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What you need

• Bubble mixture
• Bubble wand
• Time while your toddler is calm and happy

The steps

• Use bubbles to practice blowing using long deep breaths, then try using short quick breaths.
• Show your toddler how to do this, then let them have a go.  
• If they struggle to hold a long breath, count to two or three as they blow out to give them a reference point.
• Talk about how the different breaths made you feel and give your toddler time to comment too, if they want to.
• Next time you or your toddler is feeling frustrated or worried, show them how you take s few deep breaths and talk about how they made you feel. You can mention the link to blowing bubbles, to remind them how it felt when they did it before. 

Benefits for your child

• Using an item your toddler can see, like bubbles, which reacts to their breath helps your toddler to really focus on the way their breathing affects them and things around them. This awareness of the way taking a breath can change how you feel, or how something else reacts, can set a foundation for your toddler to use when they are feeling big emotions in the future.  
• At this stage, your toddler will struggle to remember these techniques when they’re upset or angry, but they might copy you, if you use them during these times.  
• Spending time practising when everyone is calm will give them a variety of ideas they can use as they grow, and over time they will be able to rely on mindful actions to help when they are feeling emotional.

Building on

• Light items such as tissue paper or large craft feathers can work for this activity too – see how far you and your toddler can blow them in one breath! 

What you need 

• A few familiar objects. For example: a dustpan and brush, hairbrush, toothbrush, flannel and a cup. 

The steps

• Put a few items on the floor.  
• Talk about each item as you put it down and let your child play with them if they want to.  
• Explain that you’re going to play a game. In the game, when you tell them what you want to do, they need to get you a useful object.  
• Ask for something by explaining what you want to achieve: “I need to brush my teeth, what should I use?”  
• Give your child time to think and get the object.  
• When they hand it to you, you can ask why they chose this one – this is especially useful if they hand you something surprising. It might not be obvious at first, but they will probably have a reason behind their choice.  
• If your child is reluctant to choose, you can pick an item yourself and explain why you picked that one. 
• Play for as long as your child is interested and engaged. You can take turns letting them request an item for you to fetch, as well.  

Benefits for your child

• This helps your child to make connections between the language used to describe items and what that item does. 
• By asking questions about the objects, your child is thinking about the way questions and answers are worded, and how these can help them understand the world.

Building on

• Add more challenge by collecting a few items which do similar jobs, and talking about which one is right for a specific example. This could be having a dustpan and brush along with a large broom and hairbrush, then talking about the times you would use each. 

What you need  

• A small container to take on a trip to a muddy place (an empty plastic tub from the recycling is ideal)  
• Either paintbrushes or some sturdy twigs and sticks  

The Steps  

• Head outside and get ready to make some messy marks on the go.  
• Make mud paint by mixing small amounts of mud with water. You can experiment with amounts to get a smooth paste.  
• Use a stick to mix the mud paint.  
• Get your toddler involved in mixing it up then show them how you paint using either paintbrushes or strong twigs and sticks – or even your hands.  
• Let them explore the mud paint and see what they can create. The paint can be used on tree trunks, paper, an old sheet or simply a clear bit of ground.  
• You may need to show your child how to dip the stick into your mud paint and transfer it to the surface a few times; doing your own mud painting alongside them is a perfect way to do this.  

Benefits for your child 

• Mixing up the mud paint lets your toddler explore textures, and how they can change the feel of the mixture by adding more water or mud. 
• Letting them explore the mud and mess in a way they enjoy, which might be diving in and getting messy or using a tool like a paintbrush to keep the mess at arms length, allows them to get comfortable with the sensory experiences this activity brings. Over time they might want to try new ways of handling or drawing with the paint - which will develop their understanding of its properties. 

Building on

• Mud can be replaced with water for a less messy version of this activity. If you do this, encourage your child to paint on pavements or walls with sticks, paintbrushes, toothbrushes or a sponge dipped in water. This is especially fun on a hot day when the sun dries the artwork, making it vanish!

What you need 

• Ribbon, string, wool or pipe cleaners in festive colours 

The steps

• Go for a walk and collect some sticks and branches. 
• Talk to your child about which ones they think will make good decorations.  
• Take the sticks home and clean them if necessary.  
• Show your toddler how to wrap the string or wool around the stick.  
• If your toddler finds this tricky you may need to help them by holding the stick still or offering to do it together with each of you holding a bit of the string or wool while they get a feel for the wrapping motion. 
• Once the twigs are wrapped, decide how to display them – you could place them in a tub or pot, or if they’re smaller hang them with some other decorations.

Benefits for your child 

• Wrapping sticks is a brilliant fine motor workout for your toddler, it involves lots of movement of their fingers and hands, as well as coordination to hold the stick in place as they work.

Building on 

• This could become a decorating tradition that you use to celebrate different times of the year, perhaps to make spring decorations in bright colours or autumnal ones in oranges and browns. 

What you need

• Opportunities to play together

The steps

• Pretend to go swimming at home!
  • Set up a swimming pool area, perhaps with animals or toys which might want to swim too, and encourage your toddler to lie with you on their tummy then move their arms and legs pretending to swim.
  • You can point out all the interesting things you ‘see’ as you swim along, perhaps a fish or even a turtle! 
• Sing rhymes and dance to songs which allow you to sit on the floor and rock back and forth.
  • Songs that work for this include ‘Row-Row-Row Your Boat’ and ‘Rockabye Baby’ as well as even more modern classics like ‘Oops Upside Your Head’ by The Gap Band and ‘Rock the Boat' by The Hues Corporation. 
• Whenever they are comfortable to do so, encourage your toddler to lie on their front to play, using their arms and core strength to support their weight. 
  
  • Try moving some favourite games, like drawing or puzzles, to the floor and encouraging your toddler to lie on their front while they do them.

Benefits for your child

• Using a swing takes a lot of practice, along with the ability to coordinate your legs, arms and core muscles to make the swing move.
• It’s not always possible to spend lots of time near a park or swing set, so playing games like these at home will get those important core muscles strong and ready for when they can try out their skills on a swing.

Building on

• When it’s safe, let your toddler play in ways that challenge their body by climbing, reaching and stretching.

Has your toddler suddenly decided they no longer like peas, having eaten them happily since they were weaned? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We’ve asked paediatric dietitian and food therapist Lucy Upton to give us her tips on fussy eating.  

What is fussy eating? 

Fussy eating comes with many names – picky, choosy, selective... these are umbrella terms that describe a number of characteristics of a child's eating preferences. For instance, they might show 'disgust' at new or unfamiliar foods, refuse foods they've previously eaten, or perhaps accept certain foods at nursery or Grandma's house that they won't eat at home.  

Your toddler’s been experiencing new tastes and textures since they started weaning, but now their teeth, tongue and other mouth muscles have had time to develop, their experience of eating food will be changing, too.

This can make mealtimes feel like a whole new challenge, so we’ve asked Paediatric Dietician and Food Therapist, Lucy Upton, to tell us more about why you might suddenly find yourself coping with a newly fussy eater.  

Sometimes, parenting can be a lonely experience. There are often feelings of pressure, and many parents struggle to have time to focus on anything other than being a mum or dad – it’s a time-consuming job! 

Identifying times when you may feel lonely 

There are many reasons why you may feel lonely in your parenting experience. It can be a tricky world to navigate when you’re the first out of your friendship group to have children, as it can be difficult for your child-free friends to relate to what you’re going through, and vice versa.