Have you ever brought a brand new toy, excitedly give it to your toddler only to see her playing with it for a while and leave it to play longer with THE PACKAGING BOX?
We need to understand that our toddler doesn't care about the brand or the price tags when he plays. He only cares to play with things that excites him even if it's just your socks he found on the floor when he crawled. He also cares to play together with you!
Toys that we can offer to our children should be stimulating their sensors, physically and emotionally attractive.
And those kind of toys don't have to be bought at a toy store. You can make it your self with simple things you can find in your household.
Some ideas for you to try:
1. Treasure (Shoe) Box. This interesting box may look ugly to you but for your baby it can stimulate her sensory. It can help her understands about soft and rough, long and short concept.
Let her pull the strings, open and close the lid and anything else that she wants to do with it without you concern whether she can break or bring damage to it.
We need to understand that our toddler doesn't care about the brand or the price tags when he plays. He only cares to play with things that excites him even if it's just your socks he found on the floor when he crawled. He also cares to play together with you!
Toys that we can offer to our children should be stimulating their sensors, physically and emotionally attractive.
And those kind of toys don't have to be bought at a toy store. You can make it your self with simple things you can find in your household.
Some ideas for you to try:
1. Treasure (Shoe) Box. This interesting box may look ugly to you but for your baby it can stimulate her sensory. It can help her understands about soft and rough, long and short concept.
Let her pull the strings, open and close the lid and anything else that she wants to do with it without you concern whether she can break or bring damage to it.
She breaks it? Easy, just pull another shoe box and start put some strings back on it.
2. Let your child play with star or heart shape (or any shapes you have in minds) ice cubes!
Put a little food colouring in the water before freezing if you want to teach him also about colours and entertain him with swirl colours of fun!
2. Let your child play with star or heart shape (or any shapes you have in minds) ice cubes!
Put a little food colouring in the water before freezing if you want to teach him also about colours and entertain him with swirl colours of fun!
Bring a bowl of water, put the ice cubes in it, and let him play in the bathroom before bath time.
You can also give some ice cubes to play while he's sitting on his feeding chair. This wet play will stimulate his sensors, makes him understand about cold, dry and wet.
You can also give some ice cubes to play while he's sitting on his feeding chair. This wet play will stimulate his sensors, makes him understand about cold, dry and wet.
3. Keep the cereal boxes, snack bottles and crackers containers after use. Your toddler can become an architect and a T-rex at the same time by playing with it. Watch him as he builds the tallest tower or the crowd city and cheer him when he bulldozers it in seconds with his tiny little hands (and feet).
You can also make them as bowling pins and let your child do bowling with a ball (or two). It may need your extra energy as he will ask you to keep building a pyramid after he smashes it and he will enjoy watching you pick up the ball, again and again.
4. Your kitchen is a personal toy store at home.
Please always keep an eye (or two) on your child and always supervise him at all time while playing in the kitchen (or anywhere).
Keep him away from any sharp objects, hot surfaces and any dangerous substances that may occur in the kitchen.
Any small objects can be a choking hazard for your toddler as he still uses his mouth to explore, so supervise, supervise, supervise.
Please always keep an eye (or two) on your child and always supervise him at all time while playing in the kitchen (or anywhere).
Keep him away from any sharp objects, hot surfaces and any dangerous substances that may occur in the kitchen.
Any small objects can be a choking hazard for your toddler as he still uses his mouth to explore, so supervise, supervise, supervise.
Pans, bowls, measuring cups, wooden spoons, unbreakable plates and cookie cutters can be amazing toys for your toddler. Make them as musical instruments and sing your heart out with her.
Give her some dry pastas or rice and let her measures and pours them from bowl to bowl. Mika can play this 'measure and pour' play for a long time.
When your child is older, ask her to help you in the kitchen by handing her some easy tasks like cut the dough using cookie cutters or beat the eggs.
5. Use a tissue box, a water bottle or anything that has hole on it. Give some ice sticks or straws and show her how to put them in the box. This will put hand-eyes coordination into practice.
Give her some dry pastas or rice and let her measures and pours them from bowl to bowl. Mika can play this 'measure and pour' play for a long time.
When your child is older, ask her to help you in the kitchen by handing her some easy tasks like cut the dough using cookie cutters or beat the eggs.
5. Use a tissue box, a water bottle or anything that has hole on it. Give some ice sticks or straws and show her how to put them in the box. This will put hand-eyes coordination into practice.
There are so much more that you can do or make as a smart toy for your baby's sensory play. There are only two things that you need to bring it to happen, your common sense about your child safety and some out-of-the-box creativity.
Have fun playing!
Have fun playing!