Being a Mom: Toddler Activities and Mom and Me Classes

Fun Toddler Activities and Deciding to Join a Parent-Toddler Class

Well, since my daughter is pretty much the only toddler in the building where we live, it was only natural for me to look for options that would help her meet other kids her age. Since toddler-parent programs are quite few over here in Gurgaon where I live, I was happy to find one that was close to our house and also, sounded good. So, I called and was invited for a trial class.

The center was bright and colorful with friendly facilitators and tons of useful Learning toys . I was impressed. Then the class began. There was a session of free play, followed by concept of the day where they introduced the letter ‘G’ , its usage and sound and then, there was craft where my little one and I had to make and paint a gingerbread man. There was a puppet show, some baby yoga and plenty of song and dance. Overall, it was fun just that I felt the 2 hours was a little long for a toddler. Moreover, she didn’t seem too interested in participating in baby yoga or other activities where she had to follow the facilitator. It could be that it was her first time and maybe when we go there regularly, she’ll enjoy it. Anyways, for now, we’ve decided to sign up for a month and then take it from there.

Fun Toddler Activities

While the toddler-parent group is a great way for her to meet and interact with other kids, I also need to come up with fun activities to keep her entertained at home. She is an easy kid and does like playing on her own, but she also likes to play with me. Here are a few of the activities that we really enjoy –

Reading – Our love for reading and books keeps us entertained for some time each day. She has a collection of board books that are her favorites. A few others include cloth books from Lamaze and regular books from local publishers. She is at an age where she identifies and remembers things so reading has become even more fun.

Kitchen Play – This toddler activity works really well when cooking. I hand her wooden spoons and pots and pans to bang around while I get dinner ready. Or I hand her scrubbed potatoes and carrots to cook. She enjoys putting them into a pan and turning them around with her spoon. Makes her feel all grown up!

Music and Dancing – Manini loves music. She could listen to rhymes and songs pretty much the whole day. So, when we’ve done our nursery rhymes, we put on some good music and dance together. She loves it. Plus I get some exercise!

Clay Play and Coloring – Playing with edible play dough and scribbling with colored chalks and crayons is another fun thing that she loves to do. squishing the dough around helps her to release all that extra energy while coloring and scribbling on paper and chalkboard gives her the chance to be creative ( I hope!) In any case, giving her a Crayola means that she would let me do some writing while she scribbles away to glory.

Outdoor Play – The building that we stay in does not have a great children’s play area. However, we do go down and play catch and tag. She enjoys running after me to catch me or kicking a ball around.

So, have you joined a toddler-parent class? Was it worth it? And what about fun toddler activities? Do share your tips and advice. Will love to have some new ways to entertain my toddler.
Pic. courtesy: Crystl. http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystalflickr/100905091/