More than just play

Single mom here, checking in again.

Tyler has reached a new stage that I am just figuring out.  As a single mom with my first kid, I readily admit that I have no clue what I’m supposed to do.  I figure it out as we go; take it as it comes; roll with the punches!  Well, my baby, whose not so baby like anymore is ready to start writing and I actually have to teach him. lol.  I mean, I, somehow, didn’t realize that writing doesn’t come as naturally as talking or walking. 

Up until now, our arts and crafts time was usually spent painting.  We’d make abstract art.  I originally bought an array of acrylic paint colors just to help teach him his colors.  I even bought canvas paper so his paintings would look good and be sturdy and nice for me to display.  We have even painted our pumpkins with acrylic paint.  I know he remembers painting pumpkins last year because, when he saw the pumpkins, he asked if we were going to put them on our porch. It was a lot of fun and the pumpkins look really good.  A week or so ago we painted pumpkins for this year.  Pumpkin painting will probably become a tradition for us.  We aren’t doing jack-o-lanterns, just painting whatever design we dream up. 

For the last two days, we have pulled out the magic markers.  We colored and wrote.  First I figured out what he needed when he asks, “can you help me?’ in the cutest little voice you’ve ever heard.  He said he wanted to draw Chuck E. Cheese.  I am no artist.  I just drew a circle for his head, two circle ears, dots for eyes, dot nose, squiggly line mouth, and Tyler made us draw in another line for his chin.  It looked nothing like Chuck E. Cheese but he was happy.  After that, he did the circles and drew the mouse without my assistance.  Then we traced capital letters in a dry erase practice book I bought a while ago.  What was sooo great was, the following day, when we sat to draw again, he got the pen and, as he wrote he said up, down, up again and down… M mommy!  My baby could already write a T for Tyler but out off all the other letters we had practiced, he remembered how to write the M for mommy and repeated my instructions exactly! 

It makes me wonder how long ago he could have done that and feel that I should be teaching him more.  I didn’t realize he was ready for it.  This means I can start pushing things beyond colors, shapes, counting, and ABCs.  He counts up to about 20.  He knows the letters but doesn’t usually say them in order.  He loves the computer and is quickly becoming a whiz.  But writing…. I actually have to take his hand and show him the motion to make him know how.  Is that something I should have known and not just getting around to discovering?

Related Articles

• Projects ” How-To’s ” Painted Pumpkin (Or Squash) (cutoutandkeep.net)
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• Pumpkin Patch Pals Launches Kids Contest for New Painted Pumpkin Character Designs September, 2010 (prweb.com)