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Embeba.com is running a giveaway contest right now and one of the products is a Little Partners Chef Series Learning Tower®.
Follow the link below and enter your name and email address for a chance to win!
https://embeba.com/pages/readysetexplore
4 Fun At-Home Toddler Activities for Parents and Kids
You love being a parent, but reality always seems to put a limit on how much time you can spend interacting with your child even when you’re in the same room. There are chores to be done, bills to be paid, and the dishwasher certainly isn’t going to unload itself, and most of these areas are either too high-up or too practical to involve your little one.
The fact is, houses aren’t designed with young families and toddler activities in mind. From the countertops to the cupboards, community spaces are invariably structured to make it easy for tall people to keep shorter people away (apparently the architect who put in the shelves thinks that includes you too, mom!). When it comes to your children, it not only creates a boundary for where you can interact—it limits what you can do together. It’s either playtime on floors with low couches or beds or work time on inaccessible adult surfaces, and it means living your best life with your little bestie comes with an on/off switch.
As any Montessori parent knows, working, learning, and playing can all happen at once, and those boring tasks like chopping vegetables and folding laundry are actually valuable opportunities to spend some time together.
Does it take a little creative thought? Yes. BUT, with a few ideas we’ve put together for you and some help transforming your home into a more accessible space, you’ll be able to turn your everyday chores into rewarding and fun activities you can do with your kids.
1. Making the Kitchen a Learning Space
Cooking is one of the most rewarding skills you can teach your child, and it’s never too young to start exploring. Fruits, vegetables, batters, and biscuits are colorful and textural adventures that engage all of your little one’s developing senses.
However, for most families, the kitchen counters are off-limits—not only are they usually above head height for a toddler, but they are also workspaces where sharp objects can live!
The Little Partners Chef Series Learning Tower is all about helping parents bring their children into this exciting space while creating the structure and safety cooking together requires. This well-designed platform with a secure railing brings those tiny hands into your counter space while ensuring you have control over what they can grab. Its all-wood construction and non-slip feet ensure it’s sturdy and won’t be a tip hazard, and there’s even a plexiglass shield on the front to keep the mess to a minimum.
2. Washing the Dishes Afterwards
It’s never too early to establish responsible cleaning habits for toddler activities, and experienced parents know that clean-up time needs to be a natural conclusion of playful activities. If your child is used to putting toys back in their storage space when it’s time for a nap, then giving them a boost with your Learning Tower at the dish sink is just another opportunity for bonding and exploring.
Dish soap bubbles and a little splashing are a wonderful way to include your toddler in a necessary activity, and you’ll never believe how easy it is to convert this boring chore into laughter and fun. As they say, if you enjoy what you do you never work a day in your life, and you’ll be shocked at how much fresher your newly-scrubbed world will feel when you view it through the eyes of your curious child!
Of course, what could be more fun than cleaning up a set of dishes that’s made just for them? The Little Foodie Vanilla + Aqua set by Miniware has flatware, lids, and even a sippy cup that’s the perfect size for your future gastronome. They’re constructed with natural plant-based materials that protect the environment as well as your child’s health, so they can have their veggies on—and in—their plate at every meal.
3. Cleaning and Dusting
Toddlers model our behavior all the time, and if you think they were happy putting those fingerprints on your windows, imagine the fun of getting a big boy or girl job like helping mom clean them off.
Windows are portals to all sorts of amazing sights, and with a little duster or rag to play with, you can turn a basic necessity into a sensory activity that boosts their creativity and engages their developing imaginations. And if you break out your Learning Tower, you won’t have to stop the fun just because you need to reach some higher-up spaces.
Of course, little fingers can be sensitive, and sometimes soap and water can be enough to cause some irritation. Don’t worry though: EmBeba’s Soothing Balm can make it all better again! It’s perfect for rashes and other skin issues like eczema, and it’s dermatologist-tested and pediatrician-approved to be safe and hypoallergenic. There are no harsh chemicals and it’s great for any age, so it’s one more thing that everyone can share!
4. Art, Music, and More.
It can be tricky for parents to find time for the activities that recharge their batteries when they have to pick between housework and playtime. However, there’s no reason you can’t include your child in your creative endeavors, either with a space of their own or a little collaborative work.
Learning Towers are all about bringing our toddlers into otherwise inaccessible spaces that are incredibly important for adults, but it’s not just for giving them a lift. Learning Towers also allow you to define an area for them to interact with that’s easy to monitor. So, if you have an easel, art space, or keyboard that’s perfect for your child, you can set it up at a distance from your workspace so you can both have some creative autonomy without having to worry about those tiny shoes carrying your child out of sight while you’re trying to focus.
Oh, and one more thing—if you don’t have a spare easel around, our Limited Edition Learning Tower actually has its own chalkboard built in! They’ll be able to step up from basic art time to the pros simply by… well… stepping up!
Bringing Families Closer with Little Partners
The toddler years fly by, and you’ll want to cherish this opportunity to create as many wonderful moments together as you can. That’s why Little Partners developed our range of Learning Towers. There are so many things parents and kids can actually participate in together with just a little boost, and it can turn boring household work into the perfect toddler activities to bond and grow.
And because we’re always thinking about the future, all of Little Partners’ products are Greenguard Gold certified to ensure that they never contain any harmful chemicals. They’re made from sustainable woods and constructed to last a lifetime and beyond—just like the memories we want you to share.