Need more easy, simple activites to do with your kids? Here are some!
- Paper snowball fights. Crumple up a bunch of pieces of white paper and lob them around the room together. Set up some boxes or baskets to practice throwing into or just throw at each other. Remember, clean-up can be made easy with a contest to see how many can be shot in the trash can!
- Put out an assortment of big boxes and let her play. Make some tunnels and leave some open to be cars. Put some on their sides to be houses, etc. This might work better AFTER Christmas when you have boxes–maybe save boxes for a snowy day in Jan. or Feb. when the toys aren’t new anymore.
- Let her poke things with toothpicks. Sounds lame, but it totally enthralls small children. :-) Find anything properly squishy (but not too) in the fridge or fruit basket and just show her how to stick a toothpick into it. It’s a great tactile busy game and very satisfying if you find something with just the right squish. You can also do this with anything from biodegradable packing peanuts to Cheetos, which I hate to tell you are the same thing.
- Make a busy bag of odd stuff. Get an old purse and put things like a mirrored compact, a whistle, an empty ring box, an old pair of sunglasses, a calculator, a computer mouse, some small toys, a change purse (the kind that snaps shut to hold change), a mini flashlight, etc. and let him just go through it all while sitting by you.
- Record him. If you have a camcorder, record him playing, singing, whatever and also record things he likes to see like you, pets, balls, etc. and you reading favorite books, etc. Little ones love to watch themselves and their worlds.
- Get some tapes of kid songs and activities from the library. Pop them in and let the happy voice play music and tell her to dance and be a bear or whatever. A call to a friendly librarian should be able to get something put aside for someone to pick up for you if you are too bedridden to go yourself.
- As always, piles of books.
There have been many days that I’ve had a new baby on one side of me and a big old pile of books and one or two little kids cuddling on the other side of me. Good books keep kids marvelously happy for very long times. Again, the helpful librarian can be enlisted to put aside a big old pile of great toddler books for a good cause.
Remember, if you’re sick, bedridden or burned out, it’s okay to lower your expectations of yourself. Make quick meals. Ask for help. Let the house be messy. Crafts can also be low maintenance and still be fun. It’ll keep the kids (and you!) creative.
