Talking Toddlers

Top 10 Best Summer Activities for Your Busy Toddler

May 28, 2024 Erin Hyer Season 3 Episode 83
Top 10 Best Summer Activities for Your Busy Toddler
Talking Toddlers
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Talking Toddlers
Top 10 Best Summer Activities for Your Busy Toddler
May 28, 2024 Season 3 Episode 83
Erin Hyer

Today I'm thrilled to share 10 of my favorite summer activities to do with your toddler.

These activities are designed to get your little one moving, boost engagement, build language skills, and create excitement for everyone involved.

As a seasoned speech language pathologist with over 35 years of experience, I've seen firsthand how toddlers learn best by doing. 

They need moms and dads to show them the way, and what better time to create lasting memories than during the summer? 

These activities are not only fun but also essential for your toddler's development.

Don't miss out on this episode packed with practical tips and ideas that will keep your toddler active and learning all summer long. 

Tune in to discover how you can make the most of these precious years and set your child up for success. 

Whether you're a new mom or a seasoned parent, there's something here for everyone. Let's make this summer unforgettable for you and your toddler!

Listen now and let's get moving!

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CLICK HERE - Building Vocabulary: Single Words to 2-Word Phrases Guide

Email: contact@HyerLearning.com

Show Notes Transcript

Today I'm thrilled to share 10 of my favorite summer activities to do with your toddler.

These activities are designed to get your little one moving, boost engagement, build language skills, and create excitement for everyone involved.

As a seasoned speech language pathologist with over 35 years of experience, I've seen firsthand how toddlers learn best by doing. 

They need moms and dads to show them the way, and what better time to create lasting memories than during the summer? 

These activities are not only fun but also essential for your toddler's development.

Don't miss out on this episode packed with practical tips and ideas that will keep your toddler active and learning all summer long. 

Tune in to discover how you can make the most of these precious years and set your child up for success. 

Whether you're a new mom or a seasoned parent, there's something here for everyone. Let's make this summer unforgettable for you and your toddler!

Listen now and let's get moving!

===============================
CLICK HERE - JOIN THE WAITLIST

CLICK HERE - Building Vocabulary: Single Words to 2-Word Phrases Guide

Email: contact@HyerLearning.com

Erin:

Yes, it's okay to be bored sometimes. And yes, it's okay. He's like, mama, I don't know what to do. And then you can give them ideas, but it takes practice. Right. And summertime is an excellent way to start to introduce that. Especially if you have that 24 30 month old.

Speaker:

Hello and welcome to Talking Toddlers, where I share more than just tips and tricks on how to reduce tantrums or build your toddler's vocabulary. We're going to cover all of that, but here, our goal is to develop clarity, because in this modern world, it's truly overwhelming. This podcast is about empowering moms to know the difference between fact and fiction, to never give up, to tap into everyday activities so your child stays on track. He's not falling behind. He's thriving through your guidance. We know that true learning starts at home. So let's get started.

Erin:

