Toddlers – they go from being clingy to being independent in the flick of a switch!
It’s part of their development. As your toddler gets older, they can entertain themselves more and more.
It’s a good thing!
It’s normal.
However, it can be a little upsetting if your toddler doesn’t seem interested in interacting with you.
Not only does it feel like you are being dismissed, but you also feel like it could be limiting their social development.
This post will look at seven ways to encourage your toddler to interact with you.
You can use it to help raise a confident toddler!
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7 Ways You Can Encourage Your Child To Interact With You
Fort Toddler
You can create a small enclosure by using cardboard boxes, pillows, or a bit of string and clothespins for hanging sheets. You and your toddler can play ‘house’ with it!
Encouraging your toddler to go inside is the first step! You can usually do this with a favorite toy or stuffed animal.
Encourage your child to ‘get a teddy’ and play as if you are a visitor once they are inside. Say ‘knock knock’ or make a doorbell sound and ask, ‘may I come inside?’.
Once inside, you say things like ‘let’s go outside together’ or even start a new activity in your shared fort.
It’s suitable for your toddler and fun for hours!
Developmental skills involved
This activity helps to increase your toddler’s motor skills. As well as social interaction, it teaches the fundamental aspects of environmental awareness.
Fingers, toes, and mathematics
Counting fingers and toes is a fun way to introduce your child to numbers. It doesn’t have to stop with just these digits. You can measure steps in the backyard, toys, bubbles – whatever you have handy.
Don’t worry if your child is counting out of sequence, as repetition and time will teach them the proper order. Just have fun with your toddler and let them learn at their own pace.
Developmental skills involved
This activity combines socialization skills with the basic identification of numbers and their sequential order.
The talking tube
Get yourself a cardboard tube, or you can even roll up some thick paper. Then talk to your child and make different sounds through this tube.
Let your child make sounds so that you are both having fun. See how they react to sound changes in your voice when you are speaking through the tube.
Developmental skills involved
If you take turns playing with the tube, this activity teaches sharing and a little patience to your toddler. It will also help to develop their language skills, and your child is learning to talk!
The change in the sound of your voice also teaches them about variance in auditory qualities of speech and general sound.
Mirror play
Get a lovely, large mirror and spend some playtime with your toddler in front of it. You can introduce changes to your child’s appearance with a few paints or makeup and watch their reactions. See if your child puts their hand up to their face, for instance, when you make a change.
Don’t worry if they don’t get it right away, as they will quickly realize that they see themselves. This is a fun and valuable exercise for this reason.
Developmental skills involved
This activity offers social interaction as well as helps your toddler establish self-awareness.
Let’s dance
Put on some music with a good beat and spend a little time dancing with your child. Show them a few basic ‘moves’ and see if they follow your example.
If your child makes their dance, that’s fine too. The important thing is that you are both having fun and enjoying the music together.
Dancing will also allow your toddler to develop self-expression!
Keep sessions short, so you don’t tire your toddler out unless they want to dance a little longer.
Developmental skills involved
This activity helps to sharpen motor skills. It also helps to give your child a more fundamental understanding of rhythms, movement, and music.
As a bonus, it can also help to tire them down a little when you’ve got a few things to do around the house! This activity is both fun and immensely practical.
Alphabet scrapbooking
Learning the ABCs is essential, so making it as fun as possible is a great way to help your child get ahead. Get some magnetic alphabet letters and old magazines and make yourself a scrapbook.
Do this by pointing to one of the plastic letters and asking your child, ‘where is A? Where is B?”. Then cut out the letters as they are found and glue them into your scrapbook.
You will be surprised how quickly your toddler picks this up, but remember to be patient and make this exercise as fun as possible for the best results.
Developmental skills involved
This activity helps your toddler’s growing pattern recognition skills. It also helps to teach the basics of the alphabet.
Make a little music together.
Making music with your child is a delight; you don’t want to miss out on this experience. Get together some pots, pans, and wooden spoons around the house and show your child how to ‘play’ them.
Play familiar songs with these makeshift percussion instruments. Exercise your patience – don’t be discouraged if your toddler doesn’t pick it up immediately.
With regular play, your child will start to understand the rhythms you are in for a treat!
Developmental skills involved
This activity increases your toddler’s developing listening skills. It also helps develop their motor skills and their understanding of music. The lyrics also help your toddler develop essential language skills.
Conclusion
Young children need you to engage with them. It will get them interacting with you, and they will learn by example.
With all this fun, your toddler will be demanding your attention more!
If your toddler is not interested in spending time or interacting with you, then you should try the seven tips identified here.
Please pay attention to their response during these sessions.
Kids with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle to interact and may struggle when interacting with family members. If you are concerned about this, please speak with a pediatrician.
Don’t forget that young children develop differently, so try not to measure your kids against others of a similar age.
Good luck!
