In establishing a new routine for just me and Kaylin, I was mentally grouping activities into crafts, learning, alone-time play, games, etc. Ideas were popping into my head like crazy (which is rare) so I wrote them all down. When I meal plan, I pull from my list of recipes and online links...why not do the same when helping Kaylin find something to do?
.
7:00 - breakfast, Bible lesson
7:30 - walk Ryan to the bus stop
7:45 - play at the park after he's picked up
8:00 - clean up breakfast mess, unload dishwasher, do daily housekeeping chores (with Miss "Mommy, what can I do?" Kaylin)
8:30 - run errands, if needed
10:00 - craft or activity for Kaylin to do independently (soon enough, I'll be feeding the baby during this time, so this will work out well)
11:00 - play or bake with Kaylin
11:30 - lunch
12:00 - craft, activity or game with Kaylin
1:00 - nap
3:00 - Ryan home, snack and downtime
3:30 - help Ryan with homework, learning activity for Kaylin
4:30 - kids play together, I make dinner
5:30 - eat dinner
6:30 - baths, stories, bedtime routine
.
.
So here's my list. Partially for me to refer back to (you'd be surprised how much stuff I blog about with the sole purpose of knowing where to find it later!) and partially to share my ideas with you. I'm committed to keeping the t.v. off except for an occasional movie on weekends, so all of the following ideas are t.v. free. I've also started practicing setting the oven timer and having Kaylin play alone in the playroom each morning for 20-30 minutes. She's doing really well so far and I know that will help once the baby's born.
.
CRAFTS/ACTIVITIES (to do with me nearby)
- Stamping
- Cutting and pasting (toy ads, shapes, etc.)
- Glue pasta, cereal, buttons, confetti shapes, etc onto paper
- Painting, finger painting, pudding/Kool-Aid finger painting
- Play Doh
- Popsicle Stick and Pipe Cleaner crafts
- Paper Plate crafts
(the Family Fun website also has a bunch of great age-specific craft ideas)
.
CRAFTS/ACTIVITIES (to do independently without me nearby)
- Coloring
- Stickers and foam pieces on paper
- Blowing up a balloon and letting it go, watching it fly all over the house (repeat entertainment for my kids)
- Aqua Doodle
- Puzzles
- Mr. Potato Head
- Magnetic dress up dolls, Princess color forms
- Blocks, Legos, Tinker Toys
.
GAMES (to play together)
- Memory
- Connect 4
- High Ho Cherry O
- Tea Party
- Dress Up
- Ring Toss, Bowling
.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
- Letter tracing books, maze books
- Color and shape flashcards
- Sorting colors, doing patterns (using Legos or other colorful toys)
- Opposites
- Sequencing cards
- Lacing (helps fine motor skills to prepare for writing)
- Letters and sounds of the day
(When I was considering homeschooling, I stocked up on flash cards for letters, sounds, numbers, and time, plus tracing books, matching games, sequencing cards, things like that. So I have a huge pool of resources to keep Kaylin busy - and help her learn - while I assist Ryan with homework every afternoon.)
.
OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES
- Swimming, Slip 'n' Slide, swing set, park, go on a walk
- Bikes, scooters
- Sidewalk chalk
- Bubbles
- Balls, frisbees, kite, water guns
- Watering can and buckets
- Bucket of water with paintbrushes to "paint" the sidewalk
.
I'm pretty excited about this list. It contains most of the stuff my kids enjoy and when I'm having trouble coming up with something, I know I'll refer back to it. Do you have anything else to add or activities we should try?
Posts
9 comments:
Here's one you haven't thought of:
Build your own mommy and me crack pipe...
and smoke it! LOL
Girl...how do you have the energy and the time to keep this pace up??????
:) I love you and admire the scheduling gene you were born with!
The Maid
Elliot got some crafty type things for her birthday, and both kids love them. One is a set of these little snapping beads that they can put together and pull apart to make patterns, necklaces, etc. (For some reason, that amason link lists those for $85. My kids do not play with $85 beads.)
The other set was something like this: Fuse beads
Both are great for fine motor skills, and they keep my kids entertained for a long time. Definitely choking hazards though...
My mom made Elliot her own boppy (just her size) and usually when I would nurse Ethan, which seemed to be about 172 times a day, she would sit next to me with her boppy and nurse her babies too.
Awwwwww......if only I could have ADD as well. Then I might accomplish as many things in a day.
But I don't have it, so I don't accomplish it.
I know and accept my inadequacies. :-)
xoxoxoxoxo
What a wonderful list! This was a big help to me. I have started a schedule and list of my own based on your inspiration. :) The only things I've added to it for us are music/movement time, reading time, and Bible/devotion time.
Blessings,
Tiffany
Have you heard of the website No Time For Flashcards? it's www.notimeforflashcards.com (duh) - she's awesome. I've been working through the alphabet series with my 3 1/2 and 20 month olds and they are loving it. Pretty basic ideas, but it takes the guesswork and planning out of it and we can get down to the "doing".
Do you use certain material for your bible time with the kids? I have been looking for something that would help guide me/us through it!
@Raymer Family - the children's program at our church gives out weekly devotions, so I have it easy! They have a monthly memory verse (that we go over every morning...they usually have it memorized by the end of the first week) and a related daily Bible verse that ties to the virtue of the month. (Faith, Forgiveness, Love, etc) We read the Bible verse and a short paragraph helping make the virtue more "real" for the kids' lives, then sometimes there's an activity to go along with it.
You could probably do something similar by making a list of things that you'd like to teach your kids. (Respect, Truthfulness, Leadership, maybe go through all of the fruits of the spirit) Then choose your own "family virtue of the month" and looking up verses in the back of your Bible to focus on each day and one memory verse for the month. Just a thought - and it's cheaper than buying a book!
Don't forget to DANCE! Everyday! Also, my kids enjoy sensory activities like Corn Starch/Water. Shoot, I still love it every time.
:)
Katie,
Thanks for such a great comment back. I think I need some guidance like you have. I am going to check around at our church and see what resources they have. But I love what you do. I might check a christian bookstore! Thank for such a your blog. I really enjoy reading it because you are so real.
Post a Comment