So as we approach this summer, you were probably concerned about how you're going to entertain your very active two year old. In this episode, we're going to cover how to really. Shape that boundless energy. Most two year olds Xpress each and every day. And I've been reminded of this over the past several weeks. As I volunteer each Sunday at my local church, and I've been placed in that two and a half year old group. You know, those kids who are almost potty trained. But it's been non-stop. So we've had about 10, 10 kids in the class and two adults, and I tell you it's exhausting. But they're so eager to really participate and play with each other. Mostly with the adults in the room. But, you know, they're just beginning to learn how to share. Borderline. And they really don't know how to integrate, play with other kids, their own peers. And I've talked about that in the past. But here's the thing. That there's a boatload of science behind the importance of letting your toddler channel this energy. Whether there are other kids in your family, or you have cousins coming to visit or neighborhood kids. But it's true for any human at any age that we sometimes forget. Toddlers are in this repertoire of physical activity, regular physical activity supports building endurance and developing strong muscles and bones. They have to move their bodies. Right. And maintaining very good, consistent sleep patterns. And that's a big goal for all of you on shore. But these activities will also foster. A better social communication, social interaction, and all of this is sprinkled on top of that whole. Wealth of speech and language communication skills. So let's walk through. These 10 of my favorite and there are actually a few more that I will add on to my cheat sheet. But in this episode, I want to cover these as if there were indoor activities. And I know summer, we really should be getting outside as much as possible, but I want to assure you that you can do these inside no matter what the outside weather looks like. And, and then you have that flexibility, right? The whole idea is to keep your toddlers active. Engaged. And then that will foster or support development skills in a positive direction. And so keep in mind, even when you can't go outside, you can do this stuff inside. So summer is perfect to talk about this. And I know people are from around the world listening. And so it, we can't. We can't let weather deter our activities. whether it's raining or too hot or muggy, or if you're in California, it's smoggy or windy, all of it. Let's let's go inside when necessary. And then in a different episode, we'll talk about different. reasons why outdoor play is really, really critical as well. So I'm going to focus on these top 10. And as I indicated, I will have a cheat sheet because there were a few additional ones. That I will add. And then you can explore on your own. So don't forget to get, down below in the description box and you can, use that as a reference tool, but it'll also educate you and, and expand the possibilities. Right. On here. I'm always looking to help give you specific strategies, but also give you that background information. A little science sometimes, or a lot of science, but also some of the deep, secrets that I have learned over those these last 35 years. I want you to stay ahead. I want you to really navigate this modern world and watch your baby and toddler blossom. So let's, start unfolding these, and they're not in any special order. The first one. Is dance party. And yeah, it's pretty common, but I want you to think of it as different styles. Right? You can do a freeze dance. You could even do musical chairs and I'm not sure if you mamas who are average age, 30 years give or take. If you actually grew up with musical chairs. I did, it was one of my. Um, best. activities in elementary school, but it's a great way. If you have multiple age kids, whether they're cousins or you have. 2, 3, 4 kids of your own. Neighborhood kids or adults. Right. And so it's important that it's playful and creative, but any kind of dancing along. Teaches rhythm and coordination and expressive. Skills through their body and their facial expressions listening. Right. Careful listening with intention. And when you're playing with a toddler two or three or even four at that preschool age, they're pretty vulnerable as you know, so make it lighthearted. There's no real winning or losing, but it's important to. To use music as that foundation of listening. And, and like I said, the rhythm, the timing. And perhaps you could. Also, and I've recommended this a ton. To use more old rock, like the Beatles or earth, wind and fire, or the fifth dimension where you can sing along. And kids you'll, you'll be able to pick up what are they really perceiving? Right. We've talked a lot about kids can hear, then they start to perceive and that's when they discriminate. And then they really understand. Right. But, so what are they singing along with in the chorus and whatnot? Um, so if you're not familiar with some of those old fashioned rock songs, go ahead. You. You know, look on YouTube or Google them. Any kind of music will do of course, but, I think. Kind of that mid range. That kids can dance to and hop around with and find the synchronicity with, with the beat. And that's a lot of fun. It's great. Neurological learning, great language. I personally, and this is just my, my, uh, my bias. I personally, don't like kids' music, you know, to me, it's like fingernails on a chalkboard. Even Disney music kind of drives me crazy sometimes, it's all personal. But think of that, freeze dance or, or, musical chairs, something to that, to that like, if you're getting ready for dinner, you can do a little dance. 