Brain Games for Toddlers: Simple Games and Activities to Promote Early Developement

Did you know that by the time a child is three, his brain has formed about 1000 trillion connections - that's about twice as many as adults have. A baby's brain is super dense and will stay that way for the first ten years. After that, the brain will begin to get rid of extra connections, gradually making order out of a thick tangle of information.

By playing certain games or doing certain activities repeatedly during the toddler years, will actually make the brain connections used in such play permanent. A child can "grow" a brain through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting. Playing meaningful games with toddlers will encourage pathways of their brains make new connections.

The best way to develop a child's brain connections is to give the child what he needs. A safe and interesting environment to explore filled with people who will respond to the child's emotional and intellectual needs is what most families already provide. Children simply need loving supportive people in their lives who will cuddle them, sing to them, read to them, hug them and talk to them. Fancy flash cards and videos aren't needed.

Again... simply expose them to a variety of experiences, activities and toys while giving them love and security is really all they need.

Here are a few ideas for games and activities you can do with your child who is between 12 and 24 months, to stimulate their brain. *Note: what for signs of over-stimulation - fussiness or tiredness.

*The Pushing Game: Toddlers love to push things. They are fascinated with movement. Choose a lightweight object, a small toy, or a push toy. Count out, "One, two, three, push!" then push one of the toys. Repeat the counting and encourage your child to do the pushing. Even simply rolling a ball between the two of you is fun and stimulating. This is a wonderful way to let a toddler feel in control and build confidence and coordination.

*The TLC Game: Cuddle on of your toddler's favorite stuffed animals. Give it praise and speak in a loving tone to it. Then give the animal to your child, ask her to cuddle it and give it kisses. This is a great game to develop nurturing skills, and helps prepare the toddler for the arrival of a new sibling or a family pet.

*Sing: You don't have to be the next American Idol, you're child loves the sound of your voice no matter what. Hold your child in your arms and rock back and forth as you sing lullabies or other soothing songs. If you are still afraid to sing, hum to your child or rock and cuddle while listening to calming music such as classical, soft jazz or music with nature sounds. This builds a trust between you and your child and recent studies show that music inspires the part of the child's brain that reasons, does math and engineering!

*Story Time: Pick a time that you can read every day such as during snack, bath time, before a nap or at bedtime. Stories are very calming to a child as well as stimulating. The pictures visually stimulate the brain while your voice teaches vocabulary. Start reading to a baby as soon as you bring him home from the hospital will give the child an early love of books. If you are just beginning with your toddler, read for only a few minutes at a time until they can sit still for any length of time.

Books with textures are will develop tactile awareness as well! Have fun and make animal sounds or give characters "voices". Toddlers love to make sounds and the more sounds they make; the more they talk and will want to talk about what they see in the books.

Look and Listen: This you can do anywhere; sitting on your front porch, pushing the toddler in the stroller, waiting at the airport. Point out sounds - identify what it is and show the child where the sound is coming from. This activity teaches a child to follow where you are directing his attention. Encourage him to make up the sounds himself. This will also develop his listening skills.

Jack-In-The-Box, Peek-a-boo, Patty-Cake, and Follow the Leader are all classic baby games that are important for "growing" the brain. They help develop fine motor skills, increase the child's vocabulary, and develop his observation and listening skills.

Remember to just expose them to a variety of experiences, activities and toys while giving them love and security. A child will grow amazingly fast so enjoy these wonderful times.