Mommy Needs A Minute

Alright I hope I didn’t lose you from the title, but bear with me. While most people, well I shouldn’t say most people. Let’s rephrase that, while some people have been talking about what the pandemic has taken away from them, I like to think about all it has given me. This isn’t the worst pandemic ever for me because it has gifted me with a new look on the life. I hope through this episode you are able to see my point of view and see if you agree that this hasn’t been the worst pandemic ever.

Did you know that the Fall Tiny Tikes Learning™️ Box is available! If you would like to purchase one head to the link in the show notes below or go to www.cratejoy.com and search Tiny Tikes Learning Box.

INTRO

I tend to always be more positive than negative. Especially in situations where everyone seems to be airing more on the negative side. So, as I sat down to record this episode I was reminded about all this pandemic and quarantine had stripped away. 

However, I’m sure you can find at least one positive that came out of this time in our lives. For me I can think of way more than one and I would like to share some with you. Maybe this will help get your wheels turning and realizing how blessed we truly are to have had this time with our family.

I feel like I should start singing the 12 days of Christmas because this episode is going to follow a similar format. Without further adieu here comes my 12 things this pandemic gave to me.

The first thing this pandemic gave to me is true family time. You don’t realize how much you miss out on as a working momma or parent for that matter. My day job, as you already know, is a Kindergarten teacher. So, after taking care of almost twenty 5 and 6 year olds I am pretty much wiped out at the end of the day.

Then, I come home and have to entertain and care for my 3 year old daughter. Sometimes after working all day, I am tired and worn out. I feel my patience become shorter and shorter and there are times where I am not the best mom. When my school switched to online learning, I started noticing just how much I was missing out on. People always say that kids grow up way too fast. I never realized how true that statement is until I got to see it first hand. I watched Aria flourish with my time at home with her. She was telling stories, writing in her journal, finding new shows, sharing funny jokes, and got fully potty trained! I know I would have missed these moments if I had been running to daycare and work.

Quarantine also gave me a chance to work on myself. With being home I was able to schedule in time to do a proper workout with abs, biking,and strength training. Normally, I am only able to pick one to do before going off to work. Being able to do this has made a tremendous difference in the results I saw. I am also able to watch and plan out my meals because I have more time to do so.

The next thing this pandemic gave to me is a closer relationship with my husband. Have you ever heard that expression of two ships passing in the night? That’s what I felt like we were before this stay at home order went into affect. We both would get up at the same time, have our morning coffee together and talk a little, then rush off to get ready for our days. He would leave before me and not get home until late in the evening almost bedtime.

I would get home around 4 and have to make dinner for us. I put his in the microwave so that it would be ready for him to warm up when he eventually got home. It felt like we were just aimlessly going through the motions without seeing a whole lot of each other.

Then the quarantine happened and everything slowed to a halt. He was home and I was home and we had literally NOWHERE to go. It definitely helped us grow and bond more in our relationship. We had to rely on each other for more things than what we did before and we were each taking on different roles. He was helping with dinner, laundry, and getting to make up for lost time with Aria which allowed me to get caught up on my online lessons for my students and work on my business without distractions. It was fantastic. Now that he is back to work, I feel like our relationship developed deeper and that continues to remain true today. We are better at communicating with each other about things and thinking through problems as a couple. Not that we didn’t before it is just different now.

Over this time, I have also gotten a chance to reassess some things. It has allowed me to take a deeper look at the people who are important in my life. Sometimes it is remarkable about who is actually still there when they don’t see you face to face like they used to. I’ve also come to the realization that sometimes situations like this show you what is truly important. I can honestly say that my friends have been there for me every day and I hope they feel the same way about me. We have messaged each other to check in, celebrated milestones and reminisced memories. We have worried about the fate of school for the fall, talked through our own issues, and I like to think we have grown stronger in our friendship. 

Getting time to find new hobbies is the fifth thing this pandemic gave to me. It’s no secret that I started my own subscription box company during quarantine. It might not have been the smartest move because of everyone being laid off, but I feel that it helped me get a foundation for my business. Now, the Tiny Tikes Learning™️ Box will be shipping out Fall boxes September 15. When I say that I cannot love this edition more, I just don’t know how the winter boxes are gonna top this one.

