 |
| MmmHmm... |
Once upon a time, in a land of idealism and disillusionment, I implemented a no television rule.
Happily ever after, you wonder?
It lasted about a day and then my kids drove me to the brink of insanity. So yeah, you know the rest of the story.
Shout out to PBS kids!
We really do try to limit television unless it's a special movie night or a road trip. Yes, yes, You've heard all of the reasons why it's important for kids to have limited screen time so I'll spare you the soapbox lecture. I get that it can be difficult to keep the television off, (especially when I need to accomplish something for once). That's why when I first implemented the no TV rule, I physically removed it and hid the thing in the basement. No joke.
So what do we do instead of watching TV? Here are some of our favorite ideas to get you started.
1.) Have the kids help make food.
It will take you longer. Don't attempt this perfect Mom O' the Year move when company is coming over and expect stellar results. That being said, one of the biggest reasons I was turning the TV on was to make a meal. We had to eat right? It was very difficult to cook with a tiny person asking a million questions and sticking tiny fingers in my prep food.
I eventually wised up and realized that it was a learning opportunity for them. I started finding ways they could help me and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Sometimes it actually helps. I'm still waiting for that magical age where I can sit back and direct them like Apprentice Mickey Mouse in Fantasia. You know what I'm talking about.
Examples:
Cutting soft foods- I bought my oldest a set of plastic kid knives a while back and now they both help me cut soft foods.
Measuring - I'm proud to say my five-year-old can read a recipe now!
Bringing ingredients from the pantry- This is my three-year-olds favorite job. She has about a 50% accuracy rating but she works so hard.
Stirring
Watching the timer- Muwhaha. Yeah. Sometimes I'm a mean mom. But it teaches time concepts!
Washing the mixing bowls
Wiping up spills
2.) Make bubble mountains.
It goes like this: Pour about a cup of water into your mixer and a few squirts of dish soap, affix your whisk attachment and push the "high" button. Make as many bubble mountains as desired. Give them mountains on flat cookie pans, big mixing bowls, under the bed containers or whatever you come up with. I also give them funnels and measuring cups. Sometimes we add food coloring. Unicorn Bubble Mountains!! Afterward, we get out the mops and have a clean floor!
It goes like this: Pour about a cup of water into your mixer and a few squirts of dish soap, affix your whisk attachment and push the "high" button. Make as many bubble mountains as desired. Give them mountains on flat cookie pans, big mixing bowls, under the bed containers or whatever you come up with. I also give them funnels and measuring cups. Sometimes we add food coloring. Unicorn Bubble Mountains!! Afterward, we get out the mops and have a clean floor!
3.) Play active games.
Examples:
Examples:
Red light, Green light
Simon says
Follow the leader
Run and touch (run and touch something RED, YELLOW, POLKA-DOTTED, THAT MAKES NOISE, etc...)
4.) Pull out the art supplies.
Give them washable crayons, markers, and paper. My girls can draw for days.
Give them washable crayons, markers, and paper. My girls can draw for days.
Have them make cards to send to Grandma and Grandpa, cousins, teachers, friends, neighbors...
5.) Have a parts box.
What am I talking about? I have a box (our old drawer organizers) of weird parts including pipe cleaners, large wooden beads, small containers, googly eyes, pom poms, small sticks, popsicle sticks, rubber bands, buttons, wine corks, paperclips and even some neat rocks we've collected. They go to town with this open-ended stuff.
6.) Have a Playdough box.
Same theory as the parts box. Playdough, rolling pin, cookie cutters, glitter, sprinkles, etc... You get the idea. We even combine the parts box and playdough box when the playdough is getting old and greyish. You know what I'm talking about.
7.) Go outside.
But it's raining/cloudy/snowing/kinda hot...Our ancestors would laugh at you.
8.) Trick them into cleaning your house!
Sometimes I tell them to pretend the table is a whale and he's drying out! Then I give them dishcloths and tell them to "Save the Whale!!!" Another fun one is to give them white dishcloths and tell them whoever has the dirtiest cloth after 5 minutes wins. (Bathrooms are off limits.) Something I do to get them to clean their rooms up is to tell them that the floor is slowly turning into hot lava! Save the toys! They strangely love this and sometimes play on their own. The only limit is your creativity, people.
