Educational games and activities for children 2 - 3 years old (plan - outline). First half of the year

According to Maria Montessori's periodization of development, the peak of activity in a variety of directions occurs in children precisely at the age of 2 to 3 years. Kids actively master speech and movement, learn to interact with a variety of objects, learn patterns and become sensitive to order, and also begin to expand their circle of acquaintances and make their first friends.

All this means that it is at this age that it is important to arrange for children all kinds of activities and games for harmonious development.

The motto of the Montessori philosophy is: “Help me do it myself.” The task of adults is to inspire children to make independent discoveries and achievements, because our little ones can do much more than it seems at first glance.

When planning Montessori activities for children 2-3 years old, you should adhere to the following rules:

• Classes should be aimed at increasing the child’s independence,
• Use different senses
• Include elements useful for the development of fine and gross motor skills,
• Take into account the interests of the child and use only at his request,

All Montessori activities should be presented to the child in advance, located in a place accessible to him (on a low shelf) and be accessible without the help of adults (however, exercises with small objects should be offered only when you have time to monitor the baby).

Games and activities to develop sensorimotor skills

What's new at this age:

• We play with clothespins (we attach clothespins to templates, transfer pieces of foam rubber using clothespins);

• Winder games;

• Making soap foam (learning to whisk, blowing bubbles through a straw);

• We find objects in the bag by touch;

• We learn to organize objects, focusing simultaneously on color and size, or color and shape;

An example of a toy suitable for this is cylinders (Labyrinth, My-shop, KoroBoom)

• We play with nuts (remember their names, sort them by type, take them out of the bag by touch);

• Playing with tweezers;

An example of baby tweezers and other useful tools for motor development

• Playing with sensory boxes;

• We play with a knocker (with nails);

Example of a knocker: Ozon, My-shop, Babadu

• We assemble the nesting doll by combining the pattern on its parts;

Example of a nesting doll: Labyrinth, My-shop, Daughters & Sons

• We assemble puzzles from 4-20 parts;

Puzzle example: Ozon, Labyrinth, My-shop

• We find the missing fragments on a homemade puzzle;

• We do finger exercises with finger toys;

Example of finger toys: Ozon, My-shop, KoroBoom

• We select bolts and nuts according to size and fasten them;

• We select the keys to the locks;

• Place pasta/buttons along the lines;

• We play with a pipette, pouring water into the cells; we play with a rubber bulb and a dispenser;

Example of a pipette

• Cut with scissors;

Example of notebooks for cutting - Kumon: Labyrinth, My-shop, Ozon

• Playing with construction sets;

Here you can find a selection of construction sets for children aged 2 years and older; and here are options for the first buildings made from cubes.

• We construct from counting sticks;

• We play with a lacing tablet;

Lacing example: Ozon, KoroBoom, My-shop

• Playing with kinetic sand;

Example of kinetic sand (Ozon, My-shop)

Already familiar games:

• We build paths from dominoes;

• Pour water from one bowl to another using a sponge;

• We make a picture using puzzle cubes;

We try options from 4 cubes: Ozon, Labyrinth, My-shop

and from 9 cubes: Ozon, Labyrinth, My-shop

• We play with two or three-layer frame inserts;

Example of three-layer and two-layer puzzles

• We play fishing with pyramid rings;

• We select lids for jars;

• We play with inset frames without background pictures;

Examples of frames: Labyrinth, My-shop, KoroBoom

• We play magnetic fishing;

Examples of fishing: Ozon, KoroBoom, My-shop

• We play mosaic;

Examples of the first mosaics: Ozon, Labyrinth, My-shop

• We open and close boxes with different closing/latching options;

• We learn to open and close locks, latches, etc.;

An example of a board with locks (My-shop, KoroBoom) or a busy board

• Pour water from the teapot into glasses;

• Sift the cereal through a strainer;

• We cut vegetables and fruits;

Example of a set of vegetables (Ozon, My-shop, Labyrinth)

• We play lotto;

• Picking mushrooms/berries;

• We dress the dolls by putting on clothes;

Examples of kits for dressing dolls (Ozon, My-shop)

• Roll the ball/ball along the slide/grooves;

An example of a bowling alley (Ozon, Labyrinth, My-shop)

• Peel the boiled egg;

• We learn to unfasten Velcro, zippers, unscrew and tighten bottle caps;

Examples of toys useful in this matter:

DIY educational mat

Book “I dress myself” (Ozone, Labyrinth, My-shop)

Board with fasteners (My-shop, KoroBoom)

Developmental activities at home with mom, exercises for every day

The task of parents is to spend as much time as possible with the child and organize his leisure time. First of all, you need to start classes with hand motor skills. It is necessary to get your child interested in building houses from cubes. You should start with the simplest figures, gradually increasing complexity. It is important to constantly talk to the children during the game and explain every action of the owl. There must be praise.

