Schmippopotamus

A quick and simple way to keep young kids entertained and on their toes

ADDED April 29, 2008

 

This one's quick and easy. I've found it also helps get a kid's attention back when they're getting bored and possibly mischievous.

All you need to do is say: "I'm thinking of an animal. See if you can guess what it is. Here's a hint: schmippopotamus."

If your kid is old enough (three and above, certainly), they'll get the joke, and correctly figure out the animal.

Keep naming animals, but with the "schm–" sound at the beginning instead of the actual consonant sound. So, make them figure out the true identity of a schmiraffe, a schmea lion, a schmuirrel, a schmelephant, and so on.

This is fun, but it's probably better for younger kids. I haven't tested this out personally, but you might not want to try it on any teenagers.

Everybody wave

Get the kids up and get them smiling

ADDED April 28, 2008

When one of my kids is waking up tired or grumpy, I say, "Everybody wave" at that kid.  My other child and I wave vigorously at the waking boy, and he always seems to like the greeting.  Then I tell 'everybody' to wave at my other boy.  This includes the kid who is waking up, who is usually ready to participate.  Then I tell everybody to wave at me.  We go around the circle again, and this time everybody is awake and in good spirits.

In my house, the rules are: you can't talk, just wave, and you really have to put some effort into the whole procedure.

This waving business might defy common sense, but it is quiet and done with affection...and it seems to work.

(While this gets positive results for my kids--and it will probably work with yours--please, please don't try it with me.  In fact, just let me go to back to sleep for a while, thank you very much, and let me know when the game is on.)

The gate is open, the gate is closed

Release some of the kids' energy, and have fun doing it.

ADDED April 27, 2008

This requires a piece of furniture in the center of a room (as opposed to one pushed up against the wall.) A dining table would work, or a sofa, or an armchair.

Sit a few feet from the furniture, and stretch out your arm straight in front of you. Tell your kids, “the gate is closed.”

Now bend your arm at the elbow, so that your hand is pointing towards the ceiling. Show them, “the gate is open.”

Leave the “gate” open, and start the game. Have your kids run around the item of furniture. (If you’re more comfortable moving this game outside, by all means do so.) The first couple times the kids pass by, announce, “The gate is open.”

Now make it interesting: as a child nears, lower your arm and say, “The gate is closed.” The kids stop, and have to wait until the gate opens, before resuming their running.

My kids especially like it when they think they’ve passed through the open gate, but it comes ‘crashing down’ and grabs them suddenly. I can see their excitement and curiosity—will they make it by, or will they get grabbed by the gate?

This activity is a favorite in our house.

You are here

Draw a map of the room for your kids and off they go

ADDED April 26, 2008

 

 

On a piece of blank paper, draw a map of one of the rooms in your house, ideally a larger room that your child feels comfortable in, such as a living room or play room. Try to draw the map roughly to scale (without hurting yourself in the process). The map should show the bigger, immovable features of the room (don't try to include every book and toy, but do draw the furniture). Show your kid the map, and explain how everything in the room is represented on the paper: "Here are the windows, here is the door, here is the sofa, here is the chair, etc."

Have your child choose 'markers' to represent the people (and pets, if you have them) in the room. These markers should be toys small enough to fit on the map without covering much of it up. There should be a marker for each kid and adult--including you.

Now have your child move around the room, and move the marker accordingly. You might want to narrate--"The red Lego piece is moving close to the table, moving closer. Oh--now the red Lego piece is stopped, and is sitting on a chair. Look, now the red Lego piece is on the move again."

When my kids were younger, they were intrigued--and a bit baffled--by this activity. They loved to try to "outsmart" the map by running around the room quickly and crazily. As they got older and figured out how a map works, they liked to see all the places they could make their marker go. We also made a marker for Mommy, who was hurriedly packing them up for school, and the kids loved to watch as the tiny girl from the Lincoln Log set appeared in one doorway, moved across the room to get something out of the cabinet, and then disappeared off the map, out another door.

In the summer, you could draw a map of your backyard.

It is possible that famed travelers Lewis and Clark started their great explorations using a map of the living room.

Thinking of you

Fun way to help your kids learn your phone number

ADDED April 24, 2008

On the rare occasion that my beautiful wife is able to leave the house alone I like to encourage this activity. I will say, ”Who knows Moms phone number?” And whoever can recite it can call her and tell her they are thinking of her.

Next I will ask, ”Who knows my phone number?” Whoever can recite it can call me on my cell phone,of course I go to another room.

”Who knows Grandfathers phone number?” and whoever can recite it can call him and ask if he wants to meet us at the park.

Then I will give them my cell phone a say, ”Who knows our home phone number?” Whoever can recite it can call the house and leave a funny message.

After all the phone madness we review how to use 911 and who we can call using that number and when to call that number. We also go over good phone manners and how to answer the phone.

It’s fun, the kids like using the phone and if your kids don’t know your phone number help them learn it, soon you could be on the receiving end of a thinking of you call.

Costco Fort

Hours of entertainment for kids thanks to your local gigantic warehouse store

ADDED April 23, 2008

Kids like to build—that’s why blocks (and Tinker Toys, and Lincoln Logs, and Legos) were invented.

Well, when your kids are at loose ends—and argue that they’ve already built every possible structure with their toys, direct them to your garage or storage cabinet. There you will find the bounty of Costco (or other, similar warehouse store).

My kids love building as much as anyone, but they get a special delight in stacking up rolls of paper towels, toilet paper, kleenex boxes, diaper packets, and the like. Because my wife buys these items in quantities of at least one hundred and fifty (or so it seems), we always have a lot of raw material for these structures—which quickly get bigger than the kids. If anyone causes a collapse (an inevitability—and kind of fun in of itself) no one gets hurt because, well, there are no bricks, just paper towel rolls. And then we build again.

