Spontaneity is a joyful element of summer… “let’s go get ice cream!” “let’s go to the park at 6am!” And, for the most part, this is probably successful. The challenge comes when the traffic is backed up… or the lines are long… and the temperature isn’t just rising outside by in your little one’s attitude.
Luckily at Creative World Schools we have a whole gang of Toddler Pros. These people have studied Toddlers, taught Toddlers, taught Toddler teachers how to teach Toddlers… you get the picture: they may just know it all.
One of these geniuses is our Early Education Pro, Rennaye Hedges. So, we asked her: if you could throw 5 small items in a bag that would help you instantly distract and entertain a toddler, what would they be?
- Socks
- Two tube socks. Any color. These can be used for: puppets, to collect impromptu “scavenger hunt” items (like leaves or sugar packets), to put a ball in and make a “dogtail”, to decorate.
- Colored Tape
- Want to make a straw sculpture as you wait for your table at a restaurant? Connect straws with tape. Want to make a bracelet, necklace, or headband? Want to wear strips like stickers? There are a lot of possibilities, here.
- A Tube or Container
- Think: an empty mini M&M tube or an empty flip-top gum container. Toddlers love to fill and dump. Pull this out to collect samples of pebbles, sand, mulch, or whatever’s around. Dump it out and count or sort it. Fill it up again with something new!
- Lift-the-Flap or Texture Books
- Your pre-reader can still interact with books in a variety of ways. Have small sensory or lift-the-flap books available so your little learner can have a quiet moment experiencing and investigating.
- Crayons/paper
- Most restaurants will give this to you, so save them! Or, throw a blank piece of computer paper into a ziploc with 3-4 crayons. You can do more than draw: trace your hand, draw shadows, shred the paper… plenty of time-users for busy little hands!
Rennaye Hedges is basically awesome. She develops training programs for our Leaders and Teachers and offers support to our Creative World Schools around the country.