10 minutes of dance. Let's do that. Or after dinner. you can build it into part of your daily routine. Number two, speaking of dinner is cooking and I talk a lot about cooking here, but the idea is to really together as a family, Build a healthy relationship with food. And bring that toddler, your toddler in, into the whole process. Because there's so much rich language opportunities. Where you can have them learn how to follow directions, understand the steps and things go in order. First we do this, then we do that. Right. First we have to mix up the dry ingredients. Then we mix up the wet ingredients and then we put it together. There's there are steps that we have to follow along. Also as you. Plan your meals together. That's, that's the benefit to planning, shopping, organizing, and creating the meals together. And then you share the meals together and then you clean up together, the understand the process. But if you find a recipe that you like, then you go to the store and you buy the ingredients, you check it off your list. You come home, you put it away. You plan when you're going to cook that together. And then by the time he sits down at the table with you, he has been so fully engaged. Of course, he's going to eat this delicious, whatever that you all decided to. To make and create together, but keep it simple. Look at some basic steps. And as always, I'm stressing real food here, not pre-packaged food. I know in the summertime, it's really easy. it's hot and that you lose track of time. It's really easy to do fast food or frozen food or pre packaged food. Try your best not to go there. We want. To really build not only nutrition, but this relationship as I talk about a lot of here and I can't stress it enough, especially in this modern age. That food is nutrition, it's medicine for our body. It gives us energy. It helps us sleep better. Think of it as garbage in garbage out. Right. If we feed ourselves, you and I are just as vulnerable, but the kids really take our lead. Right. But it impacts. Their attention. It spikes meltdowns. It interrupts their sleep. They have digestive problems and constipation problems and diarrhea and sinus issues. And headaches that they can't express, right. It interrupts their attention and it really disrupts their, their learning, their cooperation and their overall growth and development. So I can't stress this enough. But. It's important to perhaps pick a few favorites, right? And here are the recipes such as maybe meatballs or egg muffins or baked chicken or sweet potatoes or stir fry. Right. Help them understand. How to prepare in simple ways, and then you can plan together batch cook, right? That's always so much easier than you can have three meals already in your refrigerator and just have to warm up and remind them, Hey, remember, we went shopping, we bought these ingredients. Now we're going to have that for dinner, right. Get your toddler involved in the process and, and then help them be hungry with all of those. All of these activities, but you know, dancing and moving your body. And then I come to the table and I'm hungry. So I'm going to eat this real food with my family together. So it's a win-win win-win. The third one is sensory bins. And again, this is pretty common. It's pretty classic, but we can use them in a variety of environments. And that means inside and outside. And, and I know. A lot of, toy companies have created these big fancy, but you can create your own right. Kids can really be self entertaining there and educational at the same time. So you can think of bins with rice or beans, sand, which can get kind of messy and water, which can be used outside quite often. Right. But, some families figure out how to do water tubs. Inside. And think of small toys that go in there, some tools that they can dig or scoop poor dump all of these. Fine motor coordination activities. get tubs that you can put lids on them, move them inside and outside. Inside the house, just get a big tarp underneath. Right. And so you can scoop up anything that spelt. Over spilled over, especially the sand. Right. That's kind of tricky, but. One mom in particular several years ago actually said, oh, I don't do water bins inside. I just use the, the tub. And, you know, sometimes she'll even put her bathing suit on and I'll just kinda sit there and we'll sing songs and she'll play just like it's outside, especially if it's, you know, yucky weather, but think of the entertainment facts as well as the motor coordination imagination. And be ready to, to show them at first how you engage with some of this play and then let them take the ball and run with it. Right. So these are just, you know, a few ideas to consider and explore, but