Over quarantine I was able to sit down and plan out the whole years worth of boxes ahead of time. Before this trying to do all the things was stressing me out and I knew that I wasn’t giving 100% to everything. I am grateful for this little bit of extra time so that I could take some time to focus on everything and get what I wanted to accomplished.

The sixth thing this pandemic gave to me is a better focus on dinners and meals in general that we have been eating. I was the queen of easy meals while I was teaching, chasing after a toddler, and trying to build my business. I couldn’t even tell you how many times we have hot dogs, pizza, burgers, or ham bbq for that matter. It seemed like every night I was pulling some already made meal out of the freezer to cook in the oven. Once quarantine hit I started looking at healthier options and found a meal plan box that would be delivered weekly and would save me some money and time while providing my family with healthier options. Now I don’t have to meal plan every week, I just hop on an app, pick the dinners we want, and cook them in 30 minutes or less.

Being in quarantine has blessed me with a new appreciation for things I once took for granted. I am seriously missing my favorite stores, ahem Hobby Lobby and Target, because those were my favorite places to go during the summer months. Shopping online just isn’t the same as getting to go down the aisles and smell all the candles that I won’t buy. I became so accustomed to hopping in the car and going wherever I wanted to without thinking twice. Now, I ask myself if it is necessary to go out. If not, I don’t go. I haven’t stepped foot in a store since honestly before this all went down. Curbside pickup all the way. I have done online grocery shopping for about a year and I will never go back to regular grocery shopping. 

Another thing that comes to mind is that there can never be a thing as too much fun. Before this I used to feel so rushed and the weekends were even busier; running and there for various things. Now, Aria and I will have played with sidewalk chalk, went swimming in the pool, and popped so many bubbles. Would we have done that before quarantine? I’d like to think so. But, every summer before this I have wanted to do fun activities with her and we have always had somewhere else to go.

The next thing being in quarantine has shown me is that you need to water the seeds you plant. There is one thing that will be guaranteed for the rest of your life. That is your family that you have helped raise. You can’t be worried about everyone else and what they are doing or not doing. The most important thing is what you show your own family.

I have always been family oriented but I feel that this pandemic has brought about a new light to that area of my life. Before this I would be thinking about other people’s children and how I could make them feel wanted and safe. Which I don’t want to sound like that has changed. I still love and cherish my students the same way, although this has made me realize that no one is going to my love child or family the way that I do. It has led me to change my thinking about where I put most of my effort and time and how that needs to change.

Alright this one is a tough one. For the first two weeks of being home, I casually brought it up to my hubby that I think I would like to be a stay at home mom. We then went to work to see if that would be physically and financially possible for us. Little did I know that after about three weeks, I would change my opinion. My hat goes off to all the stay at home parents out there because I don’t know how you all do it. I mean we had both of us home day in and day out and I still found toys and play doh and whatever else on the floor moments after I had picked them all up. Adult conversation was also something that was lacking. Of course I had my husband to talk to but I missed my friends and coworkers.

Throughout this time, I also gained the necessary courage to start my business. I was teaching my kiddos online, running around while on my prep time and lunch break to do laundry and other things (if my hubby didn’t already get them), so I was becoming pretty good at mastering my time. I made sure to keep it to the normal school day as much as possible. So I would be available from 7 to 3:30 and then after that I made it a point to answer any messages or emails the next day. I saw a lot of other teachers struggling because they could not turn off being a teacher. They were literally sitting at their computers day in and day out until 8 o’clock at night.

When I first saw that I instantly thought that will not be me. I have a toddler who still needs her momma and a household that still needs to function. So, from the very beginning I put a schedule into place. But since I didn’t have to commute back and forth, I found myself with some extra time in my day.

That is when I decide to take on this new business adventure. I was carving out a to do list for my business and devoting one day to getting a specific task done. Little by little I started chipping away at things and then decided to launch my subscription boxes to the world. To say I was nervous was an understatement. I am just glad that my boxes did so well. I’d like to think that I would have still been able to launch my boxes if we weren’t in the pandemic. But, I don’t know how soon it would have been.

And now friends we have come to our last and final thing that this pandemic has given me. It is the realization that if you want something, do it. This is kind of morbid but stick with me. When this first started my mind immediately went to, what if we are never able to leave our houses again. What if March 13 was the last time we would see our friends, coworkers, neighbors forever.