Sometimes I tell them to pretend the table is a whale and he's drying out! Then I give them dishcloths and tell them to "Save the Whale!!!" Another fun one is to give them white dishcloths and tell them whoever has the dirtiest cloth after 5 minutes wins. (Bathrooms are off limits.) Something I do to get them to clean their rooms up is to tell them that the floor is slowly turning into hot lava! Save the toys! They strangely love this and sometimes play on their own. The only limit is your creativity, people.
9.) Play, Hide the Clip.
I hide a red bag clip all over the house for them to find. It's great because I can clip it anywhere. It keeps them occupied for a long time and they love it. You can use any type of clip or just color a clothespin with a marker. You can also do this with a stuffed animal or some other object depending on their finding skills.
I hide a red bag clip all over the house for them to find. It's great because I can clip it anywhere. It keeps them occupied for a long time and they love it. You can use any type of clip or just color a clothespin with a marker. You can also do this with a stuffed animal or some other object depending on their finding skills.
10.) Pillowfort.
Especially good on bedsheets day when the bed and pillows are in chaos anyway.
11.) Puzzles:
The dollar tree has a bunch of puzzles to choose from. I load up and don't feel guilty about it. "Oh, the puppy ate three pieces?" I'm not losing any sleep.
12.) Board games:
We fill a lot of time with games. I remember I couldn't wait until my oldest daughter was old enough to count because it would open up a world of possibilities for board games. We have acquired and played a lot of games and have a few decided favorites. Here they are in no particular order:
Richard Scarry's BusyTown Eye found it!
This game is great because its cooperative and even the little ones can join in. The premise is that everyone needs to make it to the picnic before the pigs eat all of the food! Everyone's favorite part is when we draw a search card. Then we have until the egg timer runs out to locate as many items on the card that we can. It's also neat because the board is huge. It unfolds to take up about a 2 foot by 6-foot space on the floor. The kids love that's a giant game.
This game is great because its cooperative and even the little ones can join in. The premise is that everyone needs to make it to the picnic before the pigs eat all of the food! Everyone's favorite part is when we draw a search card. Then we have until the egg timer runs out to locate as many items on the card that we can. It's also neat because the board is huge. It unfolds to take up about a 2 foot by 6-foot space on the floor. The kids love that's a giant game.
Mancala
This is a great beginner strategy game and it really helps kids focus counting things one at a time. It also reinforces the left to right concept that is important for reading and writing. This one contains small parts though so it's a good game for after the little ones are asleep.
This is a great beginner strategy game and it really helps kids focus counting things one at a time. It also reinforces the left to right concept that is important for reading and writing. This one contains small parts though so it's a good game for after the little ones are asleep.
Race to the Treasure
This is another cooperative game. We love cooperative games. It combines strategy and luck to get to the treasure before the ogre. I love that it teaches basic graphing skills.
This is another cooperative game. We love cooperative games. It combines strategy and luck to get to the treasure before the ogre. I love that it teaches basic graphing skills.
Memory
Hiss
Connect 4
13.) Play Hide and Seek.
14.) The floor is hot lava!
This is especially good coupled with pillow forts.
15.) Have a puppet show.
Anything can be a puppet really. Barbies regularly star in our puppet shows. My youngest recently asked me why all of the stuffed animals sound like me when they talk! HAHAHAHA! She'll figure it out soon, I hope!
16.) Sing songs.
Our Favs:
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Down by the Bay
5 Little Spotted Frogs
The Alphabet
Baby Balooga
Days of the week song
Months of the year song
...and who could forget Let It Go.
17.) Read some books!
16.) Sing songs.
Our Favs:
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Down by the Bay
5 Little Spotted Frogs
The Alphabet
Baby Balooga
Days of the week song
Months of the year song
...and who could forget Let It Go.
17.) Read some books!
18.) Make a scavenger hunt with a map.
19.) Play "Mommy's locked herself in the pantry with all of the cookies."
This one is actually a bonus, but it's too much fun to leave out. It teaches them valuable skills like lock picking and active listening. Don't forget a flashlight if your light switch is on the outside of your pantry AND your kids are smart.
19.) Play "Mommy's locked herself in the pantry with all of the cookies."
This one is actually a bonus, but it's too much fun to leave out. It teaches them valuable skills like lock picking and active listening. Don't forget a flashlight if your light switch is on the outside of your pantry AND your kids are smart.
If all else fails and they're getting grouchy or rambunctious I offer them the option of cleaning, taking a nap or playing quietly. Guess which one they choose?
Works. Every. Single. Time.
No comments:
Post a Comment