The moral here is garbage in and garbage out, meaning that it really is very important what and who your kids play with! Here's some great resources that are stimulating, cheap, natural and build creativity and self esteem!
There's lots of TV-free activities, team building games, brain building toys and heap, heaps more. Check out the lens roll for other related sites that I love. Oh and don't forget to rate this site and fav me if you like it! Have an awesome time, I hope to bring you some great resources in the future!
1. Each Other
Yes, that's right, the best thing I ever did was have more than one child. Everything is just so much more exciting when you play it with someone else and I'm glad I don't always have to be that someone... In fact I believe kids learn more from each other than they do from any adult anywhere!
2. Water
There was a bit of a showdown for Number Two but really nothing beats water. Hot or cold, night or day, rain and shine, boy or girl, old or young - every kid is fascinated with water! In the bath or the shower, at the beach , the lake, the river , the pool or the pond and even in the kitchen sink or puddles at the bottom of the steps...
Water really is a bit of a Grandaddy in this category because when added to other list items it increases the fun exponentially.
3. Blankets
Strange but true... There is nothing like the ultimate cubby house. The joy of creating your own private space out of your favourite soft and cuddly is one rare and unique... Magical blankets in our house have also created instant costuming for all kinds of interesting creatures including worms, snakes, horses and even a sloth!
That's not to mention the menagerie of ghouls, ghosts and other mythical creatures that have haunted our hallways looking suspiciously like my satin bed sheets!
4. Sand
There's something entrancing and soothing about sand. The feeling as it slips through your fingers and toes and is truly relaxing... and then of course it is a very flexible medium, you can build with it, bury yourself and others in it, pour it, sculpt it, make potions by the seaside and bark and grass flavoured cakes in the sandpit at the park! My kids have even used handfuls of sand for ice creams in shopkeeper games. Sand is a powerful toy with excellent 'time killing' potential!
5. Old Boxes
Wow this is such a winner and when combined with the 'miraculous' and much worshiped sticky tape you can really get some housework done! It is by far the least messy of those discussed so far and it fosters a healthy creative imagination... which is really important.
Anything can happen in box world and it's great to get our kids recycling and enjoying caring for our environment. Incidentally, when I first started saving old cartons and containers for craft I realised just how wasteful our family was and it was a great wake up call!! Conserve and recycle people - for the sakes of our children!
6. Their own Bodies!
Not sure what I'm on about with this one? Well what about singing and dancing and performing and skipping and jumping and running and general having a good old wiggle... Gosh it feels good to really get into your body, personally we love kids yoga and even breathing exercises... One day I just sat down with my kids and said let's be animals, let's be shapes, what can you think of and they responded in an instant.
Sometimes we do it with impersonations and sometimes in more quiet way. If I want to help younger kids become aware of their breath I say... "What kind of milkshake you do love the best? Strawberry? Well imagine you have an extra large mega massive strawberry milkshake - you probably need two hands to hold it, now put your lips around the straw and see if you can suck it all up in one big gulp.... Ready go! Now hold it there...
Now imagine you are blowing the worlds biggest balloon and let all that air out again... He he he!" It's lot's of fun!
Oh yes and don't forget the wheelbarrow races and piggybacks and the all time favourite... dun dun TICKLE MONSTER!!!
7. Dirt
Although closely related to sand the experiences are very different - think mud pies! Not to mention digging, planting, growing and discovering the many creatures that inhabit dirt...
What was that song... "Digging in the dirt, to find the places we got hurt." mmm yeah Peter Gabriel. Anyway dirt is a healer, and a soother and I had the greatest pleasure in introducing my one year old to his first 'matchbox cars in the dirt pit' experience the other week... His eyes just lit up as he realized the endless possibilities, car tracks that can be built, changed and erased and then swept away.. Woohoo we love dirt!
8. String
Aaaahhh, string, my four year old son came to me the other day and said (in quite a desperate tone); "Mummy I just really need some string it's all I really want because with string i can do anything!". Well who could refuse such a request?
And sure enough, several hours later he came back to me with tales of how he (as Tarzan)had swung from vines and rescued his Jane from the crocodile infested swamps and then scaled mountains in the freezing snow to conquer the highest mountains in the world. Led his soft lion toy for a walk down the street to visit the neighbours and finally created his latest water saving invention that grows pumpkins twice as fast with half as much water... All or these wonderful possibilities sprang from one piece of yellow twine about 1 metre long...
Whats more string can be used for threading and beading, sewing and braiding and binding and hanging and tying! Get lost in it today - make a spiders web or a new hairstyle, a treasure hunt or freestyle line drawing on canvas.
9. The Stars
The magic and wonder of the sky begins at night... Thanks to the wonderful box office garbage society we live in, all too many children are afraid of the dark... That's why I love to get my kids out under the stars as much as possible to share with them the wonder and the beauty that is only possible to view in a shroud of darkness.
The moon and the planets are also big features and really isn't it awesome to think that our ancestors for millions of year have been staring at these very same burning balls of gas an that this is maybe one of the only things left that we have in common with those forefathers...
10. The Clouds
Many a beautiful day has been spent by our family just lying on the grass (or the trampoline in summer when the ants are out) and staring up at the clouds and picking out shapes and people and animals and castles and giants snatching princesses and dragons breathing fire and fairy princesses having tea parties.... my daughter can even see what kind of fruit juice they are sharing and the filling of the delicate ribbon sandwiches on the plates...
Freaky you might say but this is another great way to kill some time (especially when you are waiting for something, like friends to arrive at the park) and of course it inspires an imagination to run free and reminds children that quiet and still is peaceful! I love our beautiful planet and all of it's precious gifts.