Busy Schedule, Busy Baby!

You know how all of your worst habits are exposed once your child is old enough to say and do all of the things they see and hear you doing? Yep, YOU are your child’s first and favorite role model, so SLOW DOWN. If all they observe us doing is running around from one thing to the next, that is exactly what they will mimic – run around and never sit to focus. So just as we intentionally lead by example with hand washing and tooth brushing, we have to also make time to sit on the floor, and play with their toys. After all, play is the work of the child according to Montessori. So what is my advice on how to help your child sit, focus, and play independently? Take a look:

1. Put a block of 15-30 minutes in your calendar each day to sit and play with your child’s toys. This will teach your child how to “work” – creating the time and space for them to focus…and never break a date with your baby. 😉
2. Don’t do all the household “chores” while your child is at school! Do them WITH your child(ren). If your child sees you sweeping, they want to sweep – they see you wiping off counters, and they want to wipe off the counters…can I get a HALLELUJAH?!? So offer them an extra hand broom – offer them their own rag.
3. Sit and read a book. Whether it’s a book for you or a children’s book, it is SO important for your child to see you sitting still (even if just for 5-10 minutes!). And it is a lifelong skill that will build their confidence and independence.

So there you have it…the silver lining to this whole “monkey see, monkey do” thing is that they are building life skills and gaining confidence in the meantime as they feel successful doing all the things that their parents GET TO DO around the house. Wow. How’s that for perspective…we GET TO clean our house! HA! It’s amazing how what might feel like a chore to us feels like empowerment to our children.