Transferring Work for Toddlers

When transferring work becomes eating work (cue laughing emoji).

I knew better than to give the kid dry quinoa for his first spooning work... I knew something larger would be more appropriate...but I was eager to let him try after I’ve noticed him transferring everything in sight & working so hard on self feeding. I wanted to use something safe to eat if (err, whennn) he’d try putting it in his mouth.

He actually had great control the first few scoops and then not so much! Rather that interrupting him when I saw that he was sampling the dry quinoa, touching it with his fingers, and spilling it all over the rug, I stepped back and let him enjoy the process and experience. And he loved it.

Bruce didn’t care that he didn’t make it into the bowl most times. He just loved trying. He loved experiencing every part of the process in a variety of ways. What if we could look at our own journeys and processes this way? What if we could say, “I’m not going to worry so much about the end result or getting this perfect the first time. Where’s the fun in that? I’m going to learn everything I can in this moment, taking it all in, immersing myself in this new little piece of the world I’m discovering!” How much happier and more willing to try new things and take risks would we be?

Thank you, my sweetest, wisest teacher, for sharing your patience and zest with me. You are magic.

What mess can you turn into magic today?