT]

Most of them are very simple ideas, so some will be stuff ppl may have already done/thought of themselvse, but it's nice in a way b/c most of the ideas use things you already have at home. I think the baster one sounds fun, I want to try it as well. Just have to see if we have a baster...

[LisanAndy]

Thanks! I'll try the baster one