…?” asked the bard.

A mighty lot, especially when it comes to a preschooler’s name. Your child’s name, to her, is besides mama or daddy, the only one which is of any consequence to her. We might get over the initial excitement of looking for a perfect baby name, and get used to calling out her’s as time goes by. For her, it’s her identity - a familiar voice calling out her name or seeing her name on a gift package label, or on the inside first page of a book, means more to your child then you know.

Use it often -

• In conversations with her, or drop it within her earshot when you’re talking to others.
• Display it liberally and prominently at home - use alphabet cutouts to display it on the walls of her room, or in shimmering letters on the bedroom door.
• Have it monogrammed onto her towels, and napkins.
• Paint it on her place mats at the dining table.
• Write it on the first inner page of each of her books.
• Look for all the letters of her name on store signs, bill boards etc. Older preschoolers won’t need any prompting from you.
• Write it out on a piece of cardboard, in large block letters and paint in bright colors. Cut out the piece of cardboard into random shapes - use it as her very own name puzzle to put together!

Here are some ways to make your preschooler’s favorite bed time story book more interesting instantly.

• Take some correction fluid, and erase the name of the main character. Insert her name instead. 
• Even better, add a “Sir” or “Lady” before the name.
• Connect events in the story to similar events that happened with her.  For instance, something similarly naughty that she does.

Kids have an extremely  self centered view of the world, and a storytelling session that revolves around HER will seem instantly more magical!

Add novelty to everyday experiences in your child’s life by switching things aound a little, ever so often.  Novelty has been found to increase alertness in kids - a predictable monotonous routine can actually dull the senses.  Try a few of these ideas:

• Try rotating her toys. Put aside the ones she plays with often, and bring out less used toys.
• Rearrange the furniture in your home, and let her help you do it.
• Change the position of her favorite chair, the one she uses to watch television, for instance, - she’ll enjoy the new angle!
• Let her sleep on the opposite end of the bed for  a few days.
• Eat on the floor in the living room or the yard, instead of the dining table, for  a day.

Have fun!

Sorry for the delayed posting, internets. It’s been close to a week of feeling under weather.

On with the tips, and here are some ideas of physical activities you can get your kids to do outside. They work just as well if she’s alone as with her friends. In fact, you could even combine a few of these, and turn it into a relay race for the kids. No fancy props necessary, only a few simple items you’ll find in the house.

Running (set a timer)

Doing bunny hops

Walking on a short wall, or a plank, or rope

Walking on paper plates

Crawling on his tummy

Crawling though a large open carton

Hopping on one leg

Walking on all fours

Balancing a book on his head

Throwing a ball into a bucket

Sliding like a snake

Encourage her to make as many silly movements as she can. It’s a great activity for physical co ordination, especially when you ask them to combine more than one activity.

Enjoy!

I hope you guys have an activity calendar for your preschooler all set up. If you don’t, summer’s a good time to start one.

If you have one, add “have a weekend picnic in the yard” to the calendar.  It’s one of those simple things that you know your kids will love, but is easy to forget to do.

All you need are some sandwiches, cake, fruit, and juice, all packed in a picnic basket. Pack disposable cups and plates, a large sheet to lay on the ground, and napkins. This is fun if there are more kids joining in the picnic, but you can just as easily make do if it’s just you and the kiddo!

Let her choose the right spot for the picnic. Let her take charge of serving you sandwiches and cake on a plate , and let her pour out a drink for you.  Fantastic way to spend time with your child.

Have fun!

All kids love having a little enclosed space that they can call their own. It could be a tent,  or a playhouse,  or anything similar that no one can enter, but her.  If you have a tent, summer is a good time to set it up in the yard. If not, simply

1. Throw a sheet over your clothesline, and hold it down with bricks on either side.
2. Pull the sofa in front, and throw cushions on the floor between the sofa and wall.
3. Cover a card table with an old sheet, and cut out holes for windows.  Use marker pens to make brick designs for “walls.”
4. Throw a blanket between two chairs.
5. Use pillows and cushions to build a fort for her inside the house.
6. If you have a bunk bed, throw a sheet in front of the lower bed.
7. Throw a large sheet over the dining table.
8. Make a playhouse by using a large old carton or cardboard box.  Check out Idea No. 9 here.

Use cushions and pillows to accessorize the little playhouse.  Remember, a secret getaway needs a secret password or a secret handshake for all those who enter.

For a little novelty with your preschooler’s car play, grab an old shower curtain or table cloth or any other plastic sheet, and spread it it out in the yard.  Get on the floor with your child and use colored marker pens to create a “city. ” Make roads with pens, buildings with empty cartons, and use empty toilet paper tubes as tunnels.

For more messy fun, use coffee grounds or colored rice to make roads.  Remember to draw, or make railway tracks and an airport too.  She’ll love sharing her ideas for the “city”, and you get some time off while she plays with her make believe city!

Here’s an idea to capture the great walk you had today with your preschooler, or the trip to the park or the beach…

When you return home, round up some collage materials, and make a collage of your day.

• Little pieces of cotton wool can double as clouds.
• Use dried leaves or small broken off twigs to make the ground.
• If your day involved a campfire, use matchsticks bunched up together like a bonfire, with red paper and cotton wool painted gray for smoke.
• Use pictures of boys, girls, and dogs cut out from magazines and books, for kids playing at the park.
• Make frisbees from cut out paper.
• Use markers to add detailing.

It’s a great way to boost her memory of her day, and also increase her vocabulary as you ask her about all the things she saw. As she creates the collage, she’ll remember more stuff, that you can add as you go along. Improvise with materials.

Enjoy!

Hope all my American friends had a great weekend!

Here’s a tip to for big time bonding with your child. Think of something that you share with her and her alone - maybe the two of you are first borns (my son and I are), maybe you have a physical characteristic that she shares, a habit or a quirk. It could even be something as simple as both of you having the same number of letters in your name, anything at all.  Use this as a secret code that gives you both membership to an exclusive Mommy-Child Club that nobody else can get into.

This is especially great if you have more than one child - it helps you bond with each individually. And it’s great for building self esteem too.  For now, you’re easily one of the, if not the most important person in her life, and a secret code like this builds her sense of identity.

Picture Courtesy - Flickr: Freeparking

This summer, begin a journaling habit, by creating a joint diary project with your child. Simply begin by jotting down special memories, even the most mundane ones, like events of the day. Jot these down together with your child.

While you could do most of the writing, she can contribute drawings. If you went out for a walk today or for an ice cream, she could draw the things she saw on the way, or paint the the flavor of ice cream that she had.

You can both write special messages to each other. It makes a great gift to give when nest-leaving time comes around.

If you have more than one child, have separate Mommy-Baby diaries for each of them.

It’s a nice way to capture the thousands of fleeting memories that our lives and our kids’ lives are so full of, before they disappear.