sensory bins as specially at two and three and four, once they moved beyond putting everything in their mouth and you can teach them. That. Oh, we don't eat this stuff. This is just for play. We eat at the table, right? That's our place to eat. We don't walk around the house and eat. That grazing style. So that's number three. Number four is a treasure hunt. And I've always done this in my practice, but it's sort of a type of hide and seek right. Um, there are certainly different varieties, but again, I'm just kind of brainstorming some ideas, but you can hide toys around one room. Whether it's his bedroom or whether it's the living room. But with this particular age, I do suggest that you pre-teach and show them what the game activity is. Maybe pick three to five objects. You could even start with objects that are his favorite. So he's motivated to hunt and seek right. And then walk them through the process. I'll we're going to hide this and I don't know where it's going to be. And then you can use a variety of language. probing questions or, or clues, right. You can say, okay, we had three objects. We hit. One is. A toy that we bounce. Right. One is something that has wheels. And one is something that you hug at night because you love them. You know, it could be their favorite bear, a truck, and an a ball. Right. But so you could preface it with giving them that those clues, right. That helps them remember what, what are the three things we're looking for? You could also give them clues. The, the toy that we bounce is close to the couch. Right. You can say something like that or. That soft furry animal. Is under the, the catch. Or you could even say, then you could flip it and say the bear, give them that, that the noun is under something. We sit on. You know, so we look at the different furniture in the house, so you can mix it up. You don't want to make it too difficult, especially in the beginning, you're teaching them to be motivated. Even if you basically give them the answer, you're showing them what the game is. And then as he, or she gets older, of course you make it more and more challenging, right. Instead of three objects, you give five objects. Um, or 10 objects or little things, or, you know, all kinds of different. Uh, ways for this hide and seek. Or a treasure hunt, right? But it's important that you, at this age, that you rehearse and that you either give them a description or a function, or like this is your favorite thing to take to bed. Those kinds of things beforehand that will help them remember what are they looking for? So keep it simple at first. Make it obvious even, and you know, you could see the bear underneath the dining room table. Oh, I see your favorite. Fuzzy animal he's he's under. The table that we eat at or all of those kinds of things. I think you get the picture, But don't be afraid to really kind of mix it up and see, because you're two and a half year, three year old. I mean, some of these kids that I've been, you know, hanging out with every Sunday are, are pretty remarkable. And, um, other kids, you can see that your giving them directions or you're playing a game with them and they're really thinking about it. And there, and then the next week they come and they remember, so it's a fun activity to really make part of your daily routine or your weekly Routine, um, because it helps them think helps them discriminate, helps them with memory and they have to reason follow directions. So a lot of rich language is involved. Number five. Which has been one of my favorites of my whole career are obstacle courses. And again is very physical, but in a fun way, and you can definitely do this inside because I used to turn my office into obstacle courses. But use things around the house chairs to crawl under or crawl over again. You're teaching them prepositions pillows, use the coffee table. I had a big solid coffee table. Kids could walk on top of it or underneath it crawl underneath it. Or, you know, a regular sized table, don't have them walk on top of it, but they can crawl underneath it. Uh, footstool where they, walk up a few steps. You can certainly. Always support them. you can also use some string that you would then tape across the hallway. And how I would use it. I would use the, the string that you use for the lacing. And so they're pretty big and they're colorful and you can tape them. Different Heights again, depending on how big your kids are, but they can crawl under it. They can step over it. A lot of balance, the right laugh. They can hold on to the walls or hold on to your hand. Right. But the whole idea is to get them to move their body in unexpected. Planes. As well as follow your direction. Right. But. It's so much fun and kids really love it. And I think in a previous episode I talked about, this is a time where you could use. Flashcards in a twist, you know, at the end of the, of the obstacle course, then you say you have three cards out there and you say, show me somebody who was jumping right. Or, which one lives in the zoo. You know, different animals, so you can do it that way. Or you can just simply use it as an obstacle course. Um, you can time if you want, or you can. do it frontwards or backwards, you can be really, really creative. And of course you're always going to physically support them if they're unstable or unsure. you could even get some squishy balls and get them to do some balancing things. You can have them. turn around three times and then sit on the floor and sing happy birthday. You know, all a lot of creativity. and it's really not. There's no perfect obstacle course, but you could even Google online and I've shown this to parents when they're not quite sure about my whole obstacle course indoors. Um, but if you Google. Then, and look at images, they'll have a plethora of ideas. And again, you don't have to buy equipment. You can use things around the house. You can be creative with boxes, of course, or you steps or benches or those kinds of things, but just be open to creating this play environment, whether it's, you know, 20 minutes or 30 minutes, and then together, you put it all back. Right. And that's the whole idea. To set it up. You play and then you take it apart or put it back to quote unquote normal, right? So number six. Would be sorting and again, This is perfect for that 24 to 36 months. I mentioned this in a previous episode, or maybe it's one coming up that this age range is really, really ready to learn how things are the same and things are different. So that's a little higher level kind of critical thinking. So you can sort, you know, make a big pile or a little pile depending on, you know, whether he gets overwhelmed, but, you know, Pick out all the animals pick out all the vehicles or foods or clothes. And then you can do colors. and this is just a good time. It's not necessarily teaching colors one over one, but it's sorting, right? These are all the, pale purple here are the yellow. You can use things like Palm palms or blocks or anything that has multiple colors. So you could even use. You know, the colors of all the different markers in a big case. But sorting. Is not only sorting them and putting them in bins, but you can then put them in different, Containers. And so you could work with, with fine motor or they have to turn something and open it and put it in again. Get it. To their developmental level and therefore their ability to understand, but you can make it more. Uh, robust and not just sorting. But the idea is to, to then talk about how all of these animals, they're all part of the same family, the animal family, right? There are animal group. They all have for, they, you know, have four legs, most of them, right. Or they, you know, they live in the wild, they live in the woods, they live in the jungle. And these animals over here are a little bit different. They have no legs. They always have to live in the water, so you can really help them soar in their mind how things are similar. These are animals too, but they live in the ocean. They live in water. Right. And yes, human beings are a type of animals, but we don't live out in the wild. Right. We don't have four legs we don't have for that kind of thing. But. Line it up according to their ability to understand. And like all of these activities. Have them. set it up with you and then make sure that you clean up. Because that's part of the activity too. And if you set the stage there, then they'll understand how there's a beginning, a middle and an end. Right. We set up, we do the activity and then we clean up. Number seven, again, a common one, but I love it is Play-Doh and it's a great indoor activity. There are many there's plethora of different non-toxic home recipes that you can just Google. if I find I do have a couple of favorites, if I find a couple, I'll include them on my list. But make sure that you have different tools. even different textures To use Cookie cutters, plastic knives, and forks, so they can poke things and cut things, try to use both their hands at midline, right. That can roll it. They can pat it. They can use, uh, A kid's hammer. A rolling pin, all of these things, these different textures. Now I do have, and I've, I've always liked using these. there's different types of therapeutic putty, and I'll have a link down there below because they do last forever. They come in different colors and the colors. Stand for the stretchability. So some are really soft and easy to mold. Some really have to pull apart. but that's. a possibility To consider maybe not so much with a two and a half year old, but maybe with that three and a half year old. you could also use toothpicks where you just, poke things together or build. different shapes and have toothpicks. You can bury things like buttons or old keys or small figurines kids love to bury it and then pull it apart. So there's. Again, it's not just making the Play-Doh and rolling it. You know, Be done, but really do small or fine motor activities to help them. Not only feel the sensory perception, but work with it and build up that there, their finger. Capabilities. And so that will help them with self-feeding. It will help them future on with handwriting. And all of this kinds of things. Now number eight would be sock puppets. you know, again, you could buy real puppets, but I'm trying to give you ideas that don't cost much, that you can use materials around the house and be creative because kids will ebb and flow