The summer is all about staying cool and that means finding water! Every city is sure to have fun places for heat retreat: splash pads, wading pools and beaches. Seattle has a wading pool in nearly every park in the city. Here is a great
list of Seattle pools, wading pools, splash parks and beaches if you are a local or visiting for the summer. Have a favorite splash park, fountain or water park in your town? Leave a comment below or
send me the information and a picture and I'd love to feature it here!
We spent opening day at the Volunteer Park wading pool with some of our favorite Seattle friends for a 2-year-old birthday party. What a perfect way to kick off the summer!
Besides bringing the
outdoor "fun in the sun" essentials, I am quickly learning that there are other ways to prepare mentally when introducing your 16 to 24 month-old to large groups of other toddlers. This is definitely the time when sharing can be a great challenge for your child, but it can also be a great learning opportunity for the both of you as well. Here are a couple of simple ideas to help establish a pattern of sharing and giving in your family.
Sharing is caring
Talk about it
Almost every child wants what the other has and as soon as the child gets that coveted item, they usually forget about it. You could easily ignore the whining and fussing because, as you know, the moment will pass and their memory of the frustration will pass as well, but I am finding that taking the time to teach is paying off.
Even when the birthday girl was asking for a stick at the park, Audette was having a difficult time giving it up. Eric stepped in and found another stick. Rather than giving it straight to Livy, he handed it to Audette and with a little instruction and coaxing, he was able to help Audette hand the extra stick over to her friend Livy. He talked about both of them having sticks, both of them sharing the sticks and both of them swapping sticks. Not every toy is available in multiples and Livy's parents have shown me that establishing a system of taking turns, even at this young age can really set the standard for better sharing habits. Although it won't happen every time, little ones will eventually pick up on the desires of their friends around them. Audette is starting to hand over a toy or object when we ask. I see it happen even more often with children who are older, who have had diligent parents that relentlessly teach the value of sharing and giving. At the end of the day the kids just want to play with each other and those sticks really aren't that important.
I overheard a lot of parents handle sharing situations very differently at the park that day. Some encouraged sharing, while others did not. I especially loved learning from the parents who would encourage older children to be kind and watch out for the younger kids. One of my favorite lines was, "Thank you for being so sweet to the little girl. Remember when you were little once? You were just like her and now you are older and you have learned to share so well." What a wonderful thing to be able to say to your child.
What tips have you used to teach your child the importance of sharing? Especially for first children who seem to always get whatever they need or want, whenever they ask?
Take a time out
Sometimes sharing and giving is just too much to handle all at once. Tantrums happen and it often is a result of a child not being able to communicate what they want or someone else disrupting their happiness. You can't squash all tantrums. And I have yet to meet a perfect child who does not scream out in frustration at times. But what I do know is that sometimes taking your child away from the situation to calmly talk it through can be very helpful.
I recall an important learning moment in my own childhood where my dad took me away from a pizza arcade because I threw a fit. I was much older than Audette, but he had me step away from the situation, away from everyone else and took time to talk to me about my emotions, the situation, the mistakes I had made and how to better resolve the problem. I remember the moment ending with a piece of licorice too. Taking a little time to separate your child from the problem can help them recognize not only the best way to handle an encounter with a problem, but it also can be a wonderful way for them to recognize how much you love them. Your time, attention and teaching can set a very powerful example, even at a young age.
I have seen so many incredible ways to establish a calm down or time out moment, beyond a time out chair. What works best for your little one and your family?
Provide opportunities to share
I was chatting with a mom at the wading pool who's daughter was playing with an inflatable ring. Audette came up to the little girl and reached for the ring. The mom quickly asked her daughter to share, reminding her it was not her toy and that she should let other kids play with the neat toy she had been able to play with. The mom did a great job teaching her child and then she told me she didn't love bringing toys to the wading pool because she constantly had to monitor who had it and if anyone was fighting over it. I agree that is the easier option and that is a big reason why we don't typically bring a lot of toys around wherever we go. I think it was great that the mom helped the little girl recognize that the toy she had found at the wading pool was a toy to be played with by everyone.
One easy toy we have found that allows everyone to share is a
bottle of bubbles. We gave Livy a large bubble wand for her birthday, but made sure to bring one of our own to use and share at the wading pool. What a simple toy that provides so much fun for so many kids, no matter the age. This is such an easy way to allow kids to play side by side without feeling frustrated about what he or she has that they do not. Endless bubbles for everyone! The sand box seems to be that way too... just a bit messier.
What toys do you have or games do you play to teach kids how to interact with each other and share?
I always joke that the "cool moms" have bubble wands at the park because all the children flock. Eric decided to up his game and take it in the wading pool. He was like the Pied Piper, the King of the wading pool, the Bubble Wand Master, whatever. He basically felt pretty awesome.
