A wee little Dexter invented his first instrument with a light bulb and an alarm. It probably didn’t have much use, but that led him to create other remarkable inventions in his secret lab! Dexter was primarily curious but can be recognised as an explorer. Like Dexter, most kids have a spark; they are curious and love exploring their surroundings. This means that their brains naturally keep developing. But did you know that their brain power can be boosted too? You can bring about cognitive development, which we have elaborated on below, in your little one through fun games and activities! All you have to do is to supervise the child a little and only watch out from a distance while they take over and continue learning new skills. Be sure to read till the end for we also present some valuable inputs from our expert, Uma Kadali, who has a rich experience teaching preschoolers in some renowned preschools in Pune. Also, don’t miss the video for a quick brush-up on how you can boost your little one’s brain power with fun games. Now, let’s learn about the cognitive skills children develop during this phase.
Cognitive Skills Children Develop During Toddlerhood
Children, during this phase, are learning to better process and organise information about the world around them, at their pace of course. They are more curious and their brains try to understand everything they observe. This lays the foundation for progressive learning skills like the ones given below.
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- Fine and gross motor skills
- Language skills
- Social or emotional skills
- Learning skills
- Memory
These skills can be enhanced through fun gameplays, i.e., you can boost your toddler’s brain power with the help of engaging games and activities. Read on to know some of them you can apply right away.
Fun Games To Boost Your Toddlers’ Brain Power
1. Intellikit
Most parents cannot dedicate a lot of personal time to their children. So, there are always concerns about what their children might pick up during their learning phase. Products like the Intellikit would come in handy here as you’ll get many brain-boosting games – in a box!
Uma highlights that the Intellikit for 2- to 3-year-old kids is BIS compliant and very safe for your toddler. The kit provides experiential learning or hands-on learning through exploratory and reinforcement activities, which are mapped to skills essential to toddlers.
These age-appropriate activities are sure to keep your child engaged and encourage them to develop and enhance their language skills, math & numeracy, and creativity. Subscribe to Intellikit now and watch your baby ace different skills!
@design: Add image Copy: Intellikit: A Great Companion For Your Little One!
2. Tracing and Colouring Games
‘Tracing pattern letters forms the base for writing, so do the strokes they make while filling in the colours inside outlines’, says Uma. This is a great way to introduce your child to writing letters, which they will soon learn. If your toddler has trouble holding a crayon, they may try finger tracing or finger painting.
3. Word Games
Research suggests that reading and playing word games can improve cognitive function in the brain. In other words, with each book you read to your toddler and each new wordplay, there is some improvement in your child’s brain. These activities challenge your little one’s brain and improve their attention and memory, too. They encourage them to remember new words and use those words when speaking to you.
So how should you go about it? Here’s what our expert has to say – ‘Read slowly, repeat what you’ve read, and ask the child to repeat the words. It is essential to avoid teaching too many words to toddlers; 1-2 new words per day (depending upon the capacity of the child) is enough. Also, remember that for your child to retain what they’ve learnt, there has to be repetition. So, repeat everything over and over again till the child remembers it. After a point, the child will recall words and even complete the sentences from the book if you stop halfway’.
A word game we highly recommend for toddlers to build their language skills is the Intelliskills Magnetic Learn the Alphabet game. It’s a great tool for kids to write lower and upper case letters and even learn how to spell simple words.
4. Logical Games
Uma recommends logical games that are based on pre-math concepts for toddlers. She adds, ‘Indulging in activities that help your child recognise and differentiate between sizes (big and small) and measurements (long and short), along with shapes, can help create a foundation for their cognitive development’.
You’ll find ample activities in the form of puzzles and sorting & matching games to improve critical thinking and problem-solving in your child. They also develop spatial awareness and visual perception in toddlers. With age-appropriate logical games, you will be training your little one’s brain to receive and understand information and act accordingly.
5. Pretend Play
Boosting a toddler’s brain power must also entail improving their imagination and creativity. This is where pretend play can be useful. By letting your child be engrossed in whatever they are pretending to be, you’ll be allowing their brain to think creatively and think for themselves independently.
The expert adds, ‘Pretend play also helps develop social and literacy skills as it encourages communication skills, especially when kids speak to inanimate objects. If your child does this, you must understand that this is normal at their age because they cannot differentiate between living and non-living things. Your child is also likely to learn empathy through pretend play, for example, when they care or nurture their toys’.
6. Exploratory Play
Exploratory play involves using all the senses. It can help stimulate your little one’s senses and bring about improvement in their attention span and concentration. Uma highly recommends encouraging toddlers to indulge in exploratory play such as moulding clay, painting with their hands and fingers, playing with slime, making sandcastles, walking barefoot on grass, smelling herbs or whole spices in the kitchen, and holding veggies or fruits with different textures. All of these activities will boost their brain power! She further adds a word of caution for you, the parent, ‘Ensure your child does not inhale or swallow items and keep them away from sharp objects to avoid accidents and injuries.’
You may want to take a look at the Busy Bins and Morning Baskets, which are some great ways to encourage exploratory play in toddlers. Do try them as well!
7. Sleep
And lastly, be sure to have the right balance of learning, playing, and resting for your little one. Your child is likely to be very active when they are awake, and they would burn out their energy. A good sleep routine will help them recharge their batteries. Uma puts this across beautifully. She says, ‘The more rested the child is, the better the child’s aura will be throughout the day.’ A good night’s sleep and regular naps are much needed for toddlers to function at their best!
While these ideas can help you enhance your toddler’s skills, remember that each child has their own pace of learning. So, take it slow and be sure to enjoy the process because this phase will pass sooner than you think.
