3 Ways to Elicit 

Natural Play in Toddlers

Do you ever get tired of ALL the paper?
I for one, LOVE playing on the floor 
because Natural Play is where toddlers learn and grow!

Read on to find specific ways YOU can play with your toddler on a regular basis.

Follow your Toddler's Lead
... Observe. Wait. Listen.
When you understand how toddlers develop, you can see that hand-on play is the learning style of choice. “Follow your Toddler’s Lead” is one of the easiest ways to begin to Play. Just do what your toddler enjoys. Set out 2-3 favorite TOYS, and wait to follow her lead. Following your toddler and being truly interested in HER not only supports her play, but also supports her social awareness skills. The short answer of how to complete this task is to Observe, Wait, and Listen. You are waiting for any initiation, response, or imitation of play!

Do it Again... and Again...

Another way to Elicit Play is to repeat it again and again. Toddlers love to repeat play so they can feel a sense of success! So building that block tower for the 14th time and making it crash is OKAY! Toddler cognitive skills are directly correlated with their ability to play. Here are a few ideas that are easily repeated during structured play: feeding/patting the baby; rolling a ball or pushing a car; singing; blocks; simple puzzles; and books! Play is an essential part of your toddler’s development. At a minimum, toddler’s need 15-30 minutes of play time a day with YOU.

Get up and Move
... to keep your active toddler satisfied!

My last idea will help if your toddler is as active as mine were! Get up and move! Movement creates a type of play like no other. Outside is of course the best type of active play, like running, tagging, jumping, or swimming. But we all know that movement in the house is just as important. Movement is not only big actions, like, animal walks or jumping, but also exploring with our hands! When learning to play through hands, anything goes! For example, make sensory bins, like, filling a bucket with ice cubes and playing with “arctic animals." Make play dough at home and create your favorite “cookies/shapes.” Get out your tongs to move objects from one container to another. Talk about some toddler-concentration and a moment of free time for Mommy!

It’s important to know that NOT all Toddler groups are created equal.

In mine, I truly strive to support you and your toddler right where they are, 
and give you the tools needed to be the mom God created you to be.


i give moms their confidence back in raising speech delayed toddlers!