through these kinds of things, but use old socks, different sizes. So on some buttons for an eyes and nose or some old fabric, you can even so on some yarn for hair, those kinds of things, but using puppets, it was a great way to practice expressive language and. And the whole kind of social turn-taking my turn. Your turn. Um, your puppet can eat. My puppet get neat. Your puppet can talk. I, my puppet can talk and it really helps acting out. And then they can begin to internalize. Remember That pretend play is they do it on themselves and then they do it with others. You can also take some of these sock puppets, just have them in the car, put them in your travel bag. When you go out on errands. Again, I'm trying to give you ideas that you can easily have at hand. So you don't. So you're not tempted to put your iPhone in front of them to entertain them right. In a shopping card or in the back of the car. And it's important for your toddler to self entertain. And then he won't need. Somebody else to entertain them. Right. That that's the whole idea, but we do it with them. As, especially around that second birthday, 18 months to three years of age, and then they really can. Then really be creative players on their own and with other kids their own age, but we have to show them how to do that. And this. This endless energy that they have, we have to somehow. Tunnel it right. And somehow. Uh, shape it. So they begin. You know? Yes, it's okay to be bored sometimes. And yes, it's okay. He's like, mama, I don't know what to do. And then you can give them ideas, but, um, but it takes practice. Right. And summertime is an excellent way to start to introduce that. Especially if you have that 24 30 month old. so number nine would be indoor bowling. And we used to do this a lot in my office as well. And yes, you can buy little bowling kits now. I never really liked those. I kinda made my own with some old water bottles and I would put in some sand or dirt or pebbles. So I always thought that the pebbles were a little bit. more stable, but you would need, they don't work so well on rugs, but you can perhaps weigh him down with those, those pebbles or sand or dirt, or, And use it on a level floor. Of course. Right. The hallways always seem to work best for. even the front porch, that was a good, a good location. Right. And then I typically use a little bit heavier ball again, so they could knock down the pins, but you start with whatever you want, especially. With some kids, they'll just push it. And knock it down. But, I also like to use maybe duct tape or that painters tape painter's tape is, is truly my friend. Um, for lots of other reasons, we can talk about that at another time. But so again, they understand what you stand behind. You know, some of the rules, right? Early rules, these are the steps to the game. You stand behind this line and then you roll the ball. Right. And if kids have difficulty rolling that straight, which they will, you know, teach them how to roll it between their legs or under. But you can line up perhaps some shoe boxes on the side of the hallway too. Narrow use them as, as bumpers, right? As in a really a real bowling alley. But it's, it's all about taking turns. I'm getting a little frustrated as, okay. Knocking down the pins, setting them up, showing them the steps along the way. All of these things. I know it's fun and it's engaging, but I can't tell you how much neurological growth is happening when you just engage in simple play activities. That have a little bit of purpose and a little bit of steps to follow this really wiring their brain and then their world isn't so loosey goosey, right? Okay. And number 10 of my favorites. Would be balloons and you may already know this, but kids just love balloons. Um, every which way. You can typically, I just kind of play volleyball. We'd go back and forth, right. Or, which was a big one in my house. My daughter loved to play. Um, volleyball inside the house. We had really big high ceilings. Um, And. I used to, even at my office, even blow up the gloves, the surgical gloves that I would have Kids would love to play with them again, just bounce them. Some people have turned it into kind of a lighthearted tennis racket kind of thing, where you can actually make Ray rackets. And I've done this a couple of times. And I think it was a mom who actually showed me, you take paper plates and you staple them to a Popsicle stick. And then you can use those as pretty safe, especially indoors. No, one's going to be hitting each other over the head and, and whatnot, but you just kind of volley back and forth. And again, it's about, Taking turns and engagement with other, with other grownups or if they have siblings, this is a great activity. Um, to really help, you can even have teams, right? Mom and one kid and dad and the other kid, or grandma or grandpa or uncle Joe or whatever. there are no real expectations. It's just, an engaging activity. It's physical it's movement. They're not sitting there. They're not getting bored. And, you know, it's 10 minutes, it's 15 minutes, but these ideas, you can see. Really are only limited by your own creativity, right? Take some of these ideas, make them your own personalized them, ask