Creating our number "train" game on the floor of the playroom.
What to do with your little ones while you are hard at work putting away Christmas and trying to get everything back in order after the holiday and guests? Well, when I went in shock because my LaLa came around the corner saying, "Mama, I don't have anything left to do?" Little Bit, of course, was right on her heels sharing her bored sentiment. All of these wonderful toys that Santa left...and nothing to do? Is that possible? I think the true problem was..."okay, mommy...we've played by ourselves while you did your 'to do's' and we need some mama attention now...right now!"
LaLa so proud of her number game!
So, I bargained for a few more minutes to finish my task. Then, we began working with numbers. Little Bit can count to three with help. She knows this means...about to go down the slide or about to do something, but she does not know they are numbers...we're not quite old enough for that yet! We pulled out some fun sheets for LaLa to trace numbers and Little Bit to color...with our new, fun crayola items! Then, we cut them out and played lots of games with them. We mixed them up and put them back in order. We would pull one out of the bag then go off to find that many of an item. For example, when we pulled out 9, LaLa ran to point to apples and oranges in the fruit bowl. Yep, there were 9! It was a fun and learning activity that we just threw together! Lessons learned: Sometimes the best learning activities for your kids will be those spur of the moment...by the seat of your pants...kind of fun! It was a fun alternative to flashcards. It developed one to one correspondence, counting forward, counting backward, writing and recognizing numbers 1-20.
LaLa had to show her daddy the games she named "the number train game". They enjoyed the games all over that evening!
Other fun ideas:
Need to organize your pantry? Let your little ones build with your cans or play with your pots. It'll give you some time to get it done!
Bundle up and go for a walk! Talk about how things look different in the winter!
Make a bird feeder and put bird seed out for those hungry birds toughing out the winter!
Make a chalkboard wall for your kids to create their masterpieces!
Bake!
Bring in a bike or a trike or a cozy coupe...yes, inside the house! Clean it first...esp. the wheels. It will have a great deal of novelty because it's inside!
Reinforce pretend play...make a puppet show (even make your own puppets), play store, play trucks or tea party...show your kids how to pretend! Try not to look at the clock and enjoy the pretending yourself!
I am going to try this tomorrow...while cleaning the bathroom or a closet (if it has a mirror) let your kids draw on it with dry erase markers.
build a town with blocks! give them a building...run off to do a task...run back and praise their efforts just in time to give them a new building idea. In the end, spend a few minutes helping them make signs for their town. Best of both worlds...you get quick tasks accomplished and play with your kids!
Good luck keeping your little ones busy during this school break and in your attempts to start the New Year off organized!
Mama Drama Rule #94: The best activities with your kids will be the ones you create from your heart...not necessarily the ones that take forever...and cost!
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