Motherhood Struggles
Becoming a mother of three has been an interesting ride for me. Everyone told me that the transition from one to two kids is much harder than two to three, that our third baby would just slot in. For the most part they were right.
JB has been happy enough to sleep in the sling or car as we travel between school, kinder, daycare and home. I find I don't stress as much about having a "routine" as I did with Bubbles. She is a very happy baby. However, I have sooo much less time and energy than I did with Squiggles and way less than I did with Bubbles. Gone is the "sleep when baby sleeps" mantra, instead any free second I have is spent rushing around the house trying unsuccessfully to clean it or if it's a day when Squiggles is home then I'm trying to reconnect with her. Finding time for a shower is hard, there's no way I have time for elaborate, pinterest worthy activities.
My Mummy guilt is in over drive at the moment. I want to spend quality time with JB, and Squiggles AND Bubbles. I look at other bloggers with babies the same age or younger than JB and wonder why I can't be like them, but fact is I'm not. Life at the moment is a daily struggle. Just getting Bubbles to school on time, answering Squiggles 2,682 questions and dealing with her over the top ways of showing affection without turning into a roaring dragon is trying enough, add to that breastfeeding JB every four hours and working casually after school and I'm mere inches away from rocking in a corner in the fetal postion.
With all of this going on I seriously considered giving up blogging. I mean, how can I call myself a kid blogger when I'm only doing "special" activities with my children sporadically? The answer: I am doing activities with my kids. Yes, they are not as elaborate as they once were but I still try to ensure that all my interactions with the girls are intentional. The toys they have out to play with are there because the girls have shown an interest in them, or I want to encourage a certain type of play be it role play, or letter recognition or fine motor skills. We spend as much time as possible outside, experiencing the joys of water and nature play. I am doing my best admist the chaos and really, isn't that what we're all doing?
So why am I telling you all this? Today I want to share with you a fantastic way to play intentionally with your baby that takes next to no time or energy. There are so many benefits to this type of play: cognitive, developmental, gross motor, fine motor, language, it has it all. Yet, you're probably already doing it without realising!
Heuristic Play
What is it? Heuristic Play. Heuristic play is about the innate curiosity young children have, it's really a fancy term for playing with things that are not toys. You know how your tot gets excited when they shred the paperwork you accidentally left on the couch? Or the joy and satisfaction they show when they manage to bang a pot with a spoon? It's by testing and exploring these every day items that our children are able to discover how they work! That's what Heuristic Play is all about. In their book, People under Three, Elinor Goldschmied and Sonia Jackson coined the term heuristic play, to explain how to provide a more structured opportunity for this kind of activity.
In our home, we engage in heuristic play every day, sometimes by giving JB special themed treasure baskets similar to Mummy Lozz's treasure tray and sometimes simply by allowing her to tear the tupperware cupboard apart or explore the contents of the fruit bowl as I try to finish the dishes or cook dinner. Other times still, we take it into the bath tub.
Treasure Baths
There's something special about bath time. It's a time where I truly slow down and have time to connect with JB as Squiggles and Bubbles enjoy a shower. Treasure baskets are a big part of heuristic play as it's a simple way of providing your tot with safe everyday items to explore, often they get themed by colour, or texture, or shape. To create our treasure baths we do the same. I might give JB all blue, or things all made of metal, items that are all made of wood, or items that are all plastic like I did in the bath below. Generally speaking, plastic doesn't get used a lot in Heuristic play, the argument being that plastic items all tend to feel the same but I've found that by carefully selecting items with different textures and openings that my girls enjoy exploring them.
Have something you do with your baby when your depleted of energy? I'd love to see, by simply uploading to Facebook or Instagram and go into the draw to win an amazing gift for you and your child.
No comments:
Post a Comment