Trish Kuffner - The Toddlers Busy Book: 365 Creative Games and Activities to Keep Your 1 1/2- to 3-Year-Old Busy

Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life.
Sophocles

I began writing The Toddlers Busy Book just as my fourth child, Johanna, was entering the toddler stage. She began to walk, then run, several months short of her first birthday, and she hasnt stopped since! After surviving the baby/toddler/preschooler challenge three times with Johannas older siblings, Id forgotten what a trial one little toddler can be, especially an extremely active one!

But what a joy it was, too, to watch her grow and develop through the various stages of toddlerhood. Before learning to crawl and walk, she was obliged to sit wherever we put her. Now, only months later, she roams the house at will. What a treat it is to watch her as she teases her siblings and mimics her parents, to see the beginnings of imaginative play as she cuddles her baby, to notice the emerging concern she shows for others who are crying, and to observe the development of a giving spirit as she shares her cookie with the family cat!

Toddlerhood is a precious stage in the life of both parent and child, and one which can be enjoyed immensely if you are prepared to slow down a little, sit on the floor a lot, and worry about picking up the toys only when your child goes to bed at night. Organize your home to be a safe and interesting place for your child to explore and discover, and introduce your child to new people, places, and experiences as often as you can. Be adventurous and look at life through your childs eyes as she begins to unearth some of the many wonders of this amazing world in which we live.

The Toddlers Busy Book is intended to help you enjoy your childs toddler years. It will help you entertain and stimulate your child through the toddler years with ideas simple and straightforward enough for even the busiest of parents or caregivers to manage. This book contains suggestions for many situations and occasions: for indoors and outdoors, for summer and winter, for quiet times and active times. Ive written this book as a resource for parents at home with their toddlers, but it is well-suited for anyone who has a toddler in his or her life: mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, babysitters, day-care providers, preschool teachers, church workers, or playgroup leaders. If you spend any time at all with a toddler, then this book is for you.

Although many of the ideas in The Toddlers Busy Bookmay continue to entertain your child long after the toddler stage, these activities are most suitable for children between the ages of one and three. Because abilities of children in that age range vary greatly, some ideas will be too advanced for a one-year-old, while others will be much too simple for a three-year-old. Use your judgment in choosing activities that best meet the capabilities and interests of your child. If a new activity doesnt go over quite as well as you expected, dont write it off altogether; try it again in a week, a month, or a year, or vary the activity in a way that will make it more meaningful and interesting for your child.

As my oldest child, my very first baby, approaches adolescence, it is a special joy to experience the toddler years again. Having several children halfway to adulthood has given me an appreciation of the brevity of the very early years of childhoodan appreciation I didnt have ten years ago when my oldest was a toddler. Although back then it seemed as though my babies would never grow up, most of them haveand yours will, too. Diapers will one day be a thing of the past, as will bottles, soothers, a bathtub full of toys, afternoon naps, sticky fingers, wet kisses, and so many other earmarks of toddlerhood.

Each stage of childhood brings with it its own set of challenges as well as its own special rewards. Some days will bring you more joy than you ever thought possible, while on other days youll feel grateful if you (or your children) make it through in one piece. This pattern doesnt change, no matter how old your children are! My hope is that you will love your child unconditionally, remember your sense of humor, and relish the toddler years, because like the fingerprints on the wall, they will be gone before you know it.