Last year, Ellie and I made our own tea cups and saucers as a mommy and me date. These are perfect for our tea time. I lay out my favorite cozy blanket near the fireplace with pillows and light a candle. Ellie has the essentials: her colorful plush giraffe and pink fleece blanket. Ellie likes black raspberry tea. I switch between herbal teas. No caffeine for either of us. Ellie feels so at peace in the setting and sips her tea gingerly as I read to her. I only have Shel Silverstein poems from my own childhood at this time to read and we love them, but; I do hope to add classic poets to our inventory as well.
After a couple of poems, Ellie says, "Cuddle me. Get snuggled!" So that is what we did and it was oh so sweet!
Why do we do this? Besides the fact it is an amazing way to bond, research proves reading poetry aloud with your little ones enhances language development, cognitive development, physical development, and social and emotional development. Do some research on this. It goes deep and it is fascinating! Rhythm and rhyme is a beautiful path for the brain to journey down.
Another really cool note is using a candle. Well, I am always using candles because I LOVE them! Candles are a part of my calm at the end of the day. Ellie is so hooked on them as well. She loves to smell them. She watches the flames flicker. Tonight, she told me the flames were dancing and doing ballet. How precious?! The mind of a two year old left to her own imagination is so cool to be surrounded by. The candle does play a soothing role, however; primarily I light it for the connection between the memory we are making and the scent and the connection the two make in the brain. It's very powerful.
According to Psychology Today, "The olfactory bulb has direct connections to two brain areas that are strongly implicated in emotion and memory: the amygdala and hippocampus. Interestingly, visual, auditory, and tactile information do not pass through these brain areas. This may be why olfaction, more than any other sense, is so successful at triggering emotions and memories."
We use "The Flying Farm" soy candle company's "Banana Pudding" candle. In order for the memory and the scent to draw you back to a time, place, and information, it needs to be a consistent smell. So we will always use banana pudding scented candles at poetry and tea time.
I am so thankful to have a sister who is so smart and the most amazing mom ever who teaches me how to follow in her footsteps and be a great mommy as well. We will never be perfect but first we seek Jesus, then we seek love, then we seek wisdom and knowledge. This is fascinating information and so so so fun for a precious bonding activity with your child.
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