A thread to help do more with the kids

[Tamadot]

I thought it might be a good idea to have a thread of support for mums like me who tend to not do much with their kids at home.
I've heard quite a few mums on here say they're happy to take their kids out and about but find it difficult to spend time doing stuff with them at home.

Maybe we can make a commitment to do at least one activity a day with them, or get ideas about things to do?

I really want to try to do more with my lovely boys but I do find it hard. I don't want to ever look back and have regrets that I thought washing the dishes and doing the laundry meant that I put off doing anything with them.

It could be tricky at that age. They need to learn to take turns and to cope with not winning. They also need to be able to follow rules.

They used to do jigsaws where you listened to the cd and inserted special pieces of the jigsaw as you listened eg Goldilocks which might be better.

Infact, at 2 I think mine were just doing very simple jigsaws and the board games came at 3 or 4 ish depending on the child.

chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/buildavolcano.htm
baking soda volcano

Toys R Us do lots of the Orchard Toys games.

We have made jazzies today. Used those round metal things that you use to cook fried eggs in, iykwim. Then sprinkled the choc with hundreds and thousands. Was so simple but looked great!

Thanks - have ordered some games off Amazon and have finally caved to demand and bought connect 4. I have childhoon memories of that game that have put me off it for life but DD1 adores it. So I have a sneaky sucspion that I will be playing pairs and connect 4 for weeks on end. Sigh.

Edward I think it depends on the child. DD1 has a very strict sense of fairness and was taking turns from just before 2 so she started on board games just after she started 2. We have a strange family ritual of an annual pairs games so DD1 was trained to play pairs before she was two on the theory that if she was hot housed she might finally be the one to beat the reigning champ who has held the pairs champion title for 10 years now. So she was used to the idea of games very early!

So many lovely ideas on here to try.

I rounded off the day with the dcs playing Guess Who? I have to admit I am enjoying playing with them more as much as they are enjoying being played with more.

i actually don't think DS would struggle with taking turns really (most of the time) but i do think he would struggle with rulles. i tried teaching him snap with animal cards and he just shows me all his cards telling me what they are and noises they make etc.

i think maybe christmas is the time to get him a cpl games and try then?

Yesterday we did facepainting (can't tell you how I looked like after the DSs and their friend had a go at my face!) and I also bought some sausage meat and they kind of did sausage meat modelling and then we baked and ate the results for tea!

OvO what kind of little things did you put in your Find It jars? I was thinking of making something similar with freezer bags for a plane journey we're dong on Tuesday.

A dice, marbles, bits of Lego, a jigsaw piece, bright coloured buttons, coins, a tiny dinosaur, googly eyes, a tiny shell, bright coloured beads, tiny plastic playmobil flowers and of course, Woody.

It was hard finding stuff to put in that was the right size AND wouldn't have them moaning that they still needed!

I love the sausage meat idea! That's different and might encourage my fussy eater too.

So this morning we did some painting, including making different types of mark with different objects, and this afternoon we made a cake. DS is currently 'washing up'. Not to want to ruin this little idyll of a thread, but proactive parenting doesn't half make a lot of mess eh? I have probably spent equal amounts of time clearing up as we have doing nice constructive stuff. And DS has still watched loads of tv.

Then again, we are staying in all day today I'm too lazy to get dressed so it was only to be expected. And he is having a whale of a time sploshing water all over the floor, while I sit and MN.

So much of this is about relinquishing control, for me anyway, and it's control I didn't realise I was freaky about. This morning DS asked to get the paints out and I started to say 'yes, we're going to do some painting later, once we've got dressed and bla bla bla' and I just thought, hang on a minute, he's two. Why not just do it now, when he wants to? He'll have enough time to stick to a schedule once he's in school.

Same with mess and letting him help; I get very het up about things not being done properly, which is so embarrassing for me to type that I am actually blushing. I never thought I was such a tight-arse!

Wow! I love this thread! Mind if I join? I have a non-verbal 2.3 ds. He's pretty active so we tend to go on lots of walks, play football, all of that but I would love some more indoors activities. Thank you all for the amazing ideas so far. I know loads of science type activities for older kids and some problem solving ones. Will think of how to adapt them to make at home.

Two I can think of actually.

Large piece of paper, and design a road map. You can spend ages just doing that. Then back it onto cardboard and cut into 9 large squares or a jigsaw. Iirc, you need 2 t-junctions, 2 cress roads/ 4 exit roundabouts, 2 3 exit roundabouts, 6 corners and 4 straight roads. Will endeavour to create and post a photo if you need. There are loads of possible layouts.

Another is balancing with lego / playmobil men on a wobble board. Try to make it balance. Amazing for team building and thinking.

