Dress-Up

• All toddlers want to be just like mom and dad. Your 2-year-old girl wants to wear your shoes, your jewelry and your clothes. She also wants to dress up like the princesses and characters in her storybooks. Pick out some dress-up clothes at a thrift store, a garage sale or even in your own closet. Create a "dress-up trunk" for your toddler and have make-believe parties. She will love dressing up in over-sized dresses, colorful wigs and fancy scarves. She will also like dressing you up and using her imagination to make up her own fairy tales.
  
  

Cushion Jumping

• Your 2-year-old girl's gross motor skills are getting very good. Jumping up and down and jumping on one foot, however, still need a bit more practice. Help her refine these skills by playing a cushion or pillow jumping game. Set up several cushions around your living room, far enough apart that your 2-year-old will have to jump from one to the other. Tell her that your living room is an enchanted forest filled with leprechauns and to get through it, she will have to jump from one "magic rock" to the next. If she misses a rock and falls into the forest, the leprechauns will come and tickle her. Your 2-year-old girl will love the idea of jumping around in an enchanted forest and the "threat" of tickling leprechauns will help her practice jumping.
  
  

Parachute

• Your 2-year-old is no longer just playing around other kids at play dates. She is becoming more social and playing with her friends. Games that will teach your little girl how to socialize and play with others are important developmentally. One such game is "parachute." When she has a friend over to play, pull out an old sheet, or toy parachute if you have one. With the help of another adult, pick up the parachute and flap it up and down. Tell the girls to run underneath when it is up, while singing "up, up, up," and run back out as it is coming down, while singing "down, down, down." This game will help them learn to follow directions while refining their gross motor skills. For another parachute game, place some soft foam blocks or balls on top of it. Move them around and have the girls try to push them out of the parachute.
  
  

Grocery Girl

• You have taken your daughter grocery shopping many times. She is starting to want to pick things off shelves and pay for her purchases, just like you. Set up a grocery store for her at home. Take out some canned foods, packages of pasta and other dry foods. Set them up in your kitchen and pretend it is a grocery store. Give her a basket or child-sized grocery cart and let her shop. Set up a checkout lane with a cash register and play money to let her pay for her purchases. She will be excited to do some shopping and will use her imagination. Do not leave your toddler unattended with coins since they are choking hazards.
  
  

Little Helper

• She has also watched you clean your home, wanting to vacuum and dust with you. Not only does it look like fun, but she wants to be like you and do the things you do. Although she is too young to really clean the house, you can let her pretend that she is helping you. When you clean your home, give her a toddler-sized mop or broom and let her help. It may take you a bit longer to clean, but your daughter will have fun and so will you. Teach her how to sweep a mess into a dust pan and how to use a feather duster. Let her find some dirty spots that need to be cleaned. She will feel as though she is really helping. Do not let your 2-year-old use household cleaners or have access to them; always keep them locked up securely to prevent accidental exposure or ingestion.