Let Them Be Little

Children learn through play. From very early on they are constantly taking in the world around them. Can you imagine? What if every smell, texture, taste, shadow, color, etc. was new to you? Although it might come with a mess at times…

Let them be little.

They’re exploring a whole new world.

One of my favorite things about being a mom is seeing the world through my son’s eyes.

🌿 Find places in your house that have shadows and reflections

🌿 Find water!! Whenever my little guy is having a fussy moment my first thought is; How can we explore water? Whether it’s an extra/early bath, water from the sink, water in a bowl, or the pool outside, it always calms him down!

🌿 Have you ever been at a restaurant with your little one and it’s just NOT working? You have a feeling that chaos is about to unfold. Then, you start sweating because your meal hasn’t even come yet. Yep, every parent has been there! It’s not always easy being out and about with children. Even if this trick only buys you two minutes- that’s two minutes less that you need to continue planning a quick escape in your head! Instead, it allows you two extra minutes of time with family or friends. Let your little one explore and feel the condensation on your glass! They will be amazed by the temperature and texture!

Here’s a great example of how personal anxieties can sometimes get in the way of letting your little explorer learn about new things in the world. My boy had his six month checkup today. Without realizing what a privilege it was I became far too accustomed to the quick in and out visit when he was just a newborn. I didn’t realize that once a child turns 6 months old they can wait at the doctors office like everyone else. I’m laughing out loud as I think about the hour and a half of our lives we just spent there. I’m also realizing that I am blessed with a VERY patient babe! Anyway, while sitting in the waiting room my busy boy discovered the paper on the table was rather fun to play with. In fact, he wanted to crinkle, hold and rip every corner of that paper. At first, I tried to distract him with other things. Then, I thought…why am I stopping him? He’s only playing with the corners, it’s keeping him interested and busy, he’s exploring a new texture and sound, plus…they have more paper!! A perfect example of my adult mindset getting in the way of his new discovery. Now, if he would’ve started to eat the paper or play with it in an unsafe way I would’ve had to intervene. Will there come a time when it’s not appropriate for him to tear the paper? Absolutely. But in that moment, I could not think of one solid reason that would have justified stopping his exploration. And guess what? That activity kept him engaged for 15 minutes! 15 minutes that I would’ve been struggling to keep him distracted.

My final piece of advice is this…

Playful learning can happen in the little moments, the mundane, and the chaos. We live in a beautiful world- full of spectacular things- just waiting to be discovered.