A little bit of playtime can go a long way!
If you have little ones, here’s a tip you can put into practice during summer break! This summer, train your little ones to have a 20-30 minute playtime alone in a designated safe area at least once daily. For really young ones, the playpen or the crib can serve as the designated area. For kiddos aged 3 or older, a gated play area can work well. For kiddos closer to school-age, playtime in their bedroom can be an option.
What can the kiddos do during this designated time?
During playtime in the designated area, we had certain toys for the child to play with during that time. When the kids were younger, we kept those toys/books in 5 lidded storage tubs numbered days 1-5. Each day, we just pulled out the next numbered tub. We stored the tubs under our bed. When the kiddos got older, we listed safe toys from our playroom on index cards numbered 1-5 instead. We placed the index cards on a ring on our fridge. We flipped to a new card each day to know which toys to set out for playtime for that day.
Focus on getting your young ones to have some playtime alone in a safe space.
There are many different variations you could use to accomplish this goal. The focus needs to be on the little one having a bit of playtime alone in a safe environment. This is so helpful during the school year and makes for a happy little one and a happy mama! Don’t despair if the training takes some time. Just remember you are training for the future.
Blessings,
Carrie
PS: Looking for more ways to utilize playtime to keep your days running smoothly? Check out this Teaching Tip!
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Perfect timing!
Just started school back up this week (we break from Mothers Day to Father’s Day). I was bemoaning the fact that my toddler just outgrew the playpen due to potty training. My husband suggested using “kindness corral” ( gated hallway) for the 2 and 4.5yo. Love the tips for making it fun for them.)