Today's language suggestion is: Ask fewer questions. Adults are often questioning and quizzing their kids on what they know. Next time you play with you kids, be conscious about how many questions you ask them. This is one thing that I struggled with when I was a new graduate student and was trying to take language samples of preschool-aged children. Try switching your questions to statement. Here are some suggestions on how to do that.
Instead of asking "What's that?" say, "I found/ see the cow" and point to one. As you start commenting on what you see, your child will follow suit.
Instead of asking "Where is your nose?" say "I got your nose", "I see _____'s nose".
Another thing that I love doing as a mom is to create healthy meals for Max. Since my sister has a gluten intolerance and Paul's allergies get worse when he eats gluten, we are trying to be a gluten-free house. This makes it challenging when trying to find some recipes for toddlers. I have created some delicious foods that Max loves that have veggies and protein and are finger friendly. My goal of this blog is to add recipes as I create them.
Today, one of Max's meals was sauteed summer squash with chevre cheese, brown rice, and meatballs. He also had a white nectarine and cooked carrots and hummus.
Here is the recipe for the meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
2 carrots grated
2 zucchini grated (can also use other summer squash or spinach or whatever veggies you want)
1/4 c milk (dairy, soy, or almond)
3/4 c oat bran
1 egg, beaten
bit of dried oregano, basil or herbs of choice
handful of fresh herbs, chopped (I like basil or parsley)
Feel free to add salt and pepper to taste, especially if your husband likes to steal them :)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover baking sheet with foil and grease with olive oil. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out meatballs and place on baking sheet. Bake 10-13 minutes or until brown.
These are great as little snacks on the go or can go with pasta, rice, or other veggies.
