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Now You Do It!

I have fun making a craft. Now you can do it, too!

Your little one will enjoy imitating you… and love learning at the same time.

Age Range: 2 Years-Old on…

Activity 33: Imitation

Area being Developed: Social (Personality & Character)

Have fun thinking up fun actions that your child will enjoy! Here are some tried and tested favorites:

  • I clap my hands. Now you do it.
  • I pat my head. Now you do it.

After you have done several of these playful actions, switch to pretending ideas. Here are some examples:

  • I sweep the floor. Now you do it.
  • I dust the table. Now you do it.

 

RELATED MILESTONES OF DEVELOPMENT

* Imitates body gestures

* Imitates new actions

* Imitates household activities

* Follows simple directions

* Helps with household tasks

 

Dr. Sally Says… As you continue to play this game you will see more and more the meaning of that famous parenting phrase, “You are your child’s first and most important teacher.” Even when you are not consciously teaching or even meaning to teach, you are. Your modeling means the world to your child!

 

 

category: Special Needs, Tuesday Afternoon Tea
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Breathe in Life!

Tip 41- Teach your child how to relax with a simple breathing technique.

Choose a comfortable spot like a bed, sofa, or soft-carpeted area and lie down with your child. Gradually begin to concentrate together on breathing. Then add this phrase to the process, “Breathe in and breathe out.” Repeat it over and over slowly and with the rhythm of each breath. As you two are enjoying this relaxation process, tell your child to feel his chest each time it fills up with air and then to feel it again each time it empties.

Parenting Insight… Breath is life. With every breath there is life. Because breathing is an involuntary process, it is easy to take for granted. However, awareness of it can bring your child great love and appreciation for the most wonderful gift of all… the gift of life!

 


category: Monday Morning Coffee, Special Needs
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Yoga for Fingers!

Exercise is good for every part of your body, even your fingers.

Age Range: 2 Years-Old on…

Activity 32: Finger Exercises

Area being Developed: Fine Motor

Teach your child how to do these finger exercises.  Start by demonstrating on your child’s fingers. Then do the exercises together. Here are the instructions for each finger:

Wiggle it.

Massage it.

Stretch it.

Parenting Insight…

As you laugh to yourself about the validity of something called “yoga for fingers,” rest assured that there really is such a thing. Enjoy!

RELATED MILESTONE

* Begins to show hand dominance

category: Special Needs, Tuesday Afternoon Tea
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Dating with Difficulty!

Raising a child is hard.

Raising a child alone is harder.

Raising a child with autism alone is even harder.

Raising a child with autism alone and dating is hardest of all.

Hannah Brown discusses this issue in her new book If I Could Tell You about raising autistic children.

Dating is hard enough under normal circumstances, but Hannah explains in her book about the dilemma of meeting someone on a first date and having to tell him about your child with autism. If you use the word “autistic” to describe your child, you are probably doomed and just about assured of not getting asked for a second date. If you don’t use it, you are more than likely misrepresenting your situation. As a mother, you love your child more than anything else in the world and will go to any lengths for your child! As a man dating a mother of a child with a problem, no matter how much he likes the woman, he is likely to go to any lengths to avoid her in the future!

category: Parenting in the News, Special Needs
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May 1st! May Day!

May Day is celebrated around the world on May 1st. It is considered to be just the right time to welcome spring in all its glory.

Tradition: On the night before, children danced in the moonlit woods. On May 1st they gathered flowers and danced around the Maypole. The pole was the tallest and slimmest tree in the woods that they could carry back with them to the village.

Treat your little one to your own version of a May Day celebration. Here are some start-up ideas:

  • Find pretty spring flowers and collect them in a pail.
  • Use pretty flowers to make a table centerpiece.
  • Make some pretty tissue paper flowers.
  • Decide together which is your tallest and slimmest tree.
  • Dance together around your selected tree.
  • Make up a fun rhyme as you dance.
Here’s a fun rhyme already made up!

Round and round the pole we go.

First it’s to the right.

Next we make a ribbon bow.

Then we make it tight!

 

Round and round the pole we go.

Then the other way.

Now we see our ribbon bow.

And sing and dance and play!

 

 

 

 

category: Poems, Special Needs, Tuesday Afternoon Tea
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Zoom, vroom, and whoosh!

These are probably all words you have heard connected with your child’s car play. Now is the time to help structure that play into a more meaningful situation.

Activity 31: Car Play

Age Range: 2 Years-Old on…

Area being Developed: Learning

Take out a collection of toy cars that you have for your child. Then set up a pretend roadway. You can make one with two long ribbons. You can also use masking tape. Parallel pieces of yarn winding throughout the room work well too. You can even draw an attractive road system on a large piece of paper. However you choose to set it up, enjoy pretend travel with your child.

