Practical Skills
Practical Skills Sub Categories
Plan a Meal with your Toddler
Talk about food with your toddler and then make a meal together.
Part one…
Pick up a cooking magazine and look through the pictures with your toddler. Talk to them about the different foods that you see. Ask them what they like. Have them look for ingredients in the pictures of dishes.
“This stew has carrots. Do you see the orange carrots?”
“Oh! This pizza has peanuts in it. How do you think that would taste?”
Talking about foods with your toddler can peak their curiosity and make them more open to trying new tastes.
Part two…
Pay attention as your toddler gets excited about certain pictures. Help them choose a favorite dish. Then, cut out the picture and the recipe and make it!
Involve them in as much of the process as possible. At the store, reference the picture as you find the ingredients you will need. In the kitchen, let them help you set out the ingredients on the counter. As you cook, make sure they can watch from a safe place and give them little activities to help; stirring, pouring, etc.
When the dish is complete, look at the meal and the picture from the magazine and talk about how you made it together.
“Do you like it? Should we make this dish again?”
“Is that how you thought it would taste?”
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Director of Spray Bottle Technology
Cleaning can be a challenge with toddlers. Turn it into a joint activity by turning your toddler into your official Director of Spray Bottle Technology.
Monitor your toddler very closely with this activity. Make sure that the bottle is always pointed away from their face and at the object they are supposed to be spraying.
Instruct your toddler to spray in batches of 3 and to count as they spray. That way, they practice their counting while keeping the amount of spray at a reasonable level.
To mix things up a bit, try trading places. Sometimes, they get to spray while you wipe. Sometimes, they get to wipe while you spray.
Your toddler can help you by…
- Spraying the glass cleaner while you wipe down the windows
- Spraying the dust polish while you wipe down the furniture
- Spraying air freshener
- Spraying odor eliminator on couch cushions and pillows
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Teach your toddler how to cut a banana
Snack time is a breeze when your toddler has some practice with this useful activity.
What you Need for this Toddler Activity…
* A banana
* A butter knife
* 2 plates
* A tray (Trays are useful for containing activities and helping your toddler stay focused)
How you Do It…
- Don’t peel the banana, but get it started by cutting the top near the stem.
- Place the banana on one of the plates. Then, place both plates and the butter knife on the tray.
- Present the tray to your toddler.
- Help your toddler peel the banana and put the peel pieces on the empty plate.
- Then, help your toddler use the butter knife to slice the banana
Tips…
* As always, use your best judgment with this activity.
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Toy Rotation
With the attention-span of a fruit fly, toddlers lose interest in toys very quickly. Rather than buying new toys to add to the clutter, try rotating your toddler’s toys every few weeks.
Narrowing down your toddler’s toys will help reduce distractions. Plus, when old toys are reintroduced, your toddler’s experiences will have grown and they may find new ways to enjoy them.
How To Do It…
Have your toddler choose some of their favorite toys and set them aside. Then, work together to put all of the other toys into bins or boxes. (Clear plastic boxes are ideal because you can see what is in them without bothering with labels.)
Your toddler will be able to practice his/her sorting skills by putting all of the Mr. Potato Head pieces in one box, all of the Legos in another, etc.
Put the bins and boxes into a closet or other space so that they are out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Then, in a few weeks, swap out some of the current toys with items from the bins.
Tips…
* This is also a great time to identify toys to give away or sell at a garage sale.
* If your child is upset about putting his/her toys away, you may want to do this activity while they are sleeping.
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Stuffed Animal Dress Up
Even a toddler that hates to get dressed themselves might enjoy putting his own clothes on a large stuffed animal.
What you Need for this Toddler Activity…
* A large stuffed animal (one that can wear your toddler’s clothes)
* Some of your toddler’s favorite clothes
How you Do It…
Take turns choosing shirts and pants, hats and sunglasses and have fun playing dress-up while helping your toddler practice their dressing skills.
