who raises kids without dvds all day? what activities keep your kids busy please.

[sue1386]

who raises kids without dvds all day? what activities keep your kids busy please.

personally i find that kids without dvds can whinge alot and ask why why why what what what about every single little thing not for learning and inquisitiveness but from boredom and parents can be standing on their heads doing circus acts trying to keep those kids occupied and get anything done.

with the many educational dvds these days i find kids learn so much without us having to all day read or talk. we get a break, and they still play with many toys they dont just watch all day, but it makes it happier for everyone.

those trying to raise kids without them what activities have you found helps. thanks.


But how do others find they manage please.

[ladybirdflies]

We have no TV and I have just had my third child . THe first 2 girls are at school now but when they were babies I never found that I had to 'entertain' them. Mornings they had free play where they would toddle around and play best while I got jobs done. We used to bake something everyday from about 18mths of age they would do that with me. We would take long walks sometimes in the pram sometimes them walking, they would stop and investigate every crack smell every flower. Books were only kept for bedtime. Most mornings before morning tea we would have a sing song together. THen winter summer activities, water play, sand play etc.... winter clay, paints, crayons. I find the opposite that when there is no tv they are more likely to be full and happy to really play well, and are less likely to winge and moan, but only if they consistently are not having the tv. We had a tv for many years and there were times that I pulled it out and I would get over them begging for it, they would ALWA

[ladybird11]

My dining table turns into a tent throughout winter - the kids love it :-)

[ladybirdflies]

opps i pressed the wrong button.....
i was trying to say...........
We have no TV and I have just had my third child . THe first 2 girls are at school now but when they were babies I never found that I had to 'entertain' them. Mornings they had free play where they would toddle around and play best while I got jobs done. We used to bake something everyday from about 18mths of age they would do that with me. We would take long walks sometimes in the pram sometimes them walking, they would stop and investigate every crack smell every flower. Books were only kept for bedtime. Most mornings before morning tea we would have a sing song together. THen winter summer activities, water play, sand play etc.... winter clay, paints, crayons. I find the opposite that when there is no tv they are more likely to be full and happy to really play well, and are less likely to winge and moan, but only if they consistently are not having the tv. We had a tv for many years and there were times that I pulled it out and I would get over them begging for it, they would ALWAYS have a tanti after watching tv.
I had a rhythm of playing, where they would play alone and if they could not get into playing alone they could be with me doing what I was doing. They were great at passing pegs, watering the garden, cleaning the skirting boards, wiping walls, it was all fun for them, and I got my work done. TO be honest our days went so well that I actually wonder how people fit in TV time???? And now at 8 and 6, they can spend the WHOLE day playing just the two of them nothing needed from me, they never need me to take them places to have their needs met, they are confident in the kitchen and they are busting for the weekends so they can play, skip sew cimb trees... we have to drag them in most days it is truly wonderful......

[ladybird11]

ladybirdflies - you must have more patience than I lol - you can click on the 'edit post' at the bottom of your comment if you need to alter it :-)

[Lenny]

Sue,
Do you mean your kids or are you just interested in general in how the bb community is dealing in this new era of constant digital media?

Do your kids whinge when not given dvds? I think if parents are happy to raise their children with any level of exposure to TV/dvds then they do not need to justify their choice to anyone.

If you are finding that children (yours) are asking a lot of questions and you feel you are doing a circus act to keep them occupied, it might be because of the weather - it's hard on everyone when you can't get out and be active as much as you are used to, so the physical activity needs to be replaced with mental activity. Boredom and inquisitiveness go hand in hand, surely. When childrens' need for learning and information is satisfied then they are happy to play on their own for a period of time.

If however, you are wanting to wean your children off tv/dvds then i would say do just that. Wean them off it slowly. I think it would be easier to let the child guide you in terms of what activities would be appropriate to fill their day. If it something they enjoy and are interested in then it saves you from having to do a circus act to keep their attention up.

Jo

[ladybirdflies]

I agree to the weaning of TV if you are trying to get it out of their day, taking it away may be to hard for all of you, which may lead to you feeling like you have failed if you want to put it back on. BEst to be consistent what ever you go with. TV's for Saturdays and rainy days only, and a limit around the time may help too?

[~Kim~]

Check out this thread Sue. There are heaps of great ideas in there, for both encouraging independent play and activities to keep them amused.

[Indadhanu]

Personally, I find kids who are sat down in front of TV/DVDs all day whinge more!

Not hard to entertain kids without TV. You do have to engage with them a lot, which can be boring if you aren't the playful type.

