Little Girl Pretending She is a Fairy Princess
by Jennifer Shakeel
When you were little didn't you have an imaginary friend, or maybe your bedroom was a huge fortress where your bed was the castle surrounded by a moat and you battled the evil king from another castle… or maybe saved a princess… or maybe you were the princess. The point is that you played and you would use your imagination. Today, not as many children play as much or use their imagination as much as when we were kids… and that may cripple them in the long run.
I know that I am not the only parent that has said to their kids that "When I was little we didn't have cable… or the internet or Play Stations. We were thrown outside when we woke up and weren't allowed back in until dinner." I have said that very thing… more than once… and it is 100% true. We were expected to play, and play meant outside. When you played you were suppose to use your imagination because toys 30 and 40 years ago were nowhere near as animated as they are today. You had to make Barbie talk, and if Barbie had a baby chances are pretty good that you used a tiny little doll or a Play School toy to be the baby. GI Joe's didn't talk, they were tiny little figures, which again is different than when my dad was little and the GI Joe doll was as big (size wise) as Barbie. But to play you had to make it up. READ More on The Essentialness of Play and Make Believe
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Filed under Activities, Parenting, Playtime by More4kids
There are several fun games to boost your child’s creativity and intelligence. As a parent, it is absolutely essential that you nurture the natural creativity cycle to ensure stimulation of the senses, and the exploration of the world around your child. Recent studies in the area of creative and intelligent play indicate that the “pretend” play that a child engages in may actually assist in the development of their emotional intelligence, intelligence quotient, and psychological stability. Many professionals in child development have referred to creative play for development as “Imagination Quotient”. Here, you will learn about the fun games that can be engaged in so that the creativity and the intelligence of the child are enhanced.READ More on Fun Games to Boost Your Child's Creativity
Filed under Activities, Playtime by More4kids
Hey Moms and Dads, kids love to play, and playtime is a great way to bond and have silly fun with our kids. We need our kids as much as they need us, and the great things about having kids is they can escape from the pressures of daily life. Here are some fun activities that don't have to cost an arm and a leg we can enjoy with our children:
Fun Kids Activities
- How about having a picnic? Requires food out of the fridge and stuff from around the house, use paper plates for easy clean up, spread a blanket out right outside your house and have a picnic. Raining, snowing, or just too darn hot outside? No problem, move the furniture out of the way and have a picnic on the living room floor.
- Go buy a puzzle and make it together. This is a great learning activity. Check out Ann Bowers article on "Teaching with Puzzles". Ann has been an educator for over 20 years and provides great insight on the effectiveness of puzzles in teaching children skills and concepts.
- Go to the local park, playground, garden path, or whatever you have for gathering of children in your area with no admission fees! Even if you go to the local school during “off time” usually weekends and after 6:00 pm on weekdays get some play time in and have a ride on the swings
- Take pictures ~ what better way to see the world through your child’s eyes than to hand the camera and let them snap a few shots. If your kids are like mine, they love it when the camera comes out.
- Play a board game, but be creative and create new rules!!
- Go to the movies. At home! Make a big bowl of popcorn and snuggle up to watch a favorite movie together, remember to turn out the lights for super theater effect.
- You know that video game they like to play? Play it with them, trust me there will be laughing, a lot of it.
- Play hide and seek. Classic, and still fun.
READ More on Fun Activities Mom or Dad Can Do With Your Kids
Filed under Activities, Playtime by More4kids
Has your child accumulated what seems to be a million toys? The family room is cluttered up, toys are overflowing from their bins everywhere in your house. The worst thing of all is your child seems bored! How can that be?
So he or she is bored. This is a familiar scenario among kids of all ages. Formerly beloved toys sit forlornly in a corner after a few months, weeks, or even days of use. Your child’s lack of interest in his or her toys doesn’t necessarily mean they are spoiled. Rather, they may have used a toy enough that it’s no longer a novelty, and now they’re looking for something else to stimulate their mind.
You can take steps to ensure that your child’s creative juices don’t dwindle away along with the excitement of the toys. In addition, you can breathe new life into those very same toys. Here are some ideas:
READ More on Does Your Child Have a Million Toys and Still is Bored?
Filed under Activities, Playtime by More4kids
Sharing is probably one of the most important lessions you can teach your child. Do you remember the old adage “Sharing is Caring.”? Perhaps we can use this little ditty to explain why sharing is so important. Here are a few ideas that may help teach your child to share.
Children learn by example. Don't forget, you are their best role model. If your child notices that you share with others, it may induce your toddler to do the same. However, kids will be kids, and as such they tend to guard what is theirs with a passion. To this end, perhaps you can utilize these tips:
READ More on 10 Parenting Tips To Help Teach Your Child To Share
Here are a few ideas to keep your toy box from getting boring and not having to spend a fortune:
- Every 3 or 4 months change the toy box and it will be like having all new toys! (This is my favorite!!)
- When your child wants to buy a toy that you aren’t thrilled about have them make a list ~ why they want the toy and how it benefits them, this will help them see if they really do need or want the toy.
- Use Rubbermaid tubs as your toy box, but instead of buying one buy three and put different toys in each one. Don’t be afraid to let the kids pick what they want in the toy aisle, if it’s a chore give them options “you can get this, that or this” instead of standing in the toy aisle waiting for a decision
- Find a local trading group and swap your kids outgrown toys for something more age appropriate; sometimes called toy co-ops.
- Subscribe to the area freecycle list and give away and get some pretty cool toys (and sometimes stuff for mom and dad too!)
- Avoid having too many toys; they’ll get boring, broken, and lost faster than you can say “put your toys away”
- Read product reviews before you go shopping; avoid toys that break easily (certain brands of dolls and action figures are notorious for arms and heads falling off)
Kids love to plan and Mom and Dad are usually their first and favorite playmades. By taking time to play with your child, you may find that it will help build confidence, teach cooperation and taking turns, and also help build a closer, loving, and stronger relationship with your child. When you spend an afternoon playing games with your toddler, you might be surprised at how much fun your time together is for you as well as your child. So grab a board game, bouncy balls, or a beanbag collection and spend the afternoon indulging in a few toddler games!
READ More on Fun And Games With Your Toddler
Filed under Activities, Family, Parenting, Playtime by More4kids
It’s often the case that kids are bored at home with nothing to do and mom can’t face another costly activity. There are lots of fun actitities that don't have to cost an arm and a leg.
Children’s activities don’t have to cost much and they certainly don’t have to be boring.
Here are a few ideas:
Take a trip to the airport. You don’t actually have to go in the airport but you can park close by and spot the airplanes. Talk to your kids about where the airplanes may be going or how many people may be on board. Kids find airplanes fascinating. READ More on Some Fun and Frugal Activities for Kids
Filed under Activities, Playtime by More4kids
Many children today have so many toys that they do not even play with half of them, and they lay forgotten in the toy box. Some of these toys are monsters and guns and many of them do not promote learning, but often promote violence.
When picking out toys for your children you should consider the educational value that they hold and how they will affect your children. Giving your child musical instrument toys is a good way to interest them in music at a young age and will perhaps later end up in them choosing to study some aspect of music. READ More on Teaching Love for Music with Musical Instrument Toys
by Michelle Donaghey
Does your child enjoy cooking, playing his saxophone or drawing characters? If so, work to encourage him or her to develop hidden talents!
READ More on Motivating your Kids with Hobbies, Instruments and Science
Filed under Parenting, Playtime by More4kids Inc.
