As your toddler grows, he or she can learn to play in different and more challenging ways. Teaching toddlers basic games like tag or hide and seek is a fun way to play together and help your toddler learn new things. The other day, I laughed so hard as I started teaching Dylan how to play hide and seek. First of all, it is so cute to hear him counting, even though the numbers are not quite in the right order. Also, since it takes time to learn how to play a new game, he was having a little trouble with the concept of taking turns being the “hider” and the “seeker” and he was also getting the roles mixed up as we went along.
For example, he went to the back door of the house and I told him that he could count to ten, and when he was done he could come and find me. I snuck around the corner and hid on the deck. I heard him counting “One, two, three, eight ninety” and then I heard him say “Mom, come find meeeee!” I laughed as I walked back around to where he was. We “played” for quite some time, and had a good time even though it was a little confusing for me. Eventually, I am sure that he will play by the traditional “rules” but for now I would rather have fun with him than put the pressure on to play the game correctly.
As they approach their third birthday, toddlers are also ready for simple puzzles and toys like lacing beads or lacing cards. They also begin to engage in lots and lots of pretend play. It can be truly amazing to watch or listen in on your toddler as he or she acts out pretend play scenarios. It’s a wonderful way to see just how much your toddler already knows about the world, and what it looks like from his perspective. For example, Dylan often sets up “building projects” at various places in the house and works on them. One day, he set up a “truck stop” under a small table by the door to the kitchen. Today, he took some pipe cleaners that he was playing with and decided that they were electrical wires and he was doing a wiring project in the bedroom. It is so much fun to watch and listen to him, and I always wonder what he will think of next.