I’m struggling a little with afternoons at the moment. I work in the mornings then there’s a big rush to pick up Eli and get home. Up until January he would then go for a long nap so I had time to relax, do a bit of housework crafting or watch terrible TV. Now the nap’s gone and the winter illnesses are hopefully done with we have the whole afternoon together – which was the point of working part time.
But… I’m tired after work, Eli’s been at nursery all morning so often just wants to chill and most of the mum and toddler things are on in the morning. I am trying to be a bit more productive with our afternoons. **Here comes a list**
So my aims for March are:
1. At least one practical activity a week
2. A new sensory tub (That’s February’s)
3.
4.
Actually that’s all, it’s not much, but I’m prone to making impossible lists and then giving in halfway though because I’m not going to achieve everything.
Here’s this week’s practical activity. One of the teachers at work did this last week and I thought it’d be a fun thing to do at home.
I put piece of paper in a lid from a box of A3 paper and put marbles into 4 bowls of paint.
Eli was really careful at first, he used spoons to get the marbles out of the bowls so it’s a nice fine motor skills activity.
I love the look of concentration on his face.
Then he noticed the patterns on his hand…
and the activity I’d planned turned into hand painting…
and hand printing…
with both hands.
Well I guess that counts as child initiated play.
