Monday 2 December 2013

Toddler Fun - Introduction

People almost always exclaim in amazement when they hear I have eight children. The comments usually run along these lines:
  • You are so brave. (whatever that means - I talked about what I think about that statement here.)
  • You must be busy. (really? I thought that's what being a mom whether you have one, two, eight or fifteen is all about.)
  • How do you do it? (I love this one. Do they really want a rundown of my day.)

To the last question I usually reply that I only add one baby at a time so I just work them into our schedule. That being said some are easier to work in than others. And let me tell you Baby #7 was challenging from the very start. Here I thought I was a seasoned mother who knew everything. Baby #7 taught me differently. From the very beginning he hated change of any kind. He's getting better as he get oldesr but this will always be an aspect of his personality. When I say he hated any kind of change that includes changing from being awake to asleep and vice versa. Think about how many times a baby goes to sleep in his first year. I walked and walked and walked because that was the only thing that kept him calm - falling asleep next to me. My standby of nursing didn't help because as the nursing soothed him to sleep he would start to cry because he didn't like that feeling. Walking was more soothing to him.

School was hard too. My older children would often finish an assignment then walk the baby while I marked it. Now he's toddler and he does not particularly like toys or playing by himself. That has made school very challenging. I started to see on the internet moms who were planning activities for their toddlers while they homeschooled older children or just to get some learning in with their little one. I started to collect ideas and implement them. This week I'm going to share with you the things we like to do and a giveaway to get you started on a set of activities for your little one(s).

Please feel free to share any activities you and your toddler or preschooler enjoy. We are always looking for new activities.



17 comments:

  1. I find my youngest (of 4 girls) just wants to join in with the activities of the older girls - some things have to be modified slightly to be more suitable but on the whole she does a good job!

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    1. We do that too, but during school time I need activities for my toddler while the older ones do their school work. Children are amazing at what they can handle. Often it's more than we would normally think they could do. :)

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  2. Naomi Armendariz2 December 2013 at 12:56

    Hi Jennifer,
    We have a whole crop of toddlers at church right now (5) and the parents of three of them (the other two would be too young) are interested in getting them started in some kind of learning preschool next year, and (thank goodness) public school or daycare is not an option any of them are willing to consider. Natalia, my sister and I are all trained teachers, and the parents want to know about starting a Christian school. But first things first - teaching three year olds.

    I look forward to reading your posts this week; they will be a great help and an answer to prayer. The Lord knows I was wracking my brain on how to plan for next fall since I've never regularly taught children this young.

    Any other help you might be able to offer would be very greatly appreciated!!!

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    1. That's nice for your church, Naomi. I have a Pinterest board called "Busy Bags" with some more ideas. You could also do a search on Pinterest and/or Google using the words "busy bags" and will probably be overwhelmed with the amount of ideas out there.

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  3. I don't remember what I did with my toddler while I was teaching - now she is in school :) My brain doesn't hold things very long haha - I get all those questions too to which I usually reply - well my sister has 8 - hahaha - kind of getting the attention off me ;)
    At work, the ladies brag on me that I homeschool and work but I'm always quick to remind them that I have a husband who LOVES to clean and kids that are great at helping. That being said, I'm looking forward to being home full-time again as cooking, laundry and making our clothes besides homeschooling DOES take a lot of time :) How's that for rabbit trailing from toddlers - haha

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    1. For sure we can't do it all on our own. And to get back to toddlers :) they can do small chores - put away silverware, fold kitchen cloths, match socks, etc. which would also qualify as activities for keeping them busy. :)

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  4. I wish I had children - just one would be nice :) I love that you have such a large family - lots of love in your home!!

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    1. Thanks, Renee. I wish that for you too. There is a lot of love in our home. Of course, there's a lot of fights and mess too, but I figure you can't have one without the other. :)

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  5. I only have one child; however, I have nine girls in my Sunday School class (ages 4 to 7) and it can be quite challenging sometimes. I definitely have to pre-plan our time together to keep their attention. Overall, they are adorable and a source of great joy.

    Rachel recently posted How to Find Your Focused Niche

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    1. Nine girls will keep you busy. Almost all the children in our church are boys. Enjoy the adorableness.

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  6. I can somewhat relate to you, since I'm a sister to 8 kids. My favorite way to entertain my younger brothers and sisters is cooking projects---even my 3-year old sister get's a kick out of "helping" make things she can eat!

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    1. I agree - helping in the kitchen is a great activity for little ones.

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  7. Whenever you write these entries I just want to squish that boy!! :) But you've really inspired me to get on the ball with Teddy more and now Lizzy who will be two in only three short months!!! *gulp*

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  8. I think this would be a great activity for my son do with his dad (who currently stays at home to care for him... and our youngest who is 2 months). sometimes I worry he doesn't have enough time for these kinds of activities and will be behind once he starts daycare. my first son is almost 2 (22 months) so I'm still unsure about scissors! lol

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    1. My little guy is 32 months, but I still watch him when he has scissors. You could let you son tear paper. They like doing that too.

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