Being a mom was not on my cards but when God gave me the chance of creating an angel, I was more than delighted. Right from the day Kimaya came into my womb, she has captured me. After she was born, my heart was already walking outside my body & I just couldn’t risk leaving my baby alone with anyone else.
Our journey of learning at home began with reading from the age of 2 months. The baby’s cues and responses sparked my desire to create some fun filled activities for her. Festivals have turned more meaningful and my child is constantly adding to my knowledge bank. Holi was the best time to work on Kimaya’s love for colors. All ingredients of the theme were completely baby led. Animals and painting being her favorite, we did Dinosaur stamping with handmade stamps. Playing with clay is my child’s favourite game. We worked on cutting skills to making Gujiya(a famous delicacy of the Holi festival), pouring colored water through beakers and bottles. Using funnel is certainly a super messy activity but is great for building concentration and hand eye coordination.We have been talking about colors a lot these days. So the usage of some pegs and crayons to enhance color matching added to one more engaging play. Kimaya invented the combination of balloons and vehicles. She is very soft natured and wants all her toys to celebrate with us.
Whatever we do in-house adds more meaning when linked to practical life experiences. So it’s all about visiting markets and fleas on different occasions. Explaining about the activities going on and talking about the meaning of the festival through a short story. We believe in family celebrations ; so eating out, playing with herbal colors, driving around the roads was a perfect end to the week. I am loving the Stay At Home Mom position, dedicating time to my baby and sneaking some time for myself as well. https://www.facebook.com/RaisingKimaya/
Manisha Mazumder Verma
These posts are part of Creative Mommy Series we are running in the Facebook Group : Early Learning and Positive Parenting India for Preschoolers and Toddlers – A forum to interact and exchange thoughts about early learning and purposeful play. Share one’s experiences on child development.This is also place to encourage DIY learning aids and easy to make play materials by including daily routine activities.