Transitions, Routines, and Making Decisions!

Today was a special day to have storytime: it was Election Day! I didn't read any political books, of course, but I did read Go Vote Baby! which does an excellent job of explaining the concept of voting as choosing between two things. Highly recommended!

Reading
Go Vote, Baby! by Nancy Lambert 
The Great Day by Taro Gomi 

 

Singing

This is the Way 
(Tune: Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)

This is the way we brush our teeth, 
brush our teeth, brush our teeth, 
This is the way we brush our teeth,  
On a cold and frosty morning. 

Other verses: we all wake up (stretch), put on our shirt, put on our hat, bounce around, or anything you want! 

Note: I recommend singing this song with your child during your morning routine as they’re actually doing these actions. Singing can make these transitions and routines easier to get through for your toddler. 

Extension Activity (email to parents/caregivers)

Today at storytime we used our virtual storytime routine cards for the first time. If you would like a laminated, cut-out copy of these routine cards to follow along with at home, fill out this form here and I will mail them to you at no cost: https://forms.gle/uuxrbxMEh9j3x1GX9 (give me a week or two!)

Routine cards are an effective way to set your child’s day up for success. They give toddlers a super clear picture of what the sequence and expectations of the day are. This is so important and helpful!  When you’re able to show your toddler the plan for the day, it helps the day run more smoothly, and helps prevent meltdowns during transitions. 

 
Photo via Montessori in Real Life

If you would like to try using routine cards throughout the rest of the day, aside from storytime, here is a copy of some routine cards that you can download for free (I've uploaded the file to my google drive), which I think are pretty flexible for a variety of different activities in a toddler’s daily life. You may also choose to make a customized version of routine cards by taking pictures of your child’s daily routine and printing them off. Blogger Montessori in Real Life has an amazing free template to make customized routine cards, download it here. If you make this and need it printed, I would be happy to print it off for you at no cost at the library - just get in touch.