So, I have a 15 month old active little boy! He has an attention span of like 1 sec before he is off to do something else. I'm trying to think of some games to play with him so we can spend time together and he is learning. We don't get out much besides on weekends due to car issues. Any of you expert moms have any games for me and my little one to play together?
My boys loved the tall stacking/nesting cups:
http://www.amazon.com/i-play-G02082-Stack-Buckets/dp/B000...
They may seem rather simple, but they provided a lot of entertainment. Initially, we did a lot of the stacking up high and they would knock them down. But over time, they learned how to nest them (bigger vs smaller) and how to stack them (motor skills).
Just saw these two in Family Fun magazine -- get it in the library, it has a section for games with very young children:
Put down "contact paper," the kind with a sticky side, but put it sticky side facing up. Encourage the baby to place objects on it and pull them up -- babies love the sound the sticky side makes as the object pulls up and like to put things on it and pull them off over and over. Have a lot of items that the baby can handle easily ready to go. Let him put his hands on it and pull them up, or even walk on it with you holding his hand, of course. He'll probably laugh himself silly.
Take a paper cup and use the tip of a pen or a pin to punch small holes in the shape of an insect (or whatever you like). Put the cup over a flashlight and in a dim room shine the light. Move it so it "flies" around and let the baby toddle after the "lightning bug"!
Also, I always used to gather up cardboard boxes (be sure there are no staples in them; some have those) and make an obstacle course for my little girl to run around; or hide things under or in the boxes and let your child find them (even his own toys will do!).
And at his age, he still will like it if you suddenly fling a blanket over your head and say, "Oh, no, where am I? Where's (son's name)? Who turned out the lights?" He will come over and uncover you and think it's all hilarious. Do it over and over. Another good one: get out pots and pans and a wooden spoon and let him bang on them and/or pretend to "stir" while you cook -- you can do big, exaggerated stirring motions with your own real food in the mixing bowl. Make up a stirring song. Anything will do!!
Just improvise with textures (sticky backed paper as above) and sounds and everyday objects like boxes and pans and spoons and blankets. Have fun. Just keep talking and talking to him the whole time with enthusiasm and he will learn a lot just hearing your voice and exploring his world. Do not worry about ABCs and colors and so on at this stage -- it will burn him out on those things. Just explore with him.
Patty cake
Peek a Boo
Pillow / blanket forts - a large cardboard box is also great for this.
Get a soft nerf ball and practice rolling it back and forth (this takes awhile for them to learn - I spent a lot of time rolling the ball to our son who would hold it and not roll it back - but he got the hang of it eventually).
Read to him!
Short little cardboard books are good.
At that age we had a book called Baby Faces which showed different emotions (happy, sad, angry, etc) which he LOVED looking at with me.
I also made a habit of playing my favorite CD of waltz music and waltzing him round the room with me.
Peek A Boo
At least go to the library for story time and pick up books there. Do you have access to a bus route?
My favorite lap games:
While bouncing your little one on your lap sing:
"Ride to Boston
Ride to Lynn
You Better Watch out
You might Fall In" Then quickly open you legs and let him fall through, of course, be holding his hands and just his bottom falls in.
My kids absolute favorite lap game:
"This is a way a lady rides. (bounce your legs in a trotting style, say trot, trot, trot)
This is a way a gentlemen rides. (bounce your legs in a galloping style and say gallop, gallop, gallop)
This is a way a farmer rides. (bounce your legs all goofy, and say cloppity-cloppity-clop)
Get lots of trains and cars and run them all over the floors.
Have a play vacuum cleaner and dust pan so he can help while you are cleaning.
Play lots of music and dance.
And make bath time in the tub a big game with fun cups for pouring, boats for floating, etc.
Get some flash cards (dollar store) and play games with him. Teach him to pick out the colors,shapes etc. You may be saying a one year old can't do this? Yes. they can....start early reading and games and you will have a very fluent reader on your hands in a few years. Do you have blocks? If so, play a game with him. Color, water-color is fun too. Include him in everything you are doing.
