The twins are turning 2 soon! For the past 6 months, we carried out play activities that complement their growth. The following activities are what we do most often.
Before you read on further, I have no intention to brag as I write this post. My sole
Physical
After having 4 children with 2 of them going to primary school, I learn that their physical development is the most important, especially during their toddlerhood. Whether or not they turn out to be healthy balanced individuals depends a lot on how much they play. Click here on why play is important.
Playground, playgrounds!
We are at the playground almost every day! Going to the playground means climbing, jumping, running and recently spinning. And they don’t wear shoes. Apparently, there are more nerves in our feet than fingers, so allowing them to feel the not-too-dirty ground with their barefoot and climb all around the structure is as good as playing the piano, if not better.
Grandmas in the playground usually give me the stare when I allow the girls to climb up the not-so-high play structure by themselves. Someone once commented, “Wow, your girls are like boys.” My reply was, “No, they are stronger than some boys.” To me, going to the playground is genderless. It is all about developing their healthy little minds.
Where possible, I like to bring them to parks surrounded by greens. Click here for the importance of going outdoors.
Bouncing Balls
Having older children at home helps expose the toddlers to a variety of activities. The toddlers watch and learn. They bounce balls, “play” table tennis and badminton. This really
Bouncing balls is essential for most toddlers, especially if toddlers like mine who love throwing any items that they can get hold of. My toddlers remain impulsive at 23 months and have many moments of urges to hurl. When this happens, I pass them a ball to bounce. It is a win-win situation. They get to throw, I get to keep my precious items intact.
Swimming
The toddlers started waddling at 16 months. It was a little too early as they were not really stable and they often fell into the water. It was a little challenging and dangerous for us as I was one person looking after 2 toddlers who were still not able to walk steadily on land, let alone in the water.
My friends recommended wearing puddle jumpers for playing at the pool, the dynamics changed drastically. The toddlers started playing in the water more independently and safely.
More Sensory Plays
Other than movements, we try many other sensory activities such as painting and playing with sand. The idea is to get them messy so as to stimulate their senses as they explore the world. While some say sensory plays encourages scientific thinking and problem solving, all I want from sensory play is to ensure a proper nerve connection to the brain and to enhance their gross and fine motor skills.
Painting
It took a couple of trials before the twins appreciated the process of filling up the papers with colours. For a start, it was merely a touch-and-go after getting their hands all sticky and messy. The subsequent cleaning up took much longer than the actual play.
They gradually appreciate mixing in colours to create different tones and using brushes to smear the papers with colours. This process took months. We use only primary colours and lots of white. This is so that we can create many secondary colours and in different shades.
The bottles are often out of their reach so that I can control wastage. From a gradual introduction of colours, the twins are now learning how colours blend. To get the bottle of colour they desire, they need to point and name the colour. They are still work-in-progress, and they will master the names one day.
We use Crayola washable paints* and we like to paint in the outdoors. If you do not have an outdoor or balcony for messy plays, you can try painting in the shower room.
Instilling a Sense of Responsibility
We encourage the toddlers to clean up the mess after each painting session. As they grow to appreciate the paints, they start painting on the table, chairs, floor, nearby toys and on each other.
We provide them with a small pail of water, cloth and brushes to wash away the paint stains before moving on to shower them. They won’t do a perfect cleaning job, but it is okay. It is the effort that counts.
Independence
We gave them forks and spoons to feed themselves when they turned 18 months. Not everyone in the family does that. Those who cannot stand the mess they create still spoon-feed them. Nonetheless, I am pretty happy that at 23 months old, they are feeding themselves pretty well.
Daily Lives
They contribute to easy tasks such as cutting bananas and transfers ingredients into the blender to make smoothies, putting their laundry into the allocated baskets, wiping the floor after they mess up. But there are also many occasions of defiance, where they would walk away from the mess they create and go on to wreck other parts of the house.
Expanding their vocabulary
I am gradually introducing “academics” into their daily activities. Expanding their vocabulary via photos flashcards and matching games have helped them learned better.
Lots of Puzzles
We do tons of puzzles*, build magnetic towers, Lego towers, cylinder puzzle blocks* for their cognitive development, problem-solving skills, dimensions awareness, etc.
We purchased our first set of Lego Duplo blocks when our first-born was three. Guess what, we could have gotten them earlier. The twins took over the Lego blocks when they turned 18 months and picked up their building skills over time. Learning is never too early. All the children need is the opportunity to do so. Their next project is building towers using magnetic tiles.
Numbers
The toddlers began to work on number puzzles when they turned one. I have moved them on the number block puzzles for an additional sensory experience. With the help of their older siblings, they can now rote count. The next step is recognising the number and learning to count.
And they watch TV! While TV is the source of many evils and learning challenges, I allow the
So what do the toddlers watch? Peppa Pig and Sesame Street! They picked up a lot of vocabulary from the shows. Television isn’t necessary just evil. As parents, we just need to have some discretion and give parental guidance when needed.
What do you do with your toddler? Feel free to share your activities in the comments box below.
You may also be interested in the following posts:
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Discovering Playground: Science Centre KidsSTOP
Discovering Playground: Pasir Ris Park
T-Play Khatib – My Preschoolers Played To Their Hearts’ Content
15 Awesome Nursery Maths Activities My Toddlers Love
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