A guest post from Kayla…
It is finally summer after completing my craziest school year ever. With my newfound free time I am looking for ways to help Jasper be a helper. He loves to be part of whatever we are doing and show what a big boy he is.
My first big project was cleaning all of my things out of Jasper’s room. It was a craft room before him and after him became a dumping ground with a crib. We want him to have his own space.
He loves clothes and accessories so I wanted to make an easy way for him to pick his own outfits. I started with this closet insert. It is the perfect height for him to choose his own outfits. Shorts are folded over hangers with his shirts on top. These are the toddler hangers I used. He has three little baskets for shoes, socks, and pajamas. These baskets fit three to a shelf.
He always goes straight to the rain boots but so far I have convinced him to wear sandals instead.
Here he is picking his pajamas. He loves to pick his clothes and runs to his closet when we tell him it is time to change.
I got a good laugh when I was clearing my things out of his closet and sorted through some pictures. Here I am encouraging him to make his own clothing choices and this is how I dressed as a child:
Needless to say, I am the one on the far left. (Then our cousin Jamie, my sister Kelli, and our cousin Cassie.) My style has always been… a little bit… unique. So far Jasper wears fairly normal clothes although he has specific ones he likes best.
He loves accessories and always wants a hat and sunglasses. He loves trying on our things and turns things into hats like a juice bottle cap. His favorite “outfit” is walking around with Spencer’s belt worn like a boa saying “Dad, dad, dad!”
Another purchase I made was this toddler stool. I’m very pleased with it. Spencer, who is picky about quality, likes it too. I want to do a lot of baking this summer and this will help Jasper help me.
It is very sturdy and has three levels so it can grow with Jasper. Here he is “washing the mushrooms” for our fajitas.
He wasn’t ready to be done so I gave him some utensils and ran some water for him to play in. This was a terrible idea. Luckily he likes wiping up spills!
Jasper has recently joined us at the adult table! This booster seat fits on an adult chair. I found it at a garage sale but had this similar one on my Amazon wish list. He loves it but it does make it easier for him to swipe food. Bruce doesn’t mind!
This tool is one of my favorite things. It is a plastic bench scraper but I call it the sticker paddle. We can purchase them at our Amish shop for about $1, but here is a link on Amazon. Jasper loves stickers but doesn’t quite have the fine motor skills for them. I put the stickers halfway on the paddle so he can easily grab them.
In this picture he has a big letter G so I picked only green stickers.
My heart melts when I see him so proud of himself. My overwhelming feeling is “Stop growing already!” but when I see him so happy I realize he looks forward to getting big. I’m looking forward to a fun summer together.
He is so cute. Enjoy him they don’t stay little long.
When they are little they want to help with everything and only want to get big! My two youngest grandchildren will be 8 in September. I just want to tell them to quit growing, be 3 again or 4. I loved those ages! So eager to help and learn.
He is so cute! When my children were little, we did the “ten second tidy” where we would run around putting things away for a few minutes. They liked it because it was a game. It’s amazing what we accomplished in a short time.
What a precious little helper you have Kayla! And I agree, they grow up entirely too fast! Enjoy every minute! Soon he’ll be driving a car, and preparing for college! : ) & : (
You’re a amazing Mom, Kayla!! Jasper is lucky to have you. Regarding the rainboots… I think EVERY kid loves them!! LOL!!
Kayla,
You and Spencer are great parents. Being able to choose an outfit at this age should help him with making decisions as he grows older. Have a fabulous summer!
So glad you can enjoy Jasper this summer. Letting him help you will get him accustomed to helping that carries over into the older years. Plus it’s fun to have little helpers. I love seeing stories like yours. Yes they grow to fast and are on their own so quickly
Each phase has its own joys but it all goes soooo fast!
Soak up all the time you can! This is one of the benefits of being a teacher! Summertime with your child. He is getting so big and you have wonderful ideas to include him in your organization of his closet. You are a great mom!
He is just too cute. You want to hold him and hug him forever.