Dr. Sally Says…

Buying road systems are great and making them out of connecting blocks is good too, but creating your own “playing field” is what will take this activity to the next higher level.

RELATED MILESTONES

* Begins understanding spatial relations 

* Begins to show hand dominance 

category: Special Needs, Tuesday Afternoon Tea
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Look What I Can Do!

Activity 30: I Can…!

Age Range: 18 Months on… (Older Toddler)

Area Being Developed: Self-esteem (Belief in Oneself)

I Can…!

Take turns demonstrating simple actions.  As you do each one, say simple sentences like these:

  • I can walk.
  • I can run.
  • I can jump.
  • I can clap.
  • I can hug you.
  • I can wave hi.
  • I can sit on a chair.
  • I can touch my nose.
  • I can turn a doorknob.
  • I can touch my toes.

Be as creative as you both like.

Dr. Sally Says…

Whenever your little one realizes he can do something, he or she will feel great!  The more your child realizes about all that he or she can do, the better your child will feel about him or herself.

NOTE: Great supplemental book: The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper. Yes, first that little engine thought he could, and then he did!

 

RELATED MILESTONES OF DEVELOPMENT

* Uses words from memory 

* Turns a knob 

* Begins to run 

* Walks up and down stairs 

* Jumps 

* Imitates others 

* Colors and builds with blocks 

* Plays simple games 

* Imitates phrases 

* Identifies parts of body and face 

* Puts two words together 

 

category: Special Needs, Teaching, Tuesday Afternoon Tea
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Make an “I Like…!” Book

I like to read!

Activity 29: I Like…!

Age Range: 18 Months on… (Older Toddler)

Area Being Developed: Language (Reading, Speaking & Understanding)

I Like…!

Make a book with the title “I Like…”  On each right-hand page place a photo of your child doing something he or she likes.  On each left-hand page write on an index card a simple sentence describing the activity.  Here are some examples:

  • I like to swim.
  • I like to read.
  • I like to play.

Dr. Sally Says…

It is so easy to take a 4” x 6” photo album and turn it into a great book for your child. Here are some other kinds of books that you can make: My Trip, My Birthday Party, My Family, and My Friends. Children like many books that you buy, but they love ones you make with personalized photos!

 

RELATED MILESTONES OF DEVELOPMENT

Uses words from memory

Imitates phrases 

Has a 50 to 300 word vocabulary 

Puts two to three words together 


category: Special Needs, Tuesday Afternoon Tea
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April Fun! Simon Sez

Simon Sez have some fun with your little one… outdoors! Any time you have a choice of being either inside or outside, go out! Fresh air is better.

I am sure you remember the age-old and extremely popular childhood game “Simon Sez.” For your littlest child, leave out the basic rule about not following the direction when the words “Simon Sez” are omitted. Just have fun watching your child follow every single fun direction you can make up.

For your older child, play the game the way you think is best!

Next, use your memory and go back in time to think up all the other creative outside games that you know. Here’s my list so far. Use and enjoy it and then add your own:

  • Mother, May I?
  • Red Light, Green Light
  • Red Rover

Then don’t forget about jump rope and all those wonderful rhymes that children enjoyed. Remember playing with a ball? We spent hours enjoying the alphabet game that started like this “A my name is Alice; my husband’s name is Al; we come from Alabama; and we sell apples.” Following this pattern, you made up your own chant for each letter.

category: Special Needs, Tuesday Afternoon Tea
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Seek and you shall find!

Activity 28: Hidden Fun!

Age Range: 18 Months on… (Older Toddler)

Area Being Developed: Social (Personality & Character)

When your child is older, plan a nature scavenger hunt and find objects that can later be used during craft time!

Go around the house and collect some fun items to hide.  Here are some suggestions:  Balls, slippers, books, crayons, and napkins.  You might think of other safe, durable, interesting objects as well. Hide each of the objects with a small part showing. Then ask your little one to find them. You can offer as many hints as you want.

Another idea is to hide a kitchen timer or a music box. For those objects you can keep them completely covered and allow their sounds to provide the necessary clues. Your child will think it is great fun to follow the sound–getting louder when he or she gets closer and getting lower when going farther way.

Dr. Sally Says… Surprises are fun at any age. Adults love them too. When you play with your child in a way that you think is fun, the play ends up being even better.

NOTE: If your child is old enough, be sure to let him or her hide some items for you to find!

 

RELATED MILESTONES OF DEVELOPMENT

* Moves around an obstacle if necessary 

* Plays simple games 

 

 

category: Special Needs, Tuesday Afternoon Tea
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