Twist Tie Pterodactyl

Shopping can be prehistoric fun for kids with this activity

ADDED April 22, 2008

 

A Twist Tie Pterodactyl is easier than it seems. Take one of the twist ties in the produce section, gently bend it to form wings and a body. Now you have a little Pterodactyl for your little one and they can both help you shop.

 

My kids love to hold the Pterodactyl and pretend it is flying as we zip around the market. Terry The Pterodactyl also helps us choose our fruits and vegetables she is a very healthy eater for a prehistoric creature.

 

If your kids are old enough to be out of the cart, the basket acts as a perfect nest to they don't wander to far. Have fun.

Animal Hospital

Exciting Emergency Room style entertainment for kids.

ADDED April 20, 2008

My kids love their stuffed animals and every now and then one (or all) of them get hurt and need some special care. Setting up your own little ER is fun and can provide hours of entertainment.

 

First set up the hospital area. Make sure it is stocked with, a few band-aids to use for cuts, a roll of toilet paper to use for bandaging. You can even use an empty TP roll as a cast and popsicle sticks are great for splints. And don’t forget a baggie with a cube of ice for bumps and bruises.

 

Now that you are all stocked and ready for customers ask your kids to gather five or six of their stuffed animals and get to work.

 

Don't forget to ask your kids how the animals got hurt and what you can do to fix it. Or let them be the doctors and stand back as they diagnose and repair their injured friends.

 

For me the best part of this activity is hearing how the stuffed animals got hurt. I had no idea their stuffed animals are involved in so many dangerous activities. Have fun and send us some photos of bandaged stuffed animals.

Big Words

Really, when was the last time you had fun with the dictionary?

ADDED April 18, 2008

A kid's early years are so exciting for everybody involved. Kids like new words and concepts--and their parents like watching all the learning.

One activity we do is to learn a 'big word' every day. Every day, my four year old and I flip through the dictionary, and he puts his finger on one of the words. Some days he wants a word with a specific letter, other days he just chooses randomly.

I tell him the word, and what it means (sometimes I change some of the words so they make better sense to him.)

We've learned the words perplexing, butter churn, landmark, scrub, and gratifying, among others.

(If the word is ever inappropriate or something I've never heard of, I just chose a word nearby, of course.)

Some words he remembers and uses, others are forgotten immediately (I think.) But it doesn't matter. I don't care. He and I aren't prepping for the SAT or for law school. We're just talking, and having fun.

Questions for the kids

Entertain the troops with a little kid interrogation

ADDED April 17, 2008

Try it here are a few starters. Questions can be simple, “what color is your favorite shirt?” informational, “how much do you like bunnies?” or outlandish, “what do you think is heavier 1 elephant or 7500 popsicles?” You can ask anything. So ask away.

I did and was surprised to find out that someone in my family would rather be tickled than eat green beans, another prefers their straw inside a cup, while a third person would rather go bowling than play croquet. Who knew! Let me know what you find out about your loved ones.

What's Your Favorite On This List

List five items in a category, and ask your child for a favorite

ADDED April 16, 2008

 

 

This activity has definitely saved the day in our house, especially when the kids had to sit and wait for adults to finish eating dinner.

List five items in a category and ask your child for a favorite among the options. Some examples of categories are: farm animals, zoo animals, ocean animals, pets (if you break these animal categories out, you will have more to talk about than if your one category was just ‘animals’), colors, lunch foods, Sesame Street characters, etc.

After your kids has chosen, tell them your favorite. They’ll be interested to know.

My kids seem to enjoy this activity even more when I hold up five fingers and point to a finger with each item in the category. They look at their own hands and fingers when deciding.

This pastime is sure to be a favorite, on anybody’s list.

Uh Oh, Here Comes A Pillow

You know that this way of entertaining kids was thought up by a Dad

ADDED April 15, 2008

A little odd, maybe, but definitely fun.

Have your kid lie down, facing up. Take a sofa pillow--or one off a bed--and announce, "Uh oh, here comes a pillow." Gently throw the pillow onto your child. And repeat.

My kids like this quite a bit. The seem excited and curious to see whether I'll throw the pillow onto their faces or their stomachs. (I promise, I throw very gently. No one requires a helmet for this game--and no one gets hurt.)

When a kid is covered with a few pillows, I say, "Okay, now I have to sit down," and I apply light pressure to the pile of pillows. Sometimes my kids pretend to be an article of furniture, and other times they indignantly proclaim that they are children, and that I should find a more suitable seating arrangement.

On the Road

Entertain your kids anywhere with an invisible racetrack

ADDED April 04, 2008

I have completely forgotten about this book

ADDED April 01, 2008

Sometimes a kid will find a favorite book and want to read it over and over and OVER again. (And then over again.)

 

Really, there's nothing wrong with this. In fact, we as parents we should definitely feel happy and lucky that our child has found a book that excites them!

 

But then again, reading a child's favorite book thirty or forty times can be, well, repetitive.

 

One way to breathe fresh life into an oft-read book is to forget about it completely.

 

"Oh, I've never seen this book before!" I tell my children as the favorite book comes out.

 

At first, they look at me like I'm nuts (not an uncommon occurrence in our house.) Then, they're on board with the game and "introducing" me to the book.

 

"And Daddy, look at how this elephant is squirting all over the place! Have you ever seen that before?"

 

I also try this completely forgetting trick when my Lovely Wife asks me to take out the garbage, but the results aren't quite as impressive.