How your 2 to 2 ½-year-old might play now

    • He knows the difference between safe and dangerous
    • She's becoming more social with other kids
    • Good eye-hand coordination means he can build with blocks and tuck a stuffed animal into bed
Cars, trucks, trains and other vehicles
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    Little People® Zoo Talkers™ Animal Sounds Zoo Train

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    Little People® Wheelies™ Zig the Big Rig™

    Curiosity & Discovery Fine Motor Gross Motor Thinking & Problem Solving
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    Little People® Wheelies™ Stand ’n Play™ Rampway

Help your child learn more:

    • Read picture books about different types of vehicles and what they're used for. Talking with him is especially important at this stage, when he's building receptive language.
    • Encourage listening to directions (keep them simple at this age) and get her thinking about problem solving. Create little stories and assign small jobs to complete. "Can you drive the truck over to the door and unload the boulders there?"
    • Let him haul things around in his vehicles, or use them to transport people from place to place to foster understanding of each vehicle's purpose. Tell him how helpful he is, and you'll really bolster his confidence.
Themed playsets
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    Little People® Wheelies™ Stand ’n Play™ Rampway

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    Little People® Wheelies™ Revs 'n Sounds™ Race Track

    Curiosity & Discovery Fine Motor Sensory Thinking & Problem Solving
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    Little People® Touch & Feel Farm

Help your baby learn more:

    • Read picture books to your child about the playset’s theme—like farm life, animals and crops. Talk about what a farmer does and how farms provide us with food.
    • On the grow. If you have a garden, call on your "little farmer" to help with planting, weeding, or harvesting. Even if she's just sitting next to you digging, she'll feel important and this experience will help her understand what farmers do.
    • Sound practice. Reinforce your child's recognition skills by helping him practice sounds he hears—if you start, it's likely that your child will soon join in. Then challenge his memory and thinking skills by showing him an animal or a car and asking him to make that sound.
    • Field trip. It helps your child make connections when you can relate a learning concept to things within her own range of experience. Make an effort to show your child the real thing: visit a zoo or a farm. When you're in the car together, point out different vehicles.
    • Chore time. Prompt problem-solving and thinking skills by giving your child little chores to do. “Let's put the animals in their stalls for the night. Are they all in the right places?”

Dance 'til You Drop

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Most toddlers love to express themselves through music and dance. Provide your toddler with an opportunity for creative body expression, with a fun twist.

Materiais

  • Variety of music, such as rumba, waltz, polka, rock and roll, square dance, and so on
  • Cassette player
  • Large area for dancing

Instructions

  • Tape-record a few minutes of each type of music, allowing enough time to enjoy the tune and do a little dance. Tape one song right after another, so the music plays continuously.
  • Turn on the music and stand in the middle of the room.
  • When the first song comes on, dance to the music, and encourage your toddler to dance with you.
  • When the music changes, change your dance to match, and encourage your toddler to change with you.
  • Dance until you drop.

Safety

Be sure the room is cleared so you don’t crash into anything while you’re dancing! Take breaks if you get tired.

Learning skills

  • Balance and rhythm
  • Body awareness
  • Creativity
  • Listening skills
Your child can learn

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