Moms, I know babies and toddlers are squirmy-wormy. I know their attention span equals their age, i.e 2 years = 2-minute attention span. I know you have multiples, I know your hands are full, and I know that sometimes your heart is heavy.
But can we please STOP with the devices and START to engage with our kids through conversation?
Hear me out…
My background as an educator definitely opened my eyes to both the pros and cons of using technology and devices – and there really needs to be balance. I recently saw a commercial for a mounting device, so babies can watch your phone while you change their diaper.
Mommas: I’m all for innovation and simplifying parent’s lives, but this . . . really? Are you serious? Please – NO!
There are so many other things you can do with your littles to distract them during a diaper change, while running errands, or as they sit in a restaurant or shopping cart –
- Play “I-spy”
- Sing a song (or even better, make up a song!)
- Narrate and describe what you’re doing (you can literally just describe the mundane: “look, now it’s time for your shirt – one arm, two arms – now let’s put on your socks. How many feet do you have? One! Two! You have two feet!” etc.)
- Give their belly a raspberry (okay this is only during diaper-time)
- Grab the nearest toy, switch when attention runs low
- Play a word-clue game like “I’m thinking of an animal – who…”; offer a clue until they guess the animal or change it up to “I’m thinking of a bug – who”
- Categories – starting with A-B-C; i.e favorite cereal – Apple Jacks, Baby Shark Cereal
- Carry along a few books
What these seemingly silly activities actually provide –
- The ability to observe the environment, colors, shapes, and more
- Connectedness, human interaction
- Fine-motor skills and spatial reasoning
- Context clues and inferencing (one of the most difficult skills for kids to grasp)
- Language and vocabulary development
- Pre-reading skills, concepts of print, letter recognition, phonological awareness
- And above all else, real-world first-hand experiences
There you have it. You didn’t have to buy anything, but the academic rewards your kiddo will reap are immeasurable. And I promise you mommas, if your kids start out their early years talking to you and engaging with you through word games, it will transfer into actual conversations in middle school and high school. This has been my greatest blessing as a momma.
I can’t wait to hear what you do to add to the list above! Let us know some of the ways you engage with your littles in the comments!
Want to read more?
Be sure to check out some of our other articles
on engaging with your littles!
Are you pro-device for kiddos? You aren’t alone! Check out this article from our sister site:
This great advice!
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