What to do with a child at 1 - 2 years old: games for the house and the street from a child psychologist

Closer to the age of two, the baby already knows a lot. First of all, he becomes more active, mobile and mobile, but he still lacks perseverance. That is why many parents are concerned about the question of what to do with a 2-year-old child at home and on the street. However, this is not so easy, since mom, in parallel with inventing new children's fun, needs to do her daily activities. How to combine household chores and child development?

All the games and options for spending time with two-year-old toddlers have long been known to many parents. It remains only to refresh them in memory and put them into practice.

Features of children at two years old

The second year of life can be characterized by 3 main innovations: the child begins to actively move, talk and interact with the world around him.

The main means of communication is speech, which is actively developing due to the unique ability of children of one and a half years and older to imitate. The play activity of kids is also improving, now they reproduce in the game literally everything that they see around.

To understand what to do with a child in a year or two, you need to understand in more detail the features of this age period. Among the features of babies over 12 months old are:

the formation of plot-reflective game skills (as already noted, the baby displays the impressions received in everyday life);
the appearance of elements of a visual-effective thought process;
lively response to musical and literary works;
assimilation of elementary principles of behavior;
fulfilling the instructions of parents, contacting them on their own initiative;
acquiring some self-service skills;
ability to hold markers in hands;
the emergence of interest in peers, the desire to interact with them.

The behavior of a baby at 1.5 - 2 years old, in contrast to a child at 4 months, is characterized by greater perseverance and attentiveness. At two years old, the baby is able to engage in any activity with enthusiasm for a quarter of an hour, especially when the mother is also involved in the activity.

If you do not know which educational games for children under one year old ensure the full development of a child, be sure to read the article of a child psychologist. It covers useful game activities by month.

Useful Tips

The question of what to do with a child at 2 - 2.5 years old is completely non-idle. During the maternity leave, the mother is constantly with the baby, which requires attention and entertainment.

Often, a child who is bored and wandering around the apartment is able to infuriate even the most patient mother by constant whining and "mother". The problem also lies in the fact that it is not very easy to entertain such a kid. Psychologists suggest keeping a few rules in mind:

This child at 4 months needs to be kept close to you at all times, but children over a year should be given more freedom. Allow him to master his body and explore his surroundings: first at home, and then outside.
If, for example, a child of 1 year and 3 months does not need to constantly be near his mother, there is no need to impose. On the contrary, enjoy your free time, naturally, checking what the child is doing.
If a baby at 1 year and 2 months old seeks to communicate with his mother, you should not give him toys and offer him to have fun on his own. Some children are able to independently occupy themselves even at 2 years old, while others, even by 4 years old, constantly require increased attention from their parents.
Age 1 - 2 years is considered fertile for the development of large and fine motor skills, speech skills. Therefore, you can keep the children busy by playing various small toys, a ball, reading literary works and ordinary communication.

However, one should not always entertain the crumbs with specially invented activities, tormented by the question of what to do with a 2-year-old child. You can simply involve him in everyday household chores - for example, dusting off.

Active games for children 1 - 2 years old

What to do with a 1.5 year old child who is "filled" with energy to the utmost? The most obvious answer is to be physically active. Such entertainment can take place both under the careful guidance of the mother, and alone (provided a safe environment).

What toys will you need to keep your child 1 year old or slightly older? The answer is simple: gaming accessories for active activities:

Balls various sizes and inflatable play accessories. If you choose such toys made of fabric materials or soft rubber, then you can protect the house from damage in advance, and the child from injury.
Inflatable pool. It is not necessary to pour water into such a device; you can do with foam balls. This will help to captivate a small child for a few minutes, but then you will have to clean the room.
Wheeled cars. What to do with a one-year-old child at home if he is still uncertain about moving around? A wheelchair car is an excellent choice for such crumbs, as it can keep them busy for a long time, because you can not just walk, but also roll toys.
Swedish wall. A similar family simulator is increasingly coming with elements for toddlers over a year old. Naturally, an 11-month-old child cannot yet be alone with such a device, but older children will be able to slide down small slides on their own with a blanket.
Tents. Such structures can be purchased or made independently from pillows, bedspreads. Children at one year old love to hide, climb into shelters, so mom can calmly go about her business while the baby is playing in the house.

Such activity has a positive effect on the well-being of the child, increases the duration of the night's sleep, allowing you to splash out excess energy.

Classes for children at the age of 1.5 years should, above all, be safe. At this age, babies do not yet understand how dangerous the environment is, so parents should be nearby and watch their child.

What to do with a child at 1 or 2 years old?

Active games are just one of the options for joint pastime with your baby. A mother with a child at 1 year old can not only have fun, but also come up with many developmental activities aimed at improving attention, thinking, motor skills and speech.

If you are a supporter of learning from the cradle, be sure to read the article, which considers the most popular and successful, according to many experts, methods of early childhood development.

