Do you feel like you are going crazy? Like you have finally lost it? And do you get this feeling at least 18 hours a day! Is the constant screaming and nagging getting on your nerves? You were waiting for these days so eagerly and now you don’t know what is it that you are doing wrong or if you are doing enough? If you have a young child, then you know that they don’t need Red Bull to ‘give them wings’. They are always flying high and it seems that they have an inexhaustible source of energy. The little people just don’t get it that you have a report to deliver the next day or the laundry hasn’t been done in last three days!
It is hard to keep children busy with the same thing as they have a very small attention span but the good part is that it is also quite easy to make them happy. They can play with anything they can find- tearing papers, colouring cardboard boxes, making balls, making drums using a spoon and a bowl or just sorting colours into boxes. We have made a list of six great ways to keep your little ones stick to one place and have fun. They also help in self-discipline and enhancement of creativity.
A Home Made Race Track
Is the little one bored of driving his/her car aimlessly? Make them a race track using colourful mask tapes. Trying to keep the car in the track makes it challenging and children are always in search of new adventures to conquer. A race track also gives a thrilling sensation of a professional racing game. It can be made anywhere in the house and on almost all kinds of surfaces. Simply add more tape to extend the tracks. Create new designs that make it more fun and challenging. And the best part of it is that you can easily peel off the tape any time you want.
Play dough
Play dough is a great way to engage kids. and they can play with it innumerable times and for many many hours without really getting bored. We told you kids like ‘messy’ things! There are many types of clay in the market including playdough, plasticine or crayola clay but the good news is that you don’t need to spend a huge sum of money to buy the good quality stuff. It can be made easily by using simple ingredients at home.
You will need the following:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 cup salt
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- Food colouring
- Scented oils
Mix flour, water, salt and oil and heat over low flame until the dough becomes non sticky. Take it out and let it cool. Knead the dough vigorously until it becomes smooth. Divide into small balls of dough and make a hole at the centre of each. Now fill them with different colours and scented oils. Fold the dough over and over so that the colour mixes homogeneously.
Your child is now ready to sculpt it into any shape of their imagination. You can later use them as showpiece. If your creative clock gets ticking, then you can also participate in the activity and teach your child to make new things. This is also a good exercise in building their motor skills as they have to keep on pressing the dough to make new shapes.
Also read: 8 Sureshot Ways To Spoil Your Relationship With Your Child
Genie In A Cardboard Box
Commercialisation of parenthood and consumerism has made us believe that kids can only be made happy with expensive toys. This can’t be far from truth. Children are as happy with a large cardboard box which comes free and is almost always available with us as they are with a hot-wheel car! It is mostly our perspective and value attachment to the toys that gradually makes them look at the toys in terms of price.
According to my experience, cardboard boxes are THE most entertaining and engaging items. They are as good as lego if you can help your children see the fun in it. You can create some wonderful things with it and they can be engaged for hours playing with it. They can be asked to paint, stick colourful papers, make a house inside or make it a doll house and they would be happy to do it. Pinterest can give you thousands of ideas on how to make cardboard interesting but if you don’t have that kind of creativity or time, just a box and some colours can keep them busy for hours.
Bubble Wrap
Who doesn’t love popping those plastic bubble wraps? It is fun to listen to those popping sounds when you squeeze them between your fingers. I have even known many adults who love to get their hands on the bubble wrap every time a package arrives in the mail. Give them to your children and watch them play with it for hours. Just make sure that you keep a watch on them while they are playing with it as it involves a risk of choking.
Camera Man
This is a digital age and our kids are better acquainted with smart phones and cameras then we are. The camera is a great medium to keep those tiny hands engaged productively. Give them an old camera or an old phone and a project. Define the terms to make it interesting. So you can give them 45 minutes 30 pictures and garden area to start with. Their pictures can later be converted into an iMovie and be shared with grandparents! They’d love the attention and would love to do more. This can be made into an ongoing project where they can cover the books area, their room, birds, toys section and more. This would not only keep them engaged but would also make them understand and appreciate this craft better. We know you love this idea! you are welcome 🙂
Also read: Why Do I Need To Learn Parenting? I Know It All
Gardening
Children love to play with dirt; whether it’s jumping in the puddle, building sand castles or just digging a hole in the ground, they love to get their hands dirty. So what’s a good way of channelling this into something useful? Make them interested in gardening! Teach them the basics and watch them wait eagerly for the plant to grow. Try and sow carrots, beans or tomatoes. Name the plants after them. Let them paint the pot with their imagination. Once they see the seeds sprouting, they will take nurturing seriously and will eventually be able to pick fruits and vegetables from their own, special garden one day.
Learning to keep oneself busy is an important skill to learn. So give your children that space to grow while you can go about doing your work or just take a few minutes off and lay on the couch and relax.
