When Toddlers Can Put Pegs Into Holes
Toddlers putting pegs through holes is very helpful in aiding social and cognitive development milestones. Here you get to know about other toys and activities that can be introduced to prepare your little one for future school lessons and, more importantly, life.
As a parent, you already realise the importance of play. You’re always on the lookout for smart methods of teaching your child some basic skills. Did you know that play helps in social and cognitive development in a child as well? It’s through different play activities that a child gains confidence and thrives in any social setting. There are different toys and games that help in healthy and timely development of a child. One such is peg board games.
Tips for Developing Hand and Finger Skills in Toddlers
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Pegs in a Hole
It can be a challenge for tots to pick up small objects with their little fingers. So, even as your little one gets closer to her second year, she may find the task of picking and sorting a tad complicated. This is the best time to introduce peg board games for toddlers. With a little guidance, she’ll start enjoying the activity so much that you’ll probably have a difficult time getting her away from the board!
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Let Her Be the Explorer
It’s important to allow children to explore during their play hours. As soon as your little one starts to crawl and toddle, you’ll see that she’s constantly moving from one place to another, trying to discover something new. By learning correct hand and eye coordination, she’ll begin understanding the concept of location. She’ll also realise which object belongs to which place. Activities like peg board games facilitate spatial awareness in toddlers and form a very important aspect of their cognitive development.
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Didactic Playthings
It’s not mandatory that you have to give your child toys or board games to ensure her growth. She’ll be happy to call anything a toy as long as she’s free to experiment with it. Give her a few containers with varying lid sizes and enjoy watching how she manages to find the correct lids for each container based on colour, shape and size.
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Build a Tower
Once you observe more deft hand movements in your 22-month-old, give her stacking games and blocks to work with. Help her build a tower with 5 to 6 blocks and then knock it down. Encourage her to build it again on her own. Blocks help in divergent thinking and sharpen creativity.
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How About a Ball Game?
Along with blocks and stacking toys, balls serve to be an all-time favourite among small kids. But to enhance cognitive development and improve hand-eye coordination, games like Chinese chequers, where wooden pegs/marbles need to be moved into holes across a board, can help.
Go ahead and give your toddler blocks, containers, pegs and other toys that help with cognitive development. Let her explore the different properties of her different toys. Be her guide and show her the right ways. Soon, she’ll learn to analyse things logically and will be ready to solve complex problems in future.
How do you further your child’s cognitive development? Do share your ideas here!