All parents have heard the words, "I'm bored!" "There is nothing to do!" Many times our children make the same complaint because they have not been encouraged to become independent thinkers who can entertain themselves. We need to remember that it is not always the job of the parent or caregiver to entertain the child 24/7. Children need to be encouraged and guided to explore and express their creativity and curiosity independently. Parents can encourage these behaviors with a few simple activities and inexpensive supplies.
First set up an area that your child is allowed to get messy. It could be an area on a patio, patio, basement, etc. Then stock it with these simple supplies: plain and colored paper; paper plates; paper cups; paper towels; glue; scissors; paint; markers; crayons, pencils; colored chalk; playdoh; rolling pins; cookie cutters; bubbles; bubble blowers; and other miscellaneous craft items that interest your child. You may also want to set up an area with old clothes and items for dress-up or housekeeping as well as have puzzles; building blocks; word working materials and other independent activities that your child may be interested in. Encourage your child to be creative and responsible for their area. You may need to model the behavior or activities to begin with but eventually your child will be able to learn how to entertain themselves or their friends. It is important that you allow the child the freedom to explore and express themselves in this area with the understanding that they will be responsible for cleaning up after themselves as well. If you begin this regiment when the child is very young, you will find that at first you are doing quite a bit of modeling and helping with the clean-up but it is important that you have the child help right from the start. If you begin to do it all for them, you will not teach them independence but dependence and you will find yourself always picking up after your child. Be consistent and have the child assist with everything from the start. Once they learn the routine, you will find that they will be able to clean up alone. Reinforce this behavior and show pride in independent activities. You find that this will help your child build initiative and integrity towards all tasks in their lives with some simple modeling and encouragement towards independence.
Once you have accomplished this you will find your child can entertain themselves without at television, computer or gaming system. They will be independent and confident.
First set up an area that your child is allowed to get messy. It could be an area on a patio, patio, basement, etc. Then stock it with these simple supplies: plain and colored paper; paper plates; paper cups; paper towels; glue; scissors; paint; markers; crayons, pencils; colored chalk; playdoh; rolling pins; cookie cutters; bubbles; bubble blowers; and other miscellaneous craft items that interest your child. You may also want to set up an area with old clothes and items for dress-up or housekeeping as well as have puzzles; building blocks; word working materials and other independent activities that your child may be interested in. Encourage your child to be creative and responsible for their area. You may need to model the behavior or activities to begin with but eventually your child will be able to learn how to entertain themselves or their friends. It is important that you allow the child the freedom to explore and express themselves in this area with the understanding that they will be responsible for cleaning up after themselves as well. If you begin this regiment when the child is very young, you will find that at first you are doing quite a bit of modeling and helping with the clean-up but it is important that you have the child help right from the start. If you begin to do it all for them, you will not teach them independence but dependence and you will find yourself always picking up after your child. Be consistent and have the child assist with everything from the start. Once they learn the routine, you will find that they will be able to clean up alone. Reinforce this behavior and show pride in independent activities. You find that this will help your child build initiative and integrity towards all tasks in their lives with some simple modeling and encouragement towards independence.
Once you have accomplished this you will find your child can entertain themselves without at television, computer or gaming system. They will be independent and confident.
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