Children aged two to three years show great interest in household chores. Don't discourage yourself from helping your mom. You can invite your baby to sweep or wipe off the dust themselves. You should always invite your child to help their parents. If you don’t do this, you will have to force him at an older age.

Some parents prefer to hire professional nannies to work with their children. This is a big mistake. At an early age, a baby really needs to communicate with his mother. Any exciting game unites and brings parents and children closer together. It is very useful to play with the whole family.

Important! It is recommended not just to select activities, but to focus on the child’s specific abilities. It is best to alternate creative games with active ones. It is important to observe the time of the classes; they should be no more than twenty minutes. It is still very difficult for children to concentrate on one subject for a long time.

How to learn letters correctly with a child 3-5 years old

Activities with mom

Developing baby's speech

At two years old, a child not only knows the name of an object, but also knows how to describe it. It is necessary to develop his skills, describe color, size. It is important during this period to pay as much attention as possible to reading poems and fairy tales. You can organize theatrical performances. At this age, children love not only to listen, but also to watch.

Closer to the age of three years, when the child can compose small sentences, you can ask him to complete the sentence while reading fairy tales. For example, pause while reading and invite your child to finish the phrase on their own.

It is recommended to use facial expressions and body movements while reading and telling fairy tales. After each fairy tale you read, you need to discuss it with your child. Let him express his opinion about the heroes. This will help develop memory and attention.

Important! It is necessary to put the speech correctly. Parents must remember that the child clearly repeats everything after the parents. In order for your baby to speak correctly, you need to control your manner of speaking.

You can find many manuals and books with rhymes that are designed to develop speech. They are often used by speech therapists for classes. For example, kids really love poems about animals. While reading, you can teach your child how this or that animal makes sounds. You can print out colorful pictures of animals, show them to your baby and ask them to say how it talks.

Reading books

Hand coordination and motor skills

From the age of one and a half, children begin to show interest in sensations. They are fascinated by their hands and often look at them. During this period, the development of fine motor skills is important. It is important for parents to teach their child how to control their hands correctly. All activities for developing motor skills should include finger play. You can use entertaining rhymes or come up with a story yourself. Such activities will help develop coordination.

During this period, physical contact with parents is very important for every child. You need to touch the baby’s hands more often, stroking his palms. When the nerve endings located in the fingers are activated, the parts of the brain that are responsible for the speech apparatus begin to work intensively.

On a note! To develop fine motor skills, you can offer your child games with cereals and buttons. It is worth preparing material of different textures. For example, a piece of leather fabric and fur. You need to teach your child to compare objects based on sensations.

Modeling plays an important role in the development of coordination and motor skills. You need to start with the simplest figures, invite your child to roll a sausage or a ball. After mastering basic skills, you can begin to sculpt more complex shapes. Classes need to be gradually made more difficult.

Motor development

Mindfulness Exercises

Developmental activities for children 2-3 years old should be aimed at developing attention. This is an important quality that needs to be developed from early childhood. If you miss this moment, the baby may become absent-minded. This will further complicate the learning process.

On a note! A two-year-old child most often does what interests him. He very quickly switches attention from one subject to another. In the period from 2.5 to 3 years, the transition from passive attention to active occurs. It is important not to miss this moment.

Little children love to play hide and seek. This is a universal game that can be played not only at home, but also outside in summer and spring. You can hide a toy at home and ask your child to find it. Each time you need to hide the toy in a new place.

You can come up with a fun game: draw and cut out mushrooms, hide them throughout the room, then invite your child to collect all the mushrooms in a basket.

