Battle the Winter Blahs
by Carren W. Joye, carren@onlineus.com
OnlinePlaygroup.com: http://www.onlineplaygroup.com
In the dead of winter, parents of young children need creative ideas to get
through these short, cold and rainy or snowy days besides just looking
forward to spring. You do not have to stay confined to your house every day,
and even when the weather absolutely prevents you from stepping outdoors,
you and your child can enjoy fun activities at home.
So turn off that television and battle those winter blahs with a few fun and
creative ideas.
Enjoy Those Rainy Day Activities
Get out those old magazines of children’s crafts that you have been saving,
or get on the Internet and try out some of the ideas at FamilyFun.com,
ParentSoup.com and TheIdeaBox.com. Most of the activities and crafts call
for materials you will already have in your home, and the directions are
simple to follow. These activities are not only fun, they are also a great
way to teach your youngsters some of the skills they will need in school,
such as following directions and using scissors.
Try baking occasionally. You do not have to have a daughter to enjoy baking
with your child. Both girls and boys enjoy measuring, mixing ingredients,
watching their creations rise in the oven, and then eating the results! You
can follow an old family recipe to bake muffins or brownies from scratch, or
just buy a mix from the grocery store. Children enjoy the process as much as
they enjoy the product, and they do not care if it is from scratch or from a
mix.
Read books and tell stories. Set aside a certain time every day to read
stories to your children. Along with their favorites, include a few they
have not heard in a while. For a fun change, get them to tell you the story
from the pictures. In addition, tell them stories from your childhood or
stories you remember from your parents and grandparents. You could even make
up stories using your children as the heroes and heroines. Depending on your
children’s ages, play a storytelling game where each person adds a new part
to the story.
Play board games. Young children can learn and enjoy playing Hi-Ho Cherrio,
Chutes and Ladders, Memory, Mouse Trap, Trouble, Old Maid, and Uno. Older
children will enjoy Checkers, Life, Scrabble and Monopoly. Not only will you
and your children have fun, but they will also learn important skills such
as counting, taking turns, strategizing and displaying good sportsmanship.
Remember all those times you bought your child a gift, and she played with
the box just as much as she played with the toy? Give your child a large box
from a moving company or an empty box that used to hold a television or
computer. Using crayons or markers, your child will decorate the box and use
her imagination for hours!
Sometimes your child will be too stir crazy to do anything constructive. To
get all that energy out safely, assemble an indoor obstacle course, where
you and she will climb over sofas, squeeze through chairs, crawl under
tables, and roll over pillows. This could be designed as a “Follow the
Leader” game, as a race, or just for fun.
Go On Indoor Field Trips
Field trip destinations are not limited to outdoor locations, and indoor
field trips provide a great escape from the house. Most areas offer a
variety of places to go besides the zoo. You can arrange tours of local
businesses and area attractions that your children are interested in at any
time with just a phone call or two. In addition to the fire station and
police station, try a local bakery, bookstore, pet store, newspaper,
florist, TV and radio stations, and community artists such as painters,
photographers and potters.
Many local libraries and bookstores feature story times and crafts for
children a few times a week. Planetariums, art and history museums are also
fascinating to children. Many metropolitan areas boast children’s museums
with fun, hands-on learning activities for children – and adults! – of all
ages.
Check schedules for children’s movies at the area theatres. Before taking
your child to a movie, however, find out from a friend who has seen it first
whether it will be appropriate for your child’s age.
Although the weather may prevent you from going to the park, you and your
child may enjoy walking around one of the malls. Babies enjoy
“people-watching” as much as adults do. For your older children, try bowling
or roller-skating.
Join or Start a Playgroup
For free or low-cost entertainment on a regular basis, try a playgroup. All
moms need a break now and then, but many do not have the extra money to
spend on a Moms Day Out program or on going out. Playgroups offer an
opportunity for at-home parents to get that weekly break from home, and yet
spend time with their children at the same time.
Weekly playgroups provide an enjoyable diversion where the children play
with friends while their parents talk or where all the members enjoy a
structured parent-child activity. Besides, unlike a preschool or moms’ day
out program, parents stay with their children at playgroup, alleviating the
problem of separation anxiety.
Search for a playgroup in your area by contacting area churches, libraries,
YMCAs, and community centers because that is where the majority of
playgroups meet, if not in homes. Sometimes playgroups will advertise with
area pediatricians and the community calendar of the local newspaper. Search
the Internet as well. Web sites such as OnlinePlaygroup.com and
ClubsForMoms.Homestead.com offer playgroup directories as well as
information on starting a playgroup.
Now that you are armed for battle with a few ideas, turn off that television
and make some plans to pass the time these next several weeks. Before you
know it, spring will be here, and you and your child will be able to look
back at a fun-filled winter.
About the Author:
Carren W. Joye is the author of A Stay-at-Home Mom's Complete Guide to
Playgroups (ISBN 0-595-14684-8). A homeschooling mom of four children, she
has founded four successful playgroups and a homeschool support group and
helped start countless other playgroups around the world. Visit her web site
at http://www.OnlinePlaygroup.com for more information about playgroups.
This article provided by the Family Content Archives at:
http://www.Family-Content.com
Additional
Homeschooling Resources
|