Winter activities for your baby and toddler

Antoinette Scandling, mother of two and Remedial Learning specialist gives you ideas and tips on how to keep your baby or toddler entertained during the cold winter ensuring that you have great times outdoors and that when you are indoors that your child’s time is well spent.

As winter is starting to roll in I am starting to gather and think about things I can do with my 2 boys when the weather is either too cold or too wet.  No matter what the weather I always try to ensure that my boys go outside everyday for a play.  We just dress for the weather.  No matter what the day is like there is always something to learn from nature.  However, as it starts to get colder we all tend to spend more and more time inside.

When doing or planning activities with your babes always ensure that you stimulate all your child’s senses, and try to keep in mind that you need to access all areas of development as well.   I always use the acronym SPACE when I plan activities – Social, Physical, Aesthetic, Cognitive and Emotional – and this ensures that you plan for each area of development.


Activities that encourage social development

• Mirror work – Babies and toddlers are very egocentric so spending time in front of a mirror learning about themselves is a great activity.  You will find young babies can’t seem to keep their eyes off themselves and will often try to engage the child in the mirror.  Leave them to explore for themselves in front of the mirror and then later engage them in songs and rhymes that point out body parts whilst looking in the mirror.
• Body outlines is another way to encourage body awareness.  Lay you baby, toddler on a large piece of paper and outline their bodies.  Help them to name the body parts and toddlers can decorate, colour or draw on their outlines.
• Baking is a fun way to spend together.  It stimulates each sense and encourages good manners and behavior with food.

Activities that encourage physical development

• Dance – put any music on and your child will find the beat.  Dance with your child in an animated way.  They love big silly movements and the more you do it the more they will laugh and join in.  Don’t worry – no one is watching.
• Kites – winter always seems to be windy.  If it is not too wet, get out with a kite.  Toddlers will love to hold and run with them, and babies will watch and follow them.
• Getting outdoors into the garden or to your local park is fun and easy.  Dress for the weather and take along a ball.  Keep your little ones on the move.  If it snows you must get out there.  Snow is something that will stimulate each sense.
• Tactile play – we often think of physical development as large movements like running, jumping.  Try to remember that physical development also includes our fine motor skills.  Tactile play is a good way to encourage fine motor development.  Cooked pasta, shaving foam, corn starch and play dough are great fun.  Be aware with playdough with little babies though, they tend to put it in their mouth.

Activities to encourage aesthetic development.
What I mean by aesthetic development is activities that will develop your child’s sense of creativity

• Music – play or sing songs and rhymes.  Even better encourage your child to play a musical instrument.  You can do this with your baby from a very young age with rattles, drums, bells and others.
• Drama or fantasy play – encourage play where your child uses their active imagination.  A cardboard box is great fun; it can be anything from a car to a rocket, a baby’s bed to a hiding place.
• Painting, sticking and drawing.  The messier the better.
• Try some activities that include the weather – for example, fold a piece of paper and cut bits out of it to make snowflakes or collect fallen leaves and make a collage.

Activities to encourage cognitive development
These are activities that stimulate the brain and lay foundations for reading and writing.

• Building blocks, puzzles, games, counting games
• Box construction – save up your old boxes and cartons.  Your toddlers will love to stick them together with craft glue and see what creations they can make.
• Books – sitting together reading each day is an ideal way to access the seeking instinct that children have.  They want to know more and see what happens next.
• Feely boxes are great fun – Get an empty box.  Put 4 or 5 familiar things in from around the house, cover it over and ask your baby or toddler to find or name each object without seeing it.

Activities to encourage emotional development

• Looking after pets is one of the best ways to help your child understand what caring is.
• Give each of your children a spot in the garden that belongs to them where they can plant seeds, dig in the mud and just mess about.  You would be surprised what you will find them doing out there.  Dress them up in their water proofs and let them dig and play in the mud
• Try to spend 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes each afternoon focused in an activity with your child.  Let them choose what they want to do and you follow their lead.  Your baby and toddler may just amaze you.

Enjoy your winter months with your children.  In the current economic climate when we are all trying to save where we can we may not be able to do as many outings with our children.  There are great ways to be occupied at home, it just takes a little thinking about and planning and engaging with your child.  Great winter’s day outings if you can manage would be a visit to the aquarium, the zoo and the library.  Many museums are free or cheap to get into, and most have a special section that will engage your tots.