Heading out to some local attractions with your toddler in tow offers plenty of opportunities to learn and play together. How do you set yourself up for toddler success?
First things first! Prep, prep, PREP! Is your kiddo fed, napped and changed comfortably? GREAT! Before you head out, talk about where you are going and lay out expectations and consequences (and stick to them!). Bring along books, crayons, blank/scratch pages or even a disposable, yes disposable, camera. Let’s go!
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens has a fantastic 3,300 ft G-scale model train chug-a-choo-choo-ing all day long for learning fun! Does mini-you like Thomas the Train? Reference the show! Name the characters, talk about colors, shapes, landscapes, destinations, what they are carrying, what they sound like and read all the signs they have up! Ask the ‘conductors’ questions. Have junior sit and draw/color a train, a track, a caboose, anything they saw. The amount of vocabulary shared from this activity is incredible.
This little ditty can be applied when visiting the Palm Springs Air Museum. Watch Disney’s “Planes” before you go! Now you have something fun and interesting to reference as you walk around the colorful airplanes and exhibits. The Air Museum even has an exploration center for children. Your adult brain might get a bit sick of all the basic talk, but this short time can have a positive and long-lasting effect on your wee one.
Have you gone to the Dr. George Car Show that takes place annually? More importantly, have you watched Disney’s “Cars” 1, 2 and 3?! So many types of cars that your little has never laid eyes on! What an opportunity to talk about colors, shapes, sizes, sounds, differences and similarities! I reference Disney a lot because even the accuracy of the planes/cars/trains used in the cartoons is amazing. Plus, they have coloring and reading books that you can take along with you and and use in follow up conversation over the rest of the day. Note: the 2019 Dr. George Car Show will be held on February 9th at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens.
In all of this activity and learning, try to stay tuned in to your nugget. Snack time, sleepy time and feeling just plain “over it” are great reasons to move on without drama. You can always come back another day. Take your time to enjoy learning experiences and family moments.