Build with blocks
Play with a Ball
Dance
Get a water or sand table, or fill a big tub with dry rice or beans, then pour, fill cups, etc
This is an awesome first game and it's educational, so I highly recommend it: http://www.amazon.com/Thinkfun-Roll-Play-Board-Game/dp/B0...
Visit my Discovery Toys for more great ideas! http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao (check out Measure Up Cups!)
Little boys need to run around and play to learn...at least mine did!
Go outside. Play tag, look at trees, let him pick up leaves and learn his colors. Encourage him to find different colored leaves to take home. Tape them to a window or mirror (he can reach) so you can teach him those colors until he can name them himself.
Count everything.
Play a game where you name all the body parts (eyes, ears, nose, hands, feet, etc.) Touch each part while repeating what it is. I used to give kisses. You can use a feather, too. "Where is your hand? I'm going to kiss (tickle) your hand!"
SING. There are so many fun songs for kids that you can teach him. Play children's cd's during the day.
At this age you don't want to keep him in front of the television. Children that watch too much t.v. DO have short attention spans since they're used to having something exciting in front of them non-stop.
Read to him. Let him have his own board books until he gets older and can handle paper pages with respect, around 3-4 years old. Use different voices for characters when you read.
Make play dough that will be safe if he eats it. I have a recipe that requires cooking it, then adding food coloring. Both of my kids loved it! I'm sure yours will, too.
Play with building blocks (count them as they stack higher!). Rubber duckies in the tub were always a treat. He should be able to repeat after you as you count while adding them to the tub.
Don't let a car situation keep you indoors, please! Even if you have to walk to a nearby park/school yard. He needs to play and socialize with other children. It's so important. You can help him jump over the cracks in the sidewalk, counting up to 5 and starting again until he can say the numbers.
Just have fun with him. Look at the world through his eyes. It's an amazing and exciting place! Encourage, don't punish his natural curiosity. Help him explore his world safely and you'll watch him grow into an amazing young man one day!
God bless you!
N.
My son will be 1 next week. He loves to take things out of and put inside boxes and such. He is also into throwing things. So I try to make that usful. We will throw a ball to each other. I put different textured things in a shoe box or other container and he takes them out. I have little toys that make noise and he likes it when he pulls those out and can shake them or push the button for music or rattling/scrunching sounds. He also loves the noise that window envelopes make so that is also put in the box. Only lasts about 5 minutes but it is something we can do together or my 4 yr old can play with him. Without being too rough.
We had a bunch of these kind of books and played pointing games at that age, i.e. 'Where's the duck?' and she would point to the pic.
Each day, and all day that he is with you... he IS learning.
Learning is not necessarily, a formatted thing via games.
It is everyday, that you are interacting with him, that learning is occurring.
And YES, at this age, they do not have the attention span of an 8 year old.
They don't sit for long in once place.
They learn, by exploring and via tactile interactions with everything they come in contact with, and via their senses, seeing and smelling too.
Also keep in mind, that at this age and even up until 3 years old, children do what is called "parallel play." Look it up online. They do not play interactively, like a 5 year old. They parallel play.
At that age, I would take my kids outside in our yard... put down a big blanket and let them explore and touch things. I would always talk to them about anything. They learn vicariously too. We'd lay on the blanket, look at the sky as I point, I would ask them what they think (so they get an idea of having thoughts and opinions too) and just converse with them while they play. Or sing.
I would also read books to them while pointing to the pictures.
Rolling balls back and forth.
Hopping around.
Showing them leaves and letting them grab grass in the lawn and laughing. I would show them the flowers and herbs and smell it.
Kids, learn by play.
With my son, I took a muffin pan and cut up toilet paper rolls into 3 sections. Then I placed one little toilet paper roll ring into each muffin spot. He Takes them out and puts them back in again!