Do some outdoor play, balls and running and swings and slides. Whatever you have at your disposal. Jazz loves her 'clam shell' with loads of small coloured balls, we spend ages sitting in there with her throwing the balls out and then running around and throwing them back in. Bikes are fun. If you have a pet take them for a walk in the morning.
We LOVE baking with Jazz, and she loves it too! Mostly the mixing, touching and tasting part hahahahaha but that takes up a good hour or so! Jazz runs to the oven to check on our baking, and sometimes sits there and exclaims "WOW!". Get them to help make their food, morning tea, lunch etc. Then they're more likely to eat it too!
Painting, fingerpaint, drawing, colouring, playdough, chalkboards are all fun for kids. If you have concrete, draw on the concrete with chalk. Make some 'slime', google it I'm sure theres a recipe. I think its just cornflour and water actually. Get some glue, do some collage. Collect leaves and sand and flowers and collage them onto paper, tissue boxes, egg cartons etc. You can even do collage onto contact instead of using paper and glue, which eliminates the messy glue issue haha and then contact over the top once you're done.
Musical instruments. I am blessed to come from a family that values music so I have a few instruments in my home, plus the extras we've bought Jazz. You can buy little kids music kits with bongos, tamborines, castanets, maracas, and ukeleles for not too much money. Singing songs, nursery rhymes, is always a great hit. You can sing and teach actions, or sing and play instruments. Older kids can learn beats and patterns on the instruments rather than just banging and clanging hahahahaha.

In between the 'playing' with her are always times of her playing alone, exploring and wandering. Often coming back to base (us ) but going back out and exploring. It's kind of like she has enough concentration to play alone, but when she uses it up she needs us to play with her again, until her concentration span fills back up, and then she'll break away and play alone! Seems to be pretty common with most kids actually! Thats when things get done around the house.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Housework. Liebling loves to help me at the supermarket, sweep the floor, hand me washing to peg out, cook (not just baking, which we do, but he will cook meals with me), that sort of thing.

We're not completely TV-free but Liebs only really gets it when I'm ill, or when DH is away with work for a week and we have a movie night - or I need an hour to myself.

We also have challenges, like who can build the biggest tower of bricks, or race from the bathroom to the tent, or playing hide and seek (I love this when I'm Liebling'd out; I get loads of time on my own!). We sit in the tent (a baby tent or a blanket over two chairs) and read books. We play pretend. We go for walks, to the park or to the farm.

DS also likes to pretend he's a cat. So long as you stroke him every now and then he's happy. Doctors is another favourite. Pretending to be a steam train. Playing hairdressers. Best to look in a mirror before you go out when you play that one with a toddler.

My favourite is reading. DS and I will sit curled up on opposite ends of the sofa and read. He has his book and I have mine. Joy and peace and setting up good life habits. Poor Liebling gets Radio 4 and back issues of Private Eye some Saturdays. I'd have loved it as a child... maybe not as a toddler. But Liebs loves it because he's being just like me. He likes reading his books to me and is near word-perfect on some of them.

Liebs can play alone now, but he did have to be taught how to do it.

[~Raven~]

Housework. Liebling loves to help me at the supermarket, sweep the floor, hand me washing to peg out, cook (not just baking, which we do, but he will cook meals with me), that sort of thing.

Same here! My kids are big helpers around the house.

We read books, have a stack of toys, bake, my 3yo helps sort the washing because he remembers who the owners of the clothes are.

I think one of the most important ways to get the kids to not need DVD's is to play with them too. They will come looking for my company quite often and the little ones won't play on their own. There are times when a DVD will have to do because I need a break from being the entertainer and that's fine but actually interacting with them is a surefire way to avoid the constant DVD habit

[~me~]

My boys are great at imaginary play. Their fingers are great toys I quite often find some of the funniest questions come out when they are bored, or they learn something new.
I think it's important for kids to know what it is like to be bored, enjoy it, and how to amuse themselves and use the boredom to their advantage. We are so busy these days, kids get caught up in it and it's too easy to pop on a DVD to keep them amused.
I bake with them. They play alot of imaginary games with their toys such as cars and dinosaurs.
We also go to play centres, parks. Go for walks or ride on bikes.
They like to vacuum, dust and help out. Put music on for them and they dance around. Have a pic nic inside. I have just blown up a balloon for DS2 and he is hitting it around and chasing it.
Sometimes they need some down time, so I put a DVD on or they watch ABC kids. It's a 'sometimes' activity.

[Phteven]

We lived for 6 months without a TV. It was awesome. We have one now but I wouldn't miss it if it blew up.

[Erin_25]

also if you don't feel creative etc there is always lots of things you can do with kids in your local community. We go to Playgroup twice a week!!! DS1 loves it, there is also stroy time at the library and some Music thing. Kinder gym, swimming lessons etc. I don't mind TV, but I always try to make sure I get the kