25 inexpensive ways to keep your kids busy when they’re bored

https://brightside.me/article/25-inexpensive-ways-to-keep-your-kids-busy-when-theyre-bored-86805/

To be a parent means to be always prepared. Yes, just like Boy Scouts. It helps to also be quick-witted and innovative, of course.

If you can keep your little ones busy without spending a lot of money, you are truly a super-parent. Here are some great ideas for keeping your kids entertained — and most importantly, they’re free.

1. Use colored tape to make car tracks.

playathomemomllc.com

2. Instead of multi-colored chalk, you can also use tape to make a game of hopscotch indoors.

To play hopscotch, you should first lay out the court on the ground. If you’re playing indoors, then use your colored tape. It will definitely keep your child busy.

3. To arrange an improvised bullseye game or maybe you own darts tournament, all you will need is a couple of sponges and some chalks.

mamaslikeme.com

4. Remember those dress-up dolls we had? They were made of paper and we had to cut their ’clothes’ and ’accessories’ with scissors.

You can make the old game much more realistic with a box of chalk and some old clothes.

sixsistersstuff.com

5. Exploding plastic bags with paint will turn your sidewalks into colorful masterpieces.

growingajeweledrose.com

To make these colored ’bombs’ you will need:

• some Zip-lock plastic sandwich bags;
• corn starch;
• food coloring or liquid watercolors;
• vinegar;
• baking soda;
• paper towels or napkins.

Mix the corn starch, vinegar and food coloring. Fill your bags at least 1/3 of the way with the mixture. Take a square piece of paper towel and put some baking soda in the middle. Form the ’bomb’. Place the ’bomb’ into the bag and seal it. Shake the bag really hard. The bag will slowly expand and a few minutes later — boom! Your sidewalks will be covered with paint and the kids will be happy.

6. Try painting on wet glue with food colorings. The result will surprise you.

housingaforest.com

For your ’canvas,’ try the plastic lid from a cream cheese box.

7. Here is another fun way to keep your kid busy and entertained. You will need leftover bubble wrap, washable paint and a large piece of wallpaper.

messforless.net

8. Create your own throwing tarp.

gurutotheoutdoors.com

You will need a tarp, heavy rope, scissors, a marker and tape.

9. Build a tower out of cut up sponges.

homelearningfrombirth.blogspot.com

This can calm down your restless children and allow them to concentrate.

10. Create a tin foil river with a bottle of water.

husohem.se

11. Tape the paper towel roll to the wall.

teachingmama.org

12. If you have some burlap, make a sewing station for your children.

kleas.typepad.com

Help your children build fine motor skills at home.

13. Children love playing with sand. They can spend hours ’writing’ letters and ’drawing’ pictures on the beach. If you want to take this fun activity back to your place, use a box filled with sugar and a pencil.

You can print out some letters and ask your little ones to write them down on the ’sand’.

14. Let’s go camping! And don’t forget about the indoor ’camp fire’!

thestay-at-home-momsurvivalguide.com

15. Make a balloon rocket.

You will need:

• a piece of yarn or fishing line, approx. 6 feet (2 meters);
• a balloon;
• 2 chairs;
• a cocktail straw;
• tape;
• a pair of scissors.

Tie the string to the back of a chair. Thread a straw onto the other end of the string, and then tie the string to the back of the second chair. Inflate the balloon but don’t tie the end, and attach it to the straw using tape. Now let your rocket go!

16. You can arrange your own bowling tournament using everyday things like pencil erasers and a marble.

frugalfun4boys.com

17. If you arrange yarn and tell you children they are on a special mission, they will immediately turn into their favorite superheroes.

ellisbenus.com

18. Put a bar of soap in the microwave and get this soap cloud.

ourbestbites.com

19. You can arrange a real tennis competition using paper plates, some popsicle sticks and balloons.

keepingitsimplecrafts.com

The best part is, your kids will not break their grandmother’s beloved vase while playing with this ball.

20. Make a ’spider web’ using tape.

handsonaswegrow.com

Make some paper balls and throw them right into the web.

21. If you have stairs in your house, turn them into an indoor slide.

thecontemplativecreative.blogspot.com

22. Make a rainbow bubble snake.

housingaforest.com

You will need:

• a plastic bottle;
• a sock;
• tape;
• food coloring;
• dishwashing liquid.

