We have been going through a major transition in our household. Brighton Baby has gone down from two naps a day to just one. I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but WOW. There is a lot of extra time to fill in our day. Haha.
One day, I was laying on the floor watching her play [read: looking at my phone and occasionally looking up to check on her] and it just hit me like a ton of bricks. What the F am I doing?!
Now before you @ me… I give her plenty of individual play time as well as quiet time. I’m not looking for parenting advice on this topic. I am simply sharing what has been going on in OUR household and what works best for US. 🙂
As a new mom, I felt like a piece of garbage. I should be teaching her ALL the things. Now, I realize that I instantly put a ton of pressure on myself and I hated every second of that feeling. Feeling helpless, I texted my friend who has a daughter Brighton’s age. Her daughter attends daycare and I wanted to know what her day looked like. In addition, I texted my sister-in-law, who has been a nanny for several years to inquire about how nannies structure their days. What I found was that on both ends of the spectrum there were intentions set.
I decided that it would be a fantastic idea to set intentions for our day by creating weekly themes. This would then allow for us to learn casual lessons through song and play with a focus in mind. I created a “lesson plan” that takes us all the way through the first of the year and have a TON of material prepped for 2020. With everyone going back to school, I thought it would be fun to share what we intend to focus on each month starting with September.
September Lesson Plan
WEEK 1
Instruments – xylophone, maracas, claves, sleigh bells, tambourine
- Play with a new instrument each day
- Find songs on Youtube about instruments
- Attend a music class
WEEK 2
Colors – Green, Orange, Purple
- Focus on one color per day
- Wear the color discussed
- Serve food in color discussed
- Find songs on Youtube about specific color
- Color or paint with said color
WEEK 3
Farm Animals – Cow, Sheep, Chicken, Horse, Pig
- Focus on one animal per day
- Learn the animal sounds
- Go to a local zoo or farm to see the real deal
- Read Farm related books
WEEK 4
Fall – Leaves, Pumpkins, Apples, Harvest
- Focus on one item per day
- Find a Youtube video age appropriate about Fall or the seasons in general
- Go to an apple orchard or pumpkin patch
WEEK 5
Vegetables – Broccoli, Carrots, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Bell Pepper
- Focus on one veggie per day
- Serve said veggie at meal times
- Read books about food or find a Youtube video on veggies
- Point out veggies at the grocery store
NOTES
Sensory Bins
- Grab a bin laying around your house and fill it with materials you will need for the week. It is exciting for the toddler to explore “new” toys daily or even just weekly!
- You don’t have to buy new stuff… look around your house and search through your existing toys. Presenting old toys in a new manner will make them fun again, I promise.
- If you want to spend a little money, the dollar store is fantastic for these activities!
Field Trips
- Try to plan an activity that relates to your weekly theme. I’ve included some activities above, but if there is something available in your area that pertains to the weekly theme, go check it out!
Language
- If your child is learning a secondary language or sign language, you can teach these words as well! Just say them frequently and interchangeably throughout the day. Don’t know what they are? Just google them!
Print Your Lesson Plan Here
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