What if, what if, what if and then you fall into a rabbit hole that is hard to get out of. But, that is what happens to me. I then made myself promise that when quarantine was over I would do these things. I would no longer come to the end of my life and think about all the regrets.

So, I wrote a list of things for when quarantine is over. On the list is to go to Nashville again with our daughter. We have said every summer since our honeymoon that we would love to go back. But, we haven’t made it back yet because of this that or the other. Well you best believe when we are able to freely travel again that will be our next summer destination. I have also wanted to teach Aria how to ride a horse. She has been obsessed with horses and watching people ride them so that is something that made the list. I am also going to get a tattoo. I have wanted one forever but have been too chicken to get one. Well, not anymore. There are tons more on the list, but you get the picture.

The choice is up to you. You can choose whether you want to be stuck in your house or whether you thrive in your house. I hate to say this but there’s a part of me that doesn’t want things to go back to normal. I like the slower paced life that we are living. It kind of reminds me of my childhood. When there was really nowhere to be and nothing pressing that had to be done.

I have enjoyed seeing people post about their kids jumping in puddles. For real, when is the last time you have seen a kid do that. Seeing people get creative with ways of having baby showers, seeing their elderly relatives, and getting married. It is always amazing to me how many brilliant ideas we as people can come up with when faced with a challenge. That’s why I truly believe this isn’t the worst pandemic ever.

I hope that this episode hit home. Maybe you take a minute to think about the ways that this wasn’t the worst pandemic ever. Maybe for the better or maybe not. But, I think we can all say that there will be a change because of this.

Hey parents of 3-6 year olds, did you hear about the latest and greatest subscription box out there? The Tiny Tikes Learning Box covers everything your child needs to grow up happy, healthy, and ready to take on school. The best part: it is 100% customizable. Check out the link in the show notes below or head to www.cratejoy.com/tinytikeslearningbox to purchase yours today. The last day to order the fall box is Monday.

Ready or not here we come! Are you ready for back to school? Do you have your back to school schedule down? How about your back to school list? This year will be different than any other. There will be some major changes and I feel it’s gonna be hard for parents and teachers. But, there is one thing that will make it a lot easier whether you are virtual or actually in person, a back to school schedule. Now, you might be thinking isn’t getting back into a back to school schedule going to be hard if we are doing virtual learning. Well, take a listen to my quick and easy back to school schedule tips.

Did you know that the Fall Tiny Tikes Learning™️ Box is available! If you would like to purchase one head to the link in the show notes below or go to www.cratejoy.com and search Tiny Tikes Learning Box.

Back to school seems to come around faster and faster every year. I love back to school time because of all the teacher things they put out. Although this year is going to be quite different than the past. There are some tips and tricks to make this year successful for you and your child.

First up is the most important to create a back to school schedule. This is vital for back to school time to make sure that your children are getting what they need. Your kid needs to have some routine during the day and that’s no secret. But, the struggle comes in knowing what to schedule and when and everything in between.

I’ll give you a little sneak peek into our schedule. In the morning, we wake up, have breakfast. She gets to watch a little tv then it’s time for learning. Some days we dance to an ABC song, others we do yoga. Our plan covers a letter a week. We start out with looking at the new letter, tracing it with our fingers, and trying to make it out of play doh. Then, we do a letter craft and hang it on the fridge. The next activity is math. Similar to the letters we learn a number a week. 

Another important thing is that I don’t push her too much. If she doesn’t feel like doing anything, I don’t force it. She will do it when she wants to. It will also allow her to get more out of the activity than if I would constantly be forcing her to do it.

Then there are days when she wants to keep going and going. So, I let her. It’s not a big deal if we get Monday through Wednesday work done all on Monday to me. As long as she isn’t rushing through it just to get it done, we are okay here. That just means we have more days to play. 

Another tip is more for virtual learning, give them breaks. If they were at school they get breaks during the day when they are not constantly working or looking at a screen. As a teacher, I gauge how many breaks my kiddos need based on their day to day interactions. If my kids are super chatty or can’t sit still, that’s a sure sign of a much needed break. With online learning that should be no different. If they are getting squirrely while working on the computer, that’s a sign that they need a break.

You might be wondering what to do for the break. Here are some suggestions: get out and take a walk, have them do a craft or other creative project, play a game, do an activity from the Tiny Tikes Learning Box (see what I did there). There are tons of simple, low-prep ways to take breaks.

My next tip is to try to keep normal school hours as much as possible. That means work on their online work between the hours that they would normally be in school. I know a lot of districts are doing a hybrid schedule which looks different for every school. The most common one I have seen is two days group A, online learning for one day, and then group B for two days. With schedules similar to that, if you only do school work during normal school hours, you children will stay in their routine. This will help when it’s their day to go to school.

Let’s now chat about back to school organization. Whether you are virtual or in person, the most important and time saving hack is to have some type of organization. For virtual learning, have a place for all the materials, maybe a desk for your child. Somewhere that they know this is where they do their school work. 

For in person, the number one struggle we have is getting out of the door in time and with all of our stuff. So, have a designated area where backpacks, lunchboxes, shoes, coats, all the things go. That way the more will be a little less chaotic and maybe even get you out the door faster although I can’t make any promises.

My last tip is to give them time to decompress. Just like us, we don’t like to come home and be thrown into activities right away. It’s the same with your children. Once they are finished with their school work for the day, give them some time to do what they wish, before moving onto another activity.

Just like your kiddos, you too need time to decompress. Find something relaxing or maybe just something that you enjoy to help yourself combat the stress from the day. If your kids are virtual learning, you will definitely need to find some way to decompress after being not only mom or dad but also a teacher. 

If your kids are in person learning, I didn’t forget about you. You still need time to decompress as well. Again just find something that soothes your soul and makes you feel rejuvenated for the next day.

These are just some tips that I have been giving my friends whenever they ask what to do to help their children. Did you love this episode? Let me know by leaving a review. Want to follow more of my little life, find my on Instagram @tinytikesteacher.

Hey parents of 3-6 year olds, did you hear about the latest and greatest subscription box out there? The Tiny Tikes Learning Box covers everything your child needs to grow up happy, healthy, and ready to take on school. The best part: it is 100% customizable. Check out the link in the show notes below or head to www.cratejoy.com/tinytikeslearningbox to purchase yours today.

Social emotional learning is such an important topic. It is going to be even more important with kids returning back to school soon. But where exactly do you start with social emotional skills activities especially for your child or students?

Eek! I am so excited because on today’s episode I got to interview one of my very good CEO teacher buddies. Her name is Shannon and she loves everything about social emotional skills. I have never met a more inspiring and caring person and I hope you love her as much as I do. 

A Little About Shannon

Q: Tell us a little about yourself, what you do, and your life as a mom.

Absolutely, my name is Shannon. I am a wife, mom, and social emotional learning coach. We live in North Carolina. I live with my husband, 2 year old son, and another little boy on the way any day now. I’ve been in elementary education for 10 years. Even though I left the classroom last year to be home with our boys, I have not left education.

As parents and teachers, we don’t want to see our children struggling with behavior issues or making bad decisions. We don’t want to see them not knowing how to manage their emotions. We want our children to be kind. To reach their goals, problem solve, resolve conflict effectively, and have healthy relationships. All those things are social emotional skills. It is my passion to help parens and teachers get started with social emotional learning. I’ve seen first hand, year after year, how crucial it is to a child’s success and happiness.

I currently run a social emotional learning program called the Made to Be Me membership. This is where I provide fully planned, zero prep, social emotional lessons and resources. It is so important to me that anyone who wants to get started with social emotional learning can. Through the Made to Be Me membership, I eliminate all of the common roadblocks that teachers or homeschooling parents face. This makes it super easy for them to get started.

Her Social Emotional Business Idea

Q: How did you start your business? Where did the idea come from?

The idea for my business…came from, I guess have you ever thought how do I avoid messing up my kid. How do I keep my baby safe? How do I prepare them for a happy and successful life? I think most of us as parents have thought that and as much as we always want to be there for our children we can’t be.

So, then the next question becomes, how do I best prepare them? It was in asking myself those questions that I came back to what I had known. What I saw in the classroom for years which is our children need social emotional skills and development.