Cut off the bottom of the plastic bottle and slide the sock over it. Put some food coloring on the sock. Mix the dishwashing liquid with water. Dip the sock into the soapy mixture and start blowing.

23. Another bubble activity

funcraftskids.com

To blow a giant bubble, you will need a bubble solution and a special blowing device. You can use a hula-hoop or two sticks with a rope.

24. Put your kids’ playdough into a balloon and you will get this brand new fun toy.

playcreateexplore.org

25. Let your children become fancy designers and design their own collections.

alphamom.com

How to Parent Like a German

http://time.com/3720541/how-to-parent-like-a-german/?xid=time_socialflow_facebook
Sara Zaske


Getty Images

An American mom finds some surprising habits

The first time I went to a playground in Berlin, I freaked. All the German parents were huddled together, drinking coffee, not paying attention to their children who were hanging off a wooden dragon 20 feet above a sand pit. Where were the piles of soft padded foam? The liability notices? The personal injury lawyers?

“Achtung! Nein!” I cried in my bad German. Both kids and parents ignored me.

Contrary to stereotypes, most German parents I’ve met are the opposite of strict. They place a high value on independence and responsibility. Those parents at the park weren’t ignoring their children; they were trusting them. Berlin doesn’t need a “free range parenting” movement because free range is the norm.

Here are a few surprising things Berlin parents do:

Don’t push reading. Berlin’s kindergartens or “kitas” don’t emphasize academics. In fact, teachers and other parents discouraged me from teaching my children to read. I was told it was something special the kids learn together when they start grade school. Kindergarten was a time for play and social learning. But even in first grade, academics aren’t pushed very hard. Our grade school provides a half-day of instruction interrupted by two (two!) outdoor recesses. But don’t think this relaxed approach means a poor education: According to a 2012 assessment by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, German 15-year-olds perform well above the international average when it comes to reading, math and science while their more pressured American counterparts lag behind.

Encourage kids to play with fire. A note came home from school along with my excited second grader. They were doing a project on fire. Would I let her light candles and perform experiments with matches? Together we lit candles and burned things, safely. It was brilliant. Still, she was the only kid whose parent didn’t allow her to shoot off heavy duty fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

Let children go almost everywhere alone. Most grade school kids walk without their parents to school and around their neighborhoods. Some even take the subway alone. German parents are concerned about safety, of course, but they usually focus on traffic, not abductions.

The facts seem to be on the Germans’ side. Stranger abductions are extremely rare; there were only 115 a year in all of America, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Justice study. And walking around without parental supervision, or “independent mobility” as the researchers call it, is good for kids.

Party when school starts. One of my Berlin friends once told me that the three biggest life events are Einschulung (starting first grade),Jugendweihe (becoming a young adult) and getting married.

In Berlin, Einschulung is a huge celebration at the school—on a Saturday!—that includes getting a Zuckertute—a giant child-sized cone filled with everything from pencils to watches to candy. Then there’s another party afterwards with your family and friends. Einschulung is something children look forward to for years. It signals a major life change, and hopefully, an enthusiasm for learning.

Jugendweihe happens when a child turns 14. It involves a similar ceremony, party, and gifts, marking the next stage of growing up. With all the negativity heaped on adolescents, there’s something to be said for this way of celebrating young adulthood.

Take the kids outside everyday. According to a German saying “there is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” The value of outside time is promoted in the schools, hence the “garten” in Kindergarten. It’s also obvious on Berlin’s numerous playgrounds. No matter how cold and grey it gets, and in Berlin it gets pretty cold, parents still bundle their kids up and take them to the park, or send them out on their own.

Which brings me back to that dragon—since moving here, I’ve tried to adopt some of the Berlin attitude, and my 8-year-old has climbed all over the dragon. But I still hesitate to let her walk alone in our very urban neighborhood.

I’ve taken one small step. I let her go to the bakery by herself. It’s just down the stairs and one door over. The first time she did this, she came back beaming, proudly handing me the rolls she bought herself.

I figured there was no need to tell her that her American mother was out on the balcony, watching her the whole time.

What will you do ...

We might encounter similar situation, let us do something

4 Ways You Can Avoid Raising Little Narcissists

http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/christian-trends/4-ways-you-can-avoid-raising-little-narcissists.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twpage&utm_campaign=cwtweet
Liz Kanoy

Sometimes, in an effort to make sure our children reach for their dreams or the dreams we think they should have, we lose track of what kind of character they’re developing. A narcissist believes the world revolves around them—that their needs should come first and take precedence over everything else. Kurt Bubna, a writer and Senior Pastor, has written an article for ChristianParenting.org titled How to Raise a Narcissist. He comments that oftentimes a child's narcissistic behavior is a product of narcissistic parenting. He covers four areas that parents need to be aware of if they want to avoid narcissistic parenting:

1. Don’t let your family and marriage be child-centered
Child-centered families revolve around a child’s activities, wants, and desires. Parents should always care for their child’s needs, but not every moment of family life should revolve around exactly what the child does or does not want to do. Bubna challenges,

“It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to set boundaries and not do everything your child wants to do. Johnny doesn’t need to be in Karate, basketball, and CYT all at the same time.”

Engaging with your child in some kind of activity every day whether it’s cooking a meal together, helping them with homework, or playing a game of soccer after dinner helps build family bonds and ensures that your child feels loved. However, children also need to learn to play by themselves and respect a parent’s alone time. This can be hard for children to accept at first, but understanding that life is about more than just their own needs will help them develop into more caring individuals who recognize the needs of others in addition to their own.

2. Don’t tell your child how amazing they are, even when they’re not.
Encouraging your child in how much they mean to you, how loved they are, what they mean to God, and how they can grow as a person is necessary and helpful. But consciously or subconsciously inflating your child’s ego whether it’s always letting them win a game, telling them they’re gifted when they just brought home a C, or telling them they can be famous at said activity some day usually does more harm than good. Bubna explains,

“When Johnny’s basketball team loses, and we say, “It’s okay, everybody is a winner!” we are actually building up his ego in a false way. Additionally, Johnny will never learn how to deal with disappointment and failure in a healthy and godly way if he isn’t encouraged to own failure.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12, “Don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought.”  Humility is holy. Arrogance and pride are not. It’s okay to be normal.”

Children need to learn what disappointment and failure feel like, and they need to know how to handle those circumstances in a mature way—the way that God calls them to. Use these moments to teach your child God’s Word and its application to daily life.

3. Don’t be so wrapped up in yourself that you only pay attention to your child when it’s convenient.
While we don’t want our children to think family life revolves around their every want, we also don’t want to ignore our children because we’re too caught up in our own wants. Bubna advises,

“Remember, when it comes to parenting, more is caught than taught. For good or evil, we model for our children the behavior they will develop. So, what does this feast and famine of parental attention teach a child? It teaches Johnny to manipulate others for his personal satisfaction.”

But it’s important to note that if you think your child is modeling any bad behavior from you, it’s not to late to model the correct response for them.

4. Don’t ignore self-centered behavior in your child and blow it off as no big deal.
It may be hard for some parents to see their child as a sinner, and possibly easier for other parents. Our culture teaches children to be self-centered, but Christian parents have a responsibility to teach their children something different, selflessness. Bubna writes,

“When Johnny fails, and he will, it’s your responsibility to discipline him in a consistent and constructive way. God put your children in your family because it’s supposed to be the best place for your children to grow in godliness.

At the core of our being is a sinful nature that is selfish rather than selfless. We don’t naturally drift to selflessness or sacrificial love. We must develop this behavior over time.”

This is another behavior that must be modeled for our children. If we teach our children this principle but don’t practice it ourselves, they will take notice and think it’s not a big deal.

Bubna encourages parents, “We can grow. We can change. No child is beyond hope, and neither are you.”

To read Kurt Bubna’s full article please visit ChristianParenting.org.

Crosswalk.com Contributor Brent Rinehart states, in his article 6 Things Every Kid Needs to Hear:

“Words matter. Our children soak them up like little sponges. I can watch my daughter play “house” with her dolls and hear her say some of the same things her mom or I tell her. It's proof that she's listening to what we say, even when it doesn't seem like it.”