Helpful Tips for Morning Time With Toddlers
It is finally here. The day you planned for and dreamed of. That landmark day called: THE FIRST DAY OF HOMESCHOOL. Your morning basket is filled with living books, lovely art, and Shakespeare (maybe not Shakespeare yet) and you are ready to embark on a beautiful day of inspired learning. Then it happens. The 18-month-old begins to throw cereal pieces at the 3-year-old and the 5-year-old needs to pee.
Oh mama, I know the feeling! Keep reading and employ these helpful tips for morning time and beyond.
Quality time before anything else.
First thing in the morning, grab up those little ones and snuggle. Read a short book or play a finger game (The Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc.). Tickle and cuddle and affirm that little heart, filling their cup and making sure they know that mama cares, even if she has to keep the needs of multiple ages in focus throughout the course of the day.
In our family, this is routine. My youngest two buddies traipse downstairs still groggy and find me crocheting on the couch. I put down my work and immediately connect. After they are well cuddled, I help them dress and find an activity to do so I can attend to breakfast (note from Jennifer- some children have blood sugar issues which require a snack first thing in the morning, so keeping yogurt or other quick meals at the ready can help avert wake up tantrums).
It may seem like such a small thing, but our littlest people don’t always have the words or the awareness to indicate their need for attention in a way or at a time that works for the whole family. Carving out time for this ahead of time and meeting that need is part of nourishing their hearts. You will be so glad you did because that small one will often manage better as you meet the needs of other children.
Fill their bellies and their mouths with nourishment
Morning time just goes better during breakfast. I know it seems contrary to what would feel right, but give it a try. Eat your food as you cook, or after the children. While they eat, you share the fables and read the poems, play the hymns and folk songs, and let the food be your teacher’s assistant, keeping wiggly bodies in chairs.
Beyond that, I would encourage you to establish a habit of a snack tray. When you begin the school lessons for the day, prepare a small tray of nuts and crackers or dried fruit and cheese. Make some hot tea or a favorite drink. Then bring the tray into the space you will do lessons and let everyone munch while you guide their learning. Being hungry is a surefire way to become frustrating. Our toddlers do best when fueled! You will curb their whining and tiredness if you get ahead of it. By the time they are whiny and non-compliant, they are too hungry to help quickly!
Provide toddler friendly activities
If you want your small ones to stay in the same room during your Morning Time, have another basket filled with special items just for them during. You could laminate some of The Peaceful Preschool letter cards and provide play-doh (be sure and include a variety of tools, my littles love play-doh scissors, rolling pins, and cute animal cookie cutters).
Open ended toys are the best for keeping their attention. Magnatiles, hole punches, quality beeswax crayons and blank paper, even a simple sensory bin with themed items can be entertaining for extended periods giving you time to read aloud and focus on the instruction you are giving.
We keep about 6 little themed trays or kits in our dining room where we do Morning Time. Each is filled with items perfect for little hands. They are open ended and include items to build a pond scene with pebbles, raffia, and tiny frogs; a dragon scene with wool flames, small dragons, wood blocks, and nights; a vet kit with beads to represent plasma, cotton balls, two tiny animals, x-rays of animals, q-tips, and more! Novelties like this will pique your littles’ interest and keep them content during longer stretches of listening time. Also, it reinforces good habits as they can be expected to return the kit to its rightful place when finished.
Include a part of the lesson for them
When my youngest was about 20 months, he became an absolute distraction during morning time. I would be so flustered because while I wanted to care for him and spend time with him, I knew I had to balance the day to include our homeschool learning too. For a couple of weeks, it was a power struggle and he was winning!
One day it hit me! Why wouldn’t he cause a scene? The lessons weren’t for him. He was bored but did want to be with us and didn’t want to run off to play alone. Now what? I decided to try something new. I gathered some lacing cards and chose a sweet, toddler friendly song to use during our Morning Time. You should have seen his little face light up when I gathered him in my arms and asked if he was ready to sing “his” song. Including a part of the Morning Time specifically for the toddler(s) in your home can be the ticket to successfully including them without disruptions.
Get outside and take a walk
If you have an energetic little who does dangerous things during lessons (need I tell you that mine have jumped off tall dressers while we were singing, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”?), getting outside first is a great idea! Take a walk around the block, set up a mud kitchen and let them romp, maybe even do the Morning Time outside! Fresh air and lots of moving works wonders for the needs of a blossoming toddler. Also, what better way for mom to get in a brief workout and some sunshine herself?
It’s your family and you can decide how to make it work
Every family is different. I spent years nursing a young toddler during morning time. Some parents use a high chair, some let the toddler roam. The important thing is that we are aware of their needs and find ways to move through our homeschool lessons while not insanely frustrated with our littles. Having a happy toddler and a happy mama are keys to a good homeschool day as much as having good books and great plans.