The holidays present many educational opportunities for small children. Allowing them to participate in your holiday preparations will keep them occupied while helping them learn and grow.
You may have already noticed with your child that they naturally enjoy engaging all five senses in what they do. While many special decorations may only be for seeing NOT touching, consider finding alternative ways for your child to explore.
For example, in December our toddlers made a gift for their parents; handprint Christmas trees. After they finished with their project, we were discussing how it felt when I brushed the paint onto their palm. Most of them said, “Wet and tickles.” Our finished project is shown below.
You can find similar opportunities at home. Baking is excellent for sensory, motor and language development.
- Young toddlers will enjoy squeezing frosting tied in a sandwich bag. Whole-hand grasping builds strength and coordination. They’ll be amazed when you snip a corner off and they make the frosting squirt out!
- If your child can refrain from eating raw dough, they can help roll dough and press cookie cutters.
- Allow them to smell and taste fresh herbs and spices. Expanding their palate one ingredient at a time can help picky eaters accept new dishes.
Whatever the activity, always discuss and recount what you’re working on, name items, use a variety of descriptive words, invite them to repeat (even though they may not be able) and keep encouraging. The cookies may not be iced perfectly, but we know everything made with love tastes better anyway.
