Games while walking with toddler: Making up games

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Making up games is great for your child's conversation skills.

Let them lead the chat and watch their imagination run wild.

For some inspiration, check out the film below.

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The benefits of letting children make up games

Letting children come up with their own games when you're out and about lets them exercise their imagination and practise using all sorts of new words
They can exercise their creativity by coming up with rules
It encourages problem-solving skills and social skills as you make decisions together about what the game involves
They get used to answering lots of questions as you ask them about the game and what is involved
It can be a great way of keeping them entertained on the go

Dad and son walking while son points at ground — Image caption,
While out and about, encourage your child to use their imagination to come up with a game and ask them lots of questions.

What games can you play on a walk?

It's a great idea to ask children what they'd like to play when you're walking somewhere.

If you let them lead, you might be surprised at where their imagination takes you.

If they come up with a game idea, ask them questions about the rules - for example, 'can we only step on the leaves?' or 'what will happen if we don't step on the leaves?'

Games you could play

If your child is a bit shy with coming up with ideas themselves, here are some thoughts of games you could try to spark their imagination:

1. Nature collections

You could set them a challenge to find the biggest stone or the smallest leaf. This will help reinforce ideas about size and order.

Or you could try and make it into a phonics game by asking them to find something beginning with a certain letter sound.

2. I-Spy

I-Spy is a classic game that you can play just as easily on the move as at home - in fact, being out and about can give you more ideas.

Try taking turns with your little one and using letter sounds rather than letters' names - so, 'I spy with my little eye, something beginning with 'cuh' ©'. This will help them to recognise the sounds that make up words.

3. Observation games

Ask them questions about all the things around them - can they count chimneys? Or red cars? Maybe they can see some shapes in the clouds - what do they look like?