Welcome to Joyful Toddlers!

This space is about increasing our enjoyment of the young children in our lives through concrete action and by adjusting the lens through which we view them. My work comes out of LifeWays, which is inspired by Waldorf education. I welcome your comments, and questions about increasing your enjoyment of the children in YOUR life.

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Thursday, July 15, 2010

Welcome to Joyful Toddlers!

JOYFUL TODDLERS HAS MOVED!  GO TO OUR NEW LOCATION:  joyfultoddlers.com

How to weather the ups and downs of toddlerhood? How to know when to stand firm, and when to be flexible? How to transform "No" into "Yes", and annoyance into compassion. How to approach potty training, sleep, discipline, temper-tantrums, and more. How to increase the amount you enjoy your toddler, and bring that feeling of joy into more and more of your interactions.

6 comments:

  1. Hi Miss Faith. I am over the moon to have discovered your blog! It is such a treasure. I am a family childcare provider who tends to 6 children ages birth-four. Most of the children are young toddlers. I have yearned to find a blog like yours for years. Last night I read all your entries, and every single one described moments that occur on any typical day in my childcare. I am absolutely giddy and joyful in anticipation of using all your strategies. Your demeanor and patience with the children is truly inspiring. I can't wait to read your future entries. My childcare is lightly Waldorf inspired. Most Waldorf books and online curriculums I've researched are geared toward older children (older preschoolers and up). I'd love to know more about the art experiences and stories you've found successful and enjoyable to toddlers. Thank you again for sharing your ideas and experiences.

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  2. I'm so glad you're loving it! Art experiences with groups of young toddlers are an experience, but can be done and enjoyed by all! Are you alone with your group, or do you have an assistant? Let me know, and I'll write a post for you.

    Fairy tales with lots of repetition are loved even by young toddlers. The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks & The Three Bears are ones I've done really successfully. When I had mostly 2-year-olds, I would tell the same story for two or three months at a time, or even longer. You can tell it, do it as a puppet show, and act it out together (where you are the wolf and all the children are the pigs).

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  3. Thank you for the response. I am a licensed family childcare provider and work alone. I would love a post about art projects and storytelling ideas! I've only tried storytelling a few times. The one the children still talk about is when I told them Jan Brett's "The Mitten" from memory while walking the neighborhood. We found a Sassafras tree during our walk. I picked some of the mitten shaped leaves and threw them in the air, so the children could "find" their lost mitten. They absolutely loved it! They wanted that story every time we walked for months even though the leaves had fallen off the tree. I should try some storytelling again. I look forward to your ideas. Thank you.

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  4. Hi! I'm also looking for articles about stories for toddlers in the Waldorf home. I know that Waldorf favors original Grimm fairy tales for kids, but introduced slowly over a period of time with certain stories for certain ages. What about toddlers? I seem to recall that Grimms might be too old for them, but what stories to tell?

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  5. Hi Herbwifemama,

    Thanks for writing! I'll write a post on storytelling with toddlers for you.

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  6. Wow! Thank you! :)

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