Have Fun With Your Kids
When it comes to parenting, one of the most frustrating aspects of the job is finding ways to entertain your children. Children learn through playing and doing new things, so it is important to constantly challenge them with new things to do, places to go, books to read and games to play. Have fun with your kids, and use your children as an excuse to act like a child yourself every now and then.
Outings
Take advantage of all that the local public library has to offer for children. Most libraries offer story time, craft projects and special events such as nighttime story hour when the kids arrive dressed in their pajamas ready for bed. Libraries also offer children the opportunity to play new computer games and find books on any topic that they like. For young children, the library helps teach the concept of sharing, because after the child is finished with a book, he must bring it back so that another child can have a turn with it.
Find a city park with a playground for the kids to enjoy. Play on the swings together, challenge your child to a monkey bar race. Catch your child at the bottom of the slide. Pack a lunch and make a day of it. If your city has many parks, try out a new one each time and let your child make a final decision on which park he likes best.
Arts and Crafts
Use finger paints with your kids. Try to do the finger painting outside so you do not have to worry about the mess. Strip the kids down to just underwear or a diaper and let them go wild. Roll out butcher paper on the floor or across the backyard patio and let them "toe paint" as well. If you do not have finger paints, you can get the same effect from painting with pudding.
Make a scrapbook together. Pull out the scrapbook paper, scissors, glue and stickers. Let your child choose the photos and do all of the gluing and decorating. Depending on the child's age, you can do the captioning underneath each picture. Choose a theme for your book, such as a summer vacation or a collection of pictures of your pets.
Quiet Fun
Find an age-appropriate website or computer game for your child and play together. Snuggling on the couch while playing together on a laptop is an excellent bonding time. You might find some sites that are purely entertaining and others that are educational. Try to strike a balance between the two.
Begin a chapter book together. Children as young as 4 years old can enjoy hearing just part of a book each day until the story is done. Choose a special time of day for reading the book, a quiet time when the child is normally in a good mood and the house is fairly calm. If your child can read, take turns reading to each other. When the book is finished, you and your child can write down what you thought about the book. Save those thoughts, and each time you complete another book, you can add to your collection. When your child is older, she will be able to look back at all the books you read together throughout her childhood.
