Bye Bye Terrible Twos, Hello Thought-Provoking Activities for 2-Year-Olds
Ah, the wonders of turning 2 years old. Aside from quite literally having their entire life ahead of them, this is an exhilarating developmental stage where toddlers experience a tug between relying on adults and a newly discovered thirst for independence. Often misbranded as the “terrible twos,” this is actually an exciting moment where major intellectual, social, physical, and emotional changes start to occur.
During this pivotal time, finding the right activities for 2-year-olds can prove to be a difficult task. You’ll notice that anything that involves jumping, running, kicking, or hopping is interesting to your 2-year-old. This is due to the fact that the peak development of motor gross skills happens right around this time in their lives. It’s helpful to keep this in mind when you’re choosing activities for your toddler.
It goes without saying that there are growing pains that come with your child's realization that they’re independent beings. Some days you’ll notice your toddler embodies the independence of a confident adult, while other days they may be clingy, whiny, and demanding. No matter what hand of cards you’re served, this post is dedicated to inspiring thought provoking activities for 2-year-olds that use language, interaction, and imaginative play to make the most of your time together.
Build a life-size structure with Deluxe Jumbo Cardboard Blocks
Young construction workers and architects will spend hours with these lightweight jumbo cardboard building blocks. In the spirit of promoting independence, you can ask your toddler what they want to build using the 40-piece set. Whether it’s a skyscraper or a bridge, these extra-thick cardboard “bricks” are easy to assemble and feature a wipe-clean surface. A bonus, the red blocks can support up to 150 pounds, so your toddlers can climb over them without any worries.
Practice Fine Motor Skills and Language with Deluxe Pounding Bench
Our Deluxe Pounding Bench is sure to become one of your toddler’s favorite toys. With a little help from an adult, this toy can help them develop their fine motor skills and language skills. Review all the peg colors with your toddler and repeat the activity until they are familiar with the colors. Next, move on to learning how to count the pegs. Repeat the activity until they master counting to eight. For a real challenge, ask them to pound down a certain number of pages as you count those pegs aloud.
Spark Imaginative Play with our Farm Chunky Puzzle
One of our favorite activities for 2-year-olds uses an old-time favorite (farm animals) to help develop their memory and language. Our Farm Chunky Puzzle includes seven easy-grasp, chunky farm animals, and a barn. The best part, each barn animal piece stands upright for pretend play! Have your toddler make each animal’s sound as they place and remove the pieces from the puzzle board. You can also try giving each animal a name, a personality, and talk about where it lives. Feeling crafty? Help your toddler trace the puzzle pieces on paper and have them color in their own versions of the animals.
Get Their Wheels Spinning with our Wheels On the Bus Sound Puzzle
We apologize in advance if The Wheels on the Bus gets stuck in your head while reading this. Our six-piece Wheels on the Bus Sound Puzzle is designed to promote the development of their language and fine motor skills. Lift the pieces of the school bus to reveal different pictures underneath that show what’s happening, and to hear the different verses of the classic children’s song. Sing along as the wipers go, “swish, swish, swish,” and the horn goes, “beep, beep, beep.” Take this activity to the next level by adding a narrative to the experience. Give the passengers and the drivers names and personalities while you talk about what they see on the way to and from school.
Teach your Toddler Compassion and Empathy with the Jenna Baby Doll
A toddler is never too young to start caring for others! Our Mine to Love Jenna Baby Doll is the ideal, sweet smelling baby doll. Explore imaginative play and use this as a chance to teach them different comforting techniques such as rocking, cuddling, bouncing, singing, or helping the baby suck her thumb or the pacifier. What’s on Jenna’s agenda for the day? Create a schedule for the baby that includes feeding, nap time, playtime, and other errands and activities! We love using these moments to teach our toddlers lullabies that they can sing to Jenna.
We hope these suggestions help you traverse coming up with the best activities for 2-year-olds!
