As I was breastfeeding Immy tonight I thought that I would share a little ritual that we have every evening.
Each night when I am feeding Immy before bed, I talk to her about all of the highlights from our day. She listens and grunts or laughs at appropriate intervals (not much more you can do with a boob in your mouth!) I imagine once she weans (if it ever happens) and as she begins to communicate more, that this will become a two-way conversation recapping things that we have enjoyed that day.
I know I read this tip in a parenting book but I am not sure which it was (I am thinking it was most likely The No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers). I don’t yet know if it will make any strikingly amazing intellectual difference to her future but I imagine that it is helping to develop Immy’s ability to recall information from her memory which is obviously a very important skill.
It is only a little thing and it only takes a minute or two. Why not try introducing it to your baby or toddler’s bedtime routine. It really could fit in anytime – during bath, whilst getting dressed for bed, or once in bed. It certainly is not going to hurt your child, and you never know, it could be doing them a great service!
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How sweet!!
Visiting from MBC and following
anne
http://mommyhastowork.blogspot.com/
I love this idea. At the moment Sam (she's almost 1 year) and I read a chapter of Pooh while nursing. I cherish the moments. I really love the idea of dad and I going over the days activities with her. I also went to your sleep and weaning posts….I have the same sentiments and am just not bothered by her sleep habits….or lack there of. I have learned to embrace someone needing me, what is wrong with truly being needed?
We do this at the end of our day too, but tie it in with our prayer time. We look over the highlights of the day, but also talk about where life didn't quite go to plan. That way we know what to say thank you and sorry to God for! This has been especially helpful at the end of a long, frustrating day full of toddler tantrums. We can remember the good from the day (even if it was scarce), say sorry for the bad, have kisses and cuddles, and know that the slate is clean for tomorrow.
We often do this as a bedtime ritual… even at almost 6 I find it's great for my girls. We talk about what the days been like, what we've done etc. Now that they are older I think it gives us all a way of just touching base and means that if something happened that is bothering someone they have a chance to talk about it (or me to spot it if they are not so keen to chat about it yet). As SquiggleMum said it's really great when things have gone wrong – gives us all a chance to say sorry (again) and to talk about how we can make it better and realise it wasn't all bad.
I'm not sure if it will make them geniuses but I think it is valuable for so many reasons so keep doing it!!!
We did all that you described in this tip and also in the post on raising readers. I have to say – it all really worked in our case. My daughter is not 3 years old yet, but she is beginning to read independently, and everyone comments non-stop on her vocabulary. I think it's best to start early