Learn Through Play – The Second Year

After their first birthday, children generally start to walk and form verbal words, which can offer lots of new opportunities for learning games. Games that give a toddler a chance to practice their new mobility skills and increasing vocabulary are both fun and educational.

Learn Through Play – During the second year, toddlers often enjoy expanding their social circle a bit to include other toddlers. Play dates can start to be introduced, although the concepts of sharing toys or playing together cooperatively are generally not skills a child of this age will have yet.

Hand-eye coordination has improved by this time, along with the child’s manual dexterity skills. Because a child now has better control over things, they are more interested in how toys actually work, as opposed to just swinging and banging them around as they did when they were younger.

Blocks that can be stacked, toy cars that can be pushed, or a baby doll that can be cared for are fun for toddlers. Toys that can be sorted or very simple puzzles are also good learning games for this age group.

Activities for 2 Years Old

Activities that allow a child to start to explore the concept of pretend play are also good to introduce at this time, such as a toy telephone or maybe a small play kitchen.

Although a child in this age group won’t always play with these types of toys in the manner in which they were designed, this can give them a good opportunity to mimic activities that you are doing, which can be very satisfying and educational for a small child.

Children often become fascinated with housework activities, so a toy vacuum or broom to play with, or a toy set of pots and pans are often good choices.

Of course, children can be very imaginative, and you might find that your child will just as happily use a wooden block as a telephone or use a stuffed toy to push around the floor like a car.

It’s important to let a child explore these types of activities, without trying to correct any of these imaginative play games.

During the second year, toddlers often enjoy expanding their social circle a bit to include other toddlers. Play dates can start to be introduced, although the concepts of sharing toys or playing together cooperatively are generally not skills a child of this age will have yet.

Still, playing with others at this age is a good learning experience, as is playing with other siblings. Older siblings or playmates can even serve as a role model for the concept of sharing or taking turns, although it will be a while before the toddler starts to incorporate those concepts into their own play routines.

Toddlers are going through a period of fast development, and as a result they can sometimes become frustrated or emotional. Tantrums often start during this age range, especially when they are working hard to master some new skill or task. It’s important to provide plenty of stimulating play activities for children in this age group, but not to overwhelm them with too much pressure to succeed at any given thing.

Although toddlers enjoy exploring their newfound physical skills and increasing independence, they also tend to need reassurance and comfort as well. Planning some quiet time to play with your toddler, such as reading a book or coloring in a book together can give them the one-on-one time with you that they need and enjoy.

For under twelve month old toddlers, see: Learning Through Play – The First Year