Happy summer learnin’: Toddler edition
LAST week, I shared how we as parents should take that “big summer breath” before doing any summer school break planning. This time of rest, reflection and recreation is much needed and can energize us in planning a fun and meaningful summer for our kids. This week, let me focus on planning a play-based summer that is both fun and educational for your toddlers.
Toddler years start at 12 months and end before a child enters preschool, which is usually 36 months. I remember when my children were at this stage, especially with my firstborn, I initially felt the pressure with the amount of information I read. I was lucky to have realized early on that things can be simple, and that I needed to have a growth and even playful mindset with my children, so I do not pass the stress to them.
I pinned down and asked myself: What is our goal for my child and our family? I kept my goal intangible and simple. I want to have a happy learning family. I want all of us to enjoy our journey of loving and learning, as well as learning and loving... that it’s okay to make mistakes, even laugh at them, both as a child and as a parent, then try again. I think this mindset has guided my children, as well as us parents, on our quest to love learning.
I was raised in an environment where, as with many of us, the aim is to be perfect... to be the cleanest, the most proper, the best in our class and so on. So it is hard for us to ever imagine why you would like your child to be okay with imperfection. But our child’s world in the future is about change and the ability to thrive in it. So, I like looking at our summer as both my child and I honing this growth mindset as early as their toddler years.
At 12 months, I focused on multi-sensory development. At 18 months, I concentrated on motor as well as social and emotional development. At 24 months, I knew this was a very active stage. My son loved to imitate the things he saw or the sounds he heard. Since this is the age where life skills are best taught, doing things together, especially chores with our toddler, allows them to see the fun in helping out in the house. By 3 years old, I knew that this was an age of transitions, because they would be in kindergarten soon.
It is also good to share the lesson that I learned when my children were in Montessori. It is important for our child to listen to our instructions as parents and follow them, not the other way around. My child’s teacher then shared that if a child does not respect authority by age 2, it hampers the child’s learning because the child will not respect people trying to teach him. So, try to use the summer to also set “nonnegotiable” times. For example, washing our hands and brushing our teeth after a meal.
Below are my suggested baskets of Happy Learning Summer Activities for Toddlers:
1. Summer sensin’. Our child’s five senses are their gateway for learning. How much we are able to develop them in the first few years, gives our child a good head start. I recommend activities that use two to three senses at a time. I also like water play during summer because water naturally cools our body temperature, as well as our moods.
■ SWIMMING AND PICKING UP COINS. Prepare your inflatable pool, five pieces each of P20, P10, P5. First show them the coins, let them touch it, then throw them together in the water. Then speak to them clearly to hand you two coins of each kind.
■ MUSIC AND COLOR WATER PLAY. Have your Halilit xylophone, pool, paper cups/containers, and washable paints ready. Use your xylophone stick to ring any color. For younger kids, you can stick to primary colors. If you want to wow them with magic, you can ring a secondary color then let them guess what two colors to mix.
2. Summer buildin’. The toddler stage is about learning fundamentals like learning how to stack, sort, hold a writing instrument, basic numeracy and literacy. I always prepare three sets of play tools for this: My Favorite Learning Journey Match-it puzzles which has numbers and letters; Crayola My First Egg crayons and markers; clay, and I am so glad that there is finally a clay that is safe as early as for 1-year old – SES. We also used to combine baking with learning letters.
3. Summer lovin’. Socio-emotional learning (SEL) is important in the toddler years. I like fun activities that allow my child to produce their own unique work, even create a mess, without any judgment. Art, especially finger painting, was a big part of my children’s SEL or us writing notes with markers to say “good night” or “I love you.” Second, I also like doing pretend play especially cleaning. It is good there is a Melissa-and-doug child-size broom and mop.
Putting it all together, it is good to create routines out of these suggested activities. Usually we have morning, midafternoon, pre-bedtime bathing time— this is the best time for Summer Sensin’ activities. After a nap, your child is most alert. It is the best time for summer skill building and brain building activities. It is a warm and nurturing time to do Summer Lovin’ activities before dinner or before going to sleep.■