Recently, our family had the opportunity to care for sisters' children for a couple days, when she and her husband traveled to a bed and breakfast for some much need rest and relaxation. They don't have a chance to get away that often, so I was more than happy to help them out for this little getaway. And, well, I would hope that she would do the same thing for me.
Once I agreed to taking care of her children, reality set in. My sister has six children, and while the youngest wouldn't be staying with me, all the others would be. Add those five children to my three, you have eight, and add that to my small apartment and you have enough to drive any mom up a wall! How would I keep eight children occupied in my small home, without spending a lot of money?
One of the first activities we played was Twister. Twister was a gift for Christmas, so it was a game the children were still learning. As I watched them play, my I started thinking about the games my siblings and I played as children -- those easy games that usually required no extra supplies. There were six of us, and I can remember keeping ourselves occupied with old favorites such as "Mother May I?" and "Old Maid". After reminiscing, I decided that I would take this opportunity to teach them these favorite games.
I am not sure who had more fun with it, but I taught them several of the games I played as a young child, and everyone had the greatest time. I taught them "Red Light, Green Light" and "Red Rover", among others. Even the older children had fun playing "London Bridge" for the sake of the little ones. Want to know the best part? It has been over a week since I taught the kids these games, and on several occasions, I have caught them playing them on their own. Now, what could be better than that?
I encourage you to think back to some of your favorite childhood games. Did you love to play "Simon Says"? When was the last time you built a hopscotch? Do your children even know that there is actually a way to play marbles? Think of your favorites, and start teaching them to your children. Not only do most of these games require very little supplies, if any, but they show your children that there are fun activities that don't have to be plugged in.
If you need some inspiration, the following websites offer instructions on many popular childhood games:
"Games Kids Play" http://www.gameskidsplay.net/index.html
"Parent Soup: Games" http://www.parentsoup.com/archive/0,9372,263145,00.html
"PBS: Zoom" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/zoom/games/index.html
?2002 Brandie Valenzuela
About The Author
Brandie is a freelance writing mother of three children. She is also the editor of the Family First Newsletter, the HomeMade Living ezine, and other services for parents. To find out more about Brandie's creations, visit: http://www.bmvcreations.com
licensed cleaning services Park Ridge ..On a bright Sunday morning, a couple of weeks ago,... Read More
How do we deal with our seriously distressed children and... Read More
Do you have a wild child? Then this article may... Read More
Reasearch into children's friendships shows that those children who are... Read More
I remember when my daughter was born. Visions of her... Read More
Many times, we are so conditioned in how we speak... Read More
My wife and I have been working on a video... Read More
Q. How do we decide what our teens should be... Read More
Your daughter tells you that Uncle Charley has touched her... Read More
Home-schooling removes children from public school. That alone makes home-schooling... Read More
Diapers..Changing a dirty diaper is not the best part of... Read More
Summer Survival The... Read More
After giving up my profession to become a wife, a... Read More
What is in a name?The answer is everything!Jo J. of... Read More
The children of Baby Boomers, the Echo Generation, are entering... Read More
Discipline is a necessary part of parenting yet it makes... Read More
Fall marks the beginning of many new things both for... Read More
Are you worried about your child's reading habits? Perhaps you... Read More
Many parents struggle with solutions to put their child on... Read More
Parents looking for a quick fix usually choose troubled teen... Read More
There are some grounds to assume that a cognitive dissonance... Read More
You have just received a call from your child's teacher... Read More
Parental Alienation Syndrome was probably first identified and codified by... Read More
How many times have you flipped through the pages of... Read More
As a mom of 4 who's youngest child is about... Read More
on demand house cleaning Arlington Heights ..Having been a parent educator and a PBS consultant for... Read More
Giving with a happy heart. If you teach a child... Read More
Blink. That's all we did, blink, and summer is ending... Read More
We are all aware of the child obesity epidemic that... Read More
Home, home on the range, Where never is heard A... Read More
Many parents struggle to know which foods are healthy for... Read More
Parents of hyperactive children know the "Would you please just... Read More
A small town, somewhere in the world, was managed by... Read More
Join a growing number of parents and teachers!Fact: Last year,... Read More
Younger generations unfortunately will not understand how larger than life... Read More
Perhaps I could make a lot of money by founding... Read More
Choosing a good car seat for your child's protection is... Read More
Nurture and TeachThe single most important thing caregivers can do... Read More
Learning obedience is an important part of child development. This... Read More
There has been much attention in the media of late... Read More
Think back to your own childhood. Chances are, some of... Read More
On a bright Sunday morning, a couple of weeks ago,... Read More
Many families, ours included, have learned that breakfast is eaten... Read More
In stepfamilies, big holiday expectations can lead to big disappointment--and... Read More
As I sit here and reflect on the past two... Read More
Just two days ago, another 15-year old child was added... Read More
Ever blown your top to your children, only to regret... Read More
As parents, we strive to address all of the questions... Read More
It was blisteringly hot last Saturday. As I took that... Read More
There is a new stage of development for parents to... Read More
Parenting |