81 Activities for Little Kids

While evaluating preschool fun for my 4-year-old this year, I realized he's already naturally learned his letters, numbers, shapes, and colors, just as Charlotte Mason assured me he would, without a heavy curriculum. (Just don't tell her that he watched Dora and Leapfrog and played on the computer!) I like to have some one-on-one time with him though, so what should we do?

Here's my list of 81 fun things to do with my little man this year. My plan is to do our reading lesson and then take 30 minutes to do an activity together. I'll either pick what sounds good to me or have him draw a paper out of a bucket.

I chose activities that take little to no prep on my part, since the bigger kids take the majority of my brain during the school year! :)

You can find photos of some of these activities on my Pinterest Boards: Preschool and Toddlers.

Math/Logic

Play Store

Bake Cookies

Pattern Blocks

Shiller Math Blocks

Clock Practice

Sort Change

Hullabaloo

Twister

Battleship

Cereal Abacus

Memory Game

Candy Cane Ornament

Button Board

Dominoes

Rulers

Jelly Bean Math Chart

Art

Play Dough

Shrinky Dink

Paint

Stickers

Cheerio Art

Magazine Collage

Mosaic Squares

Thumb Prints

Stencils

Card Making

Bead Pipe Cleaners

Side Walk Chalk

Popsicle Stick Matching

Language

Write a Story

Puppet Show

Doctor Kit

Act with weapons

ABC Hunt

Play Dinosaurs

Make Treasure Hunt

Seasons Collage

Make a Yarn Book

Building

Trains

Blocks

Hot Wheels

Legos

Duplo Blocks

Box Building

Games

Uno/Go Fish

Candy Land

Story Maker

Blokus

Quirkle

Sorry

Puzzles

Monopoly Junior

Rummikub

Checkers

Connect Four

Active

Kick Ball

Trampoline

Zip Line

Running Races

Obstacle Course

Dance

Bean Bag Toss

Bozo Buckets

Hide and Seek

Tag

Outside

Sidewalk Chalk

Collect Rocks

Collect Leaves

Paint Rocks

Scavenger Hunt

Ride Bikes

Ride Scooter

Roller Skate

Play Catch

T-Ball

Treasure Map

Cloud Shapes

Hop Scotch

Swinging

Bubbles

Carnival

Ok - your turn! What should I add to the list?

Teacher Tuesday Humor

A little humor today for Teacher Tuesday. This would be my child. :)

Does LEGO Rockband on the wii count as a musical instrument?

When Mommy/Teacher Gets Sick

Teacher Tuesdays

I recently shared pictures of our first few days of school. I even created a plan for what I'd do if I struggled with various moods during the year. I neglected to plan for sick days.

Last week, I had some sort of allergy-headache-bowling ball for a brain-kind of day. When my kids were little, we could enjoy a bag (or three) of popcorn and PBS Kids. But that's not an option when "the show must go on" and little minds still need to wrestle through school.

How did I cope?

Well, for starters, during preschool time, while studying the letter B, my boys and I laid down and watched a couple of Blues Clues episodes as I prayed for the ibuprofen to kick in.

Our laundry didn't get finished in one day as I'd have liked.

The dishes remained in the sink. I was thankful the kids had something to eat, even though it came out of a jar and a can.

Daily chores weren't checked, meaning they weren't done.

And for our history reading, my throat was too sore, so I had my 11 year old read for us.

These days happen to all of us. Unfortunately, we don't get sick days. But we can cope. Navigate. Alter the course a little bit.

The dishes can be done another day. The laundry isn't going anywhere. An extra movie in the afternoon while I rest on the couch will not hurt their brains.

It sure does make us thankful for the healthy days, though, right? And early bedtimes?

Question: How do you handle sick-days as a mom? Any tips?

"He tends his flock like a shepherd:

He gathers the lambs in his arms

and carries them close to his heart;

he gently leads those that have young."

Isaiah 40:11

My Mommy-Mood-Plan

Mommy Mondays

Ever have one of those days when you wish someone would send you to Time Out?

Or make you take a nap? Or tell you to go to bed early?

I woke up a little glum one morning this week, and I could afford the luxury of laying around because we’d planned a relaxing day. However, as I prepare to start school in exactly one week, I realized that though I have spent hours planning our academic schedule, I haven’t taken the time to do some mommy-mood-planning.

