A common object like a blanket can become a source of fun and exploratory learning.

If you start playing simple surprise games with common household objects, your toddler will begin to look for creative connections in other parts of her daily activities. That is, she’ll learn, by following your lead, to think of multiple uses for one object—a key concept for good critical thinking…and it’s fun and virtually free. Here are a few ideas with blankets.

Teddy toss

• Find a medium-sized blanket and another adult to play with you and your toddler. (You may want to play this outside.)
• Ask your little one to find a soft ball or stuffed animal that would like to take flying lessons.
• Pick up two corners of the blanket, and then have your partner do the same thing.
• Step back until the blanket is stretched nearly flat.
• Tell your toddler to put the ball or stuffed animal on top of the blanket.
• Slowly lower the blanket to the ground and then lift it up quickly while pulling it tight. To build excitement, you might all slowly say, “Take it down low…(now talk faster and with a high pitch) and raise it up high.”  
• Let the soft object fall back into the blanket.
• Do it again and again adding different soft objects…several at a time is fun too. As the fun continues, launch the object off of the blanket and let your toddler run to get it and put it back for another flight.

Hideout

• Gather three to five large blankets and some clothespins.
• Drape the blankets over a table and some chairs.
• Encourage your toddler to set up house with play dishes, books, and pillows inside the hideout. Your little one is a great size for this kind of fun, and he will enjoy a new space made just for him.

Whole body peek-a-boo

• Ask your child to hide under a medium-sized blanket by covering himself up completely.
• Pretend that you cannot find him. You might say, “Where’s Oscar?  I can’t find him anywhere.”
• Touch him and say something like, “Here’s a big rock under a blanket. Let me see…”
• Pull the blanket off of him and enjoy some laughter.
• Your toddler will want to play this game over and over.
• Take a turn hiding so that your toddler can look for you.

Kick it off

• Have your child lie down and cover him with a small, light-weight blanket.
• Let him kick the blanket off (helping him as needed).
• This is great for getting out toddler frustrations or extra energy.

As you can see, the suggestions above are just old-fashioned fun. Fun that brings you and your toddler closer together and shows your child that one thing can have many enjoyable purposes.

Written by Anne Oxenreider. Anne is a co-author of The Triumphant Child: A practical guide to raising two, three and four year olds.

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