October 23, 2007 – 9:13 pm
A toddler will learn more at age two than at any other time in their life. The childcare giver, be it Mom or someone else can influence and enhance that learning. Although you should try to spend as much time interacting with your little one by playing, reading, or any other form, sometimes it just isn’t possible.
What do you or the childcare provider do when in this situation? Maybe there are other children to tend to, or you have a work assignment that you have to get finished. Some television is ok, but it is not recommended to let them watch too much TV. Childcare experts will tell you this slows their learning. However, there are plenty of toys and activities that can keep your little one interested and occupied for short periods of time.
Every Mom, Dad, or childcare provider needs a moment here and there for a variety of reasons.
Toddlers love putting things in and taking things out. It is a learning process for them at the same time. You can buy toys like a container that has open slots shaped to fit different pieces that they will fit through the holes. There are many different types of toys like this on the market that you can choose from.
On the other hand, the parent or childcare giver can simply make them with things you probably already have around the house. Try an empty, plastic peanut butter jar. These are perfect sized for little hands. Clean it out with soap and water, and let it dry. Next find some small items (not small enough to put in their mouth and choke on, though), that they can drop in and dump out.
You can use the same container, and put a few different twists on it.
One, try gluing the lid on or ensuring in another way that the lid can not be removed. Before attaching the lid add in some small items that will create a nice rattling, or shaking sound. Pennies and dried beans are some good examples of what you can use. This will provide a new, interesting object that they can shake for noise and see the contents shaking all around.
Another easy thing for the childcare giver to do is use it for snacks. Depending on the age of your little one, the snacks will vary. Grapes are a great finger snack that is cool to the touch. These should be ok for two years old, but probably not a one year old. Just ensure you are in the same room in the small chance they do choke on it. You can put a few graham cracker pieces in it. A graham cracker usually breaks into four equal sections, and is the perfect size to fit into your peanut butter jar.
The next time you need a few moments to yourself try one of these simple, cheap ideas. Better yet, offer these ideas to the person you have appointed as the childcare provider. They will thank you for it!
Tags: baby care, babycare, child care, kid health, toddler, toddler entertainment, toddler fun
One Response to “Toddler Entertainment for Mom or Childcare Provider”
I would respectfully disagree with the notion that toddlers need to be ‘entertained’. Early Years practitioners are not trained to entertain young children, rather they are trained to help children develop and learn, to grow their independence and achieve their full potential. Surely this is also what we do as parents. The idea that we have to ‘entertain’ our children sounds to me far more exhausting than keeping a watchful eye on them while they discover the world for themselves.
By ProCEEd on Nov 9, 2007