You’ve hosted a tea party, played ball and danced like animals, now what? Grab your toddler and get ready for some serious bonding with these fun ideas:
BUBBLES AND BALLOONS
Take advantage of sunny summer days by heading outdoors with a few bottles of inexpensive bubbles. If money is tight you can make your own by combining dish soap and water. Toddlers love chasing after bubbles, but make sure you give him a turn blowing some too. The activity teaches hand-eye coordination and counting.
Balloons are great for indoor play as they move slowly enough to be caught and thrown. Blow one up and tap it gently into the air, then count aloud with your toddler to see how long it takes to float to the ground. Just remember to never leave your toddler alone with a balloon. Uninflated or broken pieces of latex balloon are a serious choking hazard for children.
BOTTLES OF FUN
Collect empty juice or water bottles and fill them with ingredients that your toddler will have a blast looking at:
Lava Lamp Bottle: Fill bottle a third of the way with water, then continue to fill with food coloring and baby oil. The combination produces a lava lamp effect when tilted.
Snow Globe Bottle: Fill half of the bottle with water and half with corn syrup. Add glitter, beads, paper clips, small plastic toys, tiny buttons or sequins. The corn syrup makes the glitter and other objects fall slowly for dazzling effects.
Sound Effects: Fill bottle two thirds of the way with rice and small objects like dice, small toys, paper clips etc. Have your toddler shake them up. Your tot will love the sounds the bottle makes.
Note: Once you fill up the bottles with the ingredients listed above, hot glue the caps on so your child cannot swallow the bottle’s contents. When the bottles are not being handled place them near a sunny window. The light will enhance the look of the objects in the bottles.
Related Articles:
Simple Ways to Bond with Your Toddler
Why Toddlers and Snakes Don’t Mix
Teaching Your Toddler to Lose Gracefully