Dawn holds Jacobo as he tries one of Gymboree's play equipment.

Q. Dear Dawn,

–Vlelyn Ang, Ozamiz City

Thank you for writing in, Vlelyn! You’re being wise by limiting your son’s access to watching too much TV. Unless you’re always supervising him on what shows he will benefit from, it’s best that you work on parent-child activities together. Although I limit my son Jacobo’s (now close to five years old ) TV viewing, I do allow him to watch carefully-chosen shows suitable for his age.

When Jacobo was less than a year old, I started letting him watch "Baby Einstein" and "Barney" DVDs. These are shows that I know are already tried and tested. They are also  appropriate for the toddler age. I feel that these kinds of shows help toddlers widen their imagination and creativity, as well as instill good moral values – a basic foundation for their preschool years ahead. You might also consider some shows that are aired on the Playhouse Disney Channel (if you have digi-box) or the Disney Channel because as we all know, Disney always stays true to their standard of values for children.

But between the two, it is Playhouse Disney that offers a wider range of child-friendly shows. I can actually let Jacobo sit through hours of Playhouse Disney without worrying about what to “edit” because all the shows there promote healthy values like featuring examples of respect, responsibility, and discipline. With the Disney channel, you may need to check first the schedule of shows airing there and only allow your son to watch those that are proper for his age. The channel also features shows for older kids and teens, and they may not be of much help for your three year old yet.

As far as activities go, if you’re a stay-at-home mom, you can venture out to as many varieties of brain and motor skills-boosting activities. I keep a good collection of books that I use for reading stories to my children. Books with lots of colorful artworks should be interesting to your son as well. If he likes to play, get on the floor with him and indulge him in some building blocks. Perhaps even get him started on finger and handpainting, coloring books and such. There are also many educational toys out in the market that promote creativity. However, it’s always best that parents introduce these toys.

There might also be some play gyms available in your area that you can consider enrolling Patrick in. I took Jacobo to Gymboree classes held here at The Fort and Greenbelt 5, where it is close to where we live. I found that these environments offer a scope of activities for toddlers, like music, gym-play, and learning labs. Moreover, kids who attend these classes enjoy the opportunity to socialize and get into the habit of frequent interaction with one another, sharing toys, waiting for their turn, and learning good habits such as “packing-away” when they’re done playing. My 12-month old baby daughter, Ayisha, has just started attending Gymboree three times weekly and is having so much fun, she actually looks forward to going to classes there.

If that is not an option, why not join play groups in your area? You may know of other parents who have toddlers the same age as your son who want to set up “play-dates.” My children have once or twice a week playdates with their cousins and neighbors. Their parents and I formulated a schedule of who will play host for certain days. If Patrick likes sports such as soccer or basketball, you can enroll him in fun physical activities in your neighborhood that help a great deal for his confidence and corporal balance.

I think it’s always important to bear in mind that even though toddlers are still babies, they need to eventually learn the ropes of socializing. It is beneficial to involve your son in social activities at this stage. It prepares him for school. As far as what age is best to get them started at school, I believe that the earlier you expose them to it, the better.

For example, my son started Gymboree at seven months, just when he was getting the hang of his large and small motor skills. It helped build his stability, agility, and his self-belief so he wanted to try to experience more of the same. By the time Jacobo was two-and-half years old, I enrolled him at a preschool where he learned to become independent because neither I nor his yaya were present. He had his school teachers and nannies there to help him pull down his pants when he wanted to urinate, to change his soiled diapers, carry his own school bag, and interact with children his age and some older. The environment was not at all alienating because the teachers know what the kids can do and cannot do according to their ages. They didn’t force them to do anything that was more than they could handle. This was the right kind of training ground for Jacobo. So by the time he went to school, he knew most of the basic drills. Today, my son is in a big school attending nursery.

For more info on Patrick’s proper age for formal education, I suggest that you begin “shopping” for potential schools you would like him to go to. Now is the right time to introduce “school life” to him by starting him at the preschool level of a nearby training hub for kids.