5 Things; You Should Do With Your Toddler This Week

Welcome back to 5 Things.  This week I am sharing 5 Things: You should do with your toddler this week.

It will come as no surprise to any of you, but parenting is a hard job. Whether you are working away from home, a stay at home parent or a freelancer, there is always what seems like a never-ending list of jobs and it can be easy to get caught up in the daily grind and let it consume us.

During the difficult days I always keep this quote in mind,

This too shall pass

While this makes me see that the tantrums and misbehaviours are just phases and won’t last forever.  It also reminds me that my daughter is only this age today.  Each day she is getting older, growing and potentially moving further away from me.  She will need me less each day and inevitably our relationship will change. This needn’t be devastating; as she grows, what she requires from me will change and hopefully she will still need me forever in some ways.  What this has prompted me to do, however, is to cherish the ‘now’ and try to really connect with her as much as possible.  Children don’t often remember the gifts they received during their childhood, but they remember the time you spent with them and the fun they had.  So with this is mind, here are 5 Things: You should do with your toddler this week.

• Get dirty – Now, I know that mess strikes fear into the heart of many parents, myself included.  It is always such a pain to clear up the detritus of a painting session and it seems like more trouble than it is worth, but children (in the main) love being messy and exploring in this way. Let go and get messy!

• Dance – I truly believe that music and dancing is good for the soul.  There is not much Baby enjoys more than dancing and being silly with mummy (or Daddy!).  Try to start your day off dancing with your toddler, even 5 minutes will make a difference to their day (and yours!).

• Play and be silly – Most children have a lot of ‘stuff’, so many toys everywhere you look. However, sometimes the most fun can be had by playing good old-fashioned hide and seek or chase.  I know Baby adores both of these and they are both free activities that can be squeezed in a couple of minutes here and there.

• Toddler Date – What would your toddler want to do if they had the choice?  Even for a couple of hours make it all about them, their favourite drink, activity and your undivided attention (no Instagramming!).

• Cuddles – One of my favourite things about being a mummy is the cuddles. I know this will change and become less frequent as she grows, so take the time now to cuddle your little ones.  When you are getting frustrated because they are on a go slow or untidying as you as tidying, change your reaction and just take a couple of minutes to give them a cuddle.  Hopefully it will replace the feelings of frustration with altogether nicer feelings.

So there’s your challenge, can you do them all in a week?  Let me know how you get on.