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Sunday, June 27, 2010

Summer with a Two Year Old!

Summer has been great so far! I am loving it! But I am also trying to get in to an easy routine with my 2 year old. We have some weekly events that we go to: Park outing with other moms from church, library visit to get new books, movies and play with their toys and puzzles, and a Pool party at my house (yes we have a pool). These activities are GREAT! We have a fun time doing all of them.

But I am looking for some ideas for activities that we can do around the house that focus on learning. Something we can do in the mornings when we wake up and are still in our PJ's. Right now we just sort of mosey around playing, making a mess, watching movies, going online... nothing really substantial... I would like to do something more constructive. I would like at least 5 ideas so that I can do them once a week.

That is where the Motley Moms come in. What are some of your go-to learning activities for toddlers?

9 comments:

Liz said...

I'm sorry, Fawnda. I've read your post about 7 times and I still can't think of anything! My 2-year-old is currently obsessed with puzzles. That's about the only "learning" thing we do around here, besides just talking about things that come up.

Fawnda@Fireflies and Jellybeans said...

Thanks Liz! We have some puzzles and my son has been getting into them too! I think that I will make that one of our activites! : )

Bryssy said...

I am totally a dork and have "before breakfast" activities for my kids. It's like they have a 6th sense for when I get out of bed - they will be up within 15 minutes. This morning I was up at 4:45 and they were meeting me sleepily at 5am. Generally, they are not ready to eat until about 8 am.

First, I have a "rest area" with pillows and blankets where they can lay back down and still be close by. Sometimes I lay down in it with them.

My 5 different activities are (in no particular order) are puzzles, blocks, cups (disposable cups that they can stack and unstack), stories/books on cd that they can "read," and free writing (blank paper and either markers, colored pencils or crayons). I generally put one of these activities at their place at the table. They can go to the resting spot or do their "work" while I try to wake up.

Right now, THE Princess and KOTJ are big into cooking with me. KOTJ mixes up the pancakes and THE Princess is the pourer and flipper. We do that around 8 am after a romp around the back yard at 7am. (It's about the only time it's a decent temperature here.) During breakfast we do a memorization & recitation and a story.

Nothing mind blowing, but it's generally quiet and allows me a few minutes to prepare for the day. I do laundry, dishes, wipe down the bathrooms, and get out our gear for the day during this time and it keeps them pretty occupied. They both LOVE the cups.

Fawnda@Fireflies and Jellybeans said...

Thanks Bryssy,
I am going to start to try some cookie with my little guy next week! and I know he will love the cups idea! : )

Lindsay said...

hmmm good question. My 2 yr old just does whatever I am doing with my 5 and 7 yr old. We are potty training so we have been reading a TON of books and singing songs while sitting on the potty, but she's 95% trained now so that is slowing down.

I do something with my girls out of the house every single day. On Mondays, we go to the library, on Tuesdays we go to the free movies at the mall, on Wednesday we go to Bok Tower Gardens (the older two have a class they are in but the 2 yr old just goes on a nature walk with me), on Thursdays we go to the park, on Friday we go swimming at my parents pool.

We are also doing a ton of art projects, make our own playdoh...and then playing with it, finger painting, making food (granola bars, pudding, jello, fruit salad, cookies for the firefighters.....) playing in the sprinkler. You get the idea

Everyday during the 2 yr old nap time, I have "school" with the older two, where we work through a workbook and practice reading (for the 5 yr old).

We stay very busy, which is the way I like it. :)

Fawnda@Fireflies and Jellybeans said...

Thanks Lindsay,
I too like to get out of the house almost everyday! :) We have a pool so we use that too!

I am really excited to start cooking with my son... I think that he will really like it... thanks for the great ideas for starter recipes!

Donna said...

Our kids love to build and create first thing in the morning. We have an arts-n-crafts stash just for them with paper (several types), markers, colored pencils, crayons, glue, safety scissors, and random reusable things like paper tubes, boxes and whatnots.

Two-year-olds love making shaker toys. Small plastic drink bottles, rinsed and labels removed, and large 2-liters are fun to fill with beads, beans, rocks, or whatever you find together. Use a funnel so he can help fill-er-up. Then squeeze some glue inside the cap and twist it on tight. He's ready to jam!

I always kept the kids' things in "centers" so it kinda made sense when they wanted to find a toy or put it away. Sometimes I would invite them into a specific center for 5-10 minutes at a time (go with his timing, but keep it moving) and then help them clean it up so they could learn how things get put away. Of course, when they're two, they still require a lot of grown-up "help" when they play and clean up and it's tiring. Especially when you're still trying to wake up!

Good luck and have a fun summer!

Smita Srivastava said...

Hello ,
Came across ur beautifully written article -Succeeding As a Mom, Take 1001... while serching for parenting tips ..
Loved ur lil tips too ...

- Smita
@Little Food Junction

Fawnda@Fireflies and Jellybeans said...

Thanks Donna for some more fun ideas! I am looking forward to doing some of them!

Welcome Smita to Motley Moms! Thanks for commenting! :)