Tag Archives: Toddler Fun

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Memory

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Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory & Collecting Matching Cards
Playing Minion Memory & Collecting Matching Cards

One of my favorite childhood games to pass the day away either by myself, with my siblings and mom or friends was “Memory.” Now, it is one of my favorite games to play with my two and a half year old daughter, and it’s becoming one of her favorite games too. Though the game is for ages three and up, she quickly grasped the concept, and after dinner she’ll ask, “Can we play the Minions Memory game please?”

When I played it as a youngster, I did not think about the cognitive aspects of the game, like sharpening my memory and the critical thinking and strategizing associated with the game. I was just focused on winning and finding the most matches. That seems to be Quinn’s focus too as she sometimes sneakily and sometimes unabashedly turns over multiple cards hoping to find a match. But it pleases me to know that this is a wonderful game for her cognitive development and for us to have some mother/daughter bonding.

Playing games with children, especially with my young daughter is tricky because I am not only teaching her the game but want to help her develop confidence in playing it. Since there are nearly fifty cards, we usually do half so that the game is not too long and to ensure that finding matches is not too daunting of a task for her. Then, I hold back and allow her to win. When she does collect more matching cards than I do, her little face lights up, her hands start waving as she holds on to some of the cards, and she dances around cheering, “I won, Mommy! I won! Guess what, Daddy! I beat Mommy at the Minion Memory game! I must admit, however, that Quinn is getting better and better, and I have a feeling that she will be beating me at memory in no time without me “helping” her to win.

All the best,

Tanya

I “Heart” Projects with My Sweet Little Girl

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Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project

Many people focus on how commercialized Valentine’s Day has become or use it to demonstrate the intimate and romantic love they may have for a significant other. While I do make a conscious effort to show love year round, I am grateful to experience the love of my daughter through togetherness and doing special Valentine’s projects together. For this project in particular, we purchased a heart person kit at Target which my two and a half year old selected because she really loved the rainbow hair.

She could not wait to get started. I loved it because the project was a great way for her to follow directions and demonstrate that she knows all of the parts of a face and where they belong. When we finished, she immediately insisted, “We have to show my heart with the crazy rainbow hair and moustache to Daddy! Please, Mommy!” As she went to show it to him, Quinn asked me, “Do you think Daddy will love it?” I responded, “Of course he will!” Her dad smiled and told her that she did such a nice job and that he loved it. She then asked if we could hang it up for everybody to see. I just love doing these projects with my little girl. It’s these sweet moments that I hold near and dear to my heart.

All the best,

Tanya

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Play Dough Crazy Cuts

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Quinn making crazy hair
Quinn making crazy hair

When I was younger, I loved sculpting, molding and building what I believed were masterpieces out of play dough. I was consumed for hours, and my two and a half year old daughter is no different, so Santa brought her a new play dough set, “Crazy Cuts,” for Christmas.  Just about everyday she will ask, “Can I do some play dough hair cuts today with the barber chair, Mommy?”

What makes this set so great is that it helps with her dexterity and pincer skills because it comes with little plastic scissors, and plastic razor, hairstyle molds and little people to do the hairstyles with, and she has to turn the crank so that the little people can grow hair. It has even enhanced her vocabulary as she refers to the barber tools by name and will ask for specific colors to create her hair masterpieces.

One of the drawbacks is that when Quinn is ready to give one of the little people a “haircut,” little play dough pieces have a tendency of going everywhere, but I easily remedied this by putting a mat under her desk to catch any loose play dough “hairs.” Then we can collect them with minimal fuss. If you are looking for a fun toy not just for your child but maybe even from your own childhood memories, consider the play dough barber chair. It only cost Santa $11.99.

 

All the best,

Tanya

Mommy’s “Must Have” Monday (Spanish for Kids)

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Quinn Watching the Spanish DVD

As a parent, I want the best for my daughter. I want her to be well-rounded and to have fun learning. I also want her to embrace diversity and be versatile as an adult. English is my first language, so I was looking for a resource to assist me with teaching my daughter Spanish when she was just about a year old, I purchased a Spanish for Kids: Early Language Learning System through Amazon. Though some people may scoff at the hefty price of $64.99, it comes with four DVD’s, a music CD, a book, flashcards, games and apps. When I first opened the package, I was expecting it to have a better presentation for the money, but once I got beyond judging it by its cover and began playing the DVD’s and following up with the flashcards with my little girl, we both were hooked. The DVD’s are entirely in Spanish, but Quinn knows what is going on from the context clues.

