Toddler Activities: I am a Star

By Deborah Pace Rowley

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormon!) In our church we are encouraged to hold a weekly family night. On Monday nights we get together and play games, eat treats and have a short lesson. During lesson time we are trying to teach our kids the values that are important to us. These values can be as simple as: in our family we serve others and we respect those who are different.

It is easier to think of lesson topics when you are teaching teenagers and you can see the areas of focus that you need to work on staring you in the face!! Hard work. Respect for your elders. Prepare for college. Delay gratification etc. etc. etc.  It is sometimes harder to think about what to teach your sweet little ones who are almost perfect in every way. (At least we think Anniston is!) I have created a book of family night lesson ideas for toddlers. You don't need to be a member of our faith to use and enjoy these lessons. They can be used during a play group, a church nursery class, or just for a fun learning time with Mom.

The title of the book is Family Night for Little Tikes and I will be sharing lesson ideas from the book over the next several weeks. This first lesson is called "I am a Star." The goal of this lesson is to teach your child how special he or she is to you.

I am a Star  

*Start by announcing that you have a special person at family home evening. Give clues so that family members can guess. Examples: This person’s favorite color is red. This person is 3 years old. This person likes to wear a baseball shirt. 

*When you have guessed who it is, give that child a special hat to wear. You could make a paper crown or a paper band with a big star glued on the front. 

*Let your child know that this is a special night to honor him. 

*Take turns telling what you love about your child and all the things a that are special about him while the child stands in the center of the room or on a sturdy chair. 

*Let your child pick his favorite book to read, his favorite song to sing, and his favorite game to play. 

*Arrange beforehand to serve your child’s favorite treat for refreshments. 

*Tell your child how lucky you feel to have him in your life.