Creative learning for toddlers

All children are creative people but some children live and breathe creativity. Creativity is an essential skill that can be strengthened and developed. For children, the family is the initial place creativity is nurtured

This is to share my experience on creative playing and its effects on kids.

How can you make the most of your child's playtime?

Try these suggestions:

Get down on the floor with your baby. You are the ultimate plaything, and any activity will seem more fun if your baby can share it with you. Talk to your baby while you play and you'll help boost his language skills.
Just being there says to your child, "What you do is important to me”

Think of playtime as more than toy time. Playing is really an enjoyable activity that involves people, objects, or movement. Everything from blowing bubbles at each other to singing songs to splashing in the tub to chasing each other around the room qualifies. If you've ever seen a 12-month old enthralled with a cardboard box, you understand how wide the parameters are.

So, be creative yourself with what are the varied possibilities you can play with and how. Kids learn from what they see and you play the most important role there.

Introduce play activities when your baby is happy and rested, suggests Marilyn Segal, a developmental psychologist and author of the Your Child at Play series.

Stop when your child's had enough. Children have different thresholds for stimulation. When yours seems bored, fussy, or tired, it's time for a break.

Praise your kid often. It will encourage them and soon you will see the outcome.

Give your child a chance to play alone and with others. Both types of play are beneficial.

Let your child choose activities and control the direction of his play. You can suggest new things or present new options, but your child should be the boss. After all, play is about fun, and if there's one thing your child is an expert at already, it's having a good time.

Invite your child to be creative. Set up an area in your home where it's okay for him to be messy. You can prompt his artistry by asking your toddler to draw certain things: the sky, or grass, or even what the sound of rain looks like. Bring out tempera paints and some broad brushes and watch how these additions charge up the creative process.

Introduce musical instruments. This is the age when music inspires dancing, clapping, spinning, hopping, even shouting — so why not add to the cacophony by handing over a xylophone, or drum, or rhythm sticks or casio? Experiment with different genres of music and invite your child to conduct or beat out an accompaniment. With this technique my 2 year old can now enchant a sargam even in the reverse order.

Limit the amount of TV your toddler watches. If you choose to allow some television, break it up into 15-minute increments. Explain what's going on in the show, and encourage your child to ask questions and relate what's happening in the show to his own life. Extend the show's content with activities or books. Slower-paced viewing gives your toddler time to think about what he's watching and absorb the information. Lots of action and quickly changing images will only confuse him or make his eyes glaze over.

Early Multi-language Introduction: Introduce multiple languages early to the child. Ask your maid, grandparents to talk with kids in mother-tongue. Introduce Sanskrit shlokes, Sanskrit helps in improving pronunciation. Its most easy for toddlers to learn most of the languages at this age. My kid can count 1 to 10 in Hindi, English, Marathi, Sanskrit and French and a small rhyme in each of the language too.

What kind of toys are to be introduced to your toddler?

Try these suggestions:

Balls: Balls continue to be a favorite, but even more so now that your toddler can target his throws. A few kids this age even make the occasional catch. Set up a couple of wastebaskets as "hoops" and the two of you can have a rousing game of basketball. Or establish two goal lines and introduce your child to a drastically simplified version of soccer.

Child-size household equipment: Toys for dramatic play need to be realistic. So buy a set of toy dishes, pots and pans, and plastic food. Set up a small table and chairs where your child can host tea and dinner parties. Acquire a small broom, or even a little vacuum cleaner, to make cleanup fun. Kids enjoy winding up for themselves.

Construction toys: Your child may become interested in new construction possibilities. Consider giant Lego blocks or play sets with pieces that can be linked or snapped together. Your child can create buses, trains, or entire farms, complete with furnished houses.

Puzzles and manipulative: Your child's new dexterity has opened up many new play possibilities. He can more easily organize cups so that one nestles inside another, assemble four- or five-piece puzzles, use a set of plastic keys to open doors in a plastic house, and dress and undress a doll outfitted with laces, snaps, and buckles.

Illustrated books and cassette tapes: Reading large-sized picture books with your kid not only increases his knowledge but also provides you both a cozy loving moment. While recorded stories are no substitute for reading to your child, many toddlers do enjoy the novelty of hearing a voice come out of a machine and can appreciate that the voice is new and different. The regular patter of nursery rhymes is particularly pleasing to a toddler's ear.

Washable crayons and paper: Your child is becoming more interested in making her own mark — on floors, walls, furniture. Clear a space for her to work, give her a big sheet of paper (tape it to the table) and a couple of crayons (you don't want to overwhelm her), and she'll get the idea that art has its place. Hang up whatever she makes for you. Don’t forget to use some of the crayons for yourself.

All this helped me and my kid, hope this works for you too. It will also provide a great opportunity for the family to bond, and everyone will have a fun time.