Reach for this when
they are escalating at the fridge and you need a fast fork without a screen.
What you need
- Nothing
How to route
- Get low. Quiet voice: “Big body play, or stay-with-me play?” Hold up one finger per option.
- They run toward cushions or start jumping → wound up. Open the indoor obstacle course guide.
- They grab your leg or melt into “stay with me” → clingy. Open indoor pouring station; if you already poured today, open sensory bin instead.
- They point at your hands or mimic stirring/painting → with you. Open the process art station guide.
- Walk them to the spot that guide describes. Same spot every time — habit beats novelty.
If it flops
They choose both or neither? Pick for them: under three, containment (pouring/sensory) first; over three and bouncing off walls, obstacle course first.
Three states, three guides
- Wound up → indoor obstacle course
- Clingy → indoor pouring station or sensory bin
- With you → process art station
More routing plays
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