If, by this time of year, you just find yourself in one of those days when the kids just are not impressed with anything you come up with for an activity? Or the beach and swimming pool just aren't going to cut it for some reason? And, if boredom just appears to be the running theme in your house? Well, try pulling something out of the thin air, something you haven't considered before - change up the speed a bit. Create a whole new playing field with a few easy steps.
The other day, my kids were just in that zone where nothing that had previously entertained them was going to entertain them now. And, worse, my son was just starting that long and irritating process of slowly but surely baiting his sister into some mischievous behaviour. I could have tried the Legos, or building blocks, but that was way to 'boring'. I could have even suggested some rarer activities like building a log cabin using sticks from outside and then running the hose nearby so that it made a river down the lawn. None of it was working for some reason.
So, I took a page out of a few suggestions that I had read on Blair at Wise Crafts site. I had never considered that emptying the contents of the piggy bank and scrubbing each and every coin with some soap and water would get past the stage of actually pouring out the coins on a table. To my great surprise, both kids took to the task fairly willingly. At first there were a few small moans, but sure enough, once they got into - the whole thing unfolded into more than an hours easy entertainment. **Just be aware that the coins being cleaned aren't collector's items, as apparently coin cleaning (to many collectors) actually takes away more from the coin than it does add anything. But, in our case, this is not a concern. We even practiced some counting - so I think it could be a great idea if you find yourself at a loose end with young kids.
As well, I think the next task I borrowed from Blair's suggestions for activities at home was to let the kids 'decorate' their own sneakers. In fact, because my kids are younger than Blairs, the finished product was not as impressive as you might hope. But, the actual process of drawing on a pair of sneakers was just the right amount of fun, and semi-forbidden behaviour, to get their interests right awayy! I thought it was a good idea to pull out some older shoes and I even let them go at a pair of my own white sneakers that I knew I'd not be wearing anytime soon again.
I'm showing you a sample of what Blair's daughter Emma had done with a pair she decorated. My own kids drawing was something more akin to a Jackson Pollock painting gone bad...... but, at least they had much fun!
So, a couple of small ideas that can get you some extra mileage in the activities department. I like ideas like this - things that you don't normally conjure yourself until someone else recommends it. In that regard, if any of you have similar suggestions I'd like to hear about them so we can share them. One can't ever have enough ammunition against a case of persistent boredom!
