Playing is learning

                                (Image Source: dreamstime.com)

Kids love to be busy, kids love to do messy things. kids love playing, kids love learning, kids love experimenting things, kids love imitating, kids love getting dirty.

Remember, exposure and the freedom to experiment are two most important things that a child can be provided. Those who can afford to provide good exposure and are tolerable enough to bear the consequences of freedom given to a child to experiment can be deemed as a valuable asset in the journey of learning of a child.

Why not think of something that combines all that kids love and offer as a play? In our daily life, every activity has a purpose. There will be some reason for doing what we are doing.

In the same way, try creating fun activities for kids that they not only enjoy playing but learn something new in every play.

Remember, it is only that the toddler cannot reciprocate all that she is learning by speaking out but the world's smartest storage device is in that little head of theirs and whatever you speak or teach makes it's way to their brain and stays there. Always keep talking about what the child is doing, what the purpose of any general item lying in the room is and this list of what you can talk to your child goes on. I will write another post on key things to be learnt during our interaction with child sometime soon.

Following is one such list where the child not only enjoys playing but gradually learns how things work in this world. I will keep updating this post with more activities as time goes on.

There will be few activities that the child clings on for reasonably longer time and few that the child gets bored of very easily. Make sure you always keep your child engaged in a joyful manner. Watch out for boredom signals and quickly turn the environment cheerful with quirky talks or funny faces. 

1. Miraculous Magnets
2. Aim it - Throw it
3. Ringa Ringa
4. Coins in Kiddy Bank
5. Bowls and Stands
6. Drop it down the bin
7. Tearing activity
8. The idea of floating
9. Matching the shoe pair
10. Cloth Hanger
11. Making water bubbles
12. Scoop out
13. Writing on a balloon
14. Pass it down the pipe
15. Mess around with paper
16. Matching the shoe pair
17. Hook it up
18. Playing with play dough
19. Touch and Texture Activities
20. Stacking cups
21. Free hand sewing
22. Moving beads
23. Stacking blocks
24. Scoop out - 2 
25. Wall painting
26. Play with wool
27. Play with foam
28. Play with water
29. Play with cotton balls
30. Play with dal seeds
31. Toy-free games to play with 1 yr old
32. Experimenting with dropper
33. Segregating activity
34. Making rainfall
35. Gardening with toddler
36. Stamping with paint
37. Screw - Unscrew
38. In and Out
39. Pushing
40. Move it - Count it
41. Fun observing ants
42. Fun with Shadow
43. Playing with seeds
44. Carrom game with toddler
45. Concept of rolling
46. Dropping seeds in pores
47. Toddler and Physics
48. Toddler and Maths
49. Playing with seeds
50. Train with empty tins
51. Spot On
52. Stacking Spoons
53. Ice Painting
54. Art of Cutting
55. Crawl - Jump - Bend
56. Stick them all
57. Roll the die and clap
58. Depicting rhymes and stories on paper
59. Stamping activity
60. Tracing with paint brush
61. Fun with flour
62. Clipping on Clothes pegs
63. Pricking
64. Colour the shapes
65. Finger painting
66. Numbers - Tracing and Colouring
67. Vegetable Art
68. Filling up water bottle
69. Introducing fractions - Explaining Half
70. Finger Figures
71. Empty foil roll
72. Playing with magnets
73. Dropping Toothpicks
74. Alphabet Stamping
75. Plastic Cover - Mirror Image
76. Explaining Transparence
77. Coloring on Seeds
78. Making Shapes with Rubber Bands
79. Sticking Activity
80. Counting and Reverse Counting
81. Play washing machine
82. Play Elevator
83. Making Shapes - Circle
84. Counting while sticking
85. Making Alphabets and Numbers
86. Revealing figures/stories in parts
87. Race track for cars, balls
88. Pick up the card
89. What's in the bag?
90. Infant Stimulation - Texture cards
91. Paper Stencils - Painting
92. Ice Cubes - Painting
93. Drop it down the cone
94. Paints and Ear Buds
95. X Mas Tree Hand Prints
96. Pouring Water
97. Sponge Painting
98. Sponge and Water
99. Water Balloon
100. Icecream parlour
101. Paint with Talcum Powder
102. Texture Play
103. Sandwich, anyone?
104. Counting and Fractions
105. Understanding Soaking
106. Simple play with stone
107. Containers and Play
108. Play with Ice
109. Paper Mache
110. Hurdle Run
111. Water Paint on Wall
112. Pass it down - 2
113. Hidden Treasures in Ice
114. Peek-a-Boo
115. Basic Arithmetic
116. Pouring
117. Pouring - 2