Kendra,
Hi- I was wondering if you had any ideas for a child who is 18-months-old. Some of these ideas on little hands [from the Preschoolers and Peace site] seem like things for 2 1/2 to 3-year-olds. Maybe not; maybe it is because I just haven't tried some of them yet.
Thanks-
Heather
Hi Heather-
I do have a few ideas for that age group, and all of them involve some sort of confinement :) I'm not a real believer in lots of freedom for little ones, so if that's not your style, you might want to ask someone else.
1. Table play- strapped into high chair or booster, you can fill a muffin tin with various snacks like cheerios, raisins, pretzels, etc. A little in each muffin cup- they love to sort and pour and snack. My dentist husband actually recommends gummy bears rather than raisins. Mini marshmallows are good, too. Obviously, you'll want to choose food you know won't be a choking hazard.
Blocks, crayons, Duplo, hot wheel cars, wooden puzzles, etc. can all be played one-at-a-time at the table.
2. Playpen time- 15-30 minutes for this age group. Only put in one or two toys. More than that is overwhelming.
3. Stroller ride- assign another child to give the 18mo a ride in the stroller around the backyard or anywhere else that is safe.
4. Signing Time, Baby Songs, or Praise Baby DVDs, but I would still have the 18mo in a playpen while watching.
5. Bathtub play- kill several birds with one stone: baby gets clean, stays busy in the bath, and if you take a book and the other kids in the bathroom, you can read aloud to all of them.
6. Play time with older sibling. I would put a gate up in a safe room and give them one project (like puzzles, blocks, trains, etc.) to work on together. Clearly define what it is they can and cannot do.
If your 18mo is used to lots of freedom, it may take awhile to get him/her used to being restricted. A lot of our frustration with this age group comes because we tend to follow them around in their wake, picking up messes and putting out fires. Now, if you have a "helpful" 5-year-old who thinks the baby is bored and gives them markers in their crib first thing in the morning, that's a different story. Ask me how I know :)
Peace,
Kendra
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And what I discovered this morning...
But that Magic Eraser, we really love!
I was searching through some of my blog archives looking for something when I came upon an answer I had given to a mom asking about how to keep her six-year-old occupied while working with her older child. It got me to thinking- I have never really written about the concept of constructive playtime.
Again, not original to me. My friend Colleen always would talk about our kiddos having constructive playtime, and I have used that term and concept since they were little guys. When a child has some amount of free time, I always tell them to find something constructive to do.
Here is the response I gave to the mom asking about her six-year-old:
"Does he like to role-play? How about having him set up a "store" that you and your other son can then "shop" in after you're finished? Or give him an old keyboard and some office supplies and let him play "office". Better yet, put him on something productive like making you lunch :) If you spend a day teaching him how to make a basic lunch or two, then he should be able to make it for you by himself (pbj, chips, fruit, yogurt, etc.) I'm sure you know all the good boy things like Legos, KNex, Lincoln Logs, Blocks, HotWheels, SuperMag, etc. All of those activities will strengthen his logic, math, and creativity. And how about an ongoing project like paint-by-number? Origami (great for math), simple woodworking, dough craft, puzzles. Rotate them- have Monday be painting day, Tuesday for puzzles, etc. Make it special by giving him a chart of some sort so he can be self-governing, too. I never want to give the impression that I am pushing my little ones away while the older ones are doing schoolwork with me. What activities can he do and still be near you both?"
Puppet shows are constructive!
And this was a "home" they created for a potato bug they captured. Very constructive!
Dear Kendra,
Quick question (or maybe not so quick) that I'd be interested for you to address on your blog when you have a chance. I've been reading more about starting homeschooling and over and over I hear that it is really better to just take it easy until the kids are a bit older (at least 6). Overwhelmingly I hear that focusing on character training and helping around the home are far more important than making sure they know all their numbers and letters, which I'm discovering they kind of pick up on their own. I know that your home school is fairly academic so I'd be interested in your opinion on this. And, I'd also be interested in knowing any ideas on character training for preschoolers. Perhaps you've already addressed this, if so please let me know where I can read about it. Thanks heaps Michele Dear Michele- This is a really great question. Undoubtedly when we were just starting out I would have had a different answer, but time and children have brought us to a place in our lives where we have a little seasoned perspective. Or maybe we're just getting old. On the one hand, I don't think you really need to separate the two. Academics bring out some of the best character training opportunities. While teaching a child to read, one has to acquire great lengths of patience. Oh, but you meant character training of the child, didn't you?
Really, there will be opportunities to teach your children stick-to-itiveness, long-suffering, humility, and patience. Pencil allergies and aversions to word problems must be overcome. Hanging in there and completing an unpleasant task, seeing even fun projects through from conception to clean-up, patiently hearing a younger sibling read veeeerrryyy slowly all help to form and shape character in our children.
On the other hand, there are some fun and deliberate things you can do to teach your children about Biblical character traits. And while there are some terrific tools on the homeschool market, you really don't have to spend a dime. You can make a list of all the Biblical character traits and color a poster of them together. You can feature a character trait per day or week and spend some time studying the subject. One year we made "character houses" for each child: I labeled a piece of paper with each one's name and as they exhibited a particular character trait, we wrote it down on a little rectangular piece of paper that served as a "brick". Brick by brick we built a house on their piece of paper.
Lastly, you asked about delayed academics. Yes, we believe that going slowly is the best way to teach. Actually, that's not quite true. We believe that going at the child's pace is the best way to teach. After all, that is one of the definite benefits of home education.
Let's put it this way: I can spend two years trying to teach my six-year-old the concept of statistics. But if I wait until that six-year-old is sixteen, he'll teach it to himself in two weeks. Make sense? We believe wholeheartedly with the Bluedorn's Ten Things to Do With Your Child Before Age Ten.
Peace!
Kendra
p.s. Michele dropped by my house to meet me when she was in the States a few months ago. We had a great time! Thanks for the Crunchies... we're all big fans of the hokey pokey. And I put the chocolate covered pineapple in the fridge- yum!
Christmas isn't about us. It's about a concentrated time to focus on the birth of our Savior. I was raised in a Christian home where my parents told us straight out that Santa was a myth. Christmas Eve candlelight services were de rigeur, and Christmas Day had us focused on the right thing. Still, I was a greedy little girl who thought mostly of the gifts. Just being honest!
We have done different things over the years to help our children see the unselfishness in Christmas, and to understand that it is ALL about Jesus our Lord.
There are several great Christmastime devotionals for the family that we have enjoyed over the years. Jotham's Journey, Bartholomew's Passage, and Handel's Messiah Family Advent Reader.
We've done shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, sponsored a child through Bridge of Hope, and sung at a local retirement community.
Lisa has "given" each of her children their own Compassion International child in their stockings- she was able to choose children with the same birthdays as her own, and now they have the privilege of writing to and praying for their little brother or sister in Christ around the world.
What do you do at Christmastime to emphasize the true meaning of Christmas?
A couple of you mentioned the stress that sending Christmas cards brings. Because of it, ten years ago we decided to send an annual 4th of July letter instead. I cannot tell you what a blessing this has been to me!
People always respond positively- seems they enjoy getting a "Christmas" letter mid-year.
These two are being raised like cousins. Maybe we'll embarrass them and put this on next year's card...
If choosing another holiday or time of year doesn't appeal to you, then by all means start to think about your cards now. Get them ordered if that's what you like to do, or design them and start cranking them out. At the very least, start addressing and stamping the envelopes! If you did ten a night, you'd have them finished in no time flat, and probably before summer's end. Then write personal notes in November and pop them in the mail December 1st!
Some places to order from or glean ideas: