Can you imagine walking around all day without a watch or any way to tell time? I would have an anxiety attack before I even got to work…and I’d probably be really early since I’d be so scared of being late.
Well, my toddler can’t tell time yet. Since I cannot strap a watch on him and tell him that his gran is going to pick him up at 2:30 and I’ll see him at 5:00, I had to create a Toddler Watch for him. A Toddler Watch is just a collection of pictures that shows the child’s daily routine. It helps him feel safe, which in turn helps him learn to self-regulate, which in turn helps him manage his emotions, etc., etc., etc. All of these things are essential for him to move out of my house before he is 30 grow up into a happy, healthy adult.
“Knowing what comes next in the routine helps lower stress and provides a sense of safety for young children.” ~Dr. Becky Bailey.
This project can be as simple or as fancy as you want it to be. I just happen to like fancy, so I created daily routine cards and added text in Photoshop. I am going to print these 4×4 pictures from mpix, laminate them, and connect them together with a ring. One copy will go to school and one copy will stay here at home. This could just as easily be completed by writing down your child’s schedule and printing photos of those things happening throughout the day. Stick those pictures in a small photo book from your local pharmacy and you’re finished.
We will continue to edit this Toddler Watch as his schedule changes and it will eventually turn into a Big Kid watch. I’m sure I’ll miss the days of telling time through pictures as he gets too big for these kinds of things. Until then, I’ll just soak up every ounce of these messy, silly faces..
Around the Farmhouse Table 