Old-fashioned Ways To Inspire Children
Old-fashioned Ways To Inspire Children
By Nicole Dean, Fri Dec 9th
Walk through any toy store and you will see walls and walls oftoys that are loud -- toys that require batteries, have flashinglights, or that look like your child's favorite movie character. But, what about those of us who want to raise children withimagination and curiosity? I'll tell you what we do. We chooseto fill our houses with some of the following old-fashioneditems. Books
No house can have enough books. Make sure your house has arepresentation of great Fiction Books and non-fiction books. Amix of the two is very important. Most homes have a deficit ofnon-fiction books, so fill your home with Science, History andArt books. Children need to learn to read and appreciatenon-fiction books in order to do well in research when theyreach higher levels of study. Felt Boards Children love to tell stories with felt. You'll need a feltboard to start. You can make your own board from a sheet of feltor purchase a board from one of the suppliers below. Once you have the board, let the fun begin. Go to a craft or fabric store and buy sheets of felt in allcolors. Then, cut out shapes in all colors and sizes. (You'll beamazed at how quickly a child will make an alien, ship, house,or person out of nothing but a few circles, rectangles, andtriangles.) Blocks and Legos Children can play for hours building towers, bridges, cities,creatures, and more with these toys that inspire creativity,patience, and small-motor skills. When the masterpiece isfinished, have your child pretend to be a giant and smashthrough the blocks -- or grab a few small cars and drive aroundthe new city! Be sure to name the city and have your child tellyou all about it. Art Supplies Give your child some crayons, scissors, junk mail, and glue. Heor she will be entertained for hours if given encouragement.Please SUPERVISE closely if you don't want your child to have aself-induced bad haircut or attach the dog to her artwork! Puppets Make puppets out of socks, paper bags, felt, cloth, or popsiclesticks. Make a stage and tell stories. Get out the video cameraand capture your child's brilliance! Musical Instruments Whether your musical instruments are home-made with a comb andwax paper or store bought, making music is a wonderful way tospend the day. Teach your child that music can be made fromanything, from an old oatmeal container, to scratching twopieces of sandpaper together. Go on a walk and just listen tothe sounds of the world -- music is everywhere in our lives. Dress-up Clothes Get out old prom dresses, big hats, shirts and ties, oldHalloween costumes (or buy extra pieces after Halloween foryear-round fun!).
Bring out a box of costumes and watch theshows with your children as the stars. Keep a camera handy tocapture the fun. Also, keep an eye on the pets. Cats don'talways appreciate wearing a sombrero. Trust me, I have the scarsto prove it! Doll-houses There is nothing more fun than watching your child make upstories as the family members move around in a doll house. Plus,if it is a wooden dollhouse, there is the added benefit ofdecorating it with some wallpaper scraps and carpet remnants!Your dollhouse could be a family heirloom if you put enough loveinto it. In the Kitchen Kids love to play Kitchen, whether it is mixing air, or gettingto play with food. Give your child a great time by giving themsafe kitchen utensils to play with in the bathtub. Mixing,pouring, and scooping bubbles and water entertains my childrenlong enough for them to look pruny. Or for a fun alternative,give them puffed rice cereal and some bowls and utensils on thekitchen floor. Just plan to vacuum afterwards as there'll bequite a wonderful mess! About the author:Nicole is the wacky mom behind http://www.ShowMomTheMoney.com .Nicole also owns http://www.ShowKidsTheFun.com - a fun site toinspire parents to keep the lines of communication open withtheir children. |
