6 Things I do with my toddlers every day

Apart from making sure that I tire them out almost everyday, so that they can take a nap in the afternoons and I can enjoy some ‘me’ time, lately we have been trying to add some more structure to our daily routine.

As always, every time I want some inspiration I tend to turn to the Montessori Method as a guide. You could say that it goes well with our lifestyle and the natural living that we have embraced as Montessori believed in natural, purposeful and meaningful learning.

One thing I love about Montessori is that it reminds me that for children aged 0-3, grace and courtesy is modeled by the adults. This involves parents to be using their manners with the children and other adults that may be around. That’s why I have been making the effort to show good manners on a day to day basis. So here are some things I try to do with my toddlers everyday.
  

     •  Being Thankful for your blessings Saying “Alhamdulillah” out loud and often thorough out the day reminds us that we should always be content with the blessings Allah (Subhan wa ta’ala) has given us. We all know toddlers love throwing tantrums especially when they don’t get what they want. Instead of giving in,  I try to teach them to be grateful for what they do have. This is something I want to instill in them from a young age so I remind them to say “Alhamdulilah” (and strategically walk away lol) when they are going crazy for another cookie instead of just being happy they got one to start off with.

•   Saying “Jazakillah Khair” to them: Whenever they do something for me, that I have asked of them, I say “Jazakillah khair.” I used to say “thank you” before but now that they are older, I am trying to incorporate some Arabic in our daily interactions.

     •  Greeting them with “Salaam”: I guess my son who is 2, does not understand that not everyone says “Salaamu Alaikum,” as he keeps giving everyone salaams that says “hello” to him. It’s cute for now.
  

     •  Reading together: We read a book or the Quran together, and on some occasions I  read Quran aloud while they play. This is because I noticed how much they gravitated towards my phone and Ipad, so this has significantly cut down on that because now they don’t see me use it (as much).
  

      •  Saying “Bismillah” before eating: I am so used to just saying it by way of niyaa (intention) that its taking me a while to get used to saying it out loud for them to always hear it.
 

      •  Listen to Quran: Repetition is the best way for kids to learn so we try to set aside at least 10-20 minutes a day just to listen to the quran (on repeat) and because its part of our routine they now sit down to listen mashaa Allah. This is the one we are listening to at the moment.

What are some of the things you do with your toddler everyday?