Toddlers love to play. That’s all they ever do in a day. If they’re not playing, they’re either eating or sleeping. Their daily activities are pretty simple.
We, parents, take these simple daily activities for granted. When our kids are running around, perspiring from playing, the last thing that comes to our mind is that they’re learning. In my case, what comes to my mind is that my toddler should stop and take it easy.
As a mom, I had always thought that it was reasonable to stop and to calm my precocious toddler from playing. I found out that wasn’t exactly the most reasonable thing to do. According to this article, toddlers learn through play.
They can learn a lot by playing by themselves or with their friends. It is through play that they can express themselves. Instead of stopping them, our job as parents is to encourage them to play more.
Easier Said Than Done
The concept of learning through playing makes a lot of sense. It’s easy to understand how toddlers learn through play.
Appreciating it is a different thing. As a mom, it’s not easy to appreciate the endless play of my toddler. In all honesty, it’s exhausting!
For a mom like me, endless play means endless mess. That can get pretty stressful. It’s not easy cleaning up after a toddler. Every item that I stow can easily be undone by one little toddler. It just amazes me how that can happen in a blink of an eye.
Well, no one said that it would be easy raising a toddler. However, the article sheds some light on the reality of raising a toddler. It states that raising a toddler could be done through a child’s play. I agree. However, it’s easier said than done.
How Toddlers Benefit From Playing
Aside from the endless fun they get from playing, they, unconsciously, prepare themselves for school. I never really thought about that until now.
Even if kids play by themselves, it still prepares them for school. The reason for that is because play is what glues kids together. Since every kid loves to play, it’s what draws them together.
The simple act of playing allows toddlers to interact with each other. Whether they get along or not, they are interacting with each other.
As they are interacting with each other, they are dealing with their feelings. That, in itself, is a learning moment for a toddler.
I find that very interesting. I never thought about it before, nonetheless, it makes a lot of sense. I consider it a crucial moment. As a mom, I must be able to identify, process, and reinforce those moments to my toddler.
Simple Tips To Make It Easier
Toddlers can explore and eventually, learn through play. Hence, is the reason why we should allow plenty of time for them to play.
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to deal with the mess that comes with playtime. What might look like a huge mess for a mom like me, is a learning environment for a precocious toddler.
Luckily for exhausted moms like me, there are simple tips to make it easier to deal with the mess.
One of the simple tips that can make it easier for moms, like me, is to find an interesting activity. That activity should be interesting enough for both me and my toddler. One good example of such activity is cooking. Since I love to cook, I could use it as a play activity for my toddler as well.
We could pretend that we are cooking together. Since it’s the kind of activity that’s close to my heart, I could have a lot of fun playing it out as well. Toddlers must see how much fun we’re having while playing with them.
Of course, cooking is just one activity to consider. Toddlers get bored right away. They need a variety of activities to enjoy their playtime. Hence, having a long list of fun and interesting activities can help transform their playtime into learning moments.
The Best Tip For Moms
I think the best tip for moms who find it challenging to keep up with toddler’s play is to find time for self-care.
Playing with toddlers can get pretty draining. It’s tiring and that could make us lose our patience easily. Hence, is the reason why we have to find time for self-care. If we do, we’ll have more energy to deal with our toddler’s playtime.
Again, it’s easier said than done. Considering how toddlers learn through play, we just have to find time for self-care. That way, we can keep up with a tireless toddler who is busy playing and learning at the same time.
When your child learns to read at an early age, it expands their vocabulary and opens up their love for learning. It helps build their confidence and vastly improves their learning abilities.
And based on my experience, having the right reading methodology when teaching your child learn to read makes a world of difference.
I should know as I made that mistake. 😢
In fact, you can read my story about my child’s struggle with reading here and how we were able to help my child become an advanced reader here. 😀🤗