Everyday Play

 

When the weather gets bleak and your tots venture outdoors less regularly, it can become quite a task to keep the days interesting without reverting to activities which eat into your purse; playcentres, shopping centres, movies, cafes... I'm talking to y'all! So to spread some thrifty fun, here are a few things we did last week to keep cabin fever at bay.

Mama's Helper - Setting the Table

Toddlers absolutely love being independent. As my daughter's skills and capabilities grow, I'm on the lookout for ways to give her more responsibility (not like chores, just opportunities). The other day I decided to teach her how to set the table, so I got some thick A3 paper, sat down with her, and traced the outlines of our plates and cutlery onto each sheet, with her watching. I explained that this was to help her to know where to put everything. 

I asked her to put each 'placemat' on the table, and then I laid out the plates and cutlery on a tray, which I placed near our table. It was very sweet to see her carefully (and very seriously) laying everything out on the placemats for dinner, and she was so proud that she did it "all by myself, Mummy"! Next time I'm at the shops, I'll be looking out for a small water pitcher so that she can start to pour our waters too.

**Note: If you're thinking of doing this with your toddler, remember to supervise! Teach your child how to hold the knives (butter knives in our case) and the plates/glasses properly, and be close at hand to intervene before accidents happen.

Water Play

If you have a toddler, I'm fairly sure you would have experienced those days when your child seems to be moody and difficult for no apparent reason. My brilliant mother gave me some great advice for those days, which has worked a treat for my daughter. Drumroll please....WATER PLAY!!

Although it’s not a magic pill to cure grumpy little munchkins, it seems to calm them very quickly. It makes sense, if you think about it: remember how you feel at the beach, or on a boat? Zen gardens have running water through them, water features are popular for their calming qualities, beauty spas have relaxation pools and play waterfall-type sounds to help relax clients, and so on. Why would our children react any differently than we do?

There are so many ways to introduce your tot to water play. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

•  Let your kids help you water the garden; give them their own little watering can, if possible
• If you don’t have access to a paddling pool, or if weather is inclement, run the water in the bathtub, put your bubs in their bathers and have ‘indoor pool’ playtime
• When Eden was about nine months old onwards,  I used to lay some towels on the tiled area of our home and fill a shallow tub with lukewarm water. I laid out rubber duckies, funnels, small containers, sieves, small jugs, etc for her to play with.
• When she got a bit older, I set the area up in the same way, but gave her a plastic doll, washcloth, empty bottles of shampoo/conditioner and a spare towel, so she could bathe the doll. If your child's doll has hair, add a comb. This is a great one to incorporate a bit of role play.
• On a day to day basis, if you need to fill a sink or the bath, let your child hold their hands under the running water.

• I love letting Eden "do the dishes". I just fill my sink with water and a squirt of detergent, set out a sponge, a bottle brush, a chux cloth and steel wool, and throw a few plastic plates and spoons, a sieve, tongs, wooden spoons, etc, into the sink. She stands on a stool, and washes, and re-washes, and re-washes again, and when she's eventually done she has pruney hands and a big smile on her face. Tip: don't include plastic bowls or cups unless you're keen to see how much water can end up on either your child or the floor. I speak from experience.
• For babies, take advantage of any time you have an extra pair of hands helping you, to make their bath time a bit more interesting. You could use a shaker from your kitchen (or something else with lots of holes) to pour water over bub's tummy. You could teach them to pour with a little container, or splash with their feet (a pain to clean up, but great for teaching cause and effect, and very fun for your little one). Experiment with props to see what your baby enjoys.
• Lay some towels on the floor (or do this outside) and fill a shallow, wide tub with warm water. Let your littlie stand and splash around in their undies or nappy, holding your hands to keep their balance.

If you incorporate water play into your child's day, you're providing them with an outlet for their emotional frustrations and I reckon you'll begin to see a real difference. Let me know what you think! ~ L.

Our Philosophy

I firmly believe that almost anything we do in our everyday lives can provide an educational developmental experience for our children. In those first few years of their lives, our kids are constantly growing and changing, and their brains are rapidly developing. As parents, we are in a great position to offer them opportunities for their brains to form vital nerve network connections through sensory experiences, intellectual activities and even muscle movements.
Don't underestimate the value of including your child in your everyday tasks. Talk to them about what you're doing, and don't dumb it down - using your normal vocabulary will help your child to comprehend a wider variety of words at an earlier age and will in turn teach them how to communicate well. A friend of mine recently included her daughter in the process of writing her shopping list; she set her little girl up in her highchair with paper and a pencil whilst she wrote her own list own. Her daughter loved it! Such a simple way to include your kids, and so effective!
Eden loves to take dry washing off the clothes horse and put it into the laundry basket for me. She follows me when I sweep or vaccuum with her own broom and vaccuum cleaner (toy ones, of course), and I hand her a clean Chux cloth when I'm wiping down benches or tables.
Sometimes, when we do the groceries, she walks with me instead of sitting in the trolley, and hands me things on our list. She puts fruit and veg into the little bags, and helps me choose the meat. She hands the checkout chick our money and takes the change. This is extremely time consuming, often doubling the time it takes to do a shop, but so rewarding and beneficial for her.
So, here is a challenge for you: find a new way to include your child in your day-to-day activities. If you're feeling brave, let your toddler help you do the groceries! Allow plenty of time though. Good luck, let me know how you go!