Developing a Reading Routine

By Lizzy and Colin Tahsuda

Eleanor loves books. From about 3 weeks old, we started including books as part of her bedtime routine. At that age, she could barely see 10 inches in front of her, but we wanted reading together to become a habit for all of us. Now, at 6 months old, she is very aware that after her last bottle of the evening, it is time for jammies and books. We go to her bookshelf and pick out three to read.

Just recently, she’s been gravitating toward specific books which is so fun to watch! Chicka Chicka Boom Boom appears to be her favorite. She loves the rhyming and the exaggerated voices we use when all the letters tumble down the coconut tree. She’s even started turning the board book pages herself. We love reading to her and look forward to the day when she can read to us!

Creating a Safe Place

By Shontia and Jayvon Johnson

“Come on guys!” These are the infamous words of Parker “PJ” when his desire is to draw the attention of a group in the room. We’ve watched PJ navigate rooms of people naturally through his hope to connect by sharing a toy or forcing someone to enjoy his favorite dinosaur show (lol). Filled with so much energy, it becomes overwhelming for him with emotions, and can cause the traditional, toddler tantrum.

If you are a toddler parent, then you know the difficulty of reeling in a little ball of emotions. We’ve learned to aid PJ in reconciling himself back to the space he is in, by simply being there. It may not sound like much, but our toddlers enjoy when we recognize and acknowledge that their feelings are valid, and simply care to console them back to a place of safety. PJ loves family time, we build our bases of love and care, creating a safe space not only in our home, but with us both as parents. This has resulted in him being able to reach a resolve of what love looks like and feels like, but also that he is significant and a key component!

The Grass is Green

By Glasher Robinson and Lionel Ray Robinson

Logan is our 2-year-old daughter and the youngest of our two children. Logan’s favorite place to be is outside! Today, while outside, Logan described the different colors, patterns and shapes present in our front yard.

“Daddy, the grass is green, and the sky is blue.” Of course, we were excited that she was able to differentiate between the sky and the grass, so we took it up a notch and asked her to count the objects in the yard, like leaves, after she identified them and described them by color. “Mommy, 1, 2, 3, 4 rocks. The rocks are brown”. This went on for a while before Logan decided to pull out her clack and draw. Quickly we were able to start a discussion on the difference between the brown, red and yellow triangles. Logan examined their sizes and number of corners, while Mommy focused on the difference between circles and squares. “A circle has no corners,” Logan explained to all of us during this memorable family interaction.

Name the Shape

By Jennifer Scotton

We’ve recently embarked upon my 2-year-old son’s potty training journey and have reached the point in the process where he sporadically protests when we ask him to try to use the potty. In order to save our eardrums and redirect what could surely devolve into a temper tantrum, we’ve been having a lot of fun pointing out shapes in ordinary objects as we await the blessed event while he’s on the potty. Our square-shaped air return vent (conveniently located on the wall opposite his potty) has become a favorite to identify the shape and then count the sides. I’ll point to the object and ask, “What shape is that?” He answers with “SQUARE!” and then I’ll ask him if he can count the sides.

He loves this game so much that he now points out shapes unprompted. He even incorporates it into his two-year-old babble while playing quietly. I’ll frequently hear him saying “Thas a big ‘tangle [rectangle]! How many sides? Let’s count! 1, 2, 3, 4 – 4 sides!” It’s especially cute to hear him doing this on his own and gratifying to watch his love of learning and counting.

 

Everything, Everywhere

By Jasmine and Jon Faison

At 6 months old, Jade is curious about everything, everywhere. From the moment she was born, she was super alert and always aware of what was happening around her. She sees and hears everything!

Every moment is a learning opportunity. Talk, sing and point has helped us to explain what’s happening and why. In addition to not only teaching her what actions are happening, she’s constantly in tune with words and tries to mimic what she hears. She’s in the full swing of “baby talk.” Jade doesn’t hesitate to let us know what she enjoys and doesn’t enjoy. Let’s just say she loves to watch us clean up, but is still trying to figure out why in the world washing dishes makes so much noise. Of all things, counting, singing, watching Mommy vacuum, watching football, and independent play are her favorites!

 

 

On the move (almost)

By Lizzy and Colin Tahsuda

At 5-months-old, Eleanor is antsy to be on the move! She is no longer content lying on her back on her mat but doesn’t quite have the core strength to sit up unassisted. We are working on her head, neck, and core muscles through tummy time.

Her favorite tummy time activity is playing with her water mat. We fill it up with water and the sea animals move around when she pushes the mat with her hands. She loves making the fish “swim”! Not only is this activity a great way for her to build her strength, it also prompts us to count and point out the colors of the animals. This entertains her for at least 10 minutes (a feat at this age) and makes tummy time so much more fun! She’ll be sitting up on her own in no time!

Watch Eleanor’s tummy time here!

Classroom in a Kitchen

By Shontia and Jayvon Johnson

“Open the door please.” This seems to be the anthem of our home in this season with our son Parker (PJ). As a growing 2-year-old toddler boy, it’s as if he never grows full, and the door he is mentioning is our pantry. We have spent many moments in the kitchen these last several weeks, so we have learned to embrace this time for the better.

While standing in the doorway of the pantry asking for the next item to eat, we have learned to encourage PJ to pronounce the items he would like and even the color or names of characters on the box. Think of it as a “Classroom in a Kitchen,” the exploration of new shapes and the understanding of kitchen safety all in one. The kitchen has become a great training ground for us to learn new facets of our son and share in his curiosity. He observes and shares in food preparation, availing to us family time and teaching.