Fall Fun with Toddlers, Even with Covid Restrictions
One of the side-effects of covid and restrictions has been our children not getting to experience things in life that teach them about life. For instance, going the store and church and play dates all teach our little ones how to interact with others, but covid has kept them from doing many of those things. If you have raised your children, you know how important it is to be able to function in life in many different areas.
I talk a lot about intentional parenting and grandparenting and it is so important to be intentional in what we teach our children, but all of us learned life lessons even when our moms and dads weren’t being intentional. We learned the value of money by watching mom in the grocery store. We learned how to speak kindly to the salesperson behind the counter at the mall. We learned to wait our turn from play dates at the park. We learned to sit quietly at church and to entertain ourselves when necessary. So many life lessons come from life itself and in the last two years, for many, life has been within the walls of their house.
Today I want to talk to you about getting your toddlers out and give you some things we do with ours as suggestions.
There is no easier time to entertain a child than when they are toddlers. Toddlers are so excited about everything, and it doesn’t take much to make their day special and give you, the mom or grandma, something new to do with your day.
A few weeks ago, we literally had two hours, so we headed to our local zoo. Two hours to a toddler is a lifetime but to us parents and grandparents, not so much that it requires a huge commitment. Since the zoo is outdoors, we didn’t have to wear masks. YAY! We looked at the animals, fed the bird, and rode the train and we were done. This was after most of us had worked at our jobs for most of the day.
Another thing we love to do in the fall is story time at the library. If you haven’t discovered story time at your local library, I suggest you check it out. It’s the perfect way to introduce your “littles” to books, which is great, but it also introduces them to important steps to growing up. Steps like sitting still, listening to a teacher, coloring, and interacting with friends.
This is my third generation to take to story time and I still love it. Our local library opened when my kids were toddlers. I heard about story time and was more than ready for a place for my kids to have someone talk to them besides me. Then when the grandkids came along, off we went to the library. Now, I have great-grandkids and I’m back for a third time.
Once fall hits and the temperatures drop, you might be looking for indoor activities and this one is perfect. Our local one starts at 10:30 and is over at 11:00. We take about 30 minutes to color and look at the books in the library, then it’s time for lunch. By the time the little ones get home, it’s nap time and mom can enjoy some a needed quiet time. We do have to wear masks at this point, but hopeful that won’t last long.
Of course, the park is a great way to spend the day too. Our local park has a section just for toddlers. The adults can just sit and watch the fun. We try to go at least once a week with our littles. It’s a great way for us to get our steps in too as we explore the park from end to end with toddlers in strollers.
Another idea is ice cream! And this one can be paired with all the others. Who doesn’t love ice cream and we usually think about it as a summer treat but fall ice cream is just as fun! We recently took our two-year-old for his first ice cream cone. Yes, it was messy but so fun to watch him enjoy this treat.
If you have toddlers, I hope you venture out and let them experience new things, even if it’s just going to the grocery. No, they won’t remember any one specific thing but experiences teach and train even if we (because we were once toddlers) don’t remember all of it.
Hugs, Chrys
