Social Activities and Programs for Toddlers
In order to develop socially, toddlers need to interact and play with both kids their ages and adults alike. This gives them many opportunities to learn from those around them and to become a functioning and contributing member of a social group. If you’re looking to strengthen their social skills, try some of these great activities and programs:
Play Dates
One of the best ways to promote the development of social skills for children is by allowing them to interact and play with other kids their age. Try to organize a play date or even a play group with other moms of toddlers in your area. They will learn to relate to one another, figure out how to behave properly, and learn the basics of sharing, cooperating, listening, etc.
Gymboree
Speaking of play dates, Gymboree classes are a perfect way to get out of the house with your child, and have a great time with other kids and moms. Simply due to the shear amount of other kids and parents that go to these classes, your toddler will have a great time meeting new kids and working on their social skills in the process. They offer so many fun activities as well, so kids don’t even realize it’s a learning exercise!
Dress-Up
Playing dress-up with your child and other kids is another great way to boost their social skills and interactions. Provide the kids with tons of old clothes, shoes, hats, dresses, etc. to begin the imaginative play. In the process you can even explain to them how different occupations dress, like doctors, businessmen, and construction workers. This will become another learning experience where your child and others can have a great time with pretend play.
Phone Calls
What better way is there to develop social skills than by letting your child talk on the phone? If they’re too young to take a real phone call with another person, try to find two old cell phones, toy phones, or walkie-talkies to use. You can have a chat with your toddler and pretend as if you’re actually talking on the phone together. As they get older, you can begin letting them answer the phone and talking a little before handing the phone over to you.
Give them Options
Providing options to your toddler when they are faced with making a certain decision is a great way to develop their social skills and decision-making skills. Keep it simple, but allow them to make decisions that will have a direct impact on their own life so that serious thought is put into it. Let them decide between two toys that they really want at the store, or if they want milk or water with a certain meal.
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Written by Stephanie Parker from Sleepingbaby.com, inventor of the Zipadee-Zip
The motto for Sleeping Baby, makers of the Zipadee-Zip, is: "Inspiring Dreams One Night at A time," and that, in a nutshell, is how it all started…with one little dream that has since become the Parker family's reality. When Brett and Stephanie Parker's daughter, Charlotte, was born, the feeling that welled up inside of them was indescribable; they never realized until first looking into those baby blues of hers that they were even capable of that kind of love.
When it was time to transition baby from swaddling, the Parkers tried every sleep sack on the market and every swaddle weaning trick they could find for nearly two weeks and nothing worked to get baby Charlotte to fall and stay asleep.
Stephanie became determined to restore sleep and sanity to their household and set out to find a solution that would soothe Charlotte's startle reflex and provide her the cozy womb-like environment she loved so much but still give her the freedom to roll over and wiggle around in her crib safely. Out of sheer desperation and exhaustion, the Zipadee-Zip was born. The first Zipadee-Zip(R) Stephanie put together on her little sewing machine worked like magic!
To date tens of thousands of Zipadee-Zips have been sold and all from word-of-mouth marketing. It is so rewarding for the Parkers to see other parents and babies getting the sleep they both need and deserve!
For more information, visit sleepingbaby.com.
Interested in writing a guest blog for Sleeping Baby? Send your topic idea to pr@sleepingbaby.com.
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