Infant and Toddler Play and Learning

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Infants & Toddlers Play & Learning Activities

Making the most of playtime with your little one

As a parent, you are your child’s very first and favorite playmate. From birth, they are interacting with you, while simply watching your face as you talk or change their diaper or listening to your voice as you narrate their play. Your baby is at work – learning and exploring.

It’s all about experiences!

There’s a lot happening during playtime. Little ones are lifting, dropping, looking, pouring, bouncing, hiding, building, knocking down, and more. Through play experiences, infants and toddlers practice new skills, explore their imagination and creativity, and learn about other people.

Power of PlayPreschool Play Ideas

Upcoming Event - Infant and Toddler Play and Learning

November 17th, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Bring your child and join us at the JCC for a fun-filled hour of infant and toddler activities. Each family will receive a free board book by attending the event.

Parent's role

Supporting play skills

Your role is to provide the time, materials, and environment where your child can explore and learn through play.

Describe the experience

"You are stacking one block, two blocks, three blocks...."

Encourage problem solving

"Uh oh, the ball rolled under the table! How can you get it?"

Build their vocabulary

"You decided to play with the red fire truck. It’s the same color as your red shirt."

Play with language

"Peek-a-boo. I see you. Peek-a, peek-a-BOO!"

child hand touching adult hand with hearts

Promote cooperation

"You put all of the blocks back in the bucket where we keep them. That was a big job!"

Get on the floor

Get your baby out of a device and onto the floor to help them develop, play, and explore.

Tummy Time

Tummy time helps develop the core muscles of the neck, back, and shoulder and helps babies meet their developmental milestones. Aim to achieve at least an hour of tummy time total per day by three months of age, starting with just a few minutes at at time.

Watch and Learn

Playing with baby

As babies enter the second month of life, they become more interested in the world around them. While they may not be playing in the same ways that a three- or four-year-old plays, they are eager to explore objects and interact with the people they see everyday. At this age, play is not just about toys, it’s about back-and-forth interactions. It’s about anything from singing a song to your baby as you change their diaper, to cooing and smiling back and forth with them. Loving and playful experiences like these help your baby learn.

Babies and over-stimulation

Some babies can take in a lot of stimulation while others get overwhelmed very quickly. A baby’s ability to manage stimulation is based on their unique wiring. If your baby suddenly starts getting fussy or staring off, it may mean they have reached their limit for stimulation and are telling you they needed a break.

Some common “I need a break” signals include:

Turning his head away
Arching his back
Closing his eyes or falling asleep
Crying
Fussing or making “fussy” sounds
Hiccupping

Tips for playing with baby

Talk to your baby

Sing and talk to your child using exaggerated tones of voice. Watch your baby’s facial expressions and see how he reacts to different pitches.

Dance together

Put on one of your favorite songs, and, while holding your baby securely to your chest, gently move around together in time to the music.

Sing

While changing a diaper, nursing, or rocking your baby, sing them a lullaby in a soothing voice.

Support visual tracking and focus

While your baby is lying on their back, hold a toy in front of their face and move the toy from side to side, encouraging them to follow along with their eyes.

Explore mirrors

Show your baby their reflection in the mirror, then ask, “Who is that?” Repeat with your own reflection and a sibling’s or a stuffed animal’s. Mirrors are a great addition to tummy time, also!

Playing with baby

Five Simple Activities for Babies: Six to Twelve Months

Try these simple activities the next time you play with your baby, and watch how even the simplest interactions encourage them to learn and explore the world around them.

Where is the ball?

Place a toy or book under a blanket, leaving part of the object showing. Then ask your baby, “Where is it?” and encourage them to look for it.

Materials needed: Small toys, ball, or books; blanket
Skills learned: Fine motor skill development, object permanence

Stacking

Take turns stacking cups or blocks and knocking them down. Say “uh oh” and try to follow your baby’s lead.

