Getting stuck at home is death
“William, I’m going to spit on you!”
My daughter, who is three, is screaming in the playroom. She and her brother are each gripping a child-sized shopping cart full of plastic groceries. William is saying, “NO!” and pulling on the cart, unmoved by his sister’s treat.
“You’d better not spit on him,” I announce from the kitchen. “But he…” The rest of what she said doesn’t matter, as I’ve heard it before. The vocabulary may change, but the message does not: Get us out of this house.
We live in a coastal community, and summertime means trips to the beach, the playground, the aquarium and so on. Long, hazy days keep the kids occupied and exhaust their little muscles. It’s glorious.
But right now it’s January. New England January. With the temperatures in the teens, we haven’t seen outdoors in quite a while. This makes everyone edgy. You need to be prepared for those long days indoors. Here’s some things we’ve done.
- Bring out old toys. Every three months or so, my wife and I move the toys that aren’t seeing any action to the basement. Then we bring them back up, and swap out a different set of toys. The kids always go nuts to see the old toys again, and you can get a good week out them.
- Plan a time-consuming, gross motor activity. Build a fort in the livingroom. Set up an obstacle course with sofa cushions, laundry baskets…you name it. Design and play a board game (think simple: “Candyland” and matching derivatives do well).
- Have them “help” with chores. I know this sounds like a ridiculous proposal, but even giving my 1 year old William a stack of laundry to “fold” makes him very happy (plus, I actually get something done).
Your mileage may vary, of course, so good luck. (Incidentally, you can find ideas much better than mine at Kiddley). As for the incident with the shopping cart…No actual spitting took place. This time.
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