Keeping kids occupied
Specailly fer moms out ther!
by RUTH LIEW
WHEN can we go home?” “How long before we get to see the doctor?” or “I’m hungry. I want to leave now.” These are pleas by young children commonly heard at the bank, the clinic, during long car trips or just about any place that children cannot be themselves or move about.
Children are natural explorers. They like to move and look for things that they can manipulate and create. It is unnatural for them to sit still and wait for a long time. Once they can walk, run and talk, they want to experience everything that is out there. They need space to run, jump, climb, roll and engage in “mischief” of one kind or another.
Today, many of our children are confined indoors without much space to move about and explore. Busy parents are unable to take them out for extended, supervised play. The lack of time and space can cause many children to become irritable and restless. They may even start to become destructive and throw things around the house.
Children need time to wander. My nephew, who is almost four years old, is full of energy. He is interested in everything that moves. With a keen eye for finding insects, coupled with an inquisitive mind, he likes roaming the outdoors at all times of the day.
One morning, I spotted him in the garden doing one of his “experiments”. After dousing himself using the garden hose, he rolled down the small mound in the garden. He had rolled down the mound countless times before. This time, though, it was different. He was finding out the difference between dry and wet. This multi-sensory experience will help him feel more competent and secure.
Later, I shared this with his mother, saying: “He only gets to learn things this way at his age. Adults are always telling children that they should not do what they can do. It is no surprise that children get confused and retaliate against our wishes at times. As long as his experiment is deemed ‘safe’ for him to try out, forget about what the neighbours will say when they see your four-year-old playing in the garden.”
When you cannot give your children large spaces to play in, give them time. Involve your children in planning activities that you can do together. The younger they are, the more time they will need to decide what activity to do. If you are playing with your children, give them time to respond. You cannot expect your five-year-old to give you another word that rhymes with “cat” quickly if it is his first time playing this language game.
Children also need time to finish their activities. They find it hard to obey instantly when you tell them to stop an activity; they need to be given some prior notice. If they refuse to stop playing and pack up, you can say to them, “I know you are having great fun playing. My guests are coming shortly and I need to tidy up. I can help you set it up again after they leave and you can help me prepare for our guests.”
Children like to feel that they are needed. At times, you will run out of ideas. Instead of handing them a few toys to play with, you can get them to do things for you around the house. Try saying this to your child, “I am so glad you can help me around the house. I have tons of things to do, like folding the clothes and putting them away, wiping the dishes and sorting the bookshelves. You can choose one thing you can help me do.” Even a three-year-old can help you with stacking magazines on the coffee table.
Children like creating and making things. Young children in their early years do not usually start off with an idea. They make it up along the way, changing and adding to what they started off with.
If you want children to enjoy their creative work, try not to fuss too much about keeping neat and tidy. Creative activities will usually result in a mess. Three little girls and I decided to make Valentine hearts out of Chinese New Year greeting cards. The result? Many unusual-looking heart-shaped pieces and a whole pile of odds and ends on the floor.
Keep an open mind about what children like to do. Most parents regard their children’s fun as a waste of time. They feel that their children will learn more by doing worksheets or working on their readers.
Children learn by doing. The more hands-on experiences they get, the better they become in their thinking skills. Try to marvel at their creative work even when you have very little idea about what they have made or what they are doing.
Children enjoy doing things that get attention from adults. Even when you cannot spend much time with your child doing collage or role-playing, you can spend a few moments listening to what he has done or responding to his questions about certain things. All you have to say to your child is, “Tell me about your work.” Your child will enthusiastically express herself, sharing her thoughts and feelings with you.
Children like making things out of scraps. Collect assorted strings, rubber bands, paper scraps, cardboard tubes, textured paper, wood scraps and empty containers of various sizes. Sort them out and mix and match them to be kept in individual packages. Give one pack at a time to your child to work with. Keep a box of glue, staplers, paper clips, a pair of child-safe scissors and coloured markers handy in the house.
If you do a lot of travelling with your children in the car, you may want to keep a small box of these things in the car, too.
