How to organize a Home Playground for the Tots with One Year’s Difference in Age?

Today we are answering the question of Daria, a reader of our blog:

“So far, I have not been able to think out how to make table and a home playground for our elder daughter (24 months) for her to be able to make crafts and other creative things as we also have one ore baby (12 months) who will bother her. It is not possible to leave all the things like paints, pencils and plasticine on the table for them to be reached by he girl at any time as then you will get tired to collect all thi stuff about the room”.

We have asked mums who have also got toddlers with 1-1,5 year’s difference of age between them what solution they’ve got concerning this issue.

Vera, the mother of Bazhena (4,5) and Kyrill (almost 3):

«Kyrill started crawling late, when he was about 8 months old. Till some certain time, we could play (study) peacefully with our daughter. But I decided in the very beginning: the things which are really not to be touched (by both the children) should always be in boxes on the refrigerator in the kitchen: everything for plasticine modeling, puzzles, pencils, brushes, watercolours, etc. I bought these boxes in “Ikea” but you can also

use ordinary boxes, like boxes for shoes. We use all these things only under my guidance. The rest of the toys are not lying about the room, either. They are kept in a cabinet. But the kids can always take these toys – it’s easy to open the cabinet. There are books on the first shelf. Yes, of course, there have been victims among books but it has been bearable Anyway, we keep order at home and we do not leave anything on the table and floor after playing”.

Nadya, the mother of Silvestr (2,5) and Makar (1,1):

«I think creative “lessons” for the little ones require increased mummy’s attention, at least, at such a tender age as 24 months. Of course, all children are different but many lose interest in the process and start just playing without their mothers’ participation. And crafts and creative work in general (for example, drawing) are a wonderful instrument of discovering the world. Any topics, from seasons to car details. If the mother cannot draw – there are tons of colouring books in the stores now. Not speaking about collective studying (mummy+toddler) of the painting methods and techniques.

We’ve got two regimes of “lessons”:

1) when Makar is sleeping (he sleeps two times and we can use paints, plasticine and scissors);

2) all of us draw with pencils, put big puzzles together, watch computer presentations.

The younger one “bothers” the elder one only following a pure desire to develop and do what the latter does. As for me, I do not see a problem in collecting the pencils lying everywhere about the room but Makar, like a grown up , will have an opportunity to make something on paper and will not be placed in the playpen from where he will pull Silvestr’s sleeve to be able to touch at least one pencil and to see at least something of what is going on. I mean, of course, the elder one can be placed not at the children’s table but at the dinner table and the little one can be entertained with some toy at that time but I think it is a one-time method. Makar will not allow it, that’s for sure . You can tell even a 10-month baby about the simplest forms and colour”.

We, the authors of the blog have got only one baby in our families so far but we have also pondered over the issue :

The games should be thought out for both the children. The little one can be placed into the baby’s chair for him not to prevent the elder one from doing things but he should be given the same things as the elder one has (otherwise he will be offended). The little one gets these things just for “research”. Yes, the mummy should be very agile and attentive in this case to look after both the children at the same time. When not being used, the things should be put in an inaccessible place.

We really hope that these ideas have helped to set the direction of a constructive thought!

Natalie and Anastasia

Next time we will share with you an idea on early-childhood development

Illustration to the article:

A picture by A. Mikhailova