Let's Pretend!

This month, you and your toddler will explore:

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social development
Lovable though they are, kids this age are still largely powered by their own needs and desires. So giving your child lots of chances to play with others helps build socialization skills. Even though at this age “playing with others” is mostly parallel (side-by-side) play, it lays the path for healthy, happy friendships in the future.

pretend play
For young toddlers, pretend play is often about imitating the behavior they see around them. (More imaginative, fantasy play is a hallmark of older toddlers.) When your toddler pretends to feed their dolls or reads a book to their stuffies — yup, they’ve been listening, looking, and learning.

independent play
Eventually kids need to learn to play with others, but playing solo comes first. Giving your toddler the time and space for self-directed play helps them learn to enjoy their own company and build confidence by creating their own imaginative worlds.

early math sense
Kids this age don’t need to “learn” math; they just need to play. But it’s often through guided play that toddlers can become more comfortable with fundamental math concepts. Counting muffin bites? That’s number sense. Fitting a baby triangle inside a grownup triangle? Geometry. Jumping to the left, then right, then left again? Patterns. Lesson learned; math mastered.

language
Before you know it, your toddler will understand most of what you say. And as they listen and learn, they’re also rapidly increasing the number of words they can say. By around age 2, they usually can put at least two words together, can point to a couple of body parts when you ask them, and can use more gestures beyond pointing and waving — like blowing a kiss or nodding yes and shaking their head no.

hand-eye coordination
Encourage your child to get hands on with everyday tasks, like wiping a table clean, putting toys away, or even picking out an outfit for the day. Learning to help out boosts not only their hand-eye coordination but their confidence as a capable kid.

social development
Lovable though they are, kids this age are still largely powered by their own needs and desires. So giving your child lots of chances to play with others helps build socialization skills. Even though at this age “playing with others” is mostly parallel (side-by-side) play, it lays the path for healthy, happy friendships in the future.

pretend play
For young toddlers, pretend play is often about imitating the behavior they see around them. (More imaginative, fantasy play is a hallmark of older toddlers.) When your toddler pretends to feed their dolls or reads a book to their stuffies — yup, they’ve been listening, looking, and learning.

independent play
Eventually kids need to learn to play with others, but playing solo comes first. Giving your toddler the time and space for self-directed play helps them learn to enjoy their own company and build confidence by creating their own imaginative worlds.

early math sense
Kids this age don’t need to “learn” math; they just need to play. But it’s often through guided play that toddlers can become more comfortable with fundamental math concepts. Counting muffin bites? That’s number sense. Fitting a baby triangle inside a grownup triangle? Geometry. Jumping to the left, then right, then left again? Patterns. Lesson learned; math mastered.

language
Before you know it, your toddler will understand most of what you say. And as they listen and learn, they’re also rapidly increasing the number of words they can say. By around age 2, they usually can put at least two words together, can point to a couple of body parts when you ask them, and can use more gestures beyond pointing and waving — like blowing a kiss or nodding yes and shaking their head no.

hand-eye coordination
Encourage your child to get hands on with everyday tasks, like wiping a table clean, putting toys away, or even picking out an outfit for the day. Learning to help out boosts not only their hand-eye coordination but their confidence as a capable kid.

social development
Lovable though they are, kids this age are still largely powered by their own needs and desires. So giving your child lots of chances to play with others helps build socialization skills. Even though at this age “playing with others” is mostly parallel (side-by-side) play, it lays the path for healthy, happy friendships in the future.
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1. 

   In Essentials + Plus + Deluxe:

   Cooking Set

   Serving up pretend meals and sides helps your toddler practice hand-eye coordination with this three-piece set.

2. 

   In Essentials + Plus + Deluxe:

   Reversible Play Basket

   Use the basket to hold wood veggies, pretend it’s a plushie’s bed, or take it on a picnic — the play options are endless!

3. 

   In Essentials + Plus + Deluxe:

   Wood Veggies

   Talk together about the four veggies’ names while introducing early math through leaf counting or planting in order of height.

4. 

   In Essentials + Plus + Deluxe:

   Planter Box

   Encourage independent play by planting a crop of wood veggies into removable soil pillows before harvesting them.

5. 

   In Essentials + Plus + Deluxe:

   Grownup Guide

   Over 20 pages of research-backed guidance, development milestones, and activities to try at home.

6. 

   Only in Plus + Deluxe:

   Fill-It-Up Recycling Truck

   Add interactive play to recycling day with a truck toddlers can fill up with wood blocks and dump out.

7. 

   Only in Deluxe:

   Good Night, Gorilla

   Follow a sneaky, silly gorilla as he sets his animal friends free.