I need activity ideas.
I don’t know what to do with my baby all day.
I feel like I am not doing enough to entertain my todder.
Have these thoughts crossed your mind ever?
If they have…you are not alone.
I hear these questions from the clients that I work with daily.
Parents of Young Children are Feeling Stressed
I have been working in early intervention with babies and toddlers since 2012.
I am also a mom of two young children myself.
Being a parent of a baby or toddler is stressfull…no doubt….but are we adding unnecessary stress in our lives by feeling inadequate because we are not doing enough?
If you type in “baby activity ideas” or “toddler learning” into Pinterest you will find tons of ideas.
Most of these activities require parents to plan gather materials, help assemble something, and plan time in our day for said activity.
Do these activities encourage child development?
Sure.
There is nothing wrong with doing these activities if you both enjoy them.
But…if there is nothing more you would rather do than delete all of our Pinterest boards surrounding crafts and activities then keep reading.
How Young Children Learn Best
Babies and toddlers are interested in the people that surround them and their environment.
Everything is new to them so we really don’t need much to motivate them because of their natural curiosity.
Take a minute and notice how much your little one watches you.
They may even try to imitate what you do or say…almost exactly!
If we know that us as caregivers are motivating for our little ones then including them into our daily routines and chores can be an exceptional way to get things done and promote learning.
Teaching Babies and Toddlers Through Daily Routines
When I first started working in early intervention we would focus the therapy sessions through play.
We would bring toys out in a bag and sit and play with the child for an hour while focusing on embedding skills that we are targeting.
Play is an AMAZING way to teach little ones but it is not the only way.
Within my first years of becoming a developmental therapist, I attended a training that was life-changing.
We focused on how to coach parents on ways to encourage learning through daily routines.
Instead of their children receiving one hour of therapy with me they were able to receive therapy all week long because their parents were using the strategies in daily routines that were meaningful to them and their little ones were making progress because of it.
After having my own children I realized that these strategies were not only wonderful for children in early intervention but it was an amazing way to teach any child while keeping pressure low as a parent.
Teaching Babies and Toddlers Through Daily Routines is the Most Effective Way to Promote Child Development
So why is this the most effective way to teach little ones?
Let’s talk about it.
If we are mindful about what we are doing during our routines we can embed strategies in them and your little one will get lots of practice because routines are repetitive!
In order to for your child to learn a new skill, they need lots of practice.
For example…let’s think about diaper changes.
It is something we do EVERYDAY with our little one…and multiple times.
Many times we just go through the motion…I mean your just changing a diaper right? Who cares?
What if we were to pick one skill that we wanted to focus on just when we are changing diapers…since we will be doing it anyways.
Let’s say we want to encourage language development.
What could we do during that routine to encourage language development?
We know singing is one of the BEST ways to encourage both expressive and receptive language development.
So if you were to just sing one song every diaper change what would happen?
You would become more present during this care task.
Your baby would hear words many times which is crucial for expressive language development.
If do this every diaper change….your child is getting LOTS of repetitive practice.
We don’t need to plan a bunch of other activities to promote learning because you would just use strategies like this throughout your day.
Read more about why utilizing daily routines can promote development here.
Boost Your Child’s Development All Day long
When shifting your mindset from activity-based learning to teach throughout routines start small.
Start with one routine and one skill.
As you get more comfortable you can add other routines paired with other strategies.
Here are some other examples of routines that can be perfect learning opportunities for little ones:
- Laundry
- Feeding/meals
- Grocery Shopping
- Bathing
- Kitchen Time
- Car Rides
- Storytime
For more evidence on how powerful learning through daily routines is click here.
When to Start Teaching Babies and Toddlers
When should you start routine-based learning with your little one?
You can start whenever you like…even from birth!
Routines will always be part of your life.
They may look different over the years but they will always be there.
What strategies you use with your child will change as they get older but the concept and method of teaching remain the same.
Start Promoting New Skills Today
If you feel drawn to this method and but would like a bit of support I can help.
I have been doing this for years as an early childhood teacher but I also use this method to teach both of my own children.
Over time I have come up with many ideas on how to encourage learning from birth to age three.
I have put together a parenting resource that will help you understand child development and also give you simple ideas and strategies on how to embed learning through daily routines and play in all areas of development such as:
- Cognitive
- Language
- Motor
- Self Help
- Social Emotional
Who is this resource for?
If you are a parent of a child that is from the ages of birth to age 3 then this is designed for you.
If you are looking for a way to stop feeling stressed about planning activities and crafts all day to teach your little one then this will help.
I have an Inspire Learning Course & Calendar set for both babies and toddlers….you can also get both HERE.
Grab your FREE Milestone Guide HERE.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is never too early or too late to start teaching your baby. Use daily routines and interactions to help your baby learn all day long without adding stress to your life.
Babies are very interested in their environment as everything is new to them. You can stimulate cognitive skills by including them in your daily activities in ways that are developmental appropriate.
Kayla O’Neill has a master’s degree in education as well as a bachelor’s degree in special education with an emphasis in early childhood education. She has been working as a developmental therapist with babies and toddlers in early intervention since 2012. She is also a mom with two young children.