But at 10:20 this morning, our playdough ‘find the beads’ game morphed into a birthday bakery, and somehow the pretend candles had every little finger practicing grasp, bilateral coordination, and turn-taking. What’s your funniest child-led detour that still nudged those early milestones right where you wanted them?
I keep a mini muffin tin and silicone cupcake liners in my cart; when it turns bakery, I hand out a simple picture “menu” to check off with a crayon so we sneak in grasp, sequencing, and visual scanning… If orders start racing, I switch to one shared “cake” and limit tongs to two pom‑poms per turn to keep it cooperative without killing the vibe. Do you ever throw in a quick “Order up!” to reset the pace, @OP?