What do I mean?

Basically: What do I do this school year on days when I feel like I’m walking through sludge or just “draggin’ my wagon?” Because those days will come. Probably on day 3 of the school year.

I need some mommy-mood-planning for the moments when I won't want to listen to my child read another page of Frog and Toad. When I will think, "I don't really need to check her math sheet." When I'm tempted to just stare at my iphone all day and doodle with friends. When I am dreaming of sandy beaches and late night coffee talks and an uninterrupted day with a book and a sunbeam.

Here's the start of my plan, which I will post with my school supplies:

When I'm TIRED.

Legitimately tired. A child woke up during the night. I was struck with sleeplessness at 3:30 AM. We had friends stay late. I'm sick.

I will…

-        Remind myself that it's not an excuse to sin by scolding my children and negating my responsibilities.

-        Plan a 30 minute nap that afternoon, which will give me something to look forward to, a reward for my faithful service even when I'm tired.

-        Have an extra cup of coffee.

-        Read out loud to the kids at the table, knowing that a couch and a pillow is a recipe for disaster.

-        Take everyone on a walk.

-        Drink a glass of water and take my vitamins.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19

“Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.” Proverbs 20:13

When I’m BORED.

I look at the 'to-do' list for the day and am strictly un-enthusiastic about what it contains.

I will…

-        Remember that I should not make an idol of “fun.”

-        Consider ways to change it up. Read to the kids on a blanket outside. Build a model from history out of LEGOs. Pull out the paints and create something. Start a game of Monopoly.

-        Not sit down by the computer. I will get up and keep moving.

-        Consider Christ – the cross was not “fun.”

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,  since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24

When I’m LAZY.

I simply do not want to do the responsibilities that God has for me that day. I don't want to do the dishes. Or clean up the family room again. Or put away those piles of clothes. 

I will…

-        Remind myself of who I am serving.

-        Obey because I’m supposed to, whether I feel like it or not.

-        Pray for help.

-        Make a to-do list and write down how long I think each item will take. I can set a timer and race to the finish.

-        Not allow myself to sit until a few things are accomplished.

-        Turn on some motivating music.

^“30 I went past the field of the sluggard,
    past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
³¹ thorns had come up everywhere,
    the ground was covered with weeds,
    and the stone wall was in ruins.
³² I applied my heart to what I observed
    and learned a lesson from what I saw:
³³ A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest--
³⁴ and poverty will come on you like a bandit
    and scarcity like an armed man.”

Proverbs 24:30-34

When I’m UNDISCIPLINED:

I see the school plan I so diligently created, but I feel somehow strangled by it. My mind wants to wander to new and exciting things before I'm even a month into my schedule. I begin to inwardly rebel at cleaning lists, food charts, and daily routines. The plan says I need to take a nature walk with my kids, and I think, "No, I really don't want to today." And slowly, day by day, my plan erodes into more normalcy.

I will…

-        Practice faithfulness.

-        Prayerfully evaluate the activity in question. My plans can be set in pencil, not stone, but I don’t want to form a habit of jumping off the ship.

-        Remember my goals for the year. I prayed over the list and what God wanted to accomplish through our family.

-        Push away from the habit I have of being "all talk and no action." This leads to poverty of our home, and I need to view it that way.

“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23

 “Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.” Proverbs 12:27

When I’m Selfish.

I want to do something fun for me. Spend extra time on Facebook. Browse that internet sale someone tweeted about. Dive into a book when I should be making dinner.

I will…

-        Repent of my selfishness and ask God to help me live for Him.

-        Practice self-control. There is personal time built into the schedule. I need to have patience and wait.

-        If my mind is preoccupied with other thoughts, I will jot them down on a list so I don’t forget them, but I will cease thinking of them and focus on the task at hand.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” I Cor 9:24-27

When I am Interrupted.

I have a plan, and I'm trying to follow it, darn it! Then a child wets his pants, he hits his sibling, or she spills her bowl of cereal. My husband calls with a favor. A neighbor stops in to say hi. Something legitimate needs immediate attention.

I will…

-        Trust His plan for my day.

-        Thank Him for never giving me more than I can handle.

-        Take this opportunity to show faith to my kids.

-        Not use this as an excuse to snap at my children or punish everyone around me with my bad attitude.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

So help me out. What other moods do I need to add to my Mommy-Mood-Plan?