5 Ways to Keep Your Toddler Busy: Preschool Lessons
Enter your child’s class. It is an image of order. Children sitting in circles listening intently to stories, groups of children bending over tables and diligently shaping playdough, others on the carpet carefully moving cars on mats with marked paths. I don’t understand, how do you do it? I’m so tied to mine How do you do it with mine and with 10 others? Here’s the simple secret way, give it a try and you’ll be one step ahead of those little feet.
1. Be prepared: put out a toy that says “play with me.” Either a train laid out on a carpet with the train about to enter the tunnel or a Lego sorted by color. Organize something your 3-year-old can’t resist. And once you do, don’t distract him, you’ll have a few minutes to fix that lunch box you deserve.
2. Change it: I meet many parents who say that they have a virtual toy store in their house and the children still ask for new toys. Preschool teachers often play the ‘swap a bin’ game with a neighboring class just to get dinosaurs for the day instead of farm animals. There you have it: new toys at no cost. The next time you have a bored toddler, swap a container with a mother, both of you will be grateful for it.
3. Make It Happen: Child development theories exist for a purpose. There is a natural reason why children prefer to play with empty plastic pots and pans and containers than with bowling pins. They see the adults around them wearing these items and they want to experiment too. Take a page from Reggio Emilia theories and surround your child with things they use every day: calculator, fridge magnet, old cell phone, cardboard box, even a pair of old shoes and watch them keep busy for hours.
4. Follow their interests: Today is the cars, tomorrow is the doctor, keep up with their interests. Talk to them about your latest favorite, and maybe even grab picture books from the library to keep it real. A budding reader starts early, those free but carefully chosen library books will give you an engrossed (and smart) little boy.
5. Sign up for blogs and websites – Teachers got the training, but you have the momentum. Why should there be chaos at home? After all, it is the same child. Keep it up to date by learning about new activities from teacher resource websites and blogs; there are many. Then watch her eyes sparkle as she makes fancy Christmas crafts and makes her own play dough.
These are just a few of the ways you can get that order at home. It takes work and planning like everything else, doesn’t it? But being prepared can fill up the time so you can get dressed or count down to bedtime. After all, he has done his best for the most part. When all else fails, you know you can take a little friend out on a play date and watch their eyes light up.