other moms, Google M. There are thousands of ideas out there, but I know that the whole idea about entering summer and a wide variety of, of weather and, and people coming and people going, or if you're traveling. The whole idea is not to spend a lot of unnecessary money, right. To. That these things are homemade. You can do it in your house without really purchasing anything. Use stuff around the house. Don't make it fancy. And really be with them during this. And as you can see, there's, the language, there's the physical movement. There's cognition, some problem solving, dealing with some stress, right. If they, feel like they've lost or they didn't get a turn, especially if other people around cousins are. Neighborhood kids and that kind of idea, but I wanted to share the possibilities of what you can do with your toddler and building from the ground up. And, and then honing some of these skills later on. Right. And the sky's really the limit, as I said, and these are just a few of my favorites. Some are classic. Some are perhaps you've never really thought about. But don't forget. I do have a cheat sheet down below. I want you to grab that there are a few additional ideas. Again, some might be familiar with you. You. Entertaining, a toddler for 10 minutes or 15 minutes. The can really, really help. Build their muscle, right. Exhaust them. Get them ready for the next task. And then, you'll see as that third and fourth birthday, they'll be able to entertain themselves much more readily and much more. Independently without worry on your part. Like, oh, what are you doing? Oh, I'm, I'm bowling. Right. And he can bowl on his own. Right. He can volley the balloon on his own. He can do the obstacle course on his own. Once you set it up, all these kinds of things. Haven't. Uh, very, innate, independent play perspective. as I wrap up, here are a few key takeaways. Safety first. Right? My husband is an ex Navy man. We've always had that as our motto in our house safety first. Prepare ahead, right? Get the materials organized or you think about, oh, maybe tomorrow we'll make together, a bowling set, right. Keep it simple at first, show them how to do it. Right. number four. Adjust, according to their skill level or their interest level or their developmental readiness. Right. If they're not interested in bowling. Okay. Fine. Let's, let's just, you know, volley with the, with the balloons or let's do Play-Doh or let's, do puppets. Uh, sock puppets. Again, throwing opportunities in their direction and see how they respond. Number five. They learn by doing right. So actions help solidify, not only do they build muscle and cognitive awareness and all of that, but they're also learning through that process. They learn in that Play-Doh they learn. Especially in those obstacle courses, right? And number six, be patient with them. If, it only lasts a few minutes in the beginning. That's fine. Put it away, put it in the closet, put it in a bag, something, take it out in a couple of days, right? And then maybe it's five minutes and then maybe it's seven minutes. Be patient and let them learn over time. Right? and then number seven, always, always, always include a cleanup together. That's part of the activity, right? What do you want to do? Let's get out the materials. Let's do it. And then let's clean up. And that should be part of the fun. That's just like if you're going to cook together or if you're going to, wash the dog outside. Together. That's always a fun activity. Um, then you know, you clean up, right? You clean up the mess, you clean up your wet clothes. You, you put the hose back, you put the soap back, these tiny little steps that you and I could just run and do a lot easier. The more we pull them in, the more they learn, the more they engage, the more they remember and you're building independence. Right. So as you know, Toddlers have boundless energy and we want to hone that we want to shape that and use it so they can just continue to blossom and keep them on track. Keep them moving one step in front of the other, And these physical activities. Really, really support that are rich in language they're rich and cognitive skills. And we'll only help all of you enjoy your summer together, right? No matter where you live. And if it's rainy outside, or if it's hot and smoggy, Then you have these indoor activities, but remember that you set up the activity, you do the activity. And then you clean up. Because I think a lot of parents worries like, oh, my house is going to be a mess. Now you're two and a half, even your three-year-old. Isn't going to do a lot of the fine cleaning, right. You're still going to have to do that, but, but they'll be pitching in and learning on the job and then you can really rely on your four year old to do that. Right. But you're building endurance, a lot of muscle, a lot of cognitive skills. You're improving their sleep, their social communication. It's a win-win for everybody. And so keep that in mind as you're moving into the summer months. And, Thanks again for spending time with me, for listening, for being open to really honing your, your parenting skills. And helping your toddler being the best versions of themselves. So God bless NLC and next time.