“Stop” and “go” are important concepts, and there are lots of fun ways to introduce them to your toddler through play. Here’s a movement game with a few props thrown in for extra enjoyment.

To make STOP and GO signs, I cut shapes with the words on colored construction paper: a red octagon for the former and a green circle for the latter. You can attach these to craft sticks, but I found that wooden kitchen spoons made for sturdier handles that Veronika could hold easily.

I picked Veronika up and twirled her to the following ditty, holding the green sign:

Round and round and round we go,

Round and round and round we go,

Round and round and round we go.

Round and round and STOP!

Hold up the red sign and stop spinning on the last word of course! After dancing in my arms, the siblings took a turn holding hands and walking in a circle.

Or sometimes Veronika just twirled herself about, holding the signs and grinning.

Big brother Travis was a super helper showing her how to freeze at the right moment.

Chances are your toddler will want to play with the signs even once the ditty fun is done.

I find myself running low on craft supplies these days with stores closed due to coronavirus; it’s just not an option to dash out and buy one or two items! Luckily there are so many items around the house that turn into perfect toddler toys. To whit, today Veronika payed with old magazines!

I sat down with her and a few publications I’d already read, and simply showed her how to rip the pages out. She didn’t need to be shown twice!

If it’s hard for your child to rip out full pages, you can alternatively rip about 20 or so pages ahead of time and give this stack to your child. Or give him or her the option of both: 20 loose sheets plus the rest of the magazine lying nearby.

As for ripping individual pages into small pieces, I started out by making a tear for her to follow on each page, which she could further rend apart.

But as she got the hang of it, she was able to rip even without this helpful start.

I set a little canister next to her, for her to place the ripped pieces of paper into, but she wasn’t terribly interested in doing so.

She did love looking at the pictures as she ripped the pages, though! When she spotted stars (a favorite), so even ran over to proudly show her brother!

In sum, an easy way to keep hands busy.

This game is not only great for building an awareness of letters and a child’s name (often the first word your child will be able to write), but it also builds vocabulary and self-awareness.

First, I had ten pictures printed up of Veronika. I thought she might be mildly interested in seeing herself, but the game turned out to be quite eye-opening. As I showed her each picture and said, “Who’s that?” she proceeded to tell me everything she saw in the picture except herself. She used words for everything from our cat in the background to what she was holding (“quack!” “lion!”) to what she was wearing (“heart! “coat!” shoes!” “socks!”).

But she never said “me” or “Veronika” no matter how I prompted her.

Once we’d gone through the photos, I arranged them in a V on the floor. “V for Veronika!” I said. Again I pointed to her while saying her name.

And still she insisted on narrating the rest of the pictures to me! I know she knows her name and her reflection in the mirror, so it was fascinating to see that she was least interested in this aspect of the pictures. At least we learned a little about the letter V!

For a more permanent version, tape the photos up to the wall, and your child can return to the visual again and again.

Veronika is adding so many new words daily, so I’m constantly thinking about ways to build her vocabulary as we play. Here’s a round-up of a few ideas we enjoy!

One option is to set out toys that lend themselves easily to open-ended play. Blocks, for example, are obvious candidates to talk about color and shape. But the more ways you play with them, the more your child’s vocab will expand. First we built towers, using words like taller and shorter, or “building up” and “falling down”.

“All the way to the top!” she says as we build, one of her first full sentences.

But then those same blocks become something else. “Let’s build a farm!” I said. Now we could talk about all the animals in the farm, or the word “fence”.

Don’t be afraid using fancy synonyms, like “enclosure”!

Now she was “inside” the farm, instead of “outside”.

Another idea to encourage words is to keep toys just out of reach. Now she has to ask for something by name.

“Hot tea!” she says, when she wants her tea set down. Don’t forget to encourage “please” and “thank you”. Veronika proudly asked for her little garden of felt veggies next, also ripe with opportunities for new words (carrot, radish, turnip).

Although a bit advanced, I’m also looking for ways to build up her verbs, which tend to come a bit later than nouns. For this game, we colored in pictures of a few ocean animals first, which in and of itself added to her vocab (crab! dolphin!).

Then I talked to her about how each animal moves, whether clapping like a seal or sidling like a crab.

Older toddlers will probably really enjoy acting these out!

Don’t be afraid to add “science” words, too. One of my all-time favorite games for this age is a toddler volcano, a simplified version of the baking soda and vinegar models for bigger kids. In this version, just use a mound of playdough as the volcano. Poke an indent into the center and fill with baking soda. Vinegar makes the magic happen.

Veronika was soon parroting back words like “volcano” and “explosion” to me. “Lava” might not really mean anything to her now, but this is how it all begins.

A final great trick to build vocab? Invest in a beginner Brain Quest deck.

Although billed for ages 2 to 3, I love to read to the Veronika from the deck more like it’s a story. By the time she’s a little older, she’ll be answering the questions.