Keeping toddlers engaged in learning is crucial to laying the foundation for academic success. Reading is a beautiful place to start and can increase your little one’s vocabulary. According to United Way, children’s books typically have 50% more rare words than college students’ conversations or television. However, it’s essential to keep children engaged in reading with activities that complement children’s books.
Re-Create Characters
Utilize the characters in the book to create your art projects. Use construction paper, a small dab of glue, and some googly eyes to craft your animals, such as a caterpillar. Break out crayons and markers to draw animals. Print coloring pages and color them with younger children. This can help your children have fun with the characters.
Have Fun Cooking
Recreating parts of the story doesn’t have to stop at art projects. Keep children engaged with reading by cooking fun and silly snacks together. Use green food coloring to make your green eggs and ham. Colorful icing and edible eyes can transform food into monsters. Creative cutouts can be used to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for almost any character. You don’t have to be a master chef to create masterpieces your toddler will love.
Watch the Movie
There’s nothing more relaxing than a movie night with your little one. Parents can also use this movie night as an educational experience. Discuss how the book and movie compare. Toddlers are often too young to compare and contrast a film and book, but this activity has several benefits. Toddlers will start comparing and contrasting, laying the foundation for this valuable skill later in school. Activities for toddlers that involve a discussion help encourage them to recall information, improving their memory.
Play Pretend
While fine motor skills and spending time in the kitchen are necessary, don’t discount the essential skills children develop while playing pretend. Recreate costumes and items from the book to put on your play. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Remember, a cardboard box can quickly turn into a rocket ship, school bus, taxi, car, or boat. Children enjoy enhanced cognitive development and social and emotional skills through pretend play.
Engaged children develop various interests, including reading new books.