"I MAY BE TIRED AFTER A LONG DAY OF WORK OR SUPER BUSY WITH ALL THESE IMPOSSIBLE TASK I WANT TO GET DONE IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF HOURS. THE THING I NOTICED I QUESTIONED MYSELF ABOUT THE MOST BEFORE I WENT TO BED AT NIGHT WAS "DID I PLAY WITH HER ENOUGH TODAY?" "DID I GIVE HER ENOUGH OF MY UNDIVIDED ATTENTION" "DID I HUG AND KISS HER ENOUGH?" THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ENOUGH TIME IN THE DAY TO GET EVERYTHING DONE BUT THERE ARE SIMPLE QUICK ACTIVITIES THEY CAN ENJOY WITH YOU."
1. Pretend Play
One thing I do know about my 1 year old is that she loves to be chased around, she loves to smack down balloons and pop bubbles sometimes, it can be hard to keep up with her due to the fact her attention span is short unless I'm doing something that requires high energy such as throwing her up in the air or jumping up and down or pretending to be a baby eating leaping frog whatever it is. Remember you can make anywhere a playground. At this age exploring is fundamental. I love watching her experiment independently and as long as she is confident in her abilities she will continue to grow.
2. Follow the leader
I know this may sound simple but we are too wrapped up in technology we forget to show our kids how much fun it is to actually do simple things. I am sure almost any kid loves to see their parent acting silly or doing something physically cool. Simple activities such as a hop, skip and a jump can really entertain your toddler try it and think me later and if I am wrong hey at least you got a mini workout in.
3. Create a play area
If you live in a small space like me you would know this could be a bit difficult due to a limited space. My toddler actually has her own room but if I'm in the kitchen or working on something I would prefer to have eyes on her or be able to participate especially on weekdays when I really have about 5 free hours with her (subtracting work, nap, bedtime) I took her old pack and play cut the net out of one side and ta-dah a toddler play area. I attached a board for her to use for when she feel artistic and I made a bookshelf out of a pamper box. I stacked her books and teddies as neat as she would allow me to get them, gave her a erasable marker and the rest is history.
4. Animal Noises
When I am blogging, my multi tasking hour I like to call it. I may put the discovery channel or her favorite movie on; currently it's the lion king (new and old version) I watched it so much before and during Zoe life I play it in French or Spanish now she's usually glued to the T.V regardless of the language its played in. I noticed when I imitate the animal sounds she enjoys them. It doesn't bother her that I'm taping away at my laptop or doing some other chore around the house. She points, I look up and roar, baa, or bark sometimes I get theatrical by adding a elephant trunk there, a giraffe neck here, whatever helps her retain memory. No, I'm not really expecting to get that much done before her bedtime but. I personally think doing the same activities and planning them out to the T can lead your toddler to get a little bored or reluctant to participate so keep that in mind.
Bright Baby Touch And Feel Animals set
5. Reading
I cannot stress this one enough. I created this routine I adopted from a client who suggested I start her with a habit of learning by choice instead of by force. When I come home from my full time job I usually say "Zoe let's do our homework" or "homework time" and she will grab a book for us to read or paper for her to write. Our child is only one years old and if I keep up with this habit I'm sure by the time she is school aged, I wont have to fuss with her as much. try these titles.
Bright Baby Big Board First 100 Words