CLEVELAND — Maybe we are getting close to the “terrible twos." Maybe it’s the fact that we’ve been cooped up at home. Whatever the reason, my youngest is having the hardest time with the stay-at-home order.
We do our best to keep her entertained, but we are helping the other two with worksheets or art projects while trying to balance our work-from-home tasks.
So, I’ve been trying to find activities that will hold her attention longer than some of her usual favorite toys.
I saw something on Pinterest that sparked my idea, so I can’t take full credit. But I thought it was worth the time and supplies.
Using painters’ tape, I created a square on the wall at her level. While I was putting it up, she was already busy trying to peel the tape off.
Then, using a variety of colorful crayons, I wrote out the alphabet on a piece of paper and cut them into squares.
With the same painters’ tape, I created easy to use “stickers” for inside the square.
My hope is that this helps her not only learn her ABC’s, but also exercise her fine and gross motor skills. She immediately started moving the letters around. She understood that the “stickers” stay inside the square.
And another unexpected result: My older two loved it just as much! My 6-year-old started making words, my 4-year-old was practicing putting the letters back in order and both wanted to help their baby sister. So, it ended up becoming a group activity.
Another idea is to cut out shapes or numbers. You can also just tape up small sensory toys.
No matter what, it staved off a meltdown for a lot longer than I expected and gave all of us a great way to interact with our baby.
MORE FROM MAUREEN KYLE: