Pre-Toddlers (ages 12-18) are tricky because they are kind of stuck between babyhood and toddlerhood. I’ve found that this is the time when parents start looking for more activities to do with their children. The problem is that there isn’t much out there on the internet that is age appropriate for them. Most activities out there are for ages 2 and above and require some ability to make art. However, pre-toddlers aren’t quite ready for that. See my post…Sometimes you get it wrong…for more about this.
Some info on Pre-Toddlers
- Their curiosity far outweighs their judgment…which is why they can sometimes be a bit of a handful
- The start dancing.
- They have better fine motor skills and are able to manipulate objects and are able to stack blocks and press buttons.
- They are more physically capable and are learning to climb, stomp, slide, and walk backwards.
- They continue to explore cause-and-effect relationships and therefore love dumping, and filling activities.
- They start being able to identify body parts and pictures in books.
- They begin to say simple words and will mimic your words.
- They begin imitating behaviors they see like talking on the phone or putting on a hat.
- They are able to sit and turn pages in a book.
- They are able to sort shapes by putting shaped blocks through correctly shaped holes.
- They scribble with a back and fort motion.
Pre-toddlers are very capable and there are some wonderful ways to set up meaningful play activities for them. J’s just now 19 months, so all the activities on the blog so far are appropriate for pre-toddlers Here’s a few of my favorites:
![IMG_8811_thumb[1]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gPwsvA6esLY/TtkyHz_z4CI/AAAAAAAADbg/6kOR2EpOGcQ/s1600-h/IMG_8811_thumb%25255B1%25255D%25255B4%25255D.jpg "IMG_8811_thumb[1]")
![IMG_8545_thumb[1]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/-oBXlszmAS00/TtkyIyqXtFI/AAAAAAAADbw/QwPmRNRhHMQ/s1600-h/IMG_8545_thumb%25255B1%25255D%25255B4%25255D.jpg "IMG_8545_thumb[1]")
Activity #4: Water Play for ALL Ages
Kids of all ages LOVE playing in water! I know that water play is best during the summer months, but might I suggest you play with water today!? Bring the fun indoors! Lay out towels or fill up the bathtub.
- Practice pouring water from one cup to another
- Dye the water with food coloring.
- Add bubbles
- For older kids, make it a science experiment….add things that sink and float.
- Make a carwash and wash toys together
- The possibilities are endless!
![IMG_8889_thumb[3]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NIFwHbyoOgA/TtkyJsnDJaI/AAAAAAAADcA/T8n6RxCCzoc/s1600-h/IMG_8889_thumb%25255B3%25255D%25255B3%25255D.jpg "IMG_8889_thumb[3]")
Let me know how you played in water today!
Tomorrow: Toddler Play (18-36 months)
Last month I let my kiddos fill up our sinks. Each got a side. Filled with bubbles, measuring cups and bath floatys. When they were done I had to change both their cloths they had so much fun.
How much fun was this! We did this right after our first nap this morning. I dyed the water green and grabbed a green cup and the green toys I could find. I put the tub (from his light box :))on towels in the kitchen, set him down in his diaper, and let him have at it. He had a blast! We did this for about 30 minutes until the only thing he wanted to do was dump the tub over. Then we were done 🙂
I’m so glad you guys had fun with this! Almost every child I know loves water play! Thanks for following along…there’s so much more fun planned for the rest of the month!
We did this by happenstance today–the kids’ hands were so paint-covered that I brought a chair over to the sink so they could stand while I did serious hand-washing. They were so happy standing on that chair with the water running that I let them hang out for a while. One had a spoon, the other a spatula. They probably could have stayed for an hour, but after about 20 minutes I decided our water bill (and the environment) had had it!
For some reason, I never thought of playing in the sink…how silly! What a great idea, I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks girls!