Ways to Stimulate Your Toddler’s Brain

Playtime is more important for your child's growth than you may realize. It's a chance to play games with him that encourage learning and development and that keep his interest. "Toddlers learn by doing," says Maureen Healy, child therapist and author of Growing Happy Kids. "He is improving his eye-hand coordination, making choices, mastering a task and learning how to deal with frustration." Read on for tips on making playtime engaging and educational.

If you're unsure of how to choose a game, look to your toddler for cues, says Mia Kedrick, author and strategy coach for moms and CEO of Finding Definitions, which provides coaching and resources for moms. "Listening to your child and observing how they like to have fun is the easiest way to choose a game. I recommend taking your child to the game store and showing them less than three choices of possible games."

Don't take game time too seriously with your child. "Play should be fun and not work," Kedrick advised. "It might be they like a game because it has their favorite animal or character, but the skill of taking turns, sharing and learning how to have fun cooperatively is of benefit to the child. The bonus is that the family begins to build a culture of family play time."

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Don't overlook simple number and letter games at the toy store. Kedrick says they are a wise investment. There is a wide variety of options, but basically anything that gets your child to identify numbers and letters is beneficial. "There are many wonderful games," Kedrick said. "They really do help children learn to choose words, read and count."

In addition to numbers and letters, games can teach feelings. "I cannot emphasize enough how valuable it is to teach toddlers what their emotions are," says Maureen Healy. "So this may begin with emotion flashcards that teach kids to identify emotions (anger, sad, mad and happy) and then talk about what to do when you feel that way."

If you're overwhelmed with all the choices stacked high in the toddler aisle at the store and don't know where to start, Kedrick suggests some good options. "Leap Frog, Hooked on Phonics, Break the Ice or Elefun are all good," she says. "Fishing games are also great. I love these games for toddlers, especially the magnet ones, because it is easy to have success."

If the cost of games is a little steep, don't despair; there are some quality low-cost options or you can create your own games. "Memory games are wonderful," Kedrick says. "Children have great memories and love finding their favorite pieces." You can easily create your own memory game using homemade flash cards.

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Trying out games helps to show you what type of learner your toddler leans toward. Does she learn best by seeing (visual), hearing (auditory) or touching (tactile)? Once you have an idea of what she likes, "provide games to match that learning style," Kedrick said. "For example, if they're a tactile learner, choose games that require your child to move things or to build, such as Jenga."

If your toddler seems disinterested in regular games, fall back on old favorites. "Toddlers love bubble fun in the tub, Duck Duck Goose or Simon Says—the old-fashioned games that never grow old," Kedrick says. "Also, toddlers love to move, so often a game that provides a combination between in[side] and outdoors is the best way to keep a toddler entertained."

Toddlers love to read with you. "Reading is always a winner, as well as books on tape," Kedrick says. "Try 'mirroring,' where you read for a minute, then they read for a minute," Kedrick says. "Choose a book they already know very well to make it more fun for them."

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If you're allowing your child to play games alone, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, Kedrick says. "You might set a timer for 20 or 30 minutes to limit the child's interaction on computer games. … Also if the parent is engaged with the child, they might better use this time as quality time and an opportunity to learn basics such as learning to count, the alphabet or early phonics skills."

Remember that games should always be fun as well as stimulating. "It's so easy to want to help your child have a head start and that there are so many tools, games and programs out there to help parents do that," Kedrick says. "But children need downtime to play outside, in water, dirt, the sandbox and just to run. Nothing can replace the skills that come from talking, sharing and moving."