This one is too easy!

If an activity looks to simple for your child, give it a try anyway!

Honestly, our kids don’t want to be challenged by every single activity we do.

Doing an activity that allows them to practice a skill they have already mastered can be a great confidence booster and lets them focus on the fun of the activity!

Kids also love to be the “teacher” so you can use this opportunity to have them “teach” you!

When an activity truly is too easy for a child, look at the goal of the activity and adjust it for your child’s skills and interests.

• Letters? Try subbing the letters for sight words!
• Numbers? Use simple addition or subtraction problems!
• Fine motor skills? Step them up to match your child’s level. For example, if the activity is putting items into another container, make it harder by using tongs, tweezers, chip bag clips, or clothespins.
• Gross motor skills? Make it harder and let them be more creative with the movements.

This one is too hard!

For more complex activities, even if toddlers can’t do the intricacy of it, they still enjoy experimenting with the supplies in their own way.

If it is an art or craft activity, toddlers and younger children will be happy to explore the supplies and make a craft or art project their own way.

Don’t worry if it doesn’t turn out the way it is “supposed to” – EMBRACE that your child is “doing it wrong” and “different” – wrong and different are an A+ in my book!

But, don’t underestimate your toddler! Toddlers, we’ve learned, are capable of a lot more than they can say in words.

Oftentimes, if you (or an older child) starts doing an activity, your toddler will join in – in their own unique (and wonderful) way!

Narrating what they are doing as they are doing it can be a great way to introduce new concepts and ideas while they are exploring on their own – think about talking about colors, shapes, numbers, letters, the list can go on and on!

Add in their interests!

It can be hard to get your child interested in an activity because all they want to do is play with trucks, or their dolls, or whatever it is that they’re into at the moment.

Don’t sweat it! Bring their favorite interests into the mix of the activity.

Oftentimes, just setting up the dolls and trucks alongside the activity as if they were taking part as well by watching will do the trick. But you can often mix it into the activity as well,

“Can the dolly grab a hold of the tweezers too and move the pom poms to the other container? Let’s do it together!”

or

“Let’s use the tweezers to move those pom poms into that truck and haul them to the otherside!”

Just have fun!

Tweaking activities to fit your child’s skills and interests can definitely have its challenges, but with a bit of creativity it is possible.

Just try to keep everything light and fun so you can enjoy the activity, and if things don’t go as you planned (and they often won’t…) then don’t sweat it!

I guarantee you that your kids are probably still learning something (even if it’s just how to make a mess), having fun and connecting with you!