My parenting box refers to the resources (ideas, activities, tools, etc.) I've gathered to help me parent better. One of my favorite resources is a list of tried and true activities used when the kids are fussy or cranky or just need to be pointed in another playful direction.
1. Bubbles - seems to be a great activity at any stage and works year round.
2. Rice/Beans/Pasta/Oatmeal Box - Take a fairly good size plastic storage box (mine is about the size of a shoe box) and fill it with your choice (or whatever is handy in your kitchen cupboards) of rice, beans, pasta or oatmeal. You can use a little food dye on all but the beans if you'd like which can make it even more fun. Include something to scoop, pour and fill. Dixie cups, old laundry detergent scoops, measuring spoons, etc. The younger the child the more hands-on supervision you'll need to provide - but these items are edible, so a taste here or there won't hurt. I started this when my first was about 18months, and she still pulls it out to play with.
3. Build a fort - now this comes with a warning. Once you do it once, be prepared you'll be asked to do it again, and again and again. Forts are big in my house, and you can make 'em out of all sorts of things, a couple of chairs with a sheet thrown over for one. When I was a kid, I used use the couch cushions as walls and make a couch fort - hours of fun! I think Emma was about 3 before I discovered this fun activity, but Audrey loves it too at just over 1.
4. Bathtime - sometimes we take more than one bath a day. Because bathtime, makes everyone happier. Our current favorite bath toys are rubber ducky's so of course we've got about a dozen different shapes and sizes we've collected here and there. But we've also had lots of fun with a couple of tupperware containers and a washcloth or two. Bubbles, bath confetti and bath dyes are also favorite special treats.
5. Cleaning with baby wipes - not only is this a great activity, but it teaches them hardwork, works on coordination, and saves you time. Both my kids love to take a babywipe to the kitchen cabinets or the floor. They'll "help" me clean almost anything I put in front of them. Just be sure to limit the number of wipes they can use or invest in the baby wipes industry.
So what's your favorite tried-and-true-never-fails-to-kick-the-fuss-right-out-the-door activity? Would you post it in the comments section so we can all grow our parenting box a little bit more?
Now I'm sure you never run out of things to do in your house. You likely have endless ideas and enthusiasm for playing and teaching your children - and if that's really the case....well, can I come live with you? But around here and at certain times of the year (like tax season!), my days seem really long. And I find myself wondering what am I supposed to do with these children?
Enter parenting box. It took some deliberate thought and lots of inquiries to build up my parenting box. And I'm so very grateful to every parent out there that helped me fill this box as its been a HUGE help to me as a parent.
Below you'll find 5 of my favorite, tried and true activities:
1. Bubbles - seems to be a great activity at any stage and works year round.
2. Rice/Beans/Pasta/Oatmeal Box - Take a fairly good size plastic storage box (mine is about the size of a shoe box) and fill it with your choice (or whatever is handy in your kitchen cupboards) of rice, beans, pasta or oatmeal. You can use a little food dye on all but the beans if you'd like which can make it even more fun. Include something to scoop, pour and fill. Dixie cups, old laundry detergent scoops, measuring spoons, etc. The younger the child the more hands-on supervision you'll need to provide - but these items are edible, so a taste here or there won't hurt. I started this when my first was about 18months, and she still pulls it out to play with.
3. Build a fort - now this comes with a warning. Once you do it once, be prepared you'll be asked to do it again, and again and again. Forts are big in my house, and you can make 'em out of all sorts of things, a couple of chairs with a sheet thrown over for one. When I was a kid, I used use the couch cushions as walls and make a couch fort - hours of fun! I think Emma was about 3 before I discovered this fun activity, but Audrey loves it too at just over 1.
4. Bathtime - sometimes we take more than one bath a day. Because bathtime, makes everyone happier. Our current favorite bath toys are rubber ducky's so of course we've got about a dozen different shapes and sizes we've collected here and there. But we've also had lots of fun with a couple of tupperware containers and a washcloth or two. Bubbles, bath confetti and bath dyes are also favorite special treats.
5. Cleaning with baby wipes - not only is this a great activity, but it teaches them hardwork, works on coordination, and saves you time. Both my kids love to take a babywipe to the kitchen cabinets or the floor. They'll "help" me clean almost anything I put in front of them. Just be sure to limit the number of wipes they can use or invest in the baby wipes industry. So what's your favorite tried-and-true-never-fails-to-kick-the-fuss-right-out-the-door activity? Would you post it in the comments section so we can all grow our parenting box a little bit more?
2 comments:
Thanks for the ideas! Especially since it is supposed to rain all week next week and I have to entertain kids inside! One of my favorites is foam letter and shape stickers. I got the tubs from Michaels (with my coupon of course!), one of letters, one of shapes, one of flowers and palm trees, etc. Then I got a stack of the foam 5x7 sheets that come 24 or so to a pack (that was only a couple of dollars). I pull those out and the kids love creating masterpieces. This is especially helpful with my son because he is learning to spell, and the girls that I watch because they are learning their ABC's! They play and learn at the same time! Plus there is little clean up- just pick up the backings of the stickers and put them in the trash.
My kids just spent the past couple of hours playing with a pack of toilet paper rolls. For some reason, this is one of their favorite toys. Sometimes they sit on it and use it as a horse. Sometimes they open it up and use the individual rolls (the ones from Costco are wrapped individually so that they don't get completely frayed) as building blocks. Today they have been mostly jumping over it and using it as a door to seal off certain parts of their room. It's been a great rainy day activity so far.
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