The power of one thing

Lately I’ve been inspired to help Emily focus on one thing at a time. I’m quite easily distracted myself, so as I’m teaching Emily this skill, I find it’s also helping me.

During the past week I’ve found that having one activity set up and ready to go helps us get the day started right. Even though (or perhaps because) Emily has all her toys nicely set up in the games room, it can be hard for her to know what to do when it’s time to play.

This week we’ve done:

• Puzzles
• Colouring in/pasting shapes
• Lego
• Block
• Playing with the ‘sandcastle’ (dolls house)

At the moment our morning routine is:

1. Wake and breakfast with Daddy
2. Second serve of breakfast with Mummy
3. Pray for the day
4. Play with Mummy
5. Quiet play while Mummy reads her devotions, has a cup of tea and checks her work emails.

Some things we’ve been learning lately:

• ‘Stamping’ shapes on the carpet mat
• Teaching her how to make a tea party with toys
• Anticipating the good things in the next day to come
• Keeping sand in the sandpit
• People come and go in cars, buses, trains and planes (and they mostly visit ‘Melbourne’ when they go away)
• The built in wardrobe can also double as playgroup or the shops when Emily’s is ‘Ready to go’