Toddler Role Play Activities

Toddler Role Play Activities

We often get asked for ideas for toddler role play activities. So, we thought we would share just a few of the activities that our Scampering Squirrels have enjoyed this week.

Messy Mud Pies

It’s a favourite for a reason. Probably the biggest hit this week, was making mud pies! As temperatures drop and the first signs of frost appear, maybe you could bring your mud pies inside. You need a tuff tray or an old plastic sheet, some saucepans, pots, jugs with water, wooden spoons and of course lots of mud.

Toddler role play activities are a great opportunity to see your little one’s social skills in action. While playing with our mud pies, the Scampering Squirrels asked each other questions such as “do you want more?” and we saw some wonderful sharing and patience with taking turns to share. When doing toddler role play activities, remember to let them take the activity where they want.

We started out with mud pies but soon ended up with mud soup, and “chocolate” cake. We also added rice and curry powder, which meant we could talk about different smells and textures. The Woodland Trust has some great ideas for other muddy play activities.

Cooking Vegetables

When doing toddler role play activities, we like to use as many real life items as possible. Fruit and veg is a great example, and easy to do at home. It’s also a little less messy than the mud pies!

After making mud pies, the toddlers talked lots about cooking and the food that they like. As a result, we decided to put on our hats and aprons and play Chef!

We got some real peppers, cucumbers and carrots and talked lots about the different colours that we could see. One of our Scampering Squirrels told us that the pepper was the same colour as the cucumber!

Toddler role play activities are an open-ended opportunity to learn not only about the role play activity, but shapes, colours, numbers, sounds, smells…just about anything!

The toddlers washed their vegetables in bowls of water then they pretended to cook them in their saucepans and make vegetable pie. The toddlers helped to put plates out and prepare the tables ready for snack time.

Decorating

It may not be one of the most talked about toddler role play activities, but when we chose to create a new home corner, the children told us that we needed curtains. For this activity, we got a big white sheet and then let the children decorate their new curtains. A messy play activity, where we practised our fine motor skills and creativity, as well as lots of role play talk about decorating our new home. Next time you get the paints out at home, think about what your toddler could create that brings in a role play activity too!

Thu 17th Jan