'Toddler - ese' - Toddler activities

The everlasting  infinite endless eternal 'toddler -ese' courtesy sunshine. So he turned 3 but its not that its a dot in time or a new bubble in space to notice a huge change in them. whoever said at 3 they become boys from the little babies that they were. He is still this huggable, kissable & tantrum outburst at its best - little guy. He s' very much a Mamma s boy all ready to take a plunge into something new at the same time gets engrossed happily in all play activities i probably think its the lack of Television thats keeping him connected to other natural interests and to Mommy of course ;) Yes he does not have any frenzy for TV characters like the Starwars Hulk, or Batman or Superman :) (he does know Spiderman bcos spider is a bug and hes in the buga - boo mood these days ul know it soon, down in my blog). I know i know he might be missing those muscled mighty men characters and in fact one Mom (as usual the pressure from an  Indian Mom) who has a 4 year old told me switch on the TV and show this this n that that  their communication skills will improve they will pretend play etc etc well this was a tip for sunshine s' 3 year old birthday from her i agree with her but  i kind of paid a deaf ear to it later on  b'cos honestly we have no time for TV its summers and i can't hold on to my horses from stepping out and hitting the parks. Pennsylvania  is so so so beautiful ...the parks have a different energy altogether its not just about swings or slides but you have story time sessions at the park, some parks have a barn with farm animals, some have the relaxing sound of water fall or fountain and my boy has an amazing fancy for waterfall or fountain he loves the sound of the calm waterfall trust me i google on parks that have a pond or fountain or waterfall bcos it keeps my toddler way too busy. I love getting out as much as possible i dont care if its too sunny or raining a bit frequent chances to burn up energy and play in the fresh air keep your spirited toddlers in balance.

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces up,
snow oh wow its exhilarating, there is no such thing as bad weather 
just different types of good weather!! - John Ruskin

I live by this quote it defines me totally and i want my boy to be acclimatized to all sorts of weather.

........So TV has some more time for us maybe in the winter evenings. We prefer staying outdoors watching the bugs crawl, watching the aeroplanes fly, playing in the sand, identifying the changing leaves color,splashing water in the pool etc etc

Glaring at the calm sound of the fountain

eternal love for fountains

So what exactly is Toddler-ese ? There are many meanings to it : 

1)Three years old and a toddler - ese character - They are now old enough to have their attention span extended way beyond the 10 - 15 minutes span that they used to religiously follow at the age of 1 but now   they can stare at a waterfall or fountain for a bit pull out one of their toy and raise it up so that the toy feels the splashing water from the fountain or simply make their animal toy drink some water so a decent half an hour easily in one activity.

2)Toddler - ese oops they aren't distracted that easily if you thought so  - Now that they are 3 they are opinionated, verbal,  independant, agreeable (to some extent) engrossed and a lot more active as compared to early 2s. As early as 1 we could easily distract them with a toy or rattle when they are crying to change diapers or just crying you know but now you cant really distract them and disturb their attention  from the activity that they are engrossed in. Distraction can backfire it needs to be used thoughtfully if you distract them saying 'hey look outside there is a bird there'  when they are upset about a block building he built which just collapsed he might think you are not paying attention to their need. So here s a tip ~~
 Great communication really works. your 3 year old can easily understand you and can deftly use words to express her ideas to you hence its very important we communicate back in a manner without letting their feelings down and empathising towards them always.They do get upset if we want them to leave from the park especially when they are engrossed in a activity they know the rules but a tantrum can explode again they know they are not a baby but they also know they are not a big kid so good communication with a lot of gesturing, emphasis, phrases and repitition helps!! 
'
I know you love parks(empathy) and fountain oh the waterfall is indeed beautiful (empathy exagration) but we can come back tomorrow bcos its evening and Daddy gets back home to see you and its dinnner time  we are hungry too' (emphasis on the need of the hour)

3)Respect their choice do not underestimate them  - So three year old do have a emotional quotient so if they love doing certain activity do not get pressurised that the 'other 3 year old in the park is riding a bike so why cant you or see your friends are running up and down the slide why cant you'. Respect your toddler s choice if its playtime he will do whats best for his time he has a choice and we need to respect that choice, show you care about his activity with words, with actions if they need your attention for example - We know so many bugs by now ladybug, bumble bee, dragon fly, spider, butterfly etc etc and the excitement my toddler gets in spotting these bugs and watching them carefully my little einstein scientist that he is i encourage him guess what i got some bugs books for him, we got bugs stickers and made a bug - boo project sticking cutting etc and he loves the fact that Mommy is involved!! Respecting their choice and encouraging them boosts up their self esteem.

