Journal Entry

Turn off the TV, put away the playstation!

Society today needs to revolutionize parenting. Turn off the television, put the Playstation away, and let’s reintroduce ourselves to our kids. Here are some fun activities we can do with our children to reinforce family values and create long lasting memories that will last you and your children a lifetime.

Activities for young children (aged 2-5)

• Reading : Sit down and enjoy a good book with your child. Participate in library reading times.
• Nature walks : Contact your local government and see if they have nature walks through your parks and gardens within your city. At times they may also have a fairy garden, or Chinese garden to wander through.
• Puppet theater : Have your own puppet theater at home using characters from nursery rhymes, and let them help you make the puppets.
• Games : Puzzles, memory games, board games, card games! Children love puzzles. Use your craft skills and draw some memory cards, these could be ABC’s with the upper and lower case letters. Get some great board games for younger children. One I recommend is the Dr Seuss board game. Puzzles and any type of trivia keep your children active.
• Cooking : Have your children help prepare a meal. Cook a cake or some cookies, even just have them put a salad together. Make sure a parent is always supervising.
• Mud or Sand play : Use a corner of your backyard and create a mud pit. Have your kids jump and play, get dirty. There is nothing more fun than getting dirty.
• Climbing activities : Have a swing set or trampoline in your yard. It will encourage the use of gross motor skills in your children.
• Encourage creative and imaginary play : Create a cubby house in the backyard to sit and have tea party’s.
• Learn an instrument together : There is nothing more fun for a child than playing a duet on the guitar or piano with their parent.

Activities for older children (aged 6-12)

• Scrap-booking : Have your child collect photos and make their own pages in a scrapbook. As a parent be there to help cut with scissors. Use glitter, pens, shapes-whatever your child can find.
• Collecting : Encourage your child to start a collection. Leaves, feathers, rocks even train tickets that they may find while walking.
• Scouts/Brownies : A wholesome family activity. These groups will get your child into something besides computer games and will encourage life skills. Scouts and brownies will also encourage a love of the outdoors.
• Knitting/Sewing : As a parent it is fun to teach your children new things. Have your child assist with creating a pillow, using simple sewing stitches, encourage the use of sewing pieces of fabric from their old clothes or dolls.
• Bushwalking/Orienteering : A great family activity that will keep your children interested and encourage searching and compass skills.
• Volunteering and charitable actions : Assisting in a nursing home or hospital. Have them go with you to help in soup kitchens or homeless shelters. This will also put your children’s lives into perspective.
• New friendships : For older children encourage pen pals, widen their horizons.