Ask anything you want or tell me something I don't know

A nice, nightly night-night ritual

ADDED July 24, 2008

 

In our house, we have a boy who is just old enough to have his own 'big kid' bed, but not quite old enough to understand the concept of staying in that bed at night.

We take a number of steps to remind everybody in our house that beds are for bedtime, and we have a nice nightly routine that includes reading a book and telling a story.

After the book and the story, and when the kids are lying quietly in bed, I do the final part of the nightime process. I say to each child in turn: "Ask me any question about anything you want, or tell me something, anything, that I don't know."

The point that I'm conveying to them here is that we're done talking for the day, and that it's time to move on to resting and being quiet.

This activity is also further encouragement for kids to feel comfortable sharing information or asking a question. There are many times when kids are not invited to make any statement they'd like (during school, at church, etc.), and I want to make sure to give them chances to communicate anything at all with me, and to get into the habit of doing so.

And like all the ideas on our site, there's a lot of fun to be had here, too. For instance, what will your child's minds come up with for questions, or for information you don't already know? In our house, I was recently told that a dinosaur popped his head out of a volcano and tried to eat one of our family's friends! Well, I certainly did not know that one before.

We're interested in the rituals you do with your kids in your house. To share, please email us at info@todayisfun.com, or leave a comment here.

ages 3-12, verbal activity,

Animal Action

A game that gets the kids moving and exercising some creativity

ADDED July 23, 2008

I recently caught my lovely spouse playing this game with the kids.  I immediately decided to steal the idea and put it up on this site, as this activity fits with our theme this week (simple and fun) and it's a great way of expelling some of the kids' energy out before bed.

To do this one, you chant the following words:  

Animal action, animal action, animal action.

Everyone act like a __________.

And you fill in the name of the animal.  The kids' job, of course, is to make their bodies into the shape of the animal you named.  They then run around in that shape, making the noise of the animal.  

The point of this exercise is not accuracy.  In our house, elephants, octopuses and guinea pigs seem to resemble each other very closely (and they all seem to growl ferociously, too, for some reason).  Instead, the goal here is to look at the different things we can do with our bodies, and to get those bodies moving!

Have fun, but be careful.  You never know when you'll encounter a snarling octopus or a ferocious guinea pig.

ages 2-7, educational, good for a group, may rile them up, summer activity,

Eat It or Don't Eat It!

Yet another of our kids games that is easy, fun, and instructional

ADDED July 21, 2008

This is another very simple game. There is a certain, almost Zen-like beauty to the simplicity of this activity, as we'll explain in a moment...

You list a few things for your kids. They have to tell you "Eat it" or "Don't Eat It" for each. A plate of spaghetti, yes. An apple, yes. An entire house . . . absolutely not!

After your turn (try to rattle off about ten different items to ask about), your kids can take a stab at listing things for you to eat or don't eat.

Once your kids understand the concept, you can start to get tricky with them. For instance, "elbow pasta" is a favorite in our house. But just plain old elbows . . . don't try to eat those!

Of course, this is a very easy way to review for small children what people eat, and what they shouldn't. As a case in point, I always remind my little guy that crayons and Play Dough are on the "Don't Eat It!" list.

And now for the beauty of this game, as we mentioned above. The thing is, "Eat it or Don't Eat It!" is simple and engaging enough for small children that they can play it themselves, once you show them how. We have witnessed kids as young as four and two playing this game by themselves for ten to fifteen minutes at a time! And ah, what a sweet, peaceful, and relaxing ten to fifteen minutes that was.

Have fun, and at your next meal time, please stick to the "Eat It" list. No houses, no elbows, please.

 

ages 2-7, educational, good any time, good at home, good for a restaurant or public place, good for mealtimes, good for the car, no 'props' needed, verbal activity,

How Many Fingers Am I Holding Up?

A game for kids that helps little ones learn math concepts

ADDED July 20, 2008

This activity is another in our series about teaching numbers and counting.  And okay, it's pretty simple, we admit it.  Please don't demand your money back.  It really is a great, fun introduction to these concepts for little kids.

First, have the kids close their eyes. Then hold up a number of your fingers.  

"How many fingers am I holding up?" you ask.

Then your child guesses, while keeping eyes closed.  You respond to each guess with "More," "Less," or "Absolutely right!"

Once your kids get the concept, you can close your eyes and take a shot at guessing how many fingers they're holding up.

(During a recent run through of this game, my boy really surprised me.  After I guessed all the possible numbers - 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 - and was told that I was wrong every time, I opened my eyes to discover he was holding up all his fingers on both hands.  He was delighted, of course, and I was foiled again.)

Have fun playing this learning numbers game with your kids, but whatever you do, for your own safety and the safety of your self esteem, don't try to play this one with any teenagers!

ages 2-7, educational, good at home, good for a group, good for a restaurant or public place, good for mealtimes, quick activity, verbal activity,

The big performance.

The final act for this weeks activities

ADDED July 18, 2008

Today’s craft is part three of a three part summer fun activity.

I hope you all made your puppets and worked out a little story with your child if you did not please click here and here for the activities.  

Now that the puppets are made and the story is ready it’s time to put all the pieces together for the big performance.  You can use something as simple as the back of a chair or couch for the stage really anything your kids can get behind will be perfect.
 
If you want to pop some popcorn have some drinks and light refreshments and when everybody is ready turn the lights down and enjoy the show. Cheer and have fun!

For those who are technically savvy record the show and post it on youtube.com.  That way if a special loved one can’t make it they will be able to see it. Or you can just record it to show on your TV I know my kids love to see themselves on TV.

Have a great weekend and let us know how its going remember to leave a comment or send us an email!  info@todayisfun.com

ages 2-7, good for a group, see our disclaimer, summer activity, verbal activity,