Toddler-hood is a significant period in every baby’s life when its intellect and senses are maturing. Toddlers are consumed by curiosity and the need to make sense of the world around them.
Exposure to newer sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touch, will develop their capacities to assimilate newer experiences.
Toddlers and their bodies are learning new things with their senses all the time: whether you are playing with them, reading to them or just showing them around the world. Positive learning experiences followed by praise can especially be useful to toddlers as it helps them feel pleasure with their senses and feel in control of their environments.
Give your children the world at their fingertips. Here are some suggestions to help cherish your children as they learn to nurture their senses:
- Play Taste games: Stimulate your child’s sense of taste by givingthem a wide variety of taste experiences. Taste the foods with them and teach them to name different flavors and foods.
- Tickle and Squeeze games: Pretending to be a ‘squeezy pillow’ as your child squeezes you can be fun and stimulate your child’s confidence about handling things and people. When it’s your turn, you can tickle your toddlers until they say ‘enough.’
- Cooking with them: The kitchen is a great place to excite and train your toddler’s senses. It can be your toddler’s academy of cooking if you like. You can let them take out the eggs and even break them as you make them their favorite omelets. You can reward them with cook hats for helping you.
- Touch and feel: Let them feel their way into the world by touching rocks, leaves, sand, and stone. Teach them the difference between hard and soft objects or the nuance of movement as water flows through their little hands.