Recently, our family had the opportunity to care for sisters' children for a couple days, when she and her husband traveled to a bed and breakfast for some much need rest and relaxation. They don't have a chance to get away that often, so I was more than happy to help them out for this little getaway. And, well, I would hope that she would do the same thing for me.
Once I agreed to taking care of her children, reality set in. My sister has six children, and while the youngest wouldn't be staying with me, all the others would be. Add those five children to my three, you have eight, and add that to my small apartment and you have enough to drive any mom up a wall! How would I keep eight children occupied in my small home, without spending a lot of money?
One of the first activities we played was Twister. Twister was a gift for Christmas, so it was a game the children were still learning. As I watched them play, my I started thinking about the games my siblings and I played as children -- those easy games that usually required no extra supplies. There were six of us, and I can remember keeping ourselves occupied with old favorites such as "Mother May I?" and "Old Maid". After reminiscing, I decided that I would take this opportunity to teach them these favorite games.
I am not sure who had more fun with it, but I taught them several of the games I played as a young child, and everyone had the greatest time. I taught them "Red Light, Green Light" and "Red Rover", among others. Even the older children had fun playing "London Bridge" for the sake of the little ones. Want to know the best part? It has been over a week since I taught the kids these games, and on several occasions, I have caught them playing them on their own. Now, what could be better than that?
I encourage you to think back to some of your favorite childhood games. Did you love to play "Simon Says"? When was the last time you built a hopscotch? Do your children even know that there is actually a way to play marbles? Think of your favorites, and start teaching them to your children. Not only do most of these games require very little supplies, if any, but they show your children that there are fun activities that don't have to be plugged in.
If you need some inspiration, the following websites offer instructions on many popular childhood games:
"Games Kids Play" http://www.gameskidsplay.net/index.html
"Parent Soup: Games" http://www.parentsoup.com/archive/0,9372,263145,00.html
"PBS: Zoom" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/zoom/games/index.html
©2002 Brandie Valenzuela
About The Author
Brandie is a freelance writing mother of three children. She is also the editor of the Family First Newsletter, the HomeMade Living ezine, and other services for parents. To find out more about Brandie's creations, visit: http://www.bmvcreations.com
This article on parenting is by a practicing relationship counsellor/therapist,... Read More
Recess has begun disappearing in states all around the country.... Read More
Why do some children still do best after divorce and... Read More
Have you ever wondered why toys for babies tend to... Read More
In 1996-97 we were contracted by VAXA International of Tampa,... Read More
Every week I write something about the stock market -... Read More
Much has been said about the "gifted child" but in... Read More
What is a parenting problem?Parenting is a tough job, we... Read More
Cardiovascular endurance is one of the five health-related components of... Read More
As a hypnotherapist, I am acutely aware of the power... Read More
Researchers have estimated that 25-35% of children in the United... Read More
Many parents seem to be more than a little confused... Read More
As parents, we love our children and want to do... Read More
I've learned numerous, important lessons on life, motherhood and men... Read More
Reading is the most important skill that a child must... Read More
How bad is the illegal drug problem here in the... Read More
Optimists do better academically, socially and enjoy better health than... Read More
If your child or teen has been diagnosed with Attention... Read More
As thinking, acting human beings we have the ability to... Read More
If you were to ask 100 parents why they think... Read More
Q. We just got our daughter's progress report, and it... Read More
The following spelling games can be used by parents to... Read More
1. The Law of the BeastAs parents we need to... Read More
Do you remember how you first learned the alphabet? I... Read More
All of us, including your child, entered this world equipped... Read More
The distressed adolescent often has feelings of abandonment, emotional detachment,... Read More
Nothing touches the heartstrings of a parent more than the... Read More
"Family Matters" was the headline that caught my attention in... Read More
There are many parenting styles. Yours may be very different... Read More
This is one of the most common questions asked of... Read More
If your child has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder then at... Read More
What's new and effective in the treatment of Attention problems?... Read More
One of my first memories of childhood is that of... Read More
Children are moral and make moral determinations... at least until... Read More
Often I have heard that leaders are born, not made.... Read More
Pool safety should be on the minds of every parent... Read More
Parents are always looking for ways to open up the... Read More
There are two methods for teaching children to read; whole... Read More
In the beginning, having children was just a byproduct of... Read More
According to researchers, most children enter school with a good... Read More
Let's face it: raising children can be quite the adventure.... Read More
Some public schools try to turn children against their parents... Read More
4 traps to avoidTrap 1 - Parents need to realize... Read More
Single parents are not often thought of as good parents.I... Read More
Here are fourteen spontaneous time-outs, specially designed to help you... Read More
One of the most powerful tools that parents have for... Read More
To have reasonable expectations of our children is an important... Read More
At the ADHD Information Library we are big believers that... Read More
What should the goals for counseling be when the patient... Read More
When kids try new things, sometimes it's a 'fit' and... Read More
Before going further into choosing computers for children, I believe... Read More
In a consumer-driven society that broadcasts values you don't approve... Read More
Vouchers, which give tax money to parents to pay for... Read More
Here is an easy, inexpensive and fun kid experiment for... Read More
The biggest complaint you hear from parents about their children... Read More
How many times have you flipped through the pages of... Read More
'And all because of a damned cat! It's only a... Read More
In today's mental health system there is a pattern of... Read More
The Flow of WaterWater is essential for life on the... Read More
Many families, ours included, have learned that breakfast is eaten... Read More
LOS ANGELES (May 19, 2005) - With Memorial Day weekend,... Read More
Nanny 911 Interview with Montel WilliamsI saw an interview with... Read More
At age seven months in the womb, humans begin language... Read More
Get into their world. The world that teens are growing... Read More
Many young people don't know how to study efficiently and... Read More
When my oldest boy was really young, he tickled my... Read More
Parenting |