Your little preschooler learns, like adults, through life experiences and from interaction with others. That’s why they like to touch, smell, and interact with the world around them. This learning process is essential for children to prepare themselves for the future.

Banging around pots and pans can teach children the differences in sound while reading a book, and playing with other children can improve their communication skills. Wooden blocks help develop the imagination — my little one made a ‘train’ from cubes the other day — and shape sorters can actually strengthen the eye muscles.

Engaging in regular activities with toddlers is one excellent way to develop the essentials they need to mature, and they can have fun and learn at the same time. From the day a child is born, she or he learns how to bond with caregivers through feedings and listening to the world. Sharing experiences together can contribute to that bonding.

Some of the fun toddler activities you can engage in with your preschoolers include:

1. Read a story together before bedtime or watch a favorite movie together and sing all of the songs;
2. Paint pictures for upcoming holidays or as gifts can be fun and teach your child about sharing and giving;
3. Visit the beach for an experience that involves sound (waves crashing), touch (grainy sand, rough shells, wet water), color (sky, water, birds), taste (salty water or sweet treats from the boardwalk or your cooler);
4. Bake with a toddler to show them how to measure and mix. Preschoolers love to pour ingredients from one cup to another! Your toddler can help with getting the ingredients out, measuring them, and mixing them together, and you can take care of the handling the hot oven. Once the baked treat is finished, let the toddler get creative with decorations for a delicious ending to an eventful day.
5. Food is always fun for toddlers to play with, so you can actually plan out an activity to make crafts out of food. You can supply glue, cheerios, dry pasta, and cardboard to make homemade picture frames, and even include paints or markers for even more decoration. This activity is fun for all ages, and can be special for an upcoming birthday present that a grandparent would cherish.
6. Preschoolers are usually amazed by the smallest things such as lady bugs or other small insects that seem mysterious. You can plan an art day with your toddler, and actually have them make their own lady bugs to keep in their own backyard. You can find round rocks and paint them red, and let the children draw little legs and black spots with permanent markers. You can create any type of bug your child likes, and even let them do the painting if you wish.

Toddler love acting, trying new things, and exploring anything they have never seen before. Most of all, they love to be with you — their adored caregiver. When you plan a different activity for each day, your toddler will be able to learn, mature, and have a wonderful time bonding with you.