Year-End Reflections: Lessons learned from a toddler

As I continue my reflections of this year, I move on to some of the lessons learned with raising a toddler.

With all our moving this year, there were pockets of time when Dora or Elmo occupied my daughter.  But in-between those moments of packing and unpacking, I made sure to set some goals with my daughter.  One goal from early spring on was to spend as much time outside as possible.  We took daily walks and played in the yard.  I loved taking her to the park.  Sometimes it was really hard to stop and just let her play outside or walk for an hour.  But it was so worth it to see the enjoyment in her eyes.  Another goal this summer was to take her to do something special each week.  By special I mean, in addition to the daily walks or trips to the park.  Some of our favorite places were the splash park, the zoo and the botanical gardens -- all which were free!  As the winter has fallen upon us, we are still trying to do some special projects and trips to the new library are really fun.  I have some other activiites lined up starting in Janurary that we will rotate.

My daughter has taught me this year that she likes to be challenged.  I realize that if I think an activity or project might be too hard for her that I know I should give it a try.  She surprises me daily of her ability to predict and comprehend.  I love reading stories and watching her reactions as she reads it for the first time.  I learned that challenges are what she strives for.

Here are some of my activities and projects listed on my blog geared toward little learners!