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Quinn Showing off Her Spanish Skills

Now, it is a year and a half later, and I am very impressed with my daughter’s Spanish vocabulary. While she does not always pronounce the words correctly, she can identify several animals, body parts, household items, colors and numbers and loves singing along with some of the songs, especially “Caminemos de puntitas.” I actually think this would be an excellent resource for a teenager or even an adult who wants to learn Spanish. This is definitely one of mommy’s must-haves!

All the best,

Tanya

Here’s a little video of Quinn displaying her skills:

 

Bounce with Me Big Girl!

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Two weeks ago, I posted a blog entry about how much fun my little girl has jumping on the bed. She’s full of energy, giggly, and whenever she’s in a “I’m two and a half and I’ll whine if I want to mood,” jumping around always puts a smile on her face. I ended the post saying, “One of the ways to counter a tough day or to get rid of some negative energy is to kick off our shoes, jump around, be silly and laugh.” Yesterday, we were able to do just that at my niece’s first birthday party at Bounce U.

Admittedly, I was just as excited if not more excited than Quinn as we bounced around together, climbed through obstacle courses, up ladders and slid down the huge sliding boards. I got a good sweat going, had a heart rate of 164 at one point, according to my Fitbit, which was actually a plus for me. I got to have fun with my daughter while working out. Now that’s an idea: a facility that has parent and child trampoline and bouncing workouts, not just for birthday parties. I’d love it if my little girl and I could do something like this once, twice or even three times a week. I think she would love it too because it was tough getting her to “bounce” on out of there when it was time to go home.

All the best,

Tanya

Snow Much Fun with My Little One

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2016-01-23 16.42.51I hate snow! I’m not stepping one foot outside of my house! What’s there to love about snow? I have to get out there and shovel! These are some of the comments I’ve seen from people on social media, and I couldn’t disagree more. While I don’t necessarily like the short fuses many people have over parking spaces and getting stuck behind that person who is afraid and doesn’t know how to navigate in the snow, I do enjoy having fun with my daughter and the exercise that I can get out in the snow.

About a week and a half ago, we had some flurries, and my two and a half year old’s eyes widened as she excitedly asked if we could go sledding outside. She was so disappointed when I told her there just wasn’t enough snow, so yesterday when we got our first real snowfall, two feet of snow (maybe a little more), Quinn could not wait to go outside and use her sled for the first time.  We both put on our snow gear, headed outside with her little sled and we both had a blast. She had fun slipping and sliding and giggling, and I got a little exercise pulling her up and down the block.

Now, we both are looking forward to the snow stiffening up some so that we can build a snowman together. I’m hoping this can be one of our activities this week. I could easily join the masses of people who hate snow, but the love and excitement my daughter has makes that difficult to do. I am so thankful that she brings out the child in me and lets me have fun in the snow, even when I’m shoveling it.

All the best,

Tanya

One Little Toddler Jumping on the Bed!

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Quinn Having A Blast Jumping on the Bed

Who doesn’t know about the five little monkeys jumping on the bed? If you grew up in the 90s, you probably got hype to the hit song “Jump” by Kriss Kross or “Jump Around” by House of Pain. There’s something fun and exhilarating about jumping, and my two and a half year old has known this even before she could walk. Almost every day she’ll ask, “Can we go to Mommy and Daddy’s room and jump on the bed?” On many occasions, she is more excited to do this than to play with her toys. Her laugh and smile are infectious, and whenever she’s having a rough day, jumping around, having fun and being silly immediately sends any frowns or tears on their way leaving a big smile on my face too.

I actually think companies are getting hip to this idea of the positive energy that comes from jumping around. More and more trampoline and bounce places are popping up, and more and more people are jumping at the chance to pay them a visit and have some fun. In many of my posts, I talk about how my little girl is constantly teaching me something new. In this instance, she has taught me that everything in life does not and should not be serious. One of the ways to counter a tough day or to get rid of some negative energy is to kick off our shoes, jump around, be silly and laugh.

All the best,

Tanya

Mommy’s Little Girl Is Not Too Little for Chores

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Quinn helping wash dishes
Quinn helping wash dishes
Quinn helping wash dishes
Quinn helping wash dishes
Quinn helping wash dishes

On October 17, 2014, when my little girl was just 17 months, I posted a blog entry entitled, “Not Too Little for Chores Baby!”  about how eager she was to help me sweep, so I got Quinn her very own broom and dust pan set. Now, my two and a half year old still loves it and will even run to get her broom if she sees crumbs on the floor.

