Cognitive skills in toddlers can be encouraged through a variety of play activities that work on problem-solving and pre-academic concepts.
Cognitive activities for toddlers can also be done in short bursts throughout your daily routines.
In this post we will cover the top structured and unstructured ways you can encourage cognitive development in your toddler:
- What does cognitive development look like in toddlers?
- Unstructured Toddler Cognitive Activity Examples
- Structured Toddler Cognitive Activity Examples
- Promoting Early Literacy Skills
- Cognitive Toys for 2 Year Olds
- Frequently Asked Questions About Cognitive Activities for Toddlers
Top Cognitive Activities for Toddlers
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What does cognitive development look like in toddlers?
Cognitive development in toddlers includes many skills such as:
- Problem Solving
- Cause and Effect
- Matching
- Sorting
- Counting
- Following Directions
- Color Identification
- Early Literacy Skills
Unstructured Toddler Cognitive Activities Examples
Here we will look at activities that you can do with your toddler throughout the day to encourage cognitive skills without having to plan much.
Using daily routines to work on skills with young children is very effective because of the repetitive nature.
For example, lets start with how you can foster intellectual development while your child is getting dressed.
Encourage Intellectual Development While Getting Your Child Dressed
You get your child dressed at the beginning of the day and put them in pajamas at the end of the day.
At my house there are sometimes even more clothing changes then that happens as we play messy!
Even if you are just doing 2 outfit changes a day your child will benefit from you being mindful and embedding learning into these activities.
While you are getting your child dressed label the color of the clothing items.
As your child gets a bit older ask them to name the clothing colors as they put them on.
You can work on following directions by having them point to or get the items of clothing that they need.
Problem-solving skills are worked on when you give your child the opportunity to try and put clothes on or take them off by themselves.
In our busy lives we sometimes do this for them without even thinking about it.
If we slow down and allow them to try and figure out they can learn a lot.
Make sure to help them as needed as they learn this skill as we don’t want them to get overly frustrated.
Promote Cognitive Development During Diaper Changes
How many diapers do you change in a day?
Probably a lot!
While you are doing so you can embed learning and keep your toddler distracted which is a win win for those squirmy diaper changes!
One thing you can do is sing simple songs and fingerplays while you change their diaper.
Singing is a great tool because it is motivating to young children and allows them to hear words over and over again which will help them pick them up.
Songs like “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “5 Little Monkeys” are perfect examples.
You can find more song ideas HERE.
Another way that you can embed learning into this routine is by asking them to point to body parts.
This will help them gain receptive language skills.
Structured Toddler Cognitive Activities Examples
Structured activities can be great to use when you want to work on something specific or promote independent play.
You will want to demonstrate to your toddler how to do these activities and then pull back the help as they start to figure it out.
Matching Pictures to Boost Cognitive Skills in Toddlers
Using small pictures cards you can set up a matching game for your little one.
Using picture cards of words that you want your toddler to learn can also be helpful in promoting communication skills.
I have made a set of 100 vocabulary cards that you can print and use for this game.
These cards are focused on words that your toddler needs in daily life such as food items, routines, and activities.
You will want to print out 2 copies of them so that they can match them.
At first you will only want to set out 2-3 pictures to see if they can match them.
As they understand the game more you can use more cards.
Identifying Pictures
Another game that you can do using these picture cards is to lay a few out and see if your child can find the one that you name.
This will work on your little one’s receptive language and listening skills.
Promoting Early Literacy Skills
Reading books with your toddler is a great way to promote early literacy skills.
One thing to keep in mind is not to be concerned if your child will not sit and listen to a whole story.
Toddlers have very short attention spans so they can only focus for a few minutes at a time.
Try out these reading tips for parents to get some insight on how to explore books with your toddler.
Cognitive Toys for 2 Year Olds
Are you looking for toys to have available to your little one that will encourage cognitive skills?
These cognitive toys for 2 year olds are a great option for free play times.
Toddler Puzzles
Puzzles are a great option because they create an interesting way for your little one to practice problem solving skills.
They also are a wonderful way to encourage fine motor skills.
You will want to start with puzzles they have pieces with small knobs (these would work well) and move onto harder puzzles like these as your child gains the skills needed for a more challenging option.
Building Blocks
Blocks allow children to use problem-solving skills and creativity during playtime.
Both of these skills are crucial to cognitive development.
Blocks like these allow for open-ended play that will entertain and build new skills in your little one.
Toddler Books
As we discussed earlier books are a great way to encourage skills in all areas and are perfect for structured story times as well as free play.
Board books like these are great because your toddler is able to explore them by themselves and you don’t have to worry about pages getting torn.
Choose books that encompass your child’s areas of interest.
This could be animals, dinosaurs, or anything that your toddler loves to look at or learn about.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cognitive skills are the ones needed to help your child take in information around them and process it.
These skills include problem solving, cause and effect, listening, comprehension, and imitation.
They can develop cognitive skills through simple activities or play.
Parents can also promote cognitive development by being mindful during daily routines and encourage skills by singing, reading, talking, ect.
Cognitive development starts the day your child is born! Even very small babies are finding ways to take information in about the world around them.
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