When I was in the classroom, I wanted to do what was best for my students and for my child at home. It was so important to me to have energy left at the end of the day for my son. But, I found that I was leaving work drained after helping my students work through behavior issues due to the lack of social emotional skills. I knew I had to find a way to take care of my students and my family. So, I began to incorporate intentional and specific social emotional skill lessons and it was a complete change.

I was able to thrive with my child at home, my students were doing better than ever, and I really got to see firsthand how truly powerful and informative social emotional skills are in a child’s life. The students who were able to communicate clearly, manage their emotions and behaviors, the kids who could empathize with other students, they were excelling far beyond their peers both academically and socially.

They had more friends, they were happier, and they were able to access more academic opportunities so, it was really through that deep emotionally desire to not only prepare my child but to help other parents and teachers do the same that the idea for the Made to Be Me membership was born and now I get to live out that dream and make it really easy for parents and educators to prepare the next generation with the skills they need to have the best future possible.

Social Emotional Skill Benefits

Q: Why is social emotional learning important for kids?

Social emotional skills are really important to begin teaching our kids. They are the building blocks, the pillars, the cornerstone of really raising capable learners who are able to navigate life well. Whether it’s learning academically or playing in the sandbox our children need skills like self-control, problem solving, empathy, perseverance, conflict resolution, and to know how to communicate clearly to navigate life.

Q: What are some things you would suggest parents to work on before sending their kids to school or maybe starting virtual learning?

In my opinion, before sending kids back to school whether that’s virtual or in person, or maybe if your child is a few years away from starting school, some core things that we as parents can work on are having our children identify their emotions and asking for help. I can break down a little bit what that looks like for us as parents.

I would say first helping our children identify their emotions would be helping them know what it feels like physically and mentally when we’re sad, angry, surprised, happy, scared, safe. So having that discussion about what it feels like when you have a certain emotion. So for example, when we’re angry or upset we really feel our chest getting hot, we may feel stinging or watering coming to our eyes, we may tighten our hands. When we feel angry our minds may feel cloudy and it could be hard to focus, so describing those feelings, both mental and physical, when our children are calm and not experiencing the emotion can really help them identify later when it does happen.

The second thing I would suggest is once our children are able to identify how their feeling and identify emotions, we want them to know it’s okay to feel whatever they’re feeling. There’s no wrong emotions. But we do also want our children to understand that while there are no wrong emotions there are right and wrong reactions to those emotions. So, it’s okay and normal to be angry that our toy broke, but it’s not okay to throw our toy across the room.

The third step is talking through with them what are healthy responses, what are healthy reactions to the problems. Those three things will really help your child be cued in to how their feeling. Now of course all of these would be at an age appropriate level for your child. A 3 year old is not going to be able to communicate the same way that a 5 or 6 year old might be able to. So, those would be the first things I would suggest.

If your child is doing really well with those skills, I would recommend preparing your child for school by teaching them how to ask for help. So, letting our children know that it’s okay to ask for help when their having those really big feelings and they don’t know what to do is really important. It gives them the next step. Instead of maybe having a negative behavior reaction, they can talk to themselves and say “Okay, I have a really big feeling and don’t know what to do. I’m going to ask for help.”

This year especially, I would recommend that we as parents check in regularly with our kids about how their feeling. Just like us through all of this craziness, what was a task that was maybe manageable and no big deal yesterday, today may feel completely overwhelming. One aspect of school that was easy today may be really frustrating and overstimulating tomorrow. So, being open to our children’s needs and helping them process their emotions will be really big this year.

We don’t want our kids to ignore and internalize the negative stressors of what their going through. So, as parents some things we can do to prevent that would be just talking through their emotions, asking them how their day is going. Reminding them that it’s okay to feel that way, offering helpful suggestions, and just really listening to their concerns. So, that would be what I would suggest parents to work on with their kids before starting school – whatever that may look like this year.

Q: What is the most important aspect of social emotional learning?

As far as the most important aspect of social emotional learning, whew that’s a tough one. So there are five main areas or competencies of social emotional learning. They are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. While all of those are a piece of the puzzle of helping us live happy, fulfilling lives. I really believe everything stems back to self-awareness.