Since she was two, she started displaying interests in helping me wash the dishes. At first, I was hesitant at allowing her to help because I just wanted to get the task done quickly and figured she’d just make more work for me. I could have easily had her help me put the dishes in the dishwasher, but when there’s just a few dishes, my husband or I just wash them in the sink which is what Quinn wanted to do.

Within the past couple of weeks, I decided to provide her with a little “dishpan” of her own and let her wash the fork and plate she uses for meals. She actually does a great job with her little sponge and wanted to keep washing the same fork and plate over and over again as I continue washing the main dishes.

It really pleases me that my little girl views what some kids and adults may consider “chores” or “work they dread doing” as fun activities. “Can I help wash dishes again?” she will eagerly ask as she sees me or her dad preparing the water in the sink. I truly do hope she will continue to be excited to help her mommy and daddy around the house and have fun doing it well into her teens.

All the best,

Tanya

Having a Happy Kwanzaa with My Little One: Umoja (Unity)

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Quinn Demonstrating Umoja by Becoming a Part of the Ceremonial Dance

Kwanzaa is a week long celebration which celebrates and honors African heritage in African American cultures, and it pleases me that this is the third year my two and a half year old has attended a Kwanzaa celebration. Though my daughter initially clung to my husband and me this evening, she was a shining example of Umoja the first day of Kwanzaa, which means unity.

Part of the evening involved gaining some historical knowledge about Kwanzaa along with different aspects of African heritage. One of the people offering insight also performed a ceremonial African dance with roots from Mali. My daughter was captivated by the woman’s movements, so when she extended her hand to Quinn, she surprisingly took it without hesitation, even with the huge crowd of onlookers. Perhaps she could feel her positive energy and knew she would not do her harm. Maybe she was just moved by the familial setting and togetherness of so many people.

The woman remarked on how brave Quinn was and how we can all learn from her. In knowing how shy my daughter can be, I was astonished at how she stepped out of her comfort zone to unite with someone she did not even know. My little one actually played a significant role in getting some of the adults out of their seats to actively participate in the celebration. Quinn reinforced the importance of how bravery is sometimes essential to establish unity among people. Sometimes extending a hand with a welcoming smile is enough to make a person want to unite. It worked for Quinn!

All the best,

Tanya H. Franklin

On the “Actual” Day of Christmas My Toddler Gave to Me…Christmas Fun with My Little One

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2015-12-25 07.28.02

Quinn Enjoying Her Christmas Present: Lambie from Doc McStuffins

On the “actual” day of Christmas, my toddler gave to me joy selecting a Christmas tree,  memorable moments decorating, festive and fun goofing around, partying all night, excitement while visiting Santa Claus, counting down the days, happiness at Sesame Place, bonding time making our own tree, befriending Santa’s elf on the shelf, creating a chocolate cookie candy train, receiving messages from the North Pole, baking cookies for Santa Claus and witnessing the happiness in my daughter’s eyes!

This Christmas day, my two and a half year old woke up at 6:37 am, which is around the time she usually wakes up, but today she knew it was Christmas and asked, “Did Santa come, Mommy?” I told her, “Let’s go see!” “Wow, look at all these presents, Mommy! How did Santa get them here? Where did he get them from? Did he go to the store?” My inquisitive little girl was full of questions. “May I open one please, Mommy?” With each gift she opened, the excitement continued to build, and when she finally got to the one gift she asked Santa for when she visited and took a picture with him, she was so happy. “Mommy, Santa got me Lambie! I asked for Lambie when I talked to Santa!”

What made me a proud mommy is that with each gift Quinn opened, she thanked her father and me and asked if she could thank Santa too. She also gave me the opportunity to be a big kid and play with some of her gifts with her. After a morning filled with fun and what felt like never-ending playtime, we both took a nap and then had a wonderful time with our relatives. Watching Quinn interact with her cousins was reminiscent of the fun times I had with my siblings and cousins.

Before she dozed off on the car ride home a little before 11:00 pm, my husband and I asked her how was her Christmas, and she said, “It was great! I got Lambie, saw family (she actually named everyone) and had a good day!” What a wonderful way to spend the Christmas holiday. Here’s to many years to come counting down the days of Christmas with my little girl!

Happy Holidays,

Tanya H. Franklin