As the parent of a young child, you have a unique role and opportunity. Studies show that early home life and experiences have the strongest impact on a child's development and future success. You can add fun, learning, and enrichment to your child's life every day with activities. There are many reasons why you may choose to do activities with your toddler, and they're all good ones.
Perhaps you are looking for activities that will develop and strengthen the bond between you and your child. You know that one-on-one quality time is critical for your relationship, as well as for your child's social and emotional growth. Many of the activities in this book are nurturing activities. You will find also activities that will enhance communication and interaction between you and your child.
You may be looking for ways to make your own life easier. If you are juggling many responsibilities and roles each day, raising and caring for a toddler can be an additional challenge. Sometimes you simply need a way to occupy or entertain your young child for a few minutes. After all, most parents do not have the luxury of devoting all of their time to their child. There are telephone calls to make, dishes to wash, bills to pay, and more. In this book, you will find many quick and simple ideas, many of which require little advance planning and few (if any) materials. Furthermore, most of the activities in this book do not require that you set aside large chunks of time or go to specialty stores to track down materials.
Perhaps you wish to do more activities with your child that will help him learn and develop. You want activities that will have a clear benefit for your child, such as promoting growth or helping with school-readiness skills. This is still the book for you! Young children learn best through playful, hands-on activities. Just about any activity in this book will benefit your child's growth and development. You will find activities that develop preliteracy skills, motor development and coordination, social skills, concept development, mathematical skills, and more!
This book is designed to make it easy for you to find just the right activity for your child. Each activity includes a suggested age group and a time estimate. Activities are easy to follow with a clear list of materials needed and step-by-step directions.
Activities that may pose any safety concern include a warning and/or suggestions for keeping your child safe. Some activities do use small items or potential choking hazards, such as Styrofoam and balloons. All activities in this book should be done under the direct and constant supervision of an adult. Carefully use your best judgment in selecting safe activities for your child.