25 TV FREE Activities to do with kids (otherwise entitled: Ode to Sidewalk Chalk)
Okay, warm weather is finally here in New England and we are wanting to be outside. Yesterday, the kids did some of their school work outside and ended up playing out there for most of the afternoon.
Want some free parenting advice? Some of the best advice I could ever give you: send your kids outside!
Unplug them. Turn off the TV and take away the handhelds.( Quick, hide them!)
And to you moms of little ones, don’t let your young ones watch TV regularly. It dulls their inquisitive little minds and makes them passive. I know it is hard. And I am not saying don’t ever use the TV. I did. I used to let my kids watch Little Bear for a half hour, or Curious George and it was like a mini vacation for mom! I am just saying “regularly”– As the norm. Okay? No guilt!
When a mother tells me that her child is not interested in reading, I advise them to turn the electronics off for a week. If for no other reason but boredom, the child will turn to books, games or a hobby and discover that they enjoy them.
So, in the spirit of the great, warm outdoors, I want to share simple activities that should be part of every child’s upbringing. 🙂
Hope and Holly helped me with this list of fun things to do outside:
1. Hide and Seek with friends
2. Jump ropes (also double as horse reigns when you are running behind a friend)
3. Hula Hoop
4. Bubbles
5. Bicycles
6. Pogo Stick
7. Pail and Shovel (to hold mud soup, with floating rocks and sticks.)
8. Sidewalk Chalk
9. Balls of all sizes
10. Chinese Jumprope
11. Scooters
12. Swing
13. Picnic table (to jump off of, or to hide under ;))
14. Going to the beach to play and swim
15. Building a house/fort outside
16. Picking wildflower bouquets
17. Play house, school, bank, store
18. Practice violin outside (Emily)
19. Air soft gun wars (Matt)
20. Bird watching
21. Hand claps and rhymes
22. Throwing rocks into water
23. sprinkler
24. catching fireflies
25. campfires
I KNOW this list is incomplete! Your turn! What do your kids love to play with? What games do they invent?
Or bush jumping…
Matthew, Matthew. Shall I post pics of your bush jumping?? love you! ~Mom
Dirt…anything with dirt. Wagons to ride in or to put things in:) Kicking/throwing balls, etc. We LOVE outside!
Pool hopping…
Building tents in their bed-rooms, living room, and kitchen. But this one we save for rainy days!
Read or write or paint outside! We did #22 today, and I loved playing Chinese jumprope. I don’t think many girls know how to play it anymore. Do your girls? I have several Chinese jumpropes and the Klutz book to go with them. Another great thing to do is make up obstacle courses then time each other going through them.
Yes, my girls all know how to use a chinese jumprope. 🙂 They learned it from their mama. Matthew and his friends set up obstacles in the back yard as shields from their airsoft guns. Does that count? 😉
Playing violin outside! I literally just said how I wanted to do that today. Some of my favorite memories . . . you go, Em:)
yeah, but usually my music blows away… 🙁