As a young mom, there were days I was desperate for a little me-time. All right, fine. As an older mom, there are still days I’m desperate for a little me-time.
But as one of those peculiar moms who recoils at the thought of turning on “kids” TV, I didn’t have an easy out. How on earth could I get a shower, cook dinner or take a deep breath without Backyardigans to the rescue?
It took some time, but I eventually figured it out. Kids can entertain themselves. It just takes a little work at the front end. But it is so worth it when you finally get to take that breath. Ahhhh!
For the Littlest Tykes try these…
Hands-on manipulatives go a long way with this group.
* Big fat Legos (Duplos)
* Round ball with the shapes
* Fisher-Price stacking toy
These are just a few my boys really liked. There are tons of things kids can play with—even your Tupperware or Rubbermaid. If they can stack it, fit it together, or bang it loudly, it has a good chance of success.
As they get bigger…
* Brio or Thomas trains
* Lego blocks (still the Duplos – now for building, instead of banging or chewing)
* Books on tape (like magic!)
* Leap Pad – ours worked sporadically, but if you have a good one…
* Inexpensive matchbox cars, lots of them. They can race them, line them up, or just plain old play with ‘em.
When they won’t eat beads anymore…
* Regular Legos
* Books
* Books on tape/CD/iPod
* Kids’ digital camera
* Football cards
Admittedly, you won’t get much of a breath to begin with. Set your expectations low, to start. I began by sitting with my kids while they played with their toys. But (for once) I didn’t participate. For just a few minutes, they managed on their own. After awhile, they got used to figuring things out for themselves, and I eased out of the picture. Now, if you’re thinking I grabbed 30 minutes to myself, you need to re-evaluate, friend. Slow. Start slow. It’s all about your expectations!
In the beginning, the time I got to myself was short – 10 minutes, at best. But if you can grab 10 minutes to start dinner, you’re still ahead of the game. In time, 10 will grow to 20. By the time my kids were 3, they could entertain themselves in their rooms for an hour. An hour! Not only is this arrangement good for you, it’s good for them. Independent play time fosters creativity. Life doesn’t always throw you something new when you’re bored, does it? No, sometimes we have to make our own fun with what we have. That’s a good lesson to learn at any age, wouldn’t you agree?
Oh I do not miss those days. Right now my kids go out into the land behind our backyard and build a fort, play school, play foursquare. Ahhhhhhh. Middle age is worth the precious free time that comes with it.
I so agree. I try to limit TV as much as possible and it’s incredible how creative kids can be if we let them.
for the record, you are still a young mom… 🙂
My kids just recently got into regular legos. They love it and it keeps them busy for a long time. When I need some me time (or some need to cook dinner time) I will still choose tv sometimes b/c they won’t fight over tv. Great ideas!