20 THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR LITTLE ONE

Every day, I desire to have meaningful, quality, and impactful interactions with my son. The reality is, sometimes the day escapes us without having that intentional time we want together. It often seems easier to try to keep our children busy for a "free moment" to get the next thing done. Life is busy and it's hard to think of new things to do. We only get so much time with our children at this age and it can easily begin to feel like we aren't investing in them in the ways that we should. I want to embrace these moments by planning and living for them, not reacting to them.

I've been in the place before where I've been scrambling to find something to put in front of Emet to occupy his energy and curiosities. I've put together a list of some repeatable "go to" activities that are easy, entertaining, fun, and have created some memorable moments with our family.  While none of these ideas are necessarily new, it can be hard to think of what to do in the moment. It's my hope that this list will help get you thinking of ideas to make a habit of spending intentional time with your little ones. You will never regret the time spent investing in them.

Here are 20 easy ideas! 

1. Once a day, you can use flashcards to introduce new words, numbers, and ideas to your little one. (I typically do this when Emet and I eat breakfast together.)

2. Anything with water is always a fun activity! Fill buckets of water outside then give containers for them to pour in and out of or paintbrushes to let them experience the joys of painting.

3. Provide a special notebook for stickers, finger paints, markers, and colored pencils. (I like to date each page we create together and include names of anyone who joined in with us.)

4. Turn on some fun music and have a dance party! 

5. Include your little one in the experience of cooking. You can sit them on the counter and give them "safe" utensils and containers to pretend they are assisting with preparations. (This is one of Emet's favorite things to do!)

6. Make the time to just stop to rock and hold them in the middle of the day. 

7. Sit and put puzzles together. (Currently we are loving puzzles with shapes and animals.) 

8. Make time to build forts and imagine together. A simple sheet with two stools will do the trick. 

9. Create things out of Play-Doh! Find fun items to help you sculpt, like plastic cookie cutters and kitchen utensils.

10. Share things you are thinking about throughout the day. Talk to them about things they should be thinking about.

11. Play with different types of balls. Teach them how to roll them back and forth, throw, and catch. 

12. Keep an activity bin filled with sand and beach toys to take outside when you need some fresh air. 

13. Maintain a bedtime routine as best you can. This is such a sweet time to fill their minds with stories and songs before they close their eyes. 

14. Get on the floor with them and play with trains, trucks, and action figures. Help enhance their imaginative play. 

15. An easy motor skill activity is to give them some pipe-cleaners and help them put them through the holes of a colander. 

16. Get out in nature! Go for walks and to the park together. 

17. Build with blocks - anything from a tower to a city!

18. Eat together as often as you can and share the conversation with them. It always amazes how much they learn from watching you. 

19. Prioritize reading together. Help them fall in love with books. 

20. Play dress-up with clothes, costumes, and things you have around the house. (We pretended Emet was a Jedi here and gave him one of Calvin's t-shirts, a tie for around the waist, and a bubble wand as a light saber.) 

What are some fun things you do with your little one? 

|  Credits: Author - Jacintha Payne; Photography - Ali Marsh  |