What games will a small child like?

bubble. Not a single kid will remain indifferent, watching how the soapy foam turns into rainbow bubbles, which can also be burst;
Painting. You can interest a one-year-old toddler with special finger paints. A two-year-old child will be able to paint with watercolors, gouache paints and markers. The main thing is that all items are non-toxic;
modeling. Plasticine mass or salted dough is an ideal material for the development of fine motor skills. Initially, mom needs to demonstrate how balls and sausages are rolled, but more complex shapes are left for later;
role-playing games. An interested child can happily feed the dolls for a long time, swaddle them, put them in a crib or stroller. That is, the baby performs actions familiar to him;
reading. Since kids at one or two years old cannot yet understand the intricacies of fairy tales, it is best to read them short rhymes and nursery rhymes. Chukovsky, Barto - ideal;
educational toys. You definitely cannot do without them, therefore it is important to stock up on cubes, pyramids, inserts, constructors with large durable elements;
Balloons. Another favorite activity of little kids is to have fun with balloons. They can be inflated and deflated, painted with a felt-tip pen, depicting funny faces.

Moreover, children love to play with water. A basin of water and rubber toys, a bathtub with dolls is a great option for entertainment. A child can splash, pour water from various containers, wash favorite dolls, “wash” doll clothes.

Games for five minutes

Distracting a child for a few minutes to go about their business is not an easy task. It is necessary to provide him with such an occupation that he did not even think to go on a dangerous "journey" to study the world around him. How can you keep your child busy for a while?

paper. Soft toilet paper is good for rustling, ripping and crushing. But you should stay away from glossy magazines, since you can cut yourself on sharp edges;
business board. A board with firmly fixed buttons, locks, bells, zippers, a circle from a rotary telephone, abacus, Velcro - these are just a small part of useful items that will keep a curious child occupied for a long time;
dishes. The child can and should be taken to the kitchen, of course, making sure that he cannot harm himself. Various pots, scoop spoons, lids will surely interest the kid;
games with cereals. A small container is filled with semolina, in which small toys are hidden. "Treasure hunt" will please the little one, besides, this activity will additionally develop children's fingers;
domestic work. What to do with the children at home, if the fantasy has already dried up? Give the baby a cloth soaked in water and demonstrate how to wipe dusty furniture. Also, at 2 years old, the child is already able to wash plastic dishes in a basin;
cartoons. Of course, watching cartoons is not as beneficial as educational games, but in some situations you cannot do without them. If you need to focus for a quarter of an hour, just turn on your favorite cartoon to your baby.

The above classes should be "diluted" with minutes of idleness. You don't need to try to fill all the kid's free time with a game or cartoon. Let him sit around for a while and invent entertainment for himself. Otherwise, there is a risk to reduce his natural curiosity.

A great idea is to purchase a playhouse for little kids. Find out the main advantages of the different models and read how to choose these useful attachments.

To keep the baby busy for a short while and at the same time provide him with room for development, make a do-it-yourself business board from scrap materials.

What to do with a child a year or two on the street?

This kind of entertainment is feasible at home, but outdoor games are just as useful. It is no secret that daily walks in the yard strengthens children's health and activates the development of the child.

Perhaps the first object for studying the surrounding world is the sandbox familiar to everyone. To play in it, you need to stock up on molds, a bucket and a scoop. By the way, such manipulations will prepare the child's hand for owning cutlery.

In winter, you can sculpt snowmen, paint with paints or sticks in the snow. In spring and autumn, the same stick is useful for measuring the depth of puddles. And in spring streams, paper or wooden boats float perfectly.

Any walk for a child is an adventure and discovery of something new. He is interested in everything: a flying bird, a cat flying by, a passing car. This is why it is necessary to relocate to enhance the experience.

As soon as the child turns three years old, you can introduce him to social life. For example, three-year-olds are taken to youth theaters, zoos, and amusement parks. This will further expand the children's horizons.

Brief conclusions

The question of what to do with a child at 1 or 2 years old is solved with the help of mother's imagination and the desire to instill in the baby greater independence.

It should be understood that you should not take every free minute of children's time. Sometimes seeming inactivity is even useful, and a bored child is more likely to find a useful activity for himself.

In general, with a two-year-old baby, you can engage in several activities.

Fun with parents:

blowing up soap bubbles;
inflating balloons;
Painting;
work with plasticine;
reading;
role-playing games;
entertainment with toys.

"Independent" lessons for children:

playing with paper;
business board;
fun with cereals;
household chores (cleaning, washing plastic dishes);
watching cartoons.

Street entertainment:

sandbox games;
modeling a snowman;
observation of the surrounding world;
launching boats;
measuring the depth of puddles;
visiting the zoo, etc.

Thus, the entertainment of a two year old child always goes hand in hand with his development. Active and didactic games will help to throw out energy, develop perseverance and mental processes. Parents will only have to put the happy and calm child to bed.