Who has this game? It’s called “Roll & Play” and it’s pretty amazing for young toddlers. The tagline from the manufacturer says “Your Child’s First Game”. I disagree, I think that’s peek-a-boo, but that’s a different post…
This “Roll & Play” game is great because waiting for your turn is brief and active – two KEY concepts of toddler turn-taking! Even if it isn’t your turn to roll or throw the cube, the whole group gets to do the activity according to the color card. It teaches imitation and direction following while also encouraging animal sounds and movement – that sounds like a winner to me!
Learning to take turns can often be a huge challenge for toddlers and even preschoolers. However, it’s an important step in play and language development as turn-taking is just like the back and forth of a conversation. Sometimes it’s your turn to talk and sometimes it’s your turn to listen. If you’ve seen the Daniel Tiger episode for turn-taking then you’ll know the catchy little tune: “You can take a turn and then I get it back.” That’s ok if you just sang it when you read this. Me too.
Keeping the language simple and practicing turn-taking at home while brushing teeth, cleaning up toys, and other daily activities will help your toddler understand the concept when it’s time to go play with other toddlers.
Games with toddlers can be as simple as throwing a ball into an empty box, retrieving matching objects from a tub of water, or racing cars down a ramp. Here are some more ideas:
Indoor play with an active toddler
Games don’t need to be fancy or even come in a package. The most important part of the game is to learn how to take turns. Learning this important skill with a parent is much easier than trying to learn it with other toddlers. So, play games at home, but remember to use “my turn” and “your turn” so that these concepts won’t be new when your little one needs to play with other toddlers.
To find games for toddlers, click on the images below:
(Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.)
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You may also want to check out:
Let's Play: the speech and language way 
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