So Ryan and I started brainstorming and we decided to enroll him in a couple of programs that 18+ month olds can participate in. We just finished his 4th week with Kindermusik. You would think that he was a completely different kid compared to week 1. I'm not sure if its his involvment, his age, or just us constantly working with him, but his social and fine motor skills have grown exponentially in just a few short weeks. He went from never leaving my lap, to knowing and singing all the songs, dancing, putting toys away and interacting with the other toddlers. This mama is so proud. Kindermusik- worth. every. dime.
The second program we started last week was Lil Kickers. This is a soccer program to help develop social and motor skills. Although we have only gone one week, Briggs quickly learned how to a kick a ball (his instinct is to pick it up and throw it-natural baseball player perhaps?), stack cones, and run through an obstacle course with mommy. He still has a lot to master but I still believe this is going to be a great developmental program for him.
Lastly, his vocabulary has increased by 100000 times (exaggerating) the last month! He went from knowing about 15 words to knowing over 100+. (Not exaggerating). It started out with a lot of mimicking but soon I realized that he could actually comprehend what the word meant. He is like a sponge- all he wants to do is learn new words and read more books. This morning when I was changing his diaper, I asked him to point to his eyes, nose, mouth, ears, toes, knees, tummy and head. (I never specifically went over knees, tummy or head- but he KNEW them without me pointing to them first!) So two things to pick up on here for mommy and daddy- 1.) Be careful with EVERYTHING we talk about in front of him now. Not only will he repeat what we say, but there is a chance he could UNDERSTAND what we are saying. 2.) Continue to find resources to stimulate and teach him. I never want to be satisfied in what he knows. He has always been a very verbal kid- so I want to continue to help him expand what he is capable of at every walk of life.
Who would have thought program involvement was so crucial at just a year and a half? But I have WITNESSED results in such a short amount of time. I am not an expert with early child development. However, being so astonished at what he can pick up, I am now challenging myself to learn how to help the development in all aspects of this growing little toddler's life.
What programs or activities have helped your toddler skills develop?
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