Bug - Boo project :)

this is our buga boo reading list for the next one year :)

And this is how my girafffe friend and I  get busy like the 'Bugs'

4)Don't mock or benate  - Especially after a tantrum outburst the little guy is upset all you can do is hug and repeat i know why you are upset, use positive words like you are strong and a big boy but mind you never mock or tease or make fun of them. It will either shrive her self confidence or make her dig in her heels and become even more defiant. I know many of us grew up with a phrase called ' Shame Shame puppy shame tell your blah blah okay i dont remeber it ... .so anyway if a kid is upset  either give him space or make him understand after hes calmed down but never 'Mock'

5)Toddler -ese  can also mean the best age for introducing montessori activities - What exactly are montessori activities? Its pure practicality they  love projects, feeling practical  life tools,natural learning, advanced pretend play all of this with freedom as long as your child is safe and using the freedom in a positive manner.No kid for that matter likes to be supervised when it comes to toys and tools. If they want to play with trains so be it dont tell them to use the truck instead bcos the truck is gifted by your Mom :) let them have the space and freedom to choose what they want to play with afterall their tiny brains are directing them what exactly they have to do for the moment. Independance and self directed learning are important goals of Montessori whether you are home schooling or they attend a school outside.


My Tip ~~I simply love the concept of hands on learning that montessori concept emphasises on - like preparing dinner,making flour dough he loves doing it  yes its official my boy loves kitchen set and cooking so be it its not compulsory that boys need to ride trucks and girls need to use a kitchen set. its an activity afterall!!

Dough making at its best!

And heres the master chef!!

another uniqueTool - we use it at our work station - its called 'The Number table mat'

Montessori tool - Large alphabet puzzle mat

balcony bloom - nurturing his little garden

natural learning  - Plants, trees, leaves, colors of the leaves, how do plants grow, how do we nurture them etc etc all of this can be taught to a curious three year old. Pick up a themes and just make it as natural as possible like shape of the earth, the World, The 4 seasons, planets, rains &clouds, shapes of the moon etc etc 

6)Time distribution for montessori activities  - I know we are all blessed with good resources and hence spend on our kids but its not about owning the toys and dumping it in a toy basket, organising and rotating and planning your day or week is a wonderful montessori concept.(pssst Im yet to master this art, i will do the planning part moreso in winters right now outdoor is our priority :)) but when we are home i do try to rearrange his toys or open a new toy or introduce him to some new concept from the toy etc etc  im currently setting up my toddlers room and my idea is to make a lot of DIY stuff from home waste and now is the time to label stuff and make them understand their toy station. We have a tray for blocks, animals, cooking toys, outdoor toys label them works wonders. easier to clean up too and encourage your child to clean up now this is the age!!Although my son has a beautiful school and they follow themes in their teaching methodology but what you can do at home is an added advantage and a lot of fun.

A friend gifted him a awesome pack of books - we made it into a 'The 4 seasons theme'  its not just about reading them but showing the practicality of each season!!

                                                                                                                And this is how we learnt 'summers' our fav season 

learning the world around us - tools used a mini globe, table mat size world map & some colorful numbers to number the continents & ocean !!

So wishing you all a  Happy Toddlerhood & its worth being noteworthy and be appreciable of the  'Toddler - ese' characteristics  in your house its all about bringing out the 'happy kid' quotient in your child... intelligence, smartness & other milestones will naturally follow. Happy Parenting and enjoy the journey of the gifted Toddlerland. Mind you toddlerhood may pass in the blink of an eye and very soon youl be packing some laughs and tustles as they set foot on the shores of childhood. I hope to pen down a lot so that i can recall all of this as my sunshine grows up....

Lots of Love,
Sunshine s Mommy
P.S Watch out for this space for more pictures & printables on montessori tools. 

its good to arrange a space for toys and tools in the living room too  we have a vehicles & books theme for this week

another book corner in the living room made from waste boxes