I Am Ready For My Surprise, Kids!

Your kids surprise you. Everybody wins.

ADDED October 02, 2009

kids activities surpries

Length: 10 to 30 minutes.

Parental Involvement: Explain the idea, set some parameters, and leave!

Kids Should Be Able to: Think creatively and manage themselves independently of a parent for a short while.

Have you ever surprised your kids? Chances are very good that the answer is yes.

Parents often have surprises for their children. We've surprised our boys with little presents, new books, and one time even a day trip to Disneyland.

But what about parents? Do kids ever surprise them? (I'm talking about a *positive* surprise here. "Oops, I just dumped my milk all over the dining room table does not qualify as a *good* surprise for Mom and Dad.)

Today, we suggest that your kids surprise you. It will be an entertaining activity for everybody involved.

Sometimes, my wife and I need to leave my young kids (ages five and three) unattended for a few minutes. For instance, on some crazy mornings, my poor wife can't make time to take a shower while I'm home, so she'll need to step away from our kids for 15 minutes in order to shower and dress. Sometimes while my wife is running errands and I'm in charge, I'll need to take our dog on a quick walk to go to the bathroom.

During those times, it's our obligation as parents to set the kids up with an activity that keeps them occupied, comfortable, and safe.

Sometimes -- I admit it -- we'll turn on the TV and let them watch Go Diego Go or the Backyardigans. Other times, we'll give them a book or two to read. Those activities work fine pretty often, but sometimes the kids just aren't interested. And that's how today's suggestion was born.

Before I step away for ten minutes, I'll ask the kids to make me a surprise. This suggestion immediately captures my boys' imagination. They get to surprise me. They get to do something that I won't really know about. They get to show me something new and exciting.

I do set some parameters for the kids, in order to make sure the surprise is a good one. I don't want the surprise to be: "We've taken all our clothes out of our dresser and spread them across the floor!" So I'll say, "I'm going out with the dog for five minutes. Please take your blocks and make a surprise for me." Or, "Here's a piece of paper and some crayons, please show me what exciting surprise you can draw for me before I get back."

To be completely honest, this activity goes over like gangbusters. It's a very good thing.

So what surprise can your kids whip up for you? We'd love for you to give it a try and report your results. Surprise us!

(But please, no milk poured onto the table or dresser dumped onto the floor. That's not our kind of surprise.)