31 Days of Connecting With Your Toddler

Family & Parenting, Parenting

Sometimes life gets crazy and we find ourselves rushing from one thing to the next without taking time to really connect with our little ones. Here are 31 ways to find that connection again. Just remember that when doing these activities, leave any negativity and thoughts of everything else you need to do behind.

Take a walk with your child and let them decide the path. Whether it’s down the street or through the woods, try to look at the world through your child’s eyes as you go along.
Sit on the floor and play with your child. Leave your phone in another room and immerse yourself in whatever your child wants to do right then in that moment. It might be building with legos, playing with a stuffed animal, or any other sort of play. Just be present with them.
Make a meal together. Choose something that your child can help with depending on their skills. Whatever you do, let them help and don’t worry if they make a mess. Messes are part of life and learning. You’ll be amazed at how much they can do when you let them.

Dance together! Turn on their favorite songs and yours and just dance. It doesn’t matter how as long as you’re both moving to and enjoying the music. Teach them your best dance moves and try out some of theirs.
Get on the playground with them. It may seem silly and yes, you’ll get funny looks from other people, but nothing beats getting on the monkey bars or going down a slide with your child. Let them show you their favorite things to do and let them show you how. Kids love being able to teach and this is probably their best subject right now!

Do an art or craft project together. It can be something you found on Pinterest or just drawing on a piece of paper with some crayons.
Pretend to be animals. It could be kitty cats or dragons. Use your body and break out the crazy animal sounds you haven’t done since you were in elementary school. Your child will love it.
Grab some snacks and hand over the remote. Chances are your child knows how to use the TV and while yes, you did pay for it, it’s nice to show them that they also are part of the family and can make choices that are valid.
Work on some skills with them. Are they learning to count? Write their letters? Whatever it is, grab some books or print out a worksheet and help them practice. Toddlers love helping and learning new things so at this point, that doesn’t feel like work for them.
Let them choose what’s for dinner. It may not be the healthiest meal but it’s just one night. Pancakes for dinner? Great idea! Make your own sundae bar? Awesome! No matter what it is, let them know how much you like the idea. Save the “you should eat your veggies first” speech for a different night.
Go on a scavenger hunt. This can be inside, outside, or everywhere in between. We have several printable scavenger hunts or you can make your own. The point is to get excited and work with your child.
Explore your local library together. While you’re there, maybe find and share some of your favorite books with them.

Jump in the puddles! Yes, it’s messy but both children and adults are washable. Enjoy the silliness of it and don’t sweat the cleanup. You can get some great pics of them while you’re at it!
Share one of your hobbies with them. Do you enjoy gardening? Playing the piano? Whatever it is, take some time to teach them about what you enjoy doing in your spare time. Chances are they’ve been watching you and wanting to join in.
Play a game as a family. It can be simple like Simon Says or a board game like Trouble. Habba makes several games that start at age 2 and are great for spending time as a family.
Volunteer with them somewhere in the community. Help out at the food bank, animal shelter, or pick up trash at the park. Teach them the value of giving back to the community and how it can bring the community closer.
Make up a story with your child. Go back and forth, creating your own story with your own characters. You don’t have to write it down but that could be fun also!
Plant something either inside or out and take care of it with your child. Explain how it needs water, light, and love just like any other living creature. Watch it grow as you tend it together.
Make, pack, and go on a picnic together. This can be at the park, your own backyard, or inside if the weather isn’t cooperating. Just make sure you don’t forget the blanket!
Build and go through an obstacle course together. This could include a balance beam made from a 2×4, stepping stones made of taped-off areas on the floor, pillow mountains, and anything else you can think of.
Play catch with them. Anything from a whiffle ball to a giant play ball will work. This helps with motor skills along with enjoying the bonding time together.
Go swimming! Even if they don’t know how to swim, time in the water is great at this age to help them get used to it. Don’t have a pool nearby? Get out the kiddie pool and splash around.

Explore your yard or whatever outdoor space you spend a lot of time at. Look at the plants that grow there and any animals that also inhabit the area. Don’t forget the bugs even if they aren’t something you are into. Watching bees flit around or grasshoppers bounce is wondrous to a child.
Take care of a pet together. Do you have a cat or dog? Let them help feed them or brush them. Fish? Feeding is always a good option. Just make sure they don’t go overboard and dump the whole container in. Yes, that warning comes from personal experience. If you don’t have a pet, maybe you could pet-sit for someone and have them help out.
Do a pajama day. Pajama day is when you stay in your pajamas and do things like watch movies, play games, and read books. Never hurts to get some snuggle time in there too since before long, they won’t want to do that anymore.
Play tag. Chances are you already do this sometimes but if you don’t, it’s time to get started. You know that rule about no running in the house? It’s ok to forget that for a bit while you take turns chasing each other. Designate a safe spot. In our house, that’s the other parent but it could also be the sofa or a specific room.

Read together! While this should be done every day, life gets hectic and sometimes we forget. Take 5, 10, or even 30 minutes to read through your child’s favorite books with them. Do the funny voices. Make crazy movements. Have fun with it and not only will you bond with them, you’ll also set the foundation for a lifetime of loving to read.
Take photos together! This can be selfies or you can let them have the camera and see what they find interesting. If you don’t have a camera you want to risk, trust me when I say they probably already know how to use a tablet or phone to take pics as well.
Build a blanket fort! You know, the type you made from tables, chairs, blankets, and sheets when you were young. Once it’s built, climb in with your child and go from there. Tell stories, pretend you’re in a palace, or just snuggle for awhile.
Look up at the stars and moon. Find constellations and see what your child sees in them. Perhaps they will show you something new because they see a butterfly where Orion stands. This can also be done with clouds during the day if they aren’t awake when the stars are out.
Do your child’s favorites from this list again! The reason behind this post is to give you ideas of ways to connect with your child. Don’t let that stop simply because the 31 days are up. Your presence and the connection that forges is what they need.

Even if you can’t do one of these every single day, try to build a habit of spending one-on-one time with your child to strengthen your connection. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in our own lives with work, stress, and life that we forget that our children need us to be present with them every single day. It won’t be long before they are all grown up and we won’t be able to get that time back so take it now.

What do you do to connect with your toddler? Do you have routines or special days that you use to get that time in? Please let us know what they are in the comments below!