5 Ways to Spark Your Toddler’s Creativity
From babbling through story time to full-on twinning your every move, toddlers love creative playtime activities. To nurture this interest, you can enroll your mini-me in some amazing toddler classes, or you can stoke those creative flames with some fun activities at home. If you’re ready to get inspired with your little one, but not quite sure where to start, try any or all of these five easy ideas to spark your kiddo’s imagination right at home.
1. Create play stations. Give your little one a safe place to act out the daily activities she watches you do. Set up a play kitchen, break out the toy lawn mower or give your little one any other pint-sized substitute you can find, so she can copycat your grown-up chores.
2. Encourage storytelling. Talk about the things you do during the day in a simple, but exciting way — like driving in a fast red car or seeing all the people in the grocery store. Your little one is listening to everything you say. One-on-one story time with you will get her in the habit of connecting and imaging through conversation.
3. Get loose. Toddlers love music and wiggling to a beat. Crank up the music during play time and start busting a move. Take turns copying dance moves from each other, and play up the fun factor by belting out the songs (even if you don’t know the words!).
4. Explore the outdoors. In a fast-paced world full of screens, it can be easy to forget this super fun activity. Get outside! Walk at the pace your little one sets. Look at the world through her eyes, and talk about the things she is staring at or pointing out. Name the colors of objects, like green leaves or brown dirt. Talk about what is going on around you, such as an airplane flying high in the sky or a car racing down the road. Show your tiny explorer how fun it is to observe the world.
5. Encourage creative play. Do you have a decent stack of subscription boxes piling up? Pass them over to your kiddo for some playtime fun! Empty cardboard boxes are pure gold for imaginative play. The setup is as big or small as you want to make it, and you can use any size box, or throw a combo of sizes out on the floor. You can also add some toddler-safe art supplies to mix it up.
Whatplaytime activities does your little one love right now? Tweet us your ideas @BritandCo!
(Photo via Getty)
