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Plain and Simple Toddler Play
The Benefits of Homemade Toys By Sally Goldberg, Ph.D
Color boxes and cards can be enriched by color books, which are bracketed color folders filled with matching colored paper. The books are completed with items of that color, such as cutouts from magazines or the actual items such as ribbons, coasters, bells and more. You can add descriptive words, phrases or sentences to the pages as desired.
The idea is to start off with the color red, which is the first and most attractive color to a toddler. Next is to add a second color of your choice. You can do this by making all the boxes first or by making a box, card and book set for each color.
The fascination with discovering all the different rolls, bounces and throws provides a never-ending amount of play. The ball is interesting to see, interesting to touch, great fun for interaction and always full of surprises.
"Exploration" and "experimentation" are the key words for understanding toddlers, and homemade toys and simple activities are the basics for beneficial play. Rather than wanting to be told what to do, toddlers want to handle objects and uncover hidden secrets. They want to participate in just the kind of interactions that invite their parents into their world of play.