Here are reader suggestions for two year old children's games.
Two year olds are busy, busy. There just isn't enough time in the day... so it's easy for your child - and you! - to get tired or frustrated.
But there is time for fun - as well as a real sense of wonder when you see your child developing so quickly.
Growing-up two year olds are steamrolling their way through a mass of skills and stages.
Sometimes they're better at one than another. Sometimes one skill journey stops while another develops at breakneck speed. Not only is your child mastering
talking
socializing
eating and drinking
toilet training
getting dressed, cleaning teeth and other routines
simple reading, sign or letter recognition
rule-following
...and running!..
...but they're also enjoying playing children's games that make them giggle, give them a sense of self-esteem, and that get them to see that grown-ups can have fun too!
Your ideas for 2 year old children's games:
Find the State I went to my local teaching tools store and got a map of the United States. My 2 and 3 year old daycare kids know and point to the state their grandparents live and the state they live in. Kelly, United States
Ball tag My son and I play ball tag. I chase after him with a ball and try and "tag" him. The couches are the safe zones but the rest of the house is fair game. After I tag him, he tries to come and get me. We laugh and laugh and laugh! Becky, United States
Heads and shoulders! Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes - To help my son learn how to wash himself good we play head, shoulders, knees and toes with the wash cloth. This way he learns body parts too. As he grows we continue to add more in there, like ankles, feet, legs, etc. Vera, United States
Hidden object Place four cups closed with an object placed in any one of them ... ask the child to find the hidden object. Devi, India
Imaginative actions Imagining that we are cooking,cleaning dishes etc (actually without anything to play with). By just showing actions in the air. My son enjoys this. Elsa, India
Playdough shapes We get out the playdough, and take the shapes from the shape sorter and we make shapes and learn what they are. My kids have learned all their shapes this way and they get the fun of playing with playdough too. Stacy
Matching colors A game about colors. If the child has on a red shirt we point to everything with red. Charlotte, United States
"Pocket, pocket..." I teach 12 two year olds in a private school and we play, "pocket, pocket what's in your pocket" - I wear a smock with pockets and they try to guess what it is before I pull it out after I give them clues of it. Melissa, United States
Get sticking! Cutting out pictures from magazines and pasting them onto a large board. Danalyne, Zimbabwe
Super simple counting game Count with fingers 1 to 10 then backwards. John, United States
Personalized Blue's Clues He plays "Caleb's (Blues) Clues" for hours! draw 4-5 paw prints, cut them out and put tape on the backs. Have your kid count to as high as he can go while hiding somewhere. Stick them in places he can find, he insists on holding my hand, while walking around to look for them.
When he finds one he sticks it on his shirt until all four are there - then of course, repeat for hours of fun! Beau, United States
Peek-a-boo Peek a boo!! My daughter loves playing peek a boo... she counts up to 10 and loves to find me hiding. She calls it gogga bochee. Sandy, India
Copy the drawing I use pen and paper, one each for me and my kid, and draw one thing possible and he tries to imitate the same..a dog, a tree, flying birds, running water, swimming fish..with a lot of commentary. He tries to imitate, I appreciate whatever he has done...this way his imagination increases since I tell him how a fish swims, bird flies, how a ball has several colors, and it's amazing he remembers everything and keeps telling me to draw different things..he can also hold a pen properly now..and draws a ball already ..he is just 2 years old. Faraaz, India
Where's the ball? The old 3 cups and one ball under one cup - he/she has to guess where the ball is. Melanie, United States
A simple guessing game Play guess that animal with different pictures and noises of animals. C
Point and tell Tell the name of an object and ask your kid to point out where it is. Geetha, India
A children's game to practise balancing Based on a "jojo's circus" idea , my two year old and I line books on the floor , pretending they are a balance beam and sing "balance, balance" while walking across. SH
Creative box activity Get a very large box, paint it with your child on one side, collage on another, stencil or sponge paint on another, put stickers on another! Great fun, you just keep painting over and over... Charndra, Australia
Get wet! My two year old son might as well be a fish! He loves ANYTHING to do with water, so I have bought a 4 type nozzle for my hose outside, and depending on my 4 year old daughter's mood will either play the "Get the Robert" Game or "Keep Away from Robert." It is a great way to get them out on hot summer days and I can get the plants and grass watered all at once. Crystal, United States
Back yard soccer Kicking a small soccer ball to each other in the back yard. My 2 1/2 year old loves this game because he gets to run around, play with Mum and yell. We set up goals using rocks and if someone gets the ball through the goal then we shout out 'GOAL' and run around like they do at real soccer games. Christine, Australia
Imaginative egg cartons With stones (fun collecting on beach) and egg cartons, the twins play for hours. Use the egg cartons to store the stones which have become cars, people, animals, you name it! Use a safe marker to make faces, headlights, etc. Or cut the egg holders from another carton and use those as the people, etc. Cheap, easy and they love it! Jo, Greece