So, the next time you find yourself waiting for your number to be called in a busy office somewhere, take out your prepared fun-to-do pack for your child and say to him, “Let’s see what we can make today.”
by RUTH LIEW
WHEN can we go home?” “How long before we get to see the doctor?” or “I’m hungry. I want to leave now.” These are pleas by young children commonly heard at the bank, the clinic, during long car trips or just about any place that children cannot be themselves or move about.
Children are natural explorers. They like to move and look for things that they can manipulate and create. It is unnatural for them to sit still and wait for a long time. Once they can walk, run and talk, they want to experience everything that is out there. They need space to run, jump, climb, roll and engage in “mischief” of one kind or another.
Today, many of our children are confined indoors without much space to move about and explore. Busy parents are unable to take them out for extended, supervised play. The lack of time and space can cause many children to become irritable and restless. They may even start to become destructive and throw things around the house.
Children need time to wander. My nephew, who is almost four years old, is full of energy. He is interested in everything that moves. With a keen eye for finding insects, coupled with an inquisitive mind, he likes roaming the outdoors at all times of the day.
One morning, I spotted him in the garden doing one of his “experiments”. After dousing himself using the garden hose, he rolled down the small mound in the garden. He had rolled down the mound countless times before. This time, though, it was different. He was finding out the difference between dry and wet. This multi-sensory experience will help him feel more competent and secure.
Later, I shared this with his mother, saying: “He only gets to learn things this way at his age. Adults are always telling children that they should not do what they can do. It is no surprise that children get confused and retaliate against our wishes at times. As long as his experiment is deemed ‘safe’ for him to try out, forget about what the neighbours will say when they see your four-year-old playing in the garden.”
When you cannot give your children large spaces to play in, give them time. Involve your children in planning activities that you can do together. The younger they are, the more time they will need to decide what activity to do. If you are playing with your children, give them time to respond. You cannot expect your five-year-old to give you another word that rhymes with “cat” quickly if it is his first time playing this language game.
Children also need time to finish their activities. They find it hard to obey instantly when you tell them to stop an activity; they need to be given some prior notice. If they refuse to stop playing and pack up, you can say to them, “I know you are having great fun playing. My guests are coming shortly and I need to tidy up. I can help you set it up again after they leave and you can help me prepare for our guests.”
Children like to feel that they are needed. At times, you will run out of ideas. Instead of handing them a few toys to play with, you can get them to do things for you around the house. Try saying this to your child, “I am so glad you can help me around the house. I have tons of things to do, like folding the clothes and putting them away, wiping the dishes and sorting the bookshelves. You can choose one thing you can help me do.” Even a three-year-old can help you with stacking magazines on the coffee table.
Children like creating and making things. Young children in their early years do not usually start off with an idea. They make it up along the way, changing and adding to what they started off with.
If you want children to enjoy their creative work, try not to fuss too much about keeping neat and tidy. Creative activities will usually result in a mess. Three little girls and I decided to make Valentine hearts out of Chinese New Year greeting cards. The result? Many unusual-looking heart-shaped pieces and a whole pile of odds and ends on the floor.
Keep an open mind about what children like to do. Most parents regard their children’s fun as a waste of time. They feel that their children will learn more by doing worksheets or working on their readers.
Children learn by doing. The more hands-on experiences they get, the better they become in their thinking skills. Try to marvel at their creative work even when you have very little idea about what they have made or what they are doing.
Children enjoy doing things that get attention from adults. Even when you cannot spend much time with your child doing collage or role-playing, you can spend a few moments listening to what he has done or responding to his questions about certain things. All you have to say to your child is, “Tell me about your work.” Your child will enthusiastically express herself, sharing her thoughts and feelings with you.
Children like making things out of scraps. Collect assorted strings, rubber bands, paper scraps, cardboard tubes, textured paper, wood scraps and empty containers of various sizes. Sort them out and mix and match them to be kept in individual packages. Give one pack at a time to your child to work with. Keep a box of glue, staplers, paper clips, a pair of child-safe scissors and coloured markers handy in the house.
If you do a lot of travelling with your children in the car, you may want to keep a small box of these things in the car, too.
So, the next time you find yourself waiting for your number to be called in a busy office somewhere, take out your prepared fun-to-do pack for your child and say to him, “Let’s see what we can make today.”
posted by Petite Queen @ 6:46 PM
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