Sharing the inspiration
My husband has a background working with children with disabilities and in the field of social work. I myself have a background in Elementary Education and business. We are not experts on parenting, nor are we perfect parents. Parenting has been the most challenging yet beautiful journey of our entire lives. I truly believe both of our backgrounds has prepared us in so many ways for this journey. We always joke when we say that when we left the hospital we were like, “Okay, what are we supposed to do now?” Thankfully, with the help of an incredible Pediatrician and our parental instincts kicking in, we made it all the way through two years. And to be honest, it is only getting more and more fun.
The 11 ideas for Toddler activities
We are sharing some ideas for toddler activities that have truly had an impact on our sons life over the past two years. We all have our own unique parenting styles and personal beliefs which is amazing. Plus, not to mention each child has their own unique personality, preferences, and abilities (I learned this right away during my time as a teacher). Take this inspiration and make it your own.
Music: Music is something my husband Matt and I have always loved. From classical to rock, to rap and jazz. I am musically gifted with singing voice, so music has always been a way I’ve connected and created. I started listening to my favorite classical song “Claire de Lune” a lot when I was pregnant. We also would listen to music form every genre. When my son was a baby, I would sing him Hamilton the musical songs before I put him down. We always had music lightly on in the background. One day when Luka was over 1 years old I started to sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” with him. I sang it slowly and tried to engage him. One day a week or so later, he started to sing it with me. He started to remember many other songs too.
It was a beautiful way for us to connect with Luka and for him to build language. I truly believe that listening to music and us singing to him has attributed to his vocabulary and awareness. All that aside, it’s just beautiful to sing and dance with a child. Not to mention a dance party is a good way to get a toddlers endless energy out. They have so much love and spark in their eyes. You do not have to have a singing voice or have any dance skills to engage your child in this way. Just be yourself, be silly, enjoy the special moments.
Family Time: When they say “it takes a village to raise a child”, they really do mean it takes a village! We have family and extended family that have helped us with Luka and have close bonds with him. These moments are special and cherished. If you don’t have family nearby, we are lucky to live in a time of Facetime. Enjoy Facetime with your loved ones, because your baby will remember their voice and faces when they see them in person. This has been a great way that Luka has built connections with friends and family and to engage his social interactions.
Interactions with other children: Nothing is more amazing than seeing Luka play and engage with other children. We try to schedule in ‘play dates’ with friends or family who have children of varying ages. Luka loves to engage with other children and we find thereafter that he picks up on new skills or words. It’s beautiful and helpful for his learning!
Experiences: Getting out of the house has been really important for us. We like to go to the Zoo, the Aquarium, Botanical gardens, Explora, the park, go on long walks, and there is a cool new place in town that is a play cafe Liv and Mimi’s Play Cafe pictured below. We love to go get a “coffee” aka steamed milk with Luka. There are so many special things that can be experience based. This is one of our most favorite ideas for toddler activities!
Local Library: The library is a fun way to get out of the house, change the scenery, and enjoy some books you don’t have already. You never know what you will find or who you will meet. The Library is cost effective.
Screen Time: Oh the age old screen time debate. All I have to say is the judgment for no screen time or judgment for screen time has got to stop. We all have different and unique circumstances and lifestyle choices. Neither way is wrong. I prefer a combination of both. Matt and I love watching a movie with Luka on the weekends. Luka also enjoys watching a 20 minute episode of his favorite shows in the afternoon. Most of the day Luka is playing, doing activities, enjoying outside, helping with house hold duties, etc. Miss Rachel on Youtube is hands down our favorite educational channel/show to watch.
Get outside: Being outside with you child in the fresh air is amazing. Luka loves to be outside. He loves collecting sticks and watching for airplanes. Being outside is an endless opportunity of learning. Toddlers can look and identify colors, listen for sounds, pick up leaves, watch lady bugs or butterflies, help with the garden, help water plants, etc. Even when Luka was not talking yet, verbalizing what you see and hear was a helpful tool for us to engage him in early learning.
Books: Luka loves books and always has. Since he was first born, we started to read him books and show him the pictures. One thing I learned in my undergraduate coursework was how to read a children’s book with voice and engagement. No shame, no judgment, just authentically read the book. Use different voices for different characters, get silly, annunciate, have fun. Not going to lie, both Matt and I get a little teary eyed when we read certain books with Lu. It is so beautiful. Right now he is loving reading books on his own and flipping through the pages.
Real Life Experiences: Going to the grocery store is crazy sometimes! Luka knows where all his favorite snacks are and sometimes we end up leaving with 20 dollars worth of snacks that were not on the grocery list. But the grocery store is an amazing learning opportunity for a child. I love to walk around the produce section and talk to Luka about all the different fruits and veggies. There are opportunities to model math by counting items as you put them in the cart. You can also review colors. You can also just go and have fun.
Getting Luka involved in other things like laundry and cleaning up spills has been really cool too. We also safely involve our son in making banana bread by mashing the bananas or helping us add the ingredients to the bowl and mixing. Or he will use his play sink from Lovevery kits and do the dishes on his mini sink while we do dishes. He also has a play set of pots and pans that he plays with while we cook. He loves to help out and be involved.
Yoga: I have been practicing yoga on and off since College. It’s been a transformative experience for my mind, body, and soul. Specifically with the breathing techniques. I love to do silly stretches with Luka like downward dog, snake pose, or even happy baby. We often times just make up poses and stretches and just get silly! I also model some basic breathing techniques. Luka loves to pretend to be a lion and practice a lion’s breath from traditional yoga teachings. There is no pressure to learn actual perfect yoga poses, it’s just a fun way to engage in some movement and very beginning stages of breathing and meditation techniques.
Activities with your Child your way
Ask yourself what do you love to do? Then ask how you can you safely involve your child in those experiences that bring you joy. Do ideas for toddler activities and things that make sense for you and that are obviously safe for you and your toddler (Please note that all these ideas are supervised by an adult at all times). This blog post is inspiration to spark ideas in your mind for fun things to do with your child. It’s amazing how smart children are if there is no judgment to be themselves and to enjoy the world around them. They are wide eyed and open hearted little souls ready to learn what we teach them. It’s a joy and a blessing. Hope you enjoyed this inspiration and just in case no one has mentioned it lately, you’re doing an amazing job!