This used to be my job

Today's activity was a bus journey.... yes I am pretty sure I am the only mum with a 3.5yr old who has never been on a bus (blush) I drive or walk everywhere and have avoided buses ever since I passed my test 12 years ago. Then a couple of days ago my DD said mummy why are people getting on a bus? and the penny dropped she had no idea what they were for... she knew that vehicle was called bus... but not its actual use, so I explained people used it to get places... and she said why don't they use the car more blushes so I explained that not everyone has a car.... etc etc

Anyway, I braved the bus with DD and DS2 (14 months) a short journey into town to the library and OMG was she animated... starting with sitting at the bus stop discussing what everyone else was doing/going/wearing! Then singing ''the wheels on the bus'' at the top of her voice to a very busy bus (I thought this was cute) and her amazement at there being no seatbelts and a bell you had to ring to get off!!!

Definately an activity I will do more with her, she loved it so much (who could have guessed?)

MLK we live in a rural area where the bus is very expensive. I too was when ds (aged 5) gave a very excited running commentary through the city when we had to get a bus last year. He loved it though. His big sister (9 at the time) was though at how loud he was!

John Lewis have 25% off Orchard Toys stuff just now, if anyone is still after any.

Struggling to summon it today. Ds currently whinging on the sofa about getting in his apple bubble bath. I am I would really like to get in it, but not with him whinging at me at the other end.

Posted too soon. Anyone any ideas what I could do to turn round the mood post bath, before bed?

This is such a lovely thread and you are all great mums that you would be on here worrying about not doing enough with your kids and trying to think of ideas, so don't be hard on yourself.

I have a 2 year old and a 5 year old and I too have been stuck in a rut I feel - too much cbeebies! Mine are quite good at playing independently, which is great but it is too tempting to get sucked into doing so much other stuff while they get on with it.

I was inspired by the idea of drawing around a body. My ds has been asking questions recently about the body (he starts school soon) so we did it this afternoon when dd slept. It then inspired a lovely creative activity of making organs, veins/arteries and bones out of various materials and paint. Then lots of great questions ensued such as 'what happens if you scratch your brain mummy?'. Love it!

This is the first time in ages I feel I have done something creative with my ds and spent time just chatting. All inspired by this thread so thanks

It is hard though to find the energy, creative inspiration and time.

I played on the Wii with ds in the end tonight - rubbish I know but also better than nothing. [defensive emoticon]

Carrots, nowt wrong with playing on the Wii! Nothing at all. It's fun with Mum so counts just as much as painting and making stuff.

We did nothing at all today. A very lazy day that ended with watching Dr Who.

Tomorrow we are going to make this sort of thing. But will make them from card and do beards, hats, glasses and lips too.

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Hello SomebodyNew Please come and join in.

OvO you are right. I am making this harder than it needs to be. Thank you.

I'm just marking my place to read later. My dds are 2.9yo and 14mo and i really struggle, feel like some days they just get dragged along with me as i run errands and then on days like today i don't actually do much with them.

DD1 has absolutely no patience, we've tried baking but she just wanders off, same with playdoh and i then spend the rest of the time fighting with dd2 to take it out her mouth.

will come back later to read the ideas.

I took dd for a bike ride this morning and we have been out since so that is it for the day today. She loved it though and was amused by my scarlet face and puffing while she sailed along - always nice to provide such entertainment

I am not sure a bike ride fits the criteria though as it is supposed to be stuff done at home isn't it?

I have just spent ages reading this thread and feel like a really crap mum now.
Do you mind if I join?
My ds is 6 and dd is 4. Dh and I are both teachers and still struggle finding things to do with them.
On school days we rarely have time for special things. By the time we get in, eat, do reading books/homework it is about bed time. Weekends are alsways a balancing act between doing something with the children and getting our school work done. We tend to take it in turns so one works and one plays.
Because of this we have decided to make a concerted effort to make school holidays more special. Money is rather tight at the mo so we want to try and get a good mix of activities out and in.
On Saturday ds had rugby in the morning so we all went to watch. In the afternoon we spent the whole afternoon in the garden planting new things, weeding and generally tidying. It seemed so simple but I think the children enjoyed just being with us.
Today we have been to a party most of the day but did have a bit of tme in the morning. Dh started building a skeleton with ds from a book he got for his birthday and I painted dd's nails and we tried out different hairstyles. She's a real girly girl.
Tomorrow the weather looks crap so dh and ds will carry on with the skeleton and also dh wants to introduce ds to Star Wars. Dd and I will probably bake and do one of the craft activities she got for her birthday. I think the decorate your own pencil case will be the favourite.