On this Monday morning when a rumbling thunderstorm has my 5-year-old son Max up and bouncing around at 4:30 a.m., I stumble across this useful list – “10 ways to entertain young children for $1 or less (without the TV)” — from Brad Isaac, programmer and author of a blog about goal setting.
The item on the list I’ll vouch for most enthusiastically is the big cardboard box. We bought a new washer and dryer awhile back and whatever we paid for the appliances was well worth the endless hours of enjoyment the Buzzblog triplets got from playing in the boxes.
Classics such as paper airplanes, bubble stuff and the works-every-time tin-can telephone are also on the list.
I’ll add a few of my own:
“Simon says”: This golden oldie can become a bit tedious for Simon once the kids get the hang, but they still clamor for more.
“Tickle tree”: Something of an original creation, actually. All kids love to be tickled. Have an adult set up shop on a staircase landing, dub the territory a “tickle tree,” and dare them to try to get by without being tickled. They’re about to turn six and this one’s been a favorite since they were three.
“Squirt gun hide ‘n’ seek”: Yes, they cost a bit more than a buck, but not much more, and if you combine these two tried-and-trues with the twist of making Dad the target of the seeking and the squirting, well, it doesn’t get any better.
So, check out Isacc’s list and feel free to leave a few of your own favorites here.
In the meantime, thunder and lightning continue unabated; Grant’s up, too, now … and they’re both keeping perfectly content watching cartoons on TV (but they did love the boxes).