It is the most basic building block of all the social emotional skills. Once we are able to be aware of how we’re feeling and how our thoughts and emotions impact our behavior, then we’re really able to build on that. We begin to use other skills like self-management. We can become social aware of those same emotions in other people and develop that empathy. It helps us to build healthy relationships and make responsible decisions. So, as you look at that list they are definitely all crucial skills, but I think it starts with self-awareness. Kind of like what we were talking about earlier. Helping our children identify how their feeling, how their thoughts and emotions are impacting them and their behavior.

Find Out More About Social Emotional Skills

Q: Tell people where they can find you to learn more.

If any of your listeners have any questions or what to chat, I love talking with parents and educators. They can reach out at any time. Email: hello@shannonmareeteaching.com. You can find me on everywhere @shannonmareeteaching and I would love to hear from you!

I cannot stress enough how important social-emotional learning will be this year! This school year will be unlike anything we have seen before. Some of our kiddos may need a little extra love. I encourage you to follow Shannon. She gives easy and quick tips to help you with your child and/or students with social-emotional skills. Peace, love, and bear hugs and I will see you back here real soon!

Hey parents of 3-6 year olds, did you hear about the latest and greatest subscription box out there? The Tiny Tikes Learning Box covers everything your child needs to grow up happy, healthy, and ready to take on school. The best part: it is 100% customizable for the VIP level. Check out the link in the show notes below or head to www.cratejoy.com/tinytikeslearningbox to get yours today.

Today I’m gonna let you in on a little secret, potty training stinks. Now for those of you  who have had an easy go of it, feel free to drop your advice but, wooo it is not for the faint of heart. I feel like it was just yesterday when we brought our daughter home and now have made it to the other side of this journey. I probably don’t have to tell you this but I’m going to because it makes me feel better. It is a difficult process that can be made even more difficult by other people’s opinions, whether your child is showing interest, and above all the busy schedules that you and your partner have. So, how do you manage to do everything successfully while potty training your child? Take a deep breath and be sure to take notes from this episode.

Where to Begin with Potty Training

Okay, so the first step is to determine whether or not your child has an interest in potty training. You may be wondering, how will I know if my child has an interest? If they are coming into the bathroom while you are in there and looking at or playing with the toilet, it may be a good time to start.

Don’t worry or stress if they are not yet ready for potty training. Every child develops at their own rate and that’s okay. We started with our daughter when she was 15 months old because she was very interested in flushing the toilet. We gave it a shot, but because she was still little she didn’t understand what we were trying to do and couldn’t understand when she had to go. So, it made it very difficult for us. Especially when we were working and trying to do it in the evenings before bedtime and then starting again on the weekends. It just wasn’t a good fit for her or us. So we put potty training on the shelf for a while. We started again when she turned 2 and it went much better.  Now she is 3 and she is completely potty trained! 

When we started this journey, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned that she wasn’t having as much success as other kids were. I know that might be what you are feeling or felt too going through this journey. But, if I could go back and tell my past self that it will get easier, because it did.

Schedule

So, after you figure out whether they are interested in learning how to go to the potty, the next step is to get them on a schedule. Again, this was a super sticky point for us. Our pediatrician recommended thirty minutes after she ate or drank. So, we tried that. Set a timer and over time found that the thirty minute mark wasn’t working. Either she already went before the timer or we would put her on the potty and she would have a major fit because she didn’t have to go.

If I had to say what was the BIGGEST struggle for us, it would be finding a schedule that worked for her. Then quarantine came and the world slowed to a halt. That is when we decided to work on potty training in full force. I was determined to have her fully potty trained before her 3rd birthday.

Potty Training From Us

Starting out, I did some research and by research I mean Google and from some mom groups I follow on Facebook. But, I was coming up with the same information everywhere. Set a timer, get a reward system, and be consistent. Well, that was what I was doing and I wasn’t having successful results. So, like a teacher, I went back to the drawing board.

Trick (if you call it that)

Now bare with me because it gets a little dicey here. My thought process went something like this, if she doesn’t have any pull ups on, maybe she will learn to go on the potty instead of on the floor. So, we tried it. Low and behold she only had one accident and the rest were on the potty. Not wanting to feel too confident, we kept this going for about a week. Then, we decided to start putting her in training pants. At first she thought they were like pull ups and quickly realized that they weren’t. Again for a week we had success. Then we decided to go all in and get her some really underwear. *knock on wood* she has been accident free since mid April. Woo hoo!

