Tag: playing

Categories
5 years and beyond

Standards

Yesterday while driving the twins to pre-school they were telling me who they were going to marry. Marry! They are only 5. Isn’t it a bit early to be planning this?

One of the girls said a boys name and I said is that who you will marry? She said “No, he will be my boyfriend when I am older.” Oh glad that is sorted. Interesting that this is already going on at pre-school. Does this happen to your kids? Do you remember who you would marry as a kid?

However the biggest thing that made me laugh was this. One kid said, “I’m not marrying someone who sucks their thumb!” Well that is true, that is not good to do that if you are about to marry someone. She was very insistent and kept on repeating it over and over again.

I told her that is good and I’m glad that she has decided what she wants and doesn’t want. She has standards, and no thumb sucking is one of them! What about you? What things were on your list? What are on your kids list?

What have your kids told you about what their standards are?

Categories
3 years and beyond

I don’t feel like I’m winning

Why is it when you think of doing something, you then think of the other thing that you need to do? Currently I am finding it hard to juggle, I know I can, and I can do it. However mentally you seem to never really get to complete things. I have stated this before, life before kids was easy. If you wanted to do a task, you get up early and just do it. No interruptions or issues. Now I have other priorities.

Namely the first two are my girls, and then how to keep them entertained without spending a fortune. Play dough, parks, playgroup, going for walks, reading, watching films, and visiting friends come to mind. However after all this activity and action out of the house, who feels like cleaning or doing chores.  Not me!  Do you?

Today for example, the girls got up at about 7am, used to be around 8-8.30am, but daylight savings ending and the wakeup call for school has changed things.  I did think that with no school this might change, but not the case.

Activities that kept kids entertained were:

  • Played with them.
  • Watched a movie.
  • Did a puzzle.
  • Played in the backyard while I hung out some laundry.
  • Play dough fun.
  • Took pictures and video on my mobile phone – this was good to a point. Then Julia dropped my phone, I think on purpose as I wanted it back. It is unhurt, and will live to see another day. Very pleased with that.
  • Danced to music.
  • Did some gardening – the girls helped daddy and mummy plant some bulbs, cannot wait to see them in spring.
  • As the girls were dirty from gardening they had a bath.

You now see why I get tired from the entertainment, it is a big list. Do you have a list that is like mine, or are there more things on your list.

What made matters worse for the day was discovering drawing on the wall, cupboard, and fitted sheet of Lillian’s bed (on the wall was a picture of a person with four eyes and weird arms and legs, and the same type of thing on the fitted sheet). The girls managed to have pens in their room and decided they wanted art on the wall. I only discovered this when I went into tidy the room and get clothes ready for their bedtime. The pens have been removed and all offending items quarantined.

My first choice for removing pen from the wall, and cupboard was not working; however Jif Lemon Cream Cleanser was the winner. It worked a treat. The pen is all but gone and if you look closely you might see a mark or two but it is a great result.

Once girls were in bed, Julia and Lillian wanted their favourite book, “Where Is The Green Sheep, by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek.”  Julia loves to read it to you, however you have to make sure Lillian gets a turn, she is just as good as Julia, however is happy to let Julia do the reading.  It is so cute to see them both read it to you, and then say in a big happy voice, “Where is the green sheep?”

So now I have some time, I really don’t feel energized to do any of my things on the to-do list. I am sure it can wait until tomorrow.  The activities for the day have done there magic, as no noise is coming from the girls room and they looked so tired. The same could be said for mummy and daddy; l personally am looking forward to bed.

Do you find that by the time, you get time for you; you cannot be bothered with your plans? Does this annoy you? I for one, am looking forward pre-school starting again, bring on the 23rd of April.  How do you deal with entertaining your kids/child? I am sure I am not the only one that feels like this, I am winning, but there are times and days when I just feel like I have failed. Send in your comments. Remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog

Categories
3 years and beyond Uncategorised

I don't feel like I'm winning

Why is it when you think of doing something, you then think of the other thing that you need to do? Currently I am finding it hard to juggle, I know I can, and I can do it. However mentally you seem to never really get to complete things. I have stated this before, life before kids was easy. If you wanted to do a task, you get up early and just do it. No interruptions or issues. Now I have other priorities.

Namely the first two are my girls, and then how to keep them entertained without spending a fortune. Play dough, parks, playgroup, going for walks, reading, watching films, and visiting friends come to mind. However after all this activity and action out of the house, who feels like cleaning or doing chores.  Not me!  Do you?

