I apologize to all my readers for not posting a Friday Notables last week. Unfortunately I was very sick, but I am feeling much better now.
The last couple of posts, I have been talking about the benefits of a good mess, but what about those times when your independent little toddler starts making messes on purpose -knocking things off shelves, throwing toys, turning her plate over and knocking food off the table. Those moments can be frustrating and sometimes baffling, but it is important step back and take some time to see if you can figure out why she is making the mess before reacting. If you can figure out why, explain to the child that what she is doing is not okay and redirect her to an activity that will still fulfill the need she is getting out of making the mess.
Today, we are going to look at a couple examples of reasons a child might make a mess for fun and possible solutions. Next week we will look at a couple of examples of toddlers making messes to get your attention. Again, it is important to remember that each child is different and might have different reasons for making a mess or respond differently to redirection - these are only tips.
Making messes because its fun - knocking things off shelves
Young children may think knocking things off shelves is fun because it gives them control over their environment and often objects make an interesting sound when they hit the floor. Involve your child in cleaning up her mess and then get some simple small wooden blocks out. Making sure you have your child's attention, build a tower out of the blocks and then knock the tower over. Be sure to share a smile with your child letting her know that its okay to knock the tower over and then invite her to try the activity. Be sure to reinforce caring for materials and your environment by helping the child pick up and return the blocks to their proper place after finishing the activity.
Making messes because its fun - throwing toys
Throwing things is another stepping stone in your child's mastery of motor skills. Just take a moment to consider that only several months before as a baby your child was working on grasping objects. No wonder toddlers are eager to try out their skills at throwing and it really is a skill that shouldn't be discouraged as it helps improve hand eye coordination and teaches muscles how much force is required to throw objects of varied weights to varied distances. A fair amount of children go on to participate in some form of sports later on as well and finding a positive outlet for throwing can help them work on a skill used in baseball, football, and basketball. So, if your child seems to be throwing toys for fun, have them return the toys to their proper place and get out a basket, a piece of tape, and six small items for throwing - I prefer to use little bean bags as they have some more weight to them, but balls of crumpled paper or rolled up socks work well too. Find an open area and put the piece of tape down with room for the child to stand behind and set the basket far enough in front of the tape to encourage the child to toss the objects vs. just reaching over and placing them in the basket, but close enough that the child can easily make the toss. First, show the child how to stand behind the line and then toss the objects into the basket being sure to miss a couple of times. After you have thrown all the objects, check the area around the basket for the missed objects and place them back in the pail, then transfer those in the basket back to the pail and offer your child the chance to try the activity. If your young child tries walking up to the basket and dropping them in don't correct her, but if she begins throwing the objects very hard past the basket on purpose and may hit something breakable or hurt someone nearby try to move the activity outside or to another location where there is more space. If moving the activity is not an option, it may be best to stop the activity and explain to your child that throwing things too hard can hurt things and others and then help her put the materials away and find a new activity for some time. I would suggest some large movement activity.
Hope these tips help and thanks for reading!
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