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Our youngest children are a two and a half year old boy and a nine month old girl; a curious trouble maker chap with a keen sense for adventure and a crawler.
It can be a challenge finding ways to keep them occupied so I can homeschool our other daughter. I wrote down some ideas that have worked for us with hopes that you would benefit from them too. If you have anything to add to the list, feel free to share in the comments; I'm all ears!
Give them something constructive to do. Children like to feel useful. They feel empowered when given the opportunity to handle a dust pan or a rag "like a big person"! Often toddlers get into trouble simply because they're bored and lack a sense of purpose. Keep them occupied and train for future usefulness by giving them some responsibility. We let our toddlers engage in the following chores:
- Line up footwear neatly in the closet when coming in from outside.
- "When you take something out, you put it back." If they're big enough to dump all their toys, they're big enough to put them all away.
- Help Mommy put laundry in the washing machine or dryer (this works well if you have front-loaders. Top loaders are probably too difficult for them to reach).
- Sort laundry by colors.
- Fold wash-cloths, tea towels, socks, and small blankets (Our 3-year-old daughter loves to do this. Our almost 2-year-old's fine motor skills just aren't there yet).
- Dust baseboards.
- Bring dishes to the counter after they're finished eating.
- Straighten the hand towel in the bathroom after using it.
- Tuck chairs underneath the table after eating
- Use a hand-held vacuum to pick up crumbs
To help make chore-time even more fun and meaningful, I recommend using The Chore Jar by Kristy Howard. It's on sale for $2.00 until January 17.
... Read the rest at Free Homeschool Deals.
Homeschooling Day By Day: $4.99
$2.00 'til January 17! 40 Chapters (with Discussion Questions)
PDF Version:
KINDLE version:
For more ideas on how to build a homeschooling routine that works, managing multiple ages, and a glimpse of what it all looks like in reality, you might want to snag yourself a copy of the 40-Chapter thriving guide for homeschool moms: Homeschooling Day By Day. It's authored by eleven moms and is on sale for $2.00 until January 17! You can preview the Table of contents here.
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