So, no timers or fancy reward charts worked for her just good ole fashion training. (Laugh) But not every child is the same, so I now what to take the time to talk about rewards.

Rewards

Most people when they think of rewards for potty training, they think treats like M&M, Hershey kisses, gummies and so on. Like most of you, I too started rewarding my daughter with food items as well. That was until talking to her pediatrician and he said not to do that. I was curious to why and he said that because it contributes to emotional eating later on. Well, I felt that that was true so I decided to nix the treat giving.

Instead I started using a sticker chart. Although she never wanted to actually put the stickers on the chart. She would rather decorate herself with them. So eventually the stickers would go on the chart mainly for my own tracking, but she was never truly interested in them or when she got to the reward part. Now, I have friends who have used stickers charts for their kids for potty training, chores, personal hygiene, and so on. I’m not totally against sticker charts because once she gets older and starts to understand the value behind them, I think we will try to use them again for chores and so on.

How Long Will Potty Training Take?

Now, I want to change directions and discuss the ever important question. How long is this going to take? (Laugh) I think now is a good time to remind you again that every child is different so for one child it may take 3 days. But, another child (like mine) it may take two weeks or longer. The important thing is that you stick with it. Trust me, I know it can be frustrating at times. Especially when they start making awesome progress and then regress a little. It is always discouraging to see that. But, I can promise you if you keep going there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

Keep Going, You Can Do It!

To close this out, I want to leave you with a little bit of encouragement. You can do this! I know it seems like this journey will never end. Or maybe will never start if you are at that stage. Regardless of whatever stage you are at, one thing is for certain, you can do this because you are already doing it. You will get a schedule down and you will figure out what works best for your child because you know your child better than anyone.

Peace, love, and no accidents friends! And I will see you around real soon!

Hey there, friends. What is the big deal with teaching your kids the alphabet? I mean does it really make a difference if my kids know all the letters of the alphabet or not. The alphabet letters can’t really help them to read. Well, I’m about to prove ya wrong. If you are looking for 5 ways to teacher the alphabet letters to your little one than I’ll see ya in this episode, love.

Why Should My Kid Learn the Alphabet

Alright let’s jump right in. Why is your child knowing the alphabet letters important? Plain and simple, letters are the foundations of our every day language. More importantly, learning the letter names is the very first step in a lifelong journey of building upon those very basic skills and will help them learn how to read when the time comes. 

Now I’m not saying that every child needs to have the alphabet mastered before entering Kindergarten, but it definitely puts them at an advantage. I know you might be wondering, well no duh I know my kid should know the letters, but how in the world am I supposed to teach my child. It was so very long ago when I was taught my letters and I frankly don’t remember how I learned.

That’s where I am going to help my friends. In true enneagram 2 style, I am here to be your Yoda. LOL. If you don’t know what an enneagram, is I encourage you to check it out, although I will tell you that it has provided me with an excuse for certain behaviors ever since finding out what type I am. LOL.

5 Tips to Make Learning the Alphabet Fun

Back to the matter at hand though, and the first piece of advice I have for you is to just have fun. I know I say this a lot, but it really is true. If you knew you had something to do that you don’t like very much, for me it’s laundry, anyone else? Wouldn’t it be more enjoyable to make it fun, I don’t know how you would make laundry fun but hey any suggestions to help a girl out let me know. 

To make the alphabet fun is easy for me. Kids love magnetic letters, puzzles, and little figurines.  Magnetic letters can be used on a cookie sheet, refrigerator, or some dry erase or chalkboards. Just put them somewhere where your child can find them and then watch the magic happen. Once they show an interest in them, that is your cue. Go over beside them and engage them in learning about the letters.

For the little guys, think 3 and under, this may look like talking about what the letters look like. A sample conversation might sound like this, See this letter, it has straight lines. It’s the letter A. Can you say A? And so on. By starting the conversation you are opening the door to your child having an experience with the alphabet by starting the conversation early. This will help them connect the concept of these are important to the alphabet letters.

For the older ones, 3 and up, now is the time to begin connecting the letters to sounds and then to easy words. You might start this process by using little figurines that can connect to the alphabet letters. The conversation might go like this, What is this? Yeah, it’s a zebra. Do you know what letter zebra starts with? Z. Z says Zzzz. Don’t overdo the learning process either, if you only get one letter in before they lose interest, it is okay. Breathe. I promise things will work out in the end. 

