One of the things I love about being a mum is that I get to return to the world of my childhood toys. Having kids means I have an excuse to play and to let that inner child loose every once and a while. Play is a child’s work; and while learning how to play alone and with other kids is important, young children, especially toddlers, require the assistance of Mum and Dad too.

With the help of our friends over at LEGO DUPLO we’ve put together our guide to child’s play and toddler activities.

So let’s have some fun!

Explore the Many Ways to Play

As parents, it is our duty to teach our children about the world around them. And one of the many ways children explore this world is through play. Choosing toys that encourage these levels of play is your first step in the right direction. LEGO DUPLO is a great toy to start with. I still have fond memories of LEGO from my days as a kid and the creators over at LEGO have gone above and beyond since then, manufacturing some seriously awesome new toys that will actually make you want to sit down and build.

Build Stories – Discover Imaginative Play

Pretend play is one of the foundations of play. Both my kids are really into imaginative play, whether it’s feeding her babies or racing around the house dressed up as Ironman. Build your own stories with your child. Try:

Playing zoo keeper with LEGO DUPLO Creative Animals. My two year old daughter is a big fan of the LEGO DUPLO Creative Animals. After I build them for her, she feeds them, cuddles them and then takes them apart so I have to rebuild them ten minutes later. But it’s obvious that she is delighted with the idea of building her own story and allowing her imagination to run wild.
Building sandwiches and other ‘tea time’ treats to share with your toddler and her stuffed animals. This can involve all members of the family and be an important learning tool for manners and making polite conversation as well as being loads of fun for everyone.

Create & Share – Learn Through Example

Children learn through watching others. This includes adults, other kids and siblings. My children have their on and off days but when they are actually playing together, without fighting, it’s really quite amazing to watch! To encourage share play try:

Making various shapes using the LEGO DUPLO and inspiring your toddler to copy it.
Encouraging older siblings to join in on the fun. My son is four so has moved onto the real LEGO as he gains his apprenticeship in Master Building but he still happily sits down and builds robots and houses with his sister’s DUPLO, especially the LEGO DUPLO Big Farm set. And she watches him, copies him, creating her own mini houses and revelling in the fact that yes, she can do it, just like her big brother.

Make Adventures – Explore Creative Play

Creating something from nothing is such a massive achievement, especially for a toddler. LEGO DUPLO is great for this as what once started as a pile of blocks can magically transform into a castle, a house, a robot, a train, a car and anything else really! To let the creative energy flow through play, try:

Setting up the foundation and letting your toddler do the rest. My two year old loves the LEGO DUPLO Number Train. The foundation is already there (the train bed) so she can easily stack the blocks up. Once it’s built, she crawls around the house, pushing the thing to every corner and back again before taking it all apart for me to help her rebuild once again.
Using your creations for craft time. My son especially enjoys doing this. Once he builds a robot (it’s always a robot), he asks to draw it. He usually traces it, then colours it in and adds the details like eyes and buttons.

Play & Discover – Encourage Learning Play

Children learn through play. Many toys are designed to build your child’s fine motor skills, help develop their thinking and problem solving skills and encourage social development. Try:

Building a simple three block castle to see if your toddler can create the same one using the same colours.
Placing four containers on the kitchen floor. While you are cooking dinner, ask your toddler to sort the LEGO DUPLO blocks by colours. This is a great ‘job’ for toddlers that is not only challenging but also a perfect way to help them recognize their colours and as a bonus, it gives you a few minutes to actually get a task done. My two year old loves doing this, even though half the time she gets it completely wrong. My older child is quick to point this out to her too.

Exploring the many ways to play is such a great way to have fun with your kids, to let that inner child out and to spend time with your toddler. LEGO DUPLO facilitates all four levels of play depending on what you decide to do with it. Explore the various levels of play and rediscover your love of LEGO DUPLO.

LEGO DUPLO is sold in major department stores, major toy stores, specialty stores and independent online. Product sets range from $15.99 Australian RRP.