Worrying about your kids brain development is a standard concern during any time period. However, during a time of COVID, it has been amplified. Due to my hesitation at bringing in childcare helpers or attending in-person events with other kids, my 15-month-old isn’t necessarily getting as much stimulation with other kids as I would have liked. This means I need to count on myself to do the research and speak with experts about what I can do to make sure my son’s development is not hindered. When I saw that a friend, Mona Singhal, started a parent consultancy company, Spark-Wonder, I quickly booked a session with her! And I’m very glad I did.
How did it work?
I messaged her a description of Faiz, an overview of his milestones, and my areas of concern. She took that information, conducted research prior to our session, applied her expertise and then we hopped on a Zoom call for an hour. She asked me initial questions to ensure that Faiz is on track with key areas. She asked me to show her his play room. I was a bit embarrassed at the messiness, but she said it helped her understand how he plays. She got a full understanding of our routine and situation. Then she shared her recommendations regarding activities to do with Faiz and any areas of what I should do differently. After the call, she sent me an informative recap of our conversation. Yes, perhaps I can google these items as well, but having an experienced professional provide tailored recommendations specific to my child was absolutely worth it. Here are a few of the items she suggested!
Choices: Throughout the day, give your young toddler plenty of choices. Ask him to point to their selection and then give the item to him. Remember to not offer him something you don’t intend to give him (to avoid a meltdown).
Sign Language: Sign some common words (i.e., milk, more, all done, or water), that you naturally use regularly in conversation. This site can be used to show videos of signs – site.
Toys: Less is more. Replace some of his singular action toys (i.e., light up toys, anything you press a button on or bang or twist to get one result) with open-ended toys. Open ended toys might include blocks, dramatic play areas like a kitchen or dress up props (i.e., purses, hats, coats) peg boards, magnatiles, counting bears, or wooden people.
Sensory experiences: Experiences to enhance his senses are great. This could include play dough, a water table, painting, cheerio sand table etc. It may get messy, but it’s so good for him!
For more tailored suggestions for your child, reach out to Spark-Wonder using the following contact information:
Website: https://www.spark-wonder.com/
Email: Mona@spark-wonder.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparkwonder_/
