Activity of the week...

Give a cup to your child.  Use bits of cereal or fruit and place one in your child's cup ("one for you") and one in your cup ("one for me").  Take turns.  Dump out your child's cup and help count the pieces.  This is good practice for early math skills.

Activity of the week...

Toddlers will begin putting objects together.  Simple puzzles (separate pieces) with knobs are great.  Putting keys into locks and letters into mailbox slots is fun, too. 

Activity of the week...

Make "sound" containers using plastic Easter eggs or L'eggs eggs.  Fill eggs with noisy objects like sand, beans, or rice and tape the eggs shut.  Have two eggs for each sound.  Help your child match sounds and put them back in the carton together.  

Activity of the week...

Children at this age love to pretend and really enjoy it when you can pretend with them.  Pretend you are different animals, like a dog or cat.  Make animal sounds and actions.  Let your child be the pet owner who pets and feeds you. 

Activity of the week...

Try a new twist on finger painting.  Use whipping cream on a washable surface (cookie sheet, formica table.)  Help your child spread it around and draw pictures with your finger.  Add food coloring to give it some color.  Have him or her tell you what they are drawing.

Activity of the week...

Children between the ages of 24 - 30 months will begin to be able to make choices.  Help her or him choose what to wear each day by giving a choice between two pairs of socks, two shirts, and so forth.  Give choices at other times like snack or mealtime (two kinds of drink, cracker, etc.) 

Activity of the week...

Play alphabet "Hide and Seek."

Hide a letter (A-B-C) and have your child look for it. 

Activity of the week...

 Key Developmental Indicator: Language, Literacy, and Communication

• Writing in various ways: drawing, scribbling, letter-like forms, invented spelling, conventional forms
• Reading in various ways: reading storybooks, signs and symbols and one's own writing
• Dictating stories 

Activity of the week...

 Make a poster of your child's favorite things using pictures from old magazines.  Use safety scissors and paste or a glue stick to allow your child to do it independently, yet safely. 

Activity of the week...

Cut pictures out of magazines make two groups such as dogs, food, toys, or clothes.  Have two boxes ready and put a picture of a dog in one and of food in the other.  Have your child put additional pictures in the right box, helping him or her learn about categories.