Acknowledgements - gapitc

96
Self-control
Mad Molly
Make a simple hand puppet from an old, white adult-sized sock.
Activities and Strategies
for Development
On one side of the sock puppet use a marker to draw two eyes, a nose, and a
smiling mouth.
Turn the sock around and draw a mad face on the other side with the mouth
going in a jagged line.
You can also use a doll instead of a puppet.
Invite your child to sit with you to play a pretend game with the puppet.
Tell your child that the puppet’s name is Molly and Molly is MAD!
Show your child the side of the puppet with the mad mouth.
Say, “Molly is mad. Molly wanted a cookie and her Nana said, ‘Don’t touch, Molly.’”
Ask your child, “Can you go get your special blanket for Molly?”
Put the blanket gently around the puppet.
Then say, “Molly was mad, but look! (turn the puppet face around to the smiling
side) Now Molly feels better!”
Playground Safety
Take your child to a park that has child-safe and toddler-sized play equipment.
Hold your child’s hand and walk around to the swings, the slide, and the
climbing gym.
If another child is swinging, climbing, or coming down the slide, stay close to your
child and say in a firm voice, “Wait!” and stop before you approach the area.
When you and your child can move safely past the swing, say to your child,
“Good, you waited to be safe.”
At the slide or climber, again say, “Wait!”
When the other child comes down the slide, say again, “Good job. You waited
for it to be safe.”
Supervise your toddler closely on each piece of park equipment.
Give him reassurance that you are close by.