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One-on-one mother/daughter activities



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Kiwi13




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 06 2019, 8:38 pm
I have 3 kids - a boy who is almost 4, and twin 20-month olds (boy and girl). My older son will be in preschool in the mornings starting in September. My younger son will be in a developmental group for children with special needs. My daughter will be home with me.

She is a tiny little firecracker. She’s extremely bright and focused and determined. At 20 months, she already sings the ABCs, speaks in full sentences, follows multistep directions, identifies “happy” and “sad” (usually in the context of telling me her twin brother is happy or sad). After a solid week of fierce practice (her own doing, not mine!) she can also jump and get both feet off the floor. Her vocabulary is hundreds upon hundreds of words if not more. I’m just painting a picture here... she’s 20 months old, but she’s far beyond that developmental level in virtually every way.

I’m looking forward to having one on one mother daughter time with her when her brothers are at school. She’s already become a mini caregiver to her twin brother, always bringing him things to cheer him up, helping him eat when he drops his food, making nice to him when he’s sad and calling attention to his needs. When I take her out with me, just her and me, for a trip to the park or play cafe, her spirit seems somewhat dampened and she asks about her brother nonstop. (“Duda sleeping?” “Duda sad?” “I want Duda.” Etc.)

I want to make sure she doesn’t grow up feeling neglected or that she’s valued only as she pertains to her brothers. To add insult to injury, the boys share a room and she sleeps alone. She very obviously feels left out when she hears them playing while they should be sleeping. Unfortunately there’s not much we can do about that right now. Changing their rooming arrangements isn’t a smart idea for lots of reasons.

Because my daughter is so bright, she either already knows or will know soon how much time and attention her twin brother requires. I want to make sure she also feels special and loved for who she is as an individual. Yes she is young, I’m aware, but she really is an extremely with it kid who knows what’s going on. I’m looking for things I can do with her one on one that will encourage mother daughter bonding and challenge her mind. She really likes art. Anytime she sees anything remotely reminiscent of art supplies (like a jelly bean box) she tells me, “I wanna color!” Are there art projects we can do together beyond just coloring? Play dough or similar type things? What other things do little girls enjoy?

Thanks for reading my simple question that turned into a lengthy vent... summary is this: what are some good mother daughter activities for an advanced 20-month old?
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OutATowner




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 06 2019, 8:46 pm
You sound like an amazing, intuitive mother.
I think you answered your own question with the play doh suggestion. There are so many ways to connect through crafts. You can make your own play doh, finger paint, etc. Save it in containers and then when you take it out you can say "remember when we had fun making this together?
Hang up a piece of string and clip on her artwork to display her drawings and paintings, or any type of gallery. She'll be able to see that she has a presence in the home even when you cant focus exclusively on her.
Does she like baking? She can pour in ingredients and mix. Serve it on shabbos and mention that she helped you. These are all ways to bond and give her an identity without going too over the top.
Hatzlacha!
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amother
Hotpink


 

Post Tue, Aug 06 2019, 8:50 pm
Anything you do one on one with her will be special. Goin to the park, nature walks (aka walk down the block and point out everything you see), finger painting, building with magna tiles, household chores, setting up train tracks. Play is the best way for kids to learn and develop, no matter how precocious they are.
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Kiwi13




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 06 2019, 9:01 pm
OutATowner wrote:
You sound like an amazing, intuitive mother.
I think you answered your own question with the play doh suggestion. There are so many ways to connect through crafts. You can make your own play doh, finger paint, etc. Save it in containers and then when you take it out you can say "remember when we had fun making this together?
Hang up a piece of string and clip on her artwork to display her drawings and paintings, or any type of gallery. She'll be able to see that she has a presence in the home even when you cant focus exclusively on her.
Does she like baking? She can pour in ingredients and mix. Serve it on shabbos and mention that she helped you. These are all ways to bond and give her an identity without going too over the top.
Hatzlacha!


Oooh! Thanks! I love all of these suggestions! I’m taking a screenshot of your post for future reference! Smile
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amother
Peach


 

Post Tue, Aug 06 2019, 9:01 pm
I find that at this age sitting down on the floor with them and playing with any building toy is extremely beneficial. Aside teaching them creativity it also teaches them how to play with toys so they can do it themselves when they need to.
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Kiwi13




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 06 2019, 9:07 pm
Her latest thing is her insistence on being treated like the big girl she knows she is! She refuses to sit in her toddler seat, but happily eats her whole meal sitting at the table on a chair she can barely see over. (But hey, she’s eating. So that’s awesome.) She wants to eat her apples whole, no slices. She wants to brush her own teeth (we compromise on that one!). She’s starting to dress herself (somewhat) and is always very proud of herself for doing any of these things, squealing, “I did it!” to congratulate herself.

I think she will LOVE baking. I already set up an album of her artwork and framed and hung up one picture that is particularly beautiful that she worked very diligently on. I haven’t shown her the album yet. It’s a recent thing and I’m waiting for a quiet moment (haha) hopefully on Shabbos. I love the idea of involving her in chores and sharing as a brief announcement at the table that she helped make something or helped wash dishes, etc. thanks!!

Edited for typo.
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OutATowner




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 06 2019, 9:08 pm
Kiwi13 wrote:
Oooh! Thanks! I love all of these suggestions! I’m taking a screenshot of your post for future reference! Smile

So glad! Very Happy
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DREAMING




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 06 2019, 9:21 pm
Barnes and nobles has story time (they sing songs and read 2-3 books )
Playground!

My kids love damp rags to help me “clean”
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salt




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 07 2019, 3:46 am
If she's advanced she can probably play games with you too.
Memory game. Lotto. Dobble.

Her being home alone with you during the mornings sounds like it will be great for her. If in the afternoon/evenings, you have to give more attention to your boys, at least she will have had that time evey morning.
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southernbubby




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 07 2019, 7:23 am
Have you looked into what your local library offers? Where I live, I have done activities with little grandchildren at Finklestein and Suffern. I also take them to playgrounds and I get passes to children's museums from the library. I drive so I can take them anywhere and last summer we picked fruit at Lawrence farms.
Amazing Savings has board games and match games that can be adapted to itty bitties
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