Wet Summer Days

I don’t know what it’s looking like where you live but I’ve just scanned through the weather forecast and it predicts lousy weather right up until Christmas.

That’s going to be really unwelcome news if you’re stuck at home with kids, so I’ve got a few ideas that don’t involve video games or DVDs. 

First, split the day up into three or more chunks, and don’t feel obligated to fill every one of them with entertainment.

When your kids come at you with that horrible phrase, “We’re borrrrred!!” you can at least say, “ I know, but at three o’clock I’ve got an activity for you, but until then, you have to entertain yourselves.” It’s actually good for kids to learn how to occupy themselves, so don’t feel bad if you don’t have non-stop action.

I’m sure you did most of these things as a kid, yourself, but here’s a few ideas for entertaining kids on a wet day.

Make forts out of furniture and blankets. Better still, get some cardboard fridge boxes from the skip behind an appliance shop and make wonderful castles and tunnels.

Have a craft table: cardboard, paints, glue, glitter. Yes, some of it will get on the carpet but you can handle it. Get them to make a car or a house or a robot.

Don’t forget to introduce your kids to the  old fashioned fun of marbles, knucklebones, cards, balloon games, hide and seek and board games.  And don’t forget reading.  It’s an acquired taste but what a wonderful lifetime of pleasure they will have if they become good readers.

Get them to plan a TV show. They could film it on your phone, or they could perform it inside a cardboard box. Odds on, it will be better than a lot of what is broadcast. Puppet shows with socks, musicals and comedy shows – kids love putting on shows as long as you are prepared to be the audience when they have it all worked out. The performances will be agony to sit through but just remind yourself, these are the good old days. And it’s not as bad as childbirth.

Have a great holiday and I’ll catch you in the new year.

www.theparentingplace.com