Skills learned: Understanding cause and effect, fine motor skills

Read together

Regularly read books to your baby, pointing to the pictures as you read and engaging them by changing your voice for different characters. Invite your little one to participate by encouraging them to laugh or act surprised by the story, touch the pictures, and turn the pages.

Materials needed: Board or cloth picture books
Skills learned: Language development, listening skills

Clap with me

Around six to eight months of age, your child will learn to clap, so sing simple songs that encourage clapping and clap when your baby is successful at something.

Skills learned: Imitation, self-confidence

Container play

Place a few toys in a container with an opening a bit bigger than balls or pegs, plastic links, or other smaller items. Hand the container to your baby, who will probably turn it over and over, causing some toys to tumble out. Practice putting items in and taking them back out.

Materials needed: Small toys, container (like a wipes container or basket)
Skills learned: Object manipulation and orientation skills

Featured Resource

60 things to do with toddlers

Sometimes we run out of ideas when it comes to play. Check out these 60 easy and fun things to do with your toddler!

What should you expect from your toddler?

Toddlers are learning how objects are used together. This is why they enjoy filling-and-dumping water, sand, and blocks. Toddlers are also making connections between objects—the reason they like placing little people on a toy bus. Toddlers are learning about sizes as they stack rings. They’re noticing similarities when they line up two toy cars that look the same.

Learning how objects work together

Filling and dumping
Begin using toys together
Pretend play and role taking
Exploring size and shape
Noticing similarities and differences

ZeroToThree.org

Toddler Pretend Play Ideas - Coming soon!

Get New Uses Out of Old Toddler Toys - Coming soon!

Toddler Must-Have's: Pom-Poms - Coming soon!

Play Ideas

Process-Focused Art

Approach art like open-ended play. For example, provide a variety of materials and see what happens as your child leads the art experience. Think about the materials, rather then the outcome, and let your child create without step-by-step instructions or samples to follow.

Focus on the experience and on exploration of techniques, tools, and materials, like:

Fingerpaint or edible paints made from yogurt or other foods
Painting with water and a paint brush
Jumbo crayons, markers, and chalk
Homemade playdough

Sensory Art Experiences

Infants and toddlers explore with their senses.

Art is a sensory experience for infants and toddlers. It is about the process of exploration – not about making a product. Choose materials that are safe and non-toxic, because young children like to learn by touching and tasting!

"What's the harm if I paint my arm?"

Infants and toddlers need to practice using their hands to control art supplies and practice using their minds to figure out how art supplies work. Check out this article by NAEYC on supporting art at home.

Learn More

Hands-on art activities

Art doesn't always have to be messy. Check out these messy and mess-free experiences for your infant and toddler.

Art Ideas

Sensory Bottles

Sensory bottles can be used to stimulate, entertain, or calm a child. They are easy to make and loads of fun to explore.

Sensory Bottle Ideas

Play Ideas

Pretend Play

Toddlers are beginning to develop an imagination and use items to represent other items, like pretending a block is a phone.

Toys that support your child’s imagination:

Play kitchen and pretend food
Old technology, like keyboards and phones
Dolls and doll accessories
Puppets
Dress-up

5 Tips for Pretend Play

Play Ideas

Outdoor Play

Allow time for taking risks with great heights, real tools, and fast speeds.

Climb steep hills or small logs
Play chase
Roll down small hills
Hit with a hammer and use real tools
Explore play structures independently

Activity Ideas

Play Ideas

Independent Play

Create space and time in your schedule for independent play to build self-regulation, problem-solving, and creativity.

Tips for supporting independent play:

Manage your own expectations. A toddler’s attention span is only a few minutes.
Begin with 15-20 minutes of playtime with your child before leaving.
Keep playtime fresh by swapping out toys, utilizing toddler busy boxes, and keeping materials interesting.

