What games can I play with a 2 year old?

[Sprinkl3]

We're in that weird phase where kids play alongside, not with, others.

We kick a ball about at the park, go to lots of playgrounds, do a bit of imaginative play with her play kitchen.

I feel like I need to come up with new ideas as she's getting a bit bored but while we have a good vocabulary, we don't have lots of back and forth conversations yet.

For inside ideas, baking together, role play, your a shop customer, patient for a doctor. Grow some cress, make a blanket den, singing rhymes together is valuable. For literal games, snap pairs , hide and seek, also look at Orchard Toys for great games.

Role play - little shops, making cups of tea, picnics with the toys

Climbing - little climbing frames with slides

Mud kitchen - all the fun of role play and imaginative play with the added benefit of messy, nature play - add pine cones, blossom etc to mud.

If you don't have a sand pit yet now is an ideal time to get one, with diggers, buckets, spades etc.

Use guttering to zoom cars down and water!

A water table is very entertaining

Playdough - the two year olds I know love it. The best playdough recipe is from The imagination tree website. But of course you can buy it too, though your child can help with the making...
Add glitter, essential oils, lavender etc for a sensory experience.

Do you have any basic jigsaws?
Basic cooking - decorating a pizza base, mixing a cake mix.

At two and a half mine likes building houses with Duplo and role playing with the little people. He also likes teddy bear picnics and elaborate role play with all of his vehicles.

"Obstacle" courses indoors. Get some cushions on the floor and get her to run round one 3 times, then onto the next one and do star jumps, at the next one try a forward roll, the next one 3 claps, the next one jump over it, then crawl under the dining table and out the other side etc etc.

As well as the usual, lots of reading, rhymes, jigsaws etc.

My DS loved his tea set at that age.. he’d get all his cuddly toys out and serve everyone tea and cake. (Wooden cake and fruit that he could cut).

Also doctor’s set and tool set have provided a lot of entertainment.