4 Ways to Help Focus Your Toddler’s Energy
When you are a parent, one of your biggest responsibilities is to ensure they get the best possible education. Many parents – especially working moms – are placed in preschool programs. According to We Have Kids, when children begin their education in their toddler years, it helps prepare them for the educational and social experiences they will have in elementary school. According to Playground Ideas, toddlers can best be educated in play based preschools.
Play activities can be valuable when included in toddler programs. Toddlers can gather information about nature, other children, and their own abilities when they play. That’s why many preschools today are stressing a curriculum that includes play based learning activities. For example, a game of Musical Chairs involves learning numbers, rhythm and physical coordination.
Ask your toddler’s preschool teacher about which cognitive concepts are being emphasized, so you can build on those concepts, at home. If you have questions about how the preschool is using play-based education, go to your child’s school and watch them as they learn and play. If you want to reinforce the learning concepts, you might begin using play based parenting.
Toddlers have incredible amounts of energy. It can be really amazing watching them run around like madmen all day long. They never stop. They aren’t being bad, necessarily, they are just curious and have more energy than we could ever wish for. So, how do you channel something like that? Here are a few ways to help you focus your child’s energy into something good.
Fitness Classes
Anything like gymnastics classes for kids or dance classes or something like that would work. Fitness classes doesn’t just mean work out programs although there are kids exercise classes in some gyms which is also a good idea. You could also enroll them in some sort of tumbling class or a sport of some kind as well. This will not only help to get out all that energy but it will also help them to learn coordination and how to control their bodies. Swimming is an excellent way to tucker out those little ones. For some reason, learning to swim really tires people out, not just kids but adults as well. It might have to do with the sun, it may have to do with the full body workout, but whatever the case, you’ll have a quiet afternoon after a morning of swimming or some other type of fitness classes.
Sensory Activities
If you can find something that your child likes to do, even the most active child will settle down. A lot of times, energetic kids are just bored and need something to do that’s different than their every day toys and habits. There are plenty of ideas online that will help them learn about different things. You could make slime, cut out shapes with play doh, teach them to thread pipe cleaners through a strainer or make moon sand. Whatever it is that your kid loves to do, you’ll find it if you keep playing with different sensory activities with them. While these ideas will not get out the energy that toddlers have, it will focus it and get their little minds and brains working in wonderful ways. It will also keep them out of the cupboards and your hair.
The Park
Some kids just can’t stand to be home for long periods of time. The park is a great place to let it all loose. Find a park that is fenced in so that your child can run around to their heart’s delight without fear or running off into the street or somewhere where you can’t see them. It’s important for kids to go outside and explore nature and if they can blow off some steam while they’re at it, then it’s a win/win. Parks are a good idea because they usually have bathrooms, kid friendly play areas and wide open spaces. You could make it even more fun by organizing fitness classes in the park or arrange a scavenger hunt or treasure hunt for them.
Play Dates
Find a mommy group that meets weekly at different kid friendly places. This will be just as great for you as it is for them. They’ll get the chance to interact with other children and learn some great social skills and you’ll get to talk with other moms and adults who are in the same boat as you. You may even get some great parenting tips and ideas to try out with your little ones. One of the best things about a play date is that you don’t have to worry about figuring out where to go. There is usually one or two people in charge that will pick and place and time and if you can make it then it’s a go and if not, well, try again next week. It’s just as important for your to get some time out of the house, with people going through the same things as you as it is for your children to be around other kids and run out that energy.
If you don’t focus your toddler’s energy you will end up frustrated and upset at them and at everything around you. Your child is doing nothing wrong but it’s easy to get frustrated when they seem to be everywhere. Learn to enjoy your kids by capitalizing on the energy that they have. More like this article.