Encouraging Independent Play

Play Ideas

Open-ended Materials

The best toys and materials are those that are open-ended with no right or wrong way of playing, like people, blocks, cars, and pretend food. They promote creativity, exploration, problem solving, and choice. Offer toys like these to your toddler and just watch to see what they do. Let them try to figure out how they work and discover what they can do with them. Also, consider non-toy items, or things you have lying around your house, for your child to explore.

Non-toy items to explore:

Kitchen bowls and utensils
Fabric, ribbon, and scarves
Boxes of varying sizes and shapes
Old technology, like keyboards and phones

What does it do?

Toddlers are learning how objects are used together. This is why they enjoy filling and dumping water, sand, and blocks.

First friends and early social skills

Beginning at about 12 months, most young toddlers enjoy playing near peers. They may play games like “Ring Around the Rosie” or “chase” with another child, or join a peer in filling a bucket with mulch on the playground.

Can you hear me now?

Use a toy telephone to help your child “talk” to you or other family members. Use dolls or puppets to “talk” with your child. Sit with your child in front of a mirror and say “hello!” to each other.

Get moving!

Toddlers are learning to walk, run, climb, use stairs, and throw a ball. This means they need lots of active playtime to build strength, balance, and coordination. Because toddlers don’t understand rules yet, they benefit from free play when they can explore their own way.

"I want to help!"

Toddlers love helping - and use that to your advantage! Whether it is cooking together, cleaning, sorting laundry, or organizing the toys, find ways for your child to help.

Resources for Learning & Play

How to Choose the Best Toys

With hundreds of options in the store, and thousands online, choosing toys should be easy, right? The toys and non-toys your child engages with can shape their development in important ways while also keeping them entertained and exploring for hours.

PDF Guide

Top Toys for Infants

Check out these multi-sensory toys to promote floor time and encourage movement.

PDF Guide

Top Toys for Toddlers

Browse a list of our favorite toys to support your toddler's learning and development.

PDF Guide

Learning with Bubbles

Pop into your child's learning with these helpful tips!

Featured Resource

Toddler Busy Boxes

One of the best tricks for breastfeeding moms with a new baby and an older child at home are busy boxes. Check out this resource for both a list of busy box ideas and high chair activities to keep your busy toddler entertained.

Hands-On Play Ideas: Infants & Toddlers

Cooped up indoors with nothing to do? Not sure how to encourage your baby or toddler’s play skills beyond their usual toys? Join us for hands-on play ideas you can do at home that will not only support your child’s learning and development but are fun for the whole family!

Infant and Toddler Play and Learning

Making the most of playtime with your little one

It’s all about experiences!

Upcoming Event - Infant and Toddler Play and Learning

Supporting play skills

Describe the experience

Encourage problem solving

Build their vocabulary

Play with language

Promote cooperation

Get on the floor

Tummy Time

Playing with baby

Babies and over-stimulation

Some common “I need a break” signals include:

Talk to your baby

Dance together

Sing

Support visual tracking and focus

Explore mirrors

Five Simple Activities for Babies: Six to Twelve Months

Where is the ball?

Stacking

Read together

Clap with me

Container play

60 things to do with toddlers

What should you expect from your toddler?

Learning how objects work together

Toddler Pretend Play Ideas - Coming soon!

Get New Uses Out of Old Toddler Toys - Coming soon!

Toddler Must-Have's: Pom-Poms - Coming soon!

Process-Focused Art

Infants and toddlers explore with their senses.

"What's the harm if I paint my arm?"

Hands-on art activities

Sensory Bottles

Pretend Play

Toys that support your child’s imagination:

Outdoor Play

Independent Play

Tips for supporting independent play:

Open-ended Materials

Non-toy items to explore:

What does it do?

First friends and early social skills

Can you hear me now?

Get moving!

"I want to help!"

How to Choose the Best Toys

Top Toys for Infants

Top Toys for Toddlers

Learning with Bubbles

Toddler Busy Boxes

Hands-On Play Ideas: Infants & Toddlers

Parenting Hacks: Traveling with Baby

Modeling Read Aloud Time with Children

Tots & Touch Screens

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