4 weeks ago today we welcomed our 4th child and third boy! This is Gerik. We love him so much and are so happy to have him here. It will be nice to teach Kindermusik without a big baby belly!
Having four kids is definitely an adjustment, but having a baby in the middle of an Arizona summer is it's own special challenge. Not only are we stuck inside because of baby but also because of the eyeball burning heat! Keeping kids entertained in the house all day can get tricky. It's super tempting to watch movies or play the wii all day, but I really don't like doing that. Of course, my kids would love to watch movies and play the wii 'til the cows come home, but I hate what it does to them. They always get more grouchy if they've had too much screen time. So, my goal this week is to figure out how to limit screen time without hearing "I'm bored!" all day long.
I started by making just two "Wii Days" a week. Yikes! Now what do we do the other 5 days?!
When I was little I absolutely loved playing Hopscotch. I even had a rug that I could play on indoors (which apparently my mom still has).
My cute sister-in-law gave us this Hopscotch game for Christmas a few years ago. It's made out of bubble wrap, so you hear POP! POP! when you jump on the squares. Cute! (FYI, if you make one for you, wear socks or the plastic will stick to your feet!) I pulled the game out of the closet one afternoon last week, and it was a hit! We had such a good time together! We were able to get some exercise, laugh, and cheer each other on, and all without turning on the T.V. Loved it!
I was so glad I thought of getting that game out, but unfortunately it's not always easy to come up with activities for my kids to do. I try teach them to think of they're own activities, but sometimes they need a little help...and so do I!
I decided to brainstorm some go-to activities for those moments when we all need something to do. Here's what I've got so far:
Build a fort
Scavenger hunt (make a random list of things for them to find- they can work together or separately)
See how many jumping jacks they can do (add other exercises to it)
Have them put on a play
Write a story
Write a letter
Sock sliding race on the downstairs floor
Make playdough
Math games
Color by number
Make tic-tac-to rocks
Musical wet sponge- toss a wet sponge, when the music stops, squish it on your head
Write a RAK Summer List
Choose a new cookie recipe to make
Make a food list of veggies and fruit you like and ones you want to try
Mattress slide down the stairs (might lead to broken bones, maybe not...)
What are you favorite go-to activities?
4 weeks ago today we welcomed our 4th child and third boy! This is Gerik. We love him so much and are so happy to have him here. It will be nice to teach Kindermusik without a big baby belly!
Having four kids is definitely an adjustment, but having a baby in the middle of an Arizona summer is it's own special challenge. Not only are we stuck inside because of baby but also because of the eyeball burning heat! Keeping kids entertained in the house all day can get tricky. It's super tempting to watch movies or play the wii all day, but I really don't like doing that. Of course, my kids would love to watch movies and play the wii 'til the cows come home, but I hate what it does to them. They always get more grouchy if they've had too much screen time. So, my goal this week is to figure out how to limit screen time without hearing "I'm bored!" all day long.
I started by making just two "Wii Days" a week. Yikes! Now what do we do the other 5 days?!
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