7 playtime activities for two year olds
CHILDREN should always be encouraged to express themselves creatively by using all their senses to acquire new knowledge, skills and competencies, as well as to engage in independent learning. This is done well through play.
Here is part four of a list of activities you can employ, whether you are a parent or teacher, from The Jamaica Early Childhood Curriculum Resource Book.
ACTIVITIES FOR TODDLERS (2 YEARS OLD)
Activity # 1: Shiny paintings
What you’ll need: Plastic spoons, aluminum foil, dry coloured juice mix or food colouring and condensed milk or corn syrup.
Preparation:
1) Combine the dry coloured juice mix /food colouring and condensed milk/corn syrup to make a “paint” that the child can use.
What you’ll do:
1) Give the child a piece of foil.
2) Spoon a little bit of “paint” on the foil.
3) Allow the child to explore the materials using their fingers.
4) Lay the shiny paintings flat to dry. The child can even see a little bit of their reflection and their shadows in the foil.
Activity # 2: Missing body parts game
What you’ll need: A large drawing of a face that is missing certain facial features (eg: nose and eyes), large cut-outs/drawings/magazine clippings of the missing face’s parts (eg: nose and eyes), tape or other adhesive material and cardboard.
Preparation:
1) Stick the large face on a wall at the child’s eye level.
2) Have the different cut-outs with the adhesive on the back available for the child.
3) Allow the child to choose a cut-out and place it in the correct place on the face as you ask questions, eg, “Where does the eye go on the face? Can you put it there?”
4) After putting the missing parts of the body onto the drawing, you can continue the activity (on the same day or another day) by asking the child to come up and point to the part of the body we use for the different senses.
Activity # 3: Do I know my body parts?
What you’ll need: One large wooden cube or cube-shaped object, eg, empty box juice container, pictures of body parts that will fit on the cube, eg: nose, mouth, eyes and tongue.
Preparation:
1) Glue a picture of a different body part on each side of the cube.
What you’ll do:
1) Allow the child to throw/roll the cube.
2) Have the child say the name of the body part that is showing on the cube if he/she can, otherwise help them by naming the body part.
3) Have him/her point to the body part indicated on the cube on his/her own body.
Activity # 4: Expressions
What you’ll need: A mirror and two pictures of children showing different expressions, eg happy and sad.
What you’ll do:
1) Place pictures of children showing different expressions at the child’s eye level on a wall.
2) Put a mirror next to the pictures on the wall.
3) Have child try to copy the expressions.
Activity # 5: Smiley face necklaces
What you’ll need: Different coloured paper, crayons or markers, yarn, glue and hole punch.
Preparation:
1) Cut out circular shapes from many different coloured papers.
What you’ll do:
1) Encourage the child to scribble a face on a circle.
2) Punch two holes near the top of the circle.
3) Give the child a length of yarn and their smiley face to make a necklace.
4) Help the child to get the yarn through the holes to make a necklace.
5) Help the child to put their necklace on by tying the yarn together if they would like to wear it (do not force them).
Activity # 6: Me puppet
What you’ll need: Paper bags, crayons, fabric scraps (optional) and glue.
What you’ll do:
1) Help the child to make a puppet of themselves using the paper bag.
2) They can glue the fabric on the bag or scribble using crayons to make clothes for their puppet.
3) Allow them to use puppets in pretend play.
Activity #7: Texture cylinders
What you’ll need: Toilet paper rolls, pieces of smooth and rough fabric, eg: satin and burlap and glue or stapler.
Preparation:
1) Cover each toilet paper roll with a different fabric but ensure that there are matching pairs of covered toilet paper rolls, eg: two satin rolls and two burlap rolls.
What you’ll do:
1) Have the child feel each roll and help them to describe the texture as rough or smooth.
2) The child can also try to find two rolls that feel the same, eg: two smooth rolls.
