The "Terrible 2s" don't happen to every child.
National Network for Child Care Organization, an online website hosted by the University of Connecticut, defines the toddler stage as a time when children learn walk. The toddler stage ranges from 1 to 2 years of age. NNCC provides three areas of focus for nurseries looking for daily activities: physical development, socialization skills and verbal development.
Song Activities
Use bright colors and soft noises to keep the attention of toddlers during activities.
Around 2 years of age, children begin to notice body parts. Parents will notice their little one's paying attention to their lips as they speaking and toes and belly buttons become attention-getters. Encouraging toddlers to explore themselves in a safe way is something that a nursery can help accomplish. The Preschool Express website provides a list of songs that encourage self-awareness in toddlers.
Children's Music Workshop, an Emmy award winning music education company, explains how music uses both sides of the brain. Musical activities don't always have to be a time for dancing and singing to be an effective learning tool. Allowing toddlers to enjoy the sounds of music while eating, during nap time, or while they're playing can be just as beneficial.
Creative Activities
Toddler activities should focus on the sense of touch. Nursery teachers have the challenge of introducing new concepts in a way that doesn't frustrate the toddler's urge to touch and taste the world around them. Baby center, an online source with medical advisory board information, offers water play as a fun learning activity. Water play is an activity where toddlers are allowed to explore water and fill containers. Using a pan, place a small amount of water and various size containers inside. Allow each toddler to have her own pan to play in.
This activity encourages hand-eye coordination as children successfully fill and pour their containers.
Learning Game Activities
Ball exchange is a game where you place two toddlers together, showing them hand a small, soft ball back and forth. Balls that make a noise will make this game easy to focus on. To make sure the ball continues to get passed, clap with encouragement as each toddler releases the ball to the other child.
Blocks are a long-standing learning tool. Five to 10 minutes of block play will develop critical thinking skills that lead to verbal exploration.
Tags: each toddler, learning tool, toddler stage