i. Fun baby stuff to do

We are the creators of our children’s childhood. Make it personal with your own family rituals. “A child with a strong sense of ‘we’ starts to develop a strong sense of ‘I.’ ” —Kim John Payne, Simplicity Parenting

Children love to be busy, and useful. They delight in seeing that there is a place for them in the hum of doing, making, and fixing that surrounds them.

Any time I ask my children if they want to play something or have a dance party they always say yes. We have journaling club every Monday after school. We cut stuff out of magazines, stamp with our fingers, draw maps and houses, write about our dreams. We are not trying to achieve anything; we are just enjoying time together creating, with snacks.