As your toddler develops better coordination and balance, ride-ons offer great practice. Climbing on and off, pushing forward and back-such actions strengthen leg muscles right along with motor skills. And of course, getting from one place to another is an excellent way to foster independence.
What you can do to help your baby learn more with:
At first, you may need to put your child on this ride-on; eventually, she’ll be able to get on and off by herself, but it will be reassuring to have you right nearby for her first experiences.
For her first trips, clear a path behind this ride-on: children push backwards before they move forward because it takes more strength and coordination to move forward; that will come in time.
To encourage her to move forward and enhance her self-confidence, prepare a "route" for your child to follow. Clear a path, then stand a few feet in front of her and say encouragingly, "Come this way, come over here." And then move a few feet further, encourage her to reach another guidepost, and so on.
Help her understanding of directions by using simple words to describe actions: stop, go, get on, get off, go forward.
Allow your child to take this ride-on when you go on walks around your neighborhood-it provides an excellent opportunity for exercising large motor skills, coordination and her sense of balance.
In the months to come, your child will want to incorporate this "set of wheels" into her role play adventures, riding it to the store, school, or wherever her imagination takes her. Encourage her play by waving bye-bye, wishing her a safe trip, helping her to steady a doll or stuffed animal on the seat, or perhaps even sending her on an "errand."
New experiences—like a trip to the farm—feed a child's need to explore while inspiring imaginative play. As they interact with fun-filled activities in this playset, children create a special place where they’re in control. And that helps young minds prepare for creative thinking and new discoveries!
What you can do to help your baby learn more with:
Activate the animal sounds in your playset, or make your own for each animal. Reinforce your child’s animal recognition skills by helping him practice the animal sounds he hears. Eventually, challenge your your child’s memory and thinking skills by showing him each animal and asking him to make that animal’s sound.
"If you could walk like the animals, talk like the animals … " Your child will love imitating you as you walk like an elephant or flap your arms like a bird. Invite your child to do more than imitate by asking for his ideas: "What do you think a bear looks like when it walks?"
Show your child where each animal lives in your playset. Play a simple matching game with them: "Who lives here? Let’s put the polar bear in his home." As your child gets a little older, exercise his memory skills by pointing to the different parts of the playset and asking your child, "Which animal lives here?"
Extend your child’s perception of each animal by pointing out parts for your child to focus on: "See the elephant’s trunk?" "See the lion’s mane?" Reinforce recognition of these parts you’ve introduced by pointing them out in pictures of real animals.
These interactive vehicles stimulate imagination as they help your child discover all the different ways to make things happen. And as your child grows, they’ll steer him through the play stages—from imitative, to role-play, to using his own imagination for creating brand new adventures.
What you can do to help your baby learn more with:
Use the characters that come with these vehicles (or characters of your own) and have them talk to you or engage your child in a “conversation,” or have them talk to each other. You’ll be surprised how quickly your little one will chime in, and you’ll be helping him learn about the give-and-take of conversation.
Read picture books to your child about cars, trucks, trains and other types of vehicles, and point out the real vehicles when you see them. Building his receptive language skills is very important now, so be descriptive as you talk about them and compare them to his toys.
If he wants you to play with him, join in. Beyond great together time, you’ll be showing him that playing with others can be lots of fun.
If your child owns another playset, you might suggest “work” that needs to be done there with his vehicles. After all, kids love to be able to move from here to there. Maybe you could use a cement mixer to pour a driveway, or a garbage truck to haul away garbage.
Take these toys out to the sandbox and help your child create his own little roadway or set of tracks. Can you think of any other “props” you have that would extend your child’s interest and help him play in a more creative way?
Vehicles that are just their size put kids in the driver’s seat, letting them control the action. When children first play with toys that prompt them to reenact familiar scenes, they’ll imitate things from their world; this helps them make sense of things. As children get a little older, such toys are props for acting out scenes they haven’t experienced-scenes created by their own imaginations.
What you can do to help your baby learn more with:
Use the characters that come with these vehicles (or characters of your own) and have them talk to you or engage your child in a “conversation,” or have them talk to each other. You’ll be surprised how quickly your little one will chime in, and you’ll be helping him learn about the give-and-take of conversation.
Read picture books to your child about cars, trucks, trains and other types of vehicles, and point out the real vehicles when you see them. Building his receptive language skills is very important now, so be descriptive as you talk about them and compare them to his toys.
If he wants you to play with him, join in. Beyond great together time, you’ll be showing him that playing with others can be lots of fun.
If your child owns another playset, you might suggest “work” that needs to be done there with his vehicles. After all, kids love to be able to move from here to there. Maybe you could use a cement mixer to pour a driveway, or a garbage truck to haul away garbage.
Take these toys out to the sandbox and help your child create his own little roadway or set of tracks. Can you think of any other “props” you have that would extend your child’s interest and help him play in a more creative way?
All children develop at their own pace, and reach milestones at different times. The highlights mentioned in this web site are meant as approximate guidelines only. If you have any questions about your child's development, consult your healthcare provider.
