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Welcome to week 1 of Wonder Weeks: a year of creativity, curiosity and connections. ☀️ This Week’s Theme: Big Feelings to Steady Again
Parenting feels lighter when we do it together.
✨ Follow along for cozy inspiration, gentle parenting ideas, and real-life moments that remind you—you’re not alone.
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💛 Join our growing community of parents who value play, connection, and emotional growth—one day at a time.
Note: activities may be similar for kids of a similar age.
Big Feelings → Steady Again
Big feelings don’t end when the crying stops or the energy burns off.
For many children, the hardest part comes after — when their body still feels unsettled and they’re not sure what to do next.
This is where purposeful activity matters.
When children are given a clear task with a defined finish, their nervous system has something steady to organize around. Focus replaces overwhelm. Completion replaces chaos. These activities are designed for that exact moment — after big feelings, when your child needs to do their way back to balance.
Main Activities
Goal-driven play that supports regulation through focus and completion.
1. Build the Strongest Bridge
Materials
Blocks, cardboard, or recyclables
One small toy car or figure
Goal
Build a bridge strong enough to hold the toy without collapsing.
How to Play
Invite your child to build a bridge across two stacks or surfaces.
Test it by placing the toy on top.
If it falls, they adjust the base, add support, and try again.
Skills Supported
Problem-solving
Persistence
Motor planning
Emotional regulation through trial and repair
2. Fill Every Space
Materials
Muffin tin, ice cube tray, or small bowls
Mixed small objects (stones, pom-poms, beads, buttons)
Goal
Fill every space — no empty spots.
How to Play
Set out the tray and objects.
Your child places one item in each space until all compartments are filled.
They may sort by color, size, or their own system.
Skills Supported
Focus and attention
Visual organization
Follow-through
Calming through predictability
3. Pour Without Spilling
Materials
Two cups or pitchers
Water, rice, or beans
Tray or towel underneath
Goal
Transfer all the material from one container to the other without spilling.
How to Play
Encourage slow, steady pouring.
If it spills, reset and try again.
The focus is control, not speed.
Skills Supported
Hand-eye coordination
Impulse control
Body awareness
Nervous system settling through repetition
4. Cut and Rebuild One Shape
Materials
Paper or thin cardboard
Scissors (age-appropriate)
Tape
Marker
Goal
Rebuild the shape so it is whole again.
How to Play
Draw one simple shape (house, square, circle).
Your child cuts it into pieces, then tapes it back together.
The result doesn’t need to be perfect — just complete.
Skills Supported
Fine motor strength
Frustration tolerance
Repair and resilience
Sustained attention
5. Pattern Match Path
Materials
Colored paper, tape, or small objects
Simple pattern card (AB or ABB)
Goal
Match the pattern exactly and extend it.
How to Play
Lay out a short pattern.
Your child copies it and continues the sequence across the floor or table.
Skills Supported
Working memory
Cognitive flexibility
Rhythm and predictability
Calm, focused attention
Little Explorers (Younger Toddlers)
Same materials, smaller goals, shared support.
1. Hold the Bridge
Build a short bridge together and place one toy on top. Pause and notice when it stays.
Builds: balance, cause-and-effect, confidence
2. Tape It Together
Tear paper into two pieces and tape them back together.
Builds: fine motor strength, repair skills, focus
3. Copy the Pattern
Lay out a simple AB pattern and invite your child to place the next item.
Builds: visual memory, predictability, calm attention
Parent Tip of the Week
After big feelings, try offering a task with a clear finish.
Research on self-regulation shows that structured, goal-directed activities support emotional recovery by giving the brain predictability, control, and a sense of completion — all key components of nervous system regulation in young children.
Closing Reflection
Calm isn’t something children produce on command.
It grows when they feel capable, focused, and complete.
Each time your child works toward a clear goal — building something stable, finishing a pattern, or repairing what was taken apart — their body practices returning to safety. Over time, those moments add up into something lasting:
I can come back from this.
That’s the kind of regulation that sticks.
What did you think of this week's newsletter?
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