A Note on Time...

I've been thinking a lot about time. Having time for things like laundry, meal prep, keeping up with the house. Time for working out, self care, and friendships. Time for spending with my almost toddler, my husband and our dog. Quality time, nap time, bed time. All the times that make up our day. And then I was specifically thinking of time with regard to readiness skills and at home activities. I spent the weekend with my son at home and was coming up with ideas for him for sensory play, language development, music and books. This made me think of other working parents and the time they have to do all of these activities, and the pressure they might feel to "do more" to prepare their children.

So. I wanted to address this in a way that I hope helps! Supporting your child's learning doesn't have to be scheduled. it doesn't have to be about using flash cards or drilling the alphabet. You don't have to set aside time each day to "work" with them. As a working parent, I know that the evenings are busy- dinner, bath, bed, maybe extracurriculars or other obligations. It is SO important for parents to know these few things about "working" with their children.

1. Learning can happen at any time of day, even when doing things around the house (these are some of the best kinds!)

2. If you have to make dinner, allow your child to help measure or pour. Right there is fine motor skills and math. Unloading the dishwasher? Allow your child to help- carefully! No sharp knives please :). When they put the dishes away or sort them into piles, that's math. Same goes for laundry!

3. Activities don't need to be expensive or require a lot of materials. This weekend we made sensory dough with some baby rice cereal my son didn't like. I added some water and it made a sticky dough. Fine motor and sensory.

4. One that is really great on the go is listening to audio books with them in the car on the way to or from school. You can also listen to poems, rhyming songs, or anything with a beat to develop listening skills, language skills, and comprehension skills.

All this to say, I know it's hard to find the time. You have limited time with your children if you[re a working parent. You may need some new activities to keep them busy as a stay at home parent. No matter what your situation, you can help them learn every day!

And the best part, it doesn't have to be expensive, time consuming or a challenge to get them to sit down for learning. Keep following along for more activities coming your way.