Excellent development of attention and understanding in the construction of structures according to drawings. You can draw them yourself. This lesson is difficult for a two-year-old child, so parental help is required. But gradually he will master the principle, and the lesson will give excellent results.

Drawing classes on the theme “Tank” in middle groups of preschool educational institutions

It is important for children to develop the skill of switching attention from one subject to another. This will be useful in future educational activities. This skill needs to be given time from early childhood. For example, during an exciting game, you can ask your child a distracting question; if he responds to it, then the development process is going correctly.

Important! Children need to learn to mind their own business and answer their parents' questions at the same time. For example, a baby may be passionate about drawing, but at the same time answer what he did in kindergarten.

Hide and seek for developing attention

Baby's memory development

When learning the process of how to deal with a 2-year-old child, it is important not to miss the development of memory. At birth, the baby does not react to anyone, then gradually begins to remember its parents. At one year old, he already knows all the family members well and recognizes his favorite toys.

At the age of two years, children have involuntary memory. He is able to remember certain words, small poems. It is important at this age to begin to develop memory. To do this, you can use simple games:

• Read a fairy tale before bed, and then in the morning ask your child what it was about. It is recommended in the evening to ask the baby how his day was, what interesting things he did.
• You can invite the child to look at the picture, then hide it and after a while ask him to tell what was drawn on it. If he finds it difficult to answer, you can help with leading questions.

On a note! As a game for attention, you need to lay out three or four toys in front of the baby and tell about each of them. Then you need to ask the baby to turn away and hide one toy. The child must say which one is missing.

Development of attention

Development of thinking and perception in children 2-3 years old

Children as young as two years old are primarily interested in bright objects. If you want to play logic games, you need to choose only one subject at a time. For example, today only a pyramid is assembled, the next day a house is built from cubes.

It is important for two-year-old children to study colors. GEF assignments suggest starting with plain cards. You can show them to the baby and tell them what color it is. Repeat until the baby remembers. Then you can make the activity more difficult. For example, collect colorful balls and ask the child to sort them by color.

Important! Didactic games with cards develop thinking well. For example, pictures are cut into two halves. The child must logically find a pair for each picture. You can take a mother animal and her babies.

Modeling

• Educational games with dough;

• Modeling from plasticine . Simple craft ideas: part 1, part 2.

“I myself!”

Allow your child to touch as many objects as possible, study their shape, size, surface quality, color, purpose. It is important for a child to accumulate as much knowledge as possible about the world around him and learn to apply it correctly. Involve your son or daughter in feasible household chores:

• sweep the floor - you can buy a small broom and dustpan;
• wash the dishes after yourself - it’s good if they are made of plastic;
• dress and undress, put clothes and toys in place;
• wash;
• wipe the table with a napkin, etc.

This will make him more independent, help him learn important self-care skills, and give you some free time.

Speech development

• We learn finger and gesture games;

• We do articulation exercises;
• Doing breathing exercises;
• We recite special poems together that encourage the pronunciation of sounds and words;
• Speech development games

For example:

Game "Repeat" . An adult pronounces words loudly, quietly or in a whisper. The child repeats with an appropriate level of volume.

Game “What is this for? ” An adult asks why this or that object is needed (table, chair, closet, bed). The child answers.

Game "Wrong Fairy Tale" . An adult tells some well-known fairy tale (Kolobok, for example) with errors. The child corrects, etc.

Speech

What should a child learn?

• Sentences must be at least 5-6 words.
• The child must be able to name his personal information.
• Clearly distinguishing the characteristics of an object.
• Knowledge of several actions (walks, cries, talks, meows, etc.).

Speech lesson in front of a mirror
If you practice at home, prepare cubes or cards with letters so that your baby continues to form words from them. Remember that three-year-old children still do not have very well developed memory, so do not ask your child to spell out complex words or repeat long sentences

Reading books

Collections of books for reading to children 2 years old can be found here:

• TALES AND POEMS OF RUSSIAN AUTHORS
• TALES AND POEMS OF FOREIGN AUTHORS
• DEVELOPMENTAL BOOKS
• WINTER AND NEW YEAR BOOKS

Night terrors: why they happen and what to do about them

What are nightmares

Nightmares are sleep disturbances in which a child may suddenly cry, scream, moan, or mutter in bed with eyes wide open but not awake. Because she is stuck in a sort of twilight zone between sleep and wakefulness, she is unaware of your presence and is unlikely to respond to anything you say or do. The episode lasts anywhere from two to 40 minutes, and when it ends, your child suddenly goes back to sleep with no memory of the incident.

How are nightmares different from night terrors?

Sixtine fights a monster in her bedroom in Laure Fauvel's “Terreurs”, 2014, in Paris, France.
An imaginative photographer has brought to life monsters that haunt children's nightmares. Armed with sticks, wands and swords the eight and nine year-olds appear to be getting the upper-hand against the villains. Parisian photographer Laure Fauvel, 22, said: I wanted the children not to be victims and to fight the monsters. (Photo by Laure Fauvel/Barcroft Media) Unlike a night terror, a nightmare leaves your child truly awake—she can remember the dream and sometimes talk about it. In addition, children have nightmares during sleep, often in the early morning hours between 2 and 6 am. On the other hand, they usually experience night terrors in the first few hours of the night during deep, dreamless sleep.

The easiest way to tell the difference between a night terror and a nightmare is to ask yourself who is more upset that morning. If your child is more agitated, he had a nightmare. If you're the one who's concerned, she probably had a night terror. The “horror” lasts much longer for the parent who observed it than for the child who experienced it.

What causes nightmares and can they be prevented?

There is no definitive way to prevent nightmares because no one knows for sure what causes them. Nightmares can occur due to erratic or inadequate sleep patterns or any type of sleep deprivation. They are caused by stress during the day or excessive fatigue. What will be known is that, by themselves, nightmares do not mean the child has a psychological problem.

Addressing any other sleep problems your child has (such as getting up in the middle of the night) and ensuring they have regular, calming bedtimes and get enough hours of sleep can help prevent night terrors. In some cases, nightmares are caused by sleep apnea, a serious but treatable disorder in which enlarged tonsils and adenoids (normal tissue in the throat) block the airway during sleep, making breathing difficult and causing the child to become partially awake.

First lessons

• We learn to count - we play the first mathematical games;

• We study geometric shapes;

• Learning colors;

• Playing with words and letters;

• We teach who lives in which house (a squirrel - in a hollow, a dog - in a booth, a mouse - in a hole, etc.);
• We teach who eats what (monkey - bananas, hare - carrots, mouse - cheese, etc.)

• Getting to know the seasons;
• We learn to classify objects into groups (clothing, dishes, transport, furniture, etc.), find what is superfluous in a group of objects;
• Remember the names of the fingers;
• We look through Doman’s cards (we study simple facts using them) or other didactic material that expands the child’s horizons;

Household

What should a child learn?

• Putting on clothes independently.
• Cutting out pictures.
• Coloring pictures.
• Knowledge of basic rules of accuracy.

At 3 years old, a child needs to be taught self-care.
If classes are held at home, then hang posters with hygiene rules throughout the apartment - when passing by them, the child will subconsciously remember them (remember that a child of three years old can be taught very quickly, but a teenager of 16-17 years old nothing can be taught anymore).

Also strive to develop creativity in your son or daughter: at least once every 2-3 months, organize themed parties, for which you can prepare costumes, decorations, scripts and even simple dishes.

In this way, you will gradually encourage your baby to live independently, developing creativity in the meantime.

If you don’t have enough time to carry out such events, then try to at least sometimes prepare crafts from ordinary household items: birds from cups, houses from boxes, and so on.

Logic games

For example:

• We play with Dienesh's logic blocks;

• We lay out simple patterns;

• We assemble simple patterns from Nikitin’s cubes “Fold the pattern”

and etc.

More logic games can be found in the article “Logic games for children 2-3 years old”

Why do you need to play in the sandbox?

The sandbox is not only a place where a child makes his first friends. For children, it is a powerful source of tactile sensations and creative opportunities that promote intellectual development.

• The construction of castles, tunnels and other structures awakens imagination.
• Baking Easter cakes and playing with molds help to better distinguish shapes and sizes.
• Interaction with other children develops communication skills and outlook.
• Fine grains of sand provide constant massage to the fingers and palms, which has a beneficial effect on the development of speech and sensory centers.

Role-playing games

Ideas for simple story games can be found here and here. From about 2 years old, a child becomes interested not only in watching the scenes that you show him, but also in participating in them himself. Therefore, invite your child to take on some role during the game. Act out simple fairy tales (turnip, bun, hen, etc.).

Basic principles of teaching a 2 year old child

Parents do not always have the opportunity to send their child to kindergarten from the age of two. In such cases, it is recommended to organize training and creative activities at home yourself. It is important to note that all exercises must be performed in a playful manner. It is strictly forbidden to force children to do something without desire. This can completely discourage you from learning in the future.

Classes from 2 years old

Classes for children aged 2-3 years are very easy to organize on your own. For this purpose, there are a huge number of educational games and didactic materials that allow you to diversify your activities. Any activity should be bright, interesting, and deliver only positive emotions. Children immediately lose interest as soon as they realize that they are forcing them.

Music classes

• Listening to classical music;

• We play simple outdoor musical games;

Attention training

The ability to notice little things and concentrate on a specific task are skills that develop children by leaps and bounds. Successful mastery of them will help children in further education.

Include the following activities in your daily activity:

• Search. This game does not need additional attributes, so it is interesting always and everywhere. It allows you to develop the attention of a child from 1 year. Ask your treasure to find a white toy in the basket, point out a squirrel in a picture, or hand him his favorite plastic cup.
• Selection of items. Place various objects on the table and ask your child to choose objects of a certain color or with the same pattern. For example, let your child give you yellow clothespins. If you constantly play with a child aged 1-3 years, the baby will complete the task faster each time.
• Construction of a tower or house. Help your child build a castle from a pile of large parts. Before purchasing “building materials,” be sure to look at the manufacturer’s recommendations. Not all games can be played with a child from 1 to 3 years old.
• Search for objects with the same characteristic. Ask your little one to show her white toys or choose round objects from those laid out on the table. In general, a wise parent can come up with 1000 and 1 variants of educational games related to the search for some objects. You can link two properties of an item into one chain. For example, soft and white.

Physical activity

• We walk on a massage mat (Ozone, My-shop);
• We learn to walk along a line or footprints taped to the floor;

• We learn to jump up, trying to touch an object located just above outstretched arms;
• We learn to jump over a rope or obstacle 10-20 cm wide.
• Learning to stand on one leg;
• Learning to walk on tiptoes;
• We throw small balls or pebbles with one hand into the distance, throw the ball with both hands from behind the head;
• We throw balls at a horizontal target (for example, a basket standing on the floor);

• We get used to doing exercises in the morning;
• We learn to act on a signal. For example, the following motor games will be useful:

Game "Traffic Light" . The adult says “Green” (or shows a green card) - the child walks or pretends to be driving a car. The adult says “Red” (shows the red card) - the child stands.

Game "Planes" . On command, we start the engines (rotate our arms in front of our chests, say “rrrr”), take off (arms to the sides), go for landing (slowly stop, lower our arms).

Game "Day-Night" . When an adult says “day”, the child runs, when “night” he freezes and “sleeps”.

A two-year-old child and the peculiarities of his thinking

Psychologists say that the second year of life for children is a period of crisis. They begin to actively study the world around them and realize the difficulties it can bring them.

On a note! The task of parents is to help the child overcome the crisis period.

Parents often make a big mistake, believing that at two years old it is not worth teaching a child anything, since he will not understand. But when they begin to raise him, it turns out that time is lost. In the first five years of a child’s life, the foundations of education are laid. The most important years are considered to be 1.5-2.

At the age of two years, the child should speak. Thanks to this, the development of his self-awareness accelerates. It is through speech communication that he receives most of the information that is necessary for development. It is important for parents to pay as much attention as possible to speech formation during this period. At the age of one and a half years, the baby already knows how to call a spade a spade. By the age of two, he already develops the ability to combine up to three words into a phrase.

Important! When a child reaches his third year, his thinking changes from visual-effective to visual-figurative. It differs in that all actions with material objects are replaced by images. The internal development of thinking is based on the formation of concepts.

By the end of the second year, children begin the “why” period. The child becomes persistent, he demands an answer to the question posed. The attitude towards the answer received is already expressed. At three years old, the child begins to see himself from the outside; he is already able to control his behavior.

Features of development