Gather animal stuffed toys with blankets, medicine droppers, bandages and small bowls. Roleplay with your toddler and pretend to take care of pets that are not feeling well. Demonstrate empathy and care for the pet. Encourage your child to take the lead in the role play. “How can we make the puppy feel better?”
Sing the song “Baa, Baa Black Sheep” with your child. Sing the song repeatedly, changing the colours of the sheep as you go. Find coloured objects or print off sheep in different colours to use as visual cues while you sing the song.
Running is a fundamental movement skill that toddlers are learning to master. When running, their excitement grows as they participate in games that involve chasing. Throw a ball across your yard. Model running to the ball and picking it up. Throw it again and ask your child to get it. As they go, run with them. Add a sense of urgency - “I’m going to get it”. You may hear giggles as your child thinks you are also chasing them!
Cotton Ball Painting
Sheep look fluffy like cotton balls. Create a new painting tool by clipping a cotton ball with a clothes peg. Dip in paint or coloured water and use it to make marks on paper. Talk through the process with your child.
“You made four red marks.” “What happened to the cotton ball?”