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Dad Field Manual · Field card 105 · Toddlers

A day home alone with a toddler, in blocks

A whole day alone with a 1- to 3-year-old goes better with a shape. Spend fifteen minutes the night before writing the day in blocks, and you'll always know what comes next, even when the plan slips.

Time
15 min to plan
Cost
$0
Ages
1 to 3
Where
Home, yard and park

What you need

  • One sheet of paper and a marker for the day plan
  • Simple toys: blocks, empty containers, wooden spoons, a shape sorter
  • Two or three board books
  • Supplies for one small project: stickers, paper, painter's tape
  • Snacks, water and a diaper bag packed for going out

Before the day starts

  • Eyes on them near any water: tub, bucket, pool or pond. CDC says drowning is the leading cause of injury death for toddlers.
  • Lock it up first. Medicines, cleaners and sharp things out of reach; pot handles turned to the back of the stove; heaters and irons out of reach.
  • Never leave them in the car, not even for a minute while you run into a store.
  • Gate the stairs and keep doors to the garage and basement locked.

Steps

  1. Write the day on one page. The night before, write the day's blocks with rough times around their usual nap and bedtime.
  2. Morning: let them lead. Put out simple toys, sit on the floor and follow their lead for about an hour.
  3. Get outside before lunch. Go outside for about an hour: yard, walk or park. Let them run and climb.
  4. Snack, then one small project. Snack, then one 15-minute project like stickers or a painter's-tape road.
  5. Lunch, then nap or rest. Lunch, the same short wind-down, then nap. No sleep? An hour of quiet with books.
  6. Afternoon: books, a trip, a reset. After nap: books, a small outing, then a 5-minute tidy before dinner.
  7. Mark what worked. After bedtime, check the blocks that worked and cross out the ones that didn't.

If it stalls

  • If the whole morning falls apart, skip ahead to the next block. The page is a menu, not a test.
  • If they skip the nap, keep the quiet hour anyway and make bedtime a little earlier.
Blocks that worked today
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date