So now that we know how to add fun, what comes next. Simple, it is my secret sauce which I am going to share with you right now. Have letters everywhere. Post-its work wondrous for this or using pieces of paper and tape work well too. The more your child gets used to seeing the letters the more they will start paying attention to them. That is your golden ticket friends. Once you start noticing them pointing them out, that is when you start talking about the letters and their sounds. It can be as simple as “Yes, I see the letter J. J says j. Can you say j?” If they attempt, reward your child with praise. My daughter loves it when I tell her she has done a great job or that I am super proud of her.

Once they start building on the letter names and sounds, you can then start working on some simple words. My recommendation is to begin with words they will see a lot. So, words like: it, me, my, I, you, the, to, and. These words are the beginning focus of Kindergarten and also will be seen in the majority of books you read at home or that will be read in the classroom.

My favorite game to play with my Kindergarteners is Sight Word Search. As I read a story to them, I tell them to look out for the secret sight word. I have the secret sight word on the board and we go over it before hand so that they know what word to listen for. As we are reading the story, if hear it or see it they need to clap their hands and then say what word they found. My kids love this game and it is a sneaky way to practice basic sight words without them realizing that they are learning.

So now we have had fun and we have plastered our house or classroom with letters. We are having conversations about the letters and their sounds, and we may have started practicing some simple words. What’s next you ask? Well, I’m glad you did.

The next step piece is that SONGS WORK. The alphabet song is an oldie but a goodie. For real, the alphabet song has been proven time and time again to be the most effective way of teaching young children their alphabet. If you are looking for some other songs to add to your child’s repertoire you could always check out Jack Hartman and Dr. Jean on YouTube, I will link them in the show notes. They are both awesome and have fun videos and songs for something different than the regular alphabet song.

Next up is to start with the letters in your child’s name. I know I have said this before but if they find a personal connection to learning, your child will be that much more invested in it. Now this suggestion is more focused on little ones ages 3 and up, as the younger ones are not ready for this type of learning. My daughter just turned three and we are only working on the first letter of her name. 

An activity that she really enjoys is sorting items that begin with that letter. So we have a bunch of little toys/figurines that we spread out on the floor or table whatever works for you and then we have the letter A on a piece of paper, it could be construction paper. Again, whatever you have available. Then, we talk the letter A and the sound it makes and how it starts her name. Then, we tell her to pick up a toy or figurine. We then ask her what it is and if it starts with A. If she says yes, it goes on the piece of paper. If no, then it gets put aside. We keep going until all of the figurines have been sorted. 

Now, obviously there are multiple times where she gets it wrong. The trick is in how you handle the mistakes. You want to avoid calling attention to them completely. If you do, your child may shut down and not want to do any more. What I like to do, is to redirect her in a positive manner. So for instance, say she picked up a truck and placed it on the A. I would then pick up the truck and say “This is a truck. Truck has the t sound. Is that the same sound as a? If she says yes, I would then say, “T says t, A says a. Is that the same?” After this if she is still insistent that T belongs on the A, I would then say in a playful manner, “No, truck doesn’t go on the A.” And then we keep working.

Eventually we will add in more letters until she has learned all the letters in her name, but for right now we are happy with working on just one. 

My last piece of wisdom, if you can call it that, is to involve other senses when possible. So when you are learning about the letter C have your child taste a cracker. Then make the connection between cracker and the letter C. Another way you involve the senses is with the letter B. Go outside and blow bubbles or even easier have a bubble machine do all the work. Talk to your child about the bubbles and then chase those bubbles to pop them. One last recommendation for this is to use every opportunity as a learning experience. So for instance just because you’re at the zoo, doesn’t mean that you can’t take a few minutes at the certain animals to engage the sense of sight to talk about M for monkeys, Z for zebras. You get the idea. 

Important Takeaways

The most important takeaways from this is:

1. Make it fun
2. Put letters everywhere
3. Songs do work
4. Make it relevant to them – start with their name
5. Use a multisensory approach to increase knowledge base

I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode because there is definitely something to be said about practicing the alphabet at home. 

Peace, love, and alphabet soup and I will see you back here real soon!