Today for example, the girls got up at about 7am, used to be around 8-8.30am, but daylight savings ending and the wakeup call for school has changed things.  I did think that with no school this might change, but not the case.

Activities that kept kids entertained were:

  • Played with them.
  • Watched a movie.
  • Did a puzzle.
  • Played in the backyard while I hung out some laundry.
  • Play dough fun.
  • Took pictures and video on my mobile phone – this was good to a point. Then Julia dropped my phone, I think on purpose as I wanted it back. It is unhurt, and will live to see another day. Very pleased with that.
  • Danced to music.
  • Did some gardening – the girls helped daddy and mummy plant some bulbs, cannot wait to see them in spring.
  • As the girls were dirty from gardening they had a bath.

You now see why I get tired from the entertainment, it is a big list. Do you have a list that is like mine, or are there more things on your list.

What made matters worse for the day was discovering drawing on the wall, cupboard, and fitted sheet of Lillian’s bed (on the wall was a picture of a person with four eyes and weird arms and legs, and the same type of thing on the fitted sheet). The girls managed to have pens in their room and decided they wanted art on the wall. I only discovered this when I went into tidy the room and get clothes ready for their bedtime. The pens have been removed and all offending items quarantined.

My first choice for removing pen from the wall, and cupboard was not working; however Jif Lemon Cream Cleanser was the winner. It worked a treat. The pen is all but gone and if you look closely you might see a mark or two but it is a great result.

Once girls were in bed, Julia and Lillian wanted their favourite book, “Where Is The Green Sheep, by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek.”  Julia loves to read it to you, however you have to make sure Lillian gets a turn, she is just as good as Julia, however is happy to let Julia do the reading.  It is so cute to see them both read it to you, and then say in a big happy voice, “Where is the green sheep?”

So now I have some time, I really don’t feel energized to do any of my things on the to-do list. I am sure it can wait until tomorrow.  The activities for the day have done there magic, as no noise is coming from the girls room and they looked so tired. The same could be said for mummy and daddy; l personally am looking forward to bed.

Do you find that by the time, you get time for you; you cannot be bothered with your plans? Does this annoy you? I for one, am looking forward pre-school starting again, bring on the 23rd of April.  How do you deal with entertaining your kids/child? I am sure I am not the only one that feels like this, I am winning, but there are times and days when I just feel like I have failed. Send in your comments. Remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog

Categories
3 years and beyond

Unstructured for social skills

Unstructured play is now a very popular term for just leaving the kids alone to play. Well they are not actually alone as you are still keeping an eye on them; however you are not participating and helping with their play/downtime.  When I was young we were left to play without parents interfering, nearly all of the time.

My girls run around the backyard and have the best time; they invent games, songs, pretend that they are someone else and just have a have a ball. When did this stop being the norm? Why is it that we are seeing articles spruiking the positives of unstructured play?

Today on the Essential Kids website, there is an article “The chance to play without interference” by Andrew Daddo. I agree with Andrew here, that we are finding this so interesting, and as he rightly points out, “Play something you shouldn’t have to plan – play is just play.”

The other day I saw another  article on Essential Kids: “Put the fun back into child’s play” by Melinda Ham. This article details a study that Professor Anita Bundy, of the University of Sydney and a team of seven academics are conducting. The experiment was conducted in 12 primary Schools in the inner west of Sydney. The academics put recycled materials, bales of hay, tyres, and plastic tubing in the playground to see how the kids interacted with these items, how it influenced play and the children’s social world.

Through this experiment children learnt how to cooperate, ask for help, join in with others and be one of the team.  I would be very interested to see more of the results from this study.

Having the children play by themselves or with playmates in the backyard, park or friends house is not a new idea. I suppose we as parents think that we need to control, look after and make sure that there are toys and things to do… if there is not the kids might get bored.

I think that a little bit of unstructured play, or just plain old creative fun helps development.  I am sure that it has helped my girls, I have had chats with Annabelle, Tananda, Grandma, Grandad, Nana, Opa and that is just some of the people they were pretending to be, just this afternoon.  The amazing stories that are concocted in the backyard are just amazing.

What do you think about the new term unstructured play? Did you have unstructured play when you were little? Do you feel kids need more of this?  Do they have too much of teachers, parents and others telling them what to play and with? Send in your comments.