© In A Flash Card 2023
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Buying 15-minute increments of free time by paying into the toddler bank
We’ve got stuff to do as moms – and lots of it. It can sometimes feel like we’re in constant battle trying to escape the demands of our toddlers, and this is exhausting. Let’s get in front of the demands without sacrificing our sanity along the way. We are the key contributor to our child’s emotional cup, and when it’s drained after daycare, a long walk or the busy grocery store, your child will seek you out to fill his cup.
In filling the emotional cups of our little ones, we often resort to activities that drain our own cups – like when Madeleine lures me into sitting next to her while she builds with Duplo blocks. On a good day, she is more than capable of having a lovely time searching for the little animals and flowers and building lopsided towers. When her cup is running low, she wants me next to her, commenting on each animal (heaven forbid I actually dare to build something) – needless to say, this is not something I enjoy. It’s okay to let go of the mom-guilt and accept that you don’t need to enjoy every game or activity that your toddler wants to play. My heart truly lights up from fun, educational activities (check out Madeleine’s top 5), and I have a friend who gains so much joy from making smoothies together with her 2-year-old son every afternoon.
If you’re wondering how you want to earn your Momcoins, ask yourself if the activity gives you joy. If it doesn’t, move on and seek out something else so that you’re filling your toddler’s emotional cup without draining your own. If you’re like me, you may enjoy making a list of activities you can choose from, so enjoy the free printable master list to weed out which activities are best for you and for your little one.
In our search for the easiest way to be a fantastic mom without sacrificing our own identity and interests, we discovered a huge hack: the three ways that toddlers play and how to use these to create free time for ourselves. This summarises into a new, entirely pretend currency: Momcoins! Basically, you can earn Momcoins by doing activities with your little one and then spend the Momcoins by putting your emotionally-satisfied toddler to work on an independent activity. If you’re wondering how you want to earn your Momcoins, ask yourself if the activity gives you joy. If it doesn’t, move on and seek out something else so that you’re filling your toddler’s emotional cup without draining your own. If you’re like me, you may enjoy making a list of activities you can choose from, and you can request the free printable or scribble-able* (yes, I also made that up) master list and planner to weed out which activities are best for you and for your little one.
Download the free Master List of activities and be honest to yourself about which acitivities you and your toddler both love. I’m curious how you play with your little ones! Let me know your favourite activity with your toddler (and, more interestingly, which you absolutely don’t like) on Instagram or Facebook.
*not everyone has a printer at home (and some of us have a printer that is always out of paper and ink… don’t judge me), so we make sure that our printables are also scribble-able. Simply grab a sheet of paper (or use the back of the phone bill) and scribble away using our printable as a guide – extra points if there’s a coffee stain on your paper by the end of the day.
If you haven’t checked out the blogs yet, read about your toddler’s 3 play modes and how to use them to buy yourself free time here!
© In A Flash Card 2023
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