The modern times we live in, along with the development of technology, have brought different widgets and entertainment for children. All they need is to turn on their computer and the fun can begin. Parents are quite busy nowadays, and often they don’t even know how much time their children spend in front of the computer. It does not worry them too much, since they sometimes think this might be a good alternative for their kids, especially when it’s so cold outside. However, there are many other ways how children can spend some quality time at home without being stuck in front of the screen. It takes just a little bit of our imagination, creativity, and a good will. Provide your child with a lot of colorful paper, crayons, watercolors, fabric, buttons and beads and let him or her express and be creative.

Let me share with you some of the ideas regarding activities for our kids that will not only entertain them, but also motivate and develop their imagination and motor skills.

Paper Snowflakes

I am sure many of you still remember how you made your first New Year paper snowflakes in kindergarten or at school. To make these ornaments, all you need is some paper, a pair of scissors and a little bit of your imagination. Begin with a square sheet of paper. Fold it in half twice, then on the diagonal. You will get a triangle. Let your child be creative by cutting paper with scissors in the way he or she wants. You will get the best snowflakes if you cut the paper only a few times. To get fancy snowflakes, use colored paper or let your child decorate them in colored pencil, crayon or marker. To make paper snowflakes, you can use compass drawn paper circles. It’s even easier to make snowflakes by using round coffee filter.

If your child is still too small to help you make these interesting decorations, you might let them create snowflake chains. For this activity you will need scissors, paper and thread or rope to hang snowflakes on the wall or doorcase, as well as sellotape to attach flakes to the thread. Stick the thread to make sure that the flakes will not become loose when children touch and match them to make a chain. Get two sheets of paper or coffee filters. Cut them round. Then put them on top of each other and cut them as you wish. Make a few snowflakes of different shapes. Hang them using a thread or rope so your child can reach them and start making snowflake chains.

Use your imagination to make unusual snowflakes. Your child can help you with that. Here are some of our ideas:

Shredded Paper Snowman

To make your own Shredded Paper Snowman you will need: 2 paper plates stapled together, shredded paper, white glue, scissors, black paper circles for eyes and buttons, orange paper triangle nose. You may add a hat or other decorations a child finds interesting for your little snowman. First you have to stample two paper plates together into a simple snowman shape. Then encourage your child to squeeze glue over paper plates and press handfuls of shredded paper onto the plates. If you want the paper stick better and give your snowman an extra dimension, add the second layer of glue and some more shredded paper on top of the first layer. When you make the body of a real little snowman out of these plates you can start decorating it. Let your child make his/her favourite snowman!

http://www.housingaforest.com/shredded-paper-snowman/

Here is another interesting way how to make your snowman. For this activity you will need sectioned tray, cotton cosmetic pads or white craft foam circles for snowman’s body, small twigs for arms, small lengths of ribbon, trim or fabric for the clothes, colourful buttons, plastic ice crystals, dried black beans. You can use other things as well to decorate the snowman. Give each child a stryrofoam meat tray and let them create their own snowman. This activity will encourage creativity of your child and test their fine motor skills.

http://happyhooligans.ca/build-snowman-activity-tray/

If there is no snow during winter in our country, the following “recipe” can help you and your kids make artificial one, and enjoy in snowflakes and magical winter moments in your home. All you need is a pound of baking soda and shaving cream (whole bottle). First put baking soda into a larger plastic bowl and then slowly add the shaving cream. Let your child mix the ingredients until you get snow mixture to make snowflakes like real ones. To make them sparkle and shine, add some glitter.

Play Dough Activities

Making Christmas and New Year ornaments using play dough, clay or similar materials will help children discover the world around them and develop their fine motor skills. Place vinyl table cloth on the table, prepare a small apron or an old T-shirt and start making ornaments of different shapes and colours! Make sure the play dough you have chosen is flexible enough so that a child can make everything he or she wants without any difficulties that may occur if the material is too hard or too soft. Let them express their creativity without your interfering – perhaps they want to make a forest with forest animals, vegetables, a house for small creatures, jewelry…Their piece of art is not so important as the possibility to express themselves and develop different skills through rolling, pinching and squeezing.

Beside making Christmas ornaments, play dough can be used in many different ways, like for encouraging basic maths skills such as addition. Let your child use play dough to make three trees or baskets. The first two are the summands and the third tree or basket is the sum. Then the child can create different shapes of levaes, fruits, etc. Give them the task and let them explain you the operation and the result using the leaves or fruits. Learn together and play at the same time!

How to Make Play Dough at Home?

If you fear that your child might put play dough in the mouth, or you lack materials for making the ornaments, you can always make your own play dough. You will need:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 cup salt
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tsp citric acid
• Food colouring and flavoring (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients together, and stir over low heat. The dough will begin to thicken until it resembles mashed potatoes. When the dough pulls away from the sides and isn’t sticky anymore, remove the pan from heat and allow the dough to cool enough to handle. Split dough into 4 equal parts and make small balls. Make a dent in each of them with a finger. Then add a few drops of food colouring. To give the play dough a different smell you can use food flavoring.

Beside play dough you can use clay or dough as well. Use your fingers to pinch and poke a single lump of clay into any shape. It is not possible to add some details on the clay later on due to drying. Instead you must form the details right away from the piece of clay you are working with. To prevent drying, you can wrap unfinished sculpture in cellophane or wet cloth and leave it for a few days. Finished sculture can be dried (which requires 2-3 days) or you can fire it in a kiln. Then the clay is ready for painting.

When your children can’t play in the park due to cold weather or when they have nothing interesting to do, a little bit of your imagination and a few buttons can help you spend some quality time with them at home, playing, encouraging creativity and developing their motor skills. In this blog post we gave you some ideas how your children can learn through play suitable for these winter days. How do you entertain and educate your children during the winter months? We would like to hear your ideas and experiences.

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Experts don’t recommend television and other media exposure for children under the age of 2. Today, there are a lot of advertisements promoting educational DVDs, educational games, and things on tablets that you can do with young children.

Dr. Lee Beers explains that brief exposure isn’t harmful, but she suggests other kinds of healthy stimulations for children. He says:

The reality is that children under the age of 2 aren’t really able to process and understand media, therefore it’s not a good way for them to learn and we should avoid exposing them to it.

When you see little babies picking up things, putting them in their mouth, holding them, or crawling on them, they are actually learning. Babies learn by feeling, experiencing, and touching; things you can’t do with three-dimensional screens. It’s important for young children to be away from the screens and to learn in a real world.

Of course, we are aware that every mommy has to take a shower, do some housework, or make a dinner for the family. You can’t constantly be there sitting next to your baby entertaining it. It’s good for babies to learn how to play on their own. You can put your baby on the floor with a blanket, put a few toys and books in front of them and let them play and explore. Let them figure out how those things work. Give the babies the opportunity to play with toys and look at books independently. This really builds the foundation for early literacy and early learning, allowing babies to solve problems and develop love towards books later on – says Dr. Beers.

Izvor: www.pediatricnews.com

Read more on this topic here.

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It is easy to give a child a tablet, preloaded with “age-appropriate” material and games, but whether we should do that is another question. Products with screens and time spent using them are things that aren’t going to go away, but there are definitely ways to make interacting with screens – which includes smartphones, tablets, computers, and even television – a more positive, beneficial experience.

It is easy to give a child a tablet, preloaded with “age-appropriate” material and games, but whether we should do that is another question. Products with screens and time spent using them are things that aren’t going to go away, but there are definitely ways to make interacting with screens – which includes smartphones, tablets, computers, and even television – a more positive, beneficial experience.

How young is too young?

While you may want to give your toddler a tablet to keep him occupied when you are trying to get dinner ready, your child’s age is something to consider. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP):

Television and other entertainment media should be avoided for infants and children under age of 2. A child’s brain develops rapidly during these first years, and young children learn best by interacting with people, not screens.

Interacting with your child is crucial to its successful development, so giving it a tablet and letting it bang (or swipe) away may not be what is best. However, an interactive game on a tablet would provide increased stimulation over something much more passive, like a watching a television show.

Limit screen time for your toddler to 60 mins per day

One of the physicians who played a role in crafting the AAP’s official statement has altered his viewpoint, however. Earlier in 2014, Dimitri A. Christakis published a viewpoint in JAMA Pediatrics, in which he states that:

Judicious use of interactive media is acceptable for children younger than the age of 2.

So we’ve established that not all screens are the same – interactive games and apps are superior to passive screen time activities. But even if one of the AAP’s co-authors has changed his stance regarding the age when children should be exposed to screens, that doesn’t mean they should spend a lot of time in front of them.

In fact, Dr. Christakis believes that toddlers and children under the age of 2 should only be using screens for 30 to 60 minutes a day. Screen time should not, of course, replace real human interaction, no matter what the age of the child.

Not all screen time is bad, but there should be limits

Even for older children, it is important to limit screen time. In fact, it might not be a bad idea to give yourself a break once in a while too! Having areas of the house or family events be screen or device free is a good way to start. Take family dinnertime, for example: more family bonding and personal interaction will occur if everyone leaves his or her devices in the other room, away from the dinner table.

Researchers are still working to determine what effects apps have on a child’s development, and they are constantly working with new data, so only time will tell what the definitive answer will be to the question of screen time. Until then, do what is best for you and your child, keeping in mind that while not all screen time is bad, everyone agrees that there should be limits.

Don’t forget about more traditional activities, like reading together or playing a board game as a family, not to mention outdoor activities, such as taking a walk or playing catch. Time when your family can be together should not be taken for granted and it is even better if it is something both you and your kids look forward to sharing!

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At this time of the year many kindergartens and schools also organize mountain excursions. Maybe you have faced a situation where your child wanted to travel with his/her classmates and have some fun there, but you were not sure whether to let him do that. You may wonder when is the right time for children to go on a trip without you. In this blog post I shared with you some of my experience regarding this issue, and help you resolve concerns. First of all, going on an excursion with their peers and teachers can be a valuable experience for children. It is not only an opportunity to get to know the world around them, but also to explore various possibilities, become more independent, gain new friends and return home with wonderful memories they will always remember. However, many parents think that kindergarten children are still too young and not prepared enough to go on an such a trip. I wanted to discover what is the reason that keeps parents from letting their children go on a trip with kindergarten or school, so I talked with moms in my neighbourhood. I also visited forums where parents shared their experiences and thoughts. I found out that the biggest concern is (dis)trust in educators. Parents are not sure if they will know how to respond to your child needs; they are worried about bed time stories and tucking into bed; will the educators notice that the child is sweating at night and has to change his/her clothes, or if they are in pain of any kind; will the educators be able to comfort them, and are the children safe while teachers are taking care of them.

Flickr – Author: Tony Fischer
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

First of all, every child going on an excursion will be under constant surveillance of experienced teachers. They are not strangers, as kids spend several hours with them each day and thus know them very well. You will be able to contact them and speak to your child. During the conversation, try to listen what he/she has to say, ask them how they are, how did they spend the day, rather than inquire about the weather, if they are wearing jackets or things like that. Furthermore, parents are afraid their child might get ill, so they ask questions like: What are the hygienic conditions regarding the accomodation? Will the child have an adequate health care if he/she gets ill? What if eczema or some other skin reaction happens because of the hotel sheets or detergent used for washing pillowcases and blankets… Certainly, you will get all the necessary information regarding hygiene and other conditions in the resort from your child’s teacher. In general, these resorts are specially designed for children. Every year they provide accomodation for a large number of kids from many schools and kindergartens. In most cases educators and teachers are the first to visit such places before taking children on a trip. Parents shouldn’t be worried about health care either, since it is provided by a doctor who is always there for your child if needed, and you may contact him in case your child is allergic to something or requires special kind of therapy. You can also inform teachers about it and send your child’s own pillowcase, sheets, a list of food he/she should not eat…

Flickr – Author: Tony Fischer
Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

However, it is better not to exaggerate in anything. Don’t be so worried. Let your child experience something new, without you around. Parents are often overprotecting of their children, denying them the opportunity to spend some memorable moments with their friends. You should be aware that children are often not sure what is excursion all about, so it is important to explain them how it will look like, what activities and games will take place. Tell them they will be surrounded by their friends and other children. Make sure that children understand what they can expect from such a trip. Best friends, favourite teacher, beautiful and interesting places they are going to visit are just some of the reasons why kids would like to go on an excursion. However, it is not unusual for them to spend first night crying, realizing that their parents are not there. But, soon the situation will change. There is hardly a child who does not return home full of memories, wonderful stories and adventures. Children are sometimes too attached to their parents, and if they have never separated from mom and dad before, parents’ fear of letting their child travel without them is even greater. This feeling that the child is still too small to travel alone, that your presence may be required at any time, and that the kids will not cope when they are supposed to do something on their own, is undoubtedly present. These seven or ten days you will probably spend worrying about your child. However, be aware that kids are having a great time together. If you have any problem with your child at home (refusing to eat certain food, or waiting for you to help them take a bath and get dressed), there will be no such thigs at the excursion. In fact, you may be suprised to discover how independent your child can be. Try not to let them know about your fears and concerns. Otherwise, they will be afraid too and give up the idea to go on a trip. Or if they go they will be rather worried about everything. Separation from parents and going on a trip with their peers will help children not only to become independent and build self-confidence, but also to learn new things, develop a competitive spirit and enjoy the outdoors. It is quite normal for your child to be afraid since you are not present. However, try not to worry too much about what will happen with them on the excursion. They will soon forget the initial fear and will be happy to spend time with their friends, playing and discovering new things.

License: © Lsphotography http://www.stockfreeimages.com/

My younger sister, just like me, went on the trip with her friends from the kindergarten for the first time when she was four. I was wondering what she liked the most during visit to the mountain Tara. This is what she told me:

I liked spending time with my friends all day. Even though I cried the first night because I misssed my parents, brother and sister so much, I did not want to go home. We learned many things in a funny way, we were walking through the forest. Most of us liked disco and the games we played there, fancy dress ball and competition in making hairstyles. Going on an excursion can help children overcome their fears, as I overcame mine that something bad would happen to me when I was without parents. I’ve become independent.

My sister Kjara (9) and I have lots of nice memories from our excursions. That is why we would like to advice you not to hesitate, but rather pack your child’s favourite toy, and with a smile on your face send him or her on a trip. Would YOU let your child go on a trip while in kindergarten? Share with us your comments and experience.

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However, hibernation seems far from the mind of children as they bound around with just as much energy and just as much need for activity as the rest of the year. Outdoor activities are somewhat restricted as the parks are shrouded in darkness as you pick them up from school. There are no longer the easy summer evenings of bike rides, throwing a Frisbee or lounging on a picnic rug. There are however, many options to make the most of winter.

Outdoors

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Wrap up warm. There is always the saying that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad kit. No one has fun if they are cold, wet and miserable but these can be prevented with the right clothing. Make sure if you are walking in the dark you remain visible to cars and bikes by using florescent strips. Stay active. It really is so important for children to have the opportunity to be physically active and having had the chance to run off all that energy, they will be much easier to entertain at home. If you are struggling for space or somewhere out of the dark, think about what your local area has to offer whether a swimming pool, soft play centre or floodlit sports pitches. If you are stuck inside and have limited space, children can still be active using items such as balloons, which aren’t going to damage anything. Children also always love to make up dance routines and this can be an excellent way of using limited space creatively. Use the seasons. Autumn and winter have lots to offer – puddles to be jumped in, leaves to roll in, conkers to be found and snowmen to make. Make up a winter nature trail. There is always something special about discovering a frozen spider’s web or looking at the patterns that frost makes on leaves.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/

Conduct science experiments. This is the perfect time of year for children to understand the effects of temperature on solids, liquids and gases. Leave one container of water outside overnight to see it freeze and another inside and compare the difference. What happens when you bring the ice back into the warm? How much quicker does it melt if you put it by a heater? You can even make decorations for the garden using this idea by filling some balloons with food colouring and let them freeze. Once frozen take away the balloon coating and you have some giant, coloured ice marbles. Once again this is a great way to show how solids and liquids act differently – how liquids fit the space of their container whilst solids have a fixed shape. You could even freeze objects inside ice trays or inside the frozen balloons for children to experiment with different ways of getting them out.

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/

If it is several degrees below 0 ° outside, take out some bubble mixture with a wand, watch them freeze in the air and see what happens to them when they pop. There is really nothing better than curling up by the fire with a hot chocolate after being busy outside.

Craft ideas

Winter provides a wealth of craft opportunities whether taking leaves home and creating collages or making ‘bug hotels’ using natural provisions. Children also love leaf and bark rubbings trialling out different textures.

http://shabbyinlove.blogspot.co.uk/

Making Christmas decorations can while away many a happy hour. Paper chains are simple, yet effective and children love to see their hard work on display as they really feel as if they are contributing. Snowflakes are another favourite. 3D models can be made using different length pipe cleaners and look effective on the Christmas tree. Paper cut-outs look fantastic on the window and are always good to encourage children to work on their dexterity with scissors. Make salt dough decorations. Put 1 cup of salt and 2 cups of flour into a bowl and slowly add ¾ of a cup of water. Mix it all together (children can also help with this). Dust the table with flour and roll it out before using cookie cutters to make wintery shapes (children could also use it to model freely). Once dry (either leave overnight near a heater or bake in the oven), they can be decorated. Winter can offer so many options for exploration and discovery even if it is dark and the weather is less than desirable. Sometimes children need to develop a certain robustness if they are reluctant in these conditions, and almost always, as soon as they are engaged, all complaints disappear. This could be as simple as introducing hide and seek into a winter walk where they have to run ahead and hide, or set a treasure hunt for them to follow using a trail of flour to guide their way. How do you keep your children busy during the winter months and how do you ensure that they get enough physical activity? We would love to hear your ideas. Featured photo credit: Bunches and Bits {Karina} / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

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