Teach Them Young

Did you know that August 9th is International Day of the World's Indigenous People? It's one of the special dates I listed in this month's newsletter, and I feel it's important to actually do something with our kids to recognize this day. Below is a list of ideas to do with your toddler: Paint and craft with nature Listen to music by Indigenous artists…...

teachthemyoung23.com

We hear a lot about sensory play, but what exactly is it? Why is it important? And how can you expose your 0-12 month old to it? These are all great questions, so let's dive right in. What is sensory play? Sensory play is when your child's senses are stimulated. This means that your child is engaged in an activity that stimulates sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, vestibular, or proprioception....

teachthemyoung23.com

Hey y'all! Being a busy, working mama of two I know what it's like to feel overwhelmed by all of the things you want to teach, show, and expose to your child. I often hear (and feel this myself), "When do I have the time to teach my child x, y, and z?" The answer is you don't always have the time to do things the way we are sometimes made to feel like we need to do them....

teachthemyoung23.com

You might be thinking that toddlers are too young to have chores, but I'm here to tell you that it's never too early to start implementing chores with your little ones. I find that the word "chores" comes with a negative connotation, like it's almost yucky to say. But the definition of chores is "a routine task, especially household ones". Routines are so, so important for everyone, but for toddlers especially....

Why Are Chores Important for Toddlers? - teachthemyoung23.com It's never too early to start implementing daily routines (aka chores) with your toddler. Read more to find out the benefits.

Let’s talk about planning and scheduling.

There are so many things to keep track of and remember as a parent. So we’ve implemented a few systems to help:

▪️Weekly planner - I use this for myself to outline dinner each night, goals for each day, and habits I’d like to create.

▪️Dry erase board - this is hanging in our kitchen. We write things like the time our kids are given medicine or items that need to be added to the grocery list.

▪️Calendar - this is also hanging in our kitchen. This is where we keep track of things like doctor’s appointments, birthday parties, or work obligations.

Having a space to dump our thoughts out in an organized way takes away from the constant mental overload. Plus it lets us all be on the same page.

How do you keep track of your schedule?

Popcorn - maybe the easiest way to teach your toddler science.

As a busy parent, you may find it hard to find the energy or time to educate your child, but I’m hear to tell you that it doesn’t take as much effort as you may think.

An example of this is popcorn. Showing your toddler how popcorn goes from a kernel to the thing you can eat when heat is added is a super simple science lesson that takes no time at all. Plus you’re making a snack at the same time!

This is a lesson that Andee has been fascinated by time and time again.

Finding simple lessons like this in everyday life is what is all about.

Give a little double tap if little lessons like this one are something you want more of.

Happy four months to my sweet boy!

This time of year is pretty big for me, and stands out as the light I needed when everything felt so dark.

On January 2, 2022 I unexpectedly lost my grandpa. Then I found out I was pregnant at the end of February after trying for 6 months only to be heartbroken with a miscarriage that started on March 4.

My world was rocked at that time, and if it wasn’t for Andee, I don’t know how I would have gone on.

I didn’t know if I should try again for another baby. I didn’t know if I could mentally, physically, or emotionally handle it.

But then on April 23, 2022, a day before my birthday, I found out I was pregnant again. I was too nervous to be overly excited, and honestly that’s how the whole pregnancy was for me.

But here we are, four months in with my rainbow baby. He is the sweetest, most gentle and calm baby, and exactly what I needed.

I’m sure my grandpa who James is named after, is holding our miscarried baby tight for us so that we can have James in our arms here on earth.

I’m forever grateful to be his mommy.

💙

After not being able to breastfeed my first baby, I really wanted to try with my second.

I was so happy when it worked with my second, but decided to stop after 12 weeks.

But why? Well, my friend, you’ll have to read my blog post (link in bio) to find out.

Regardless of how you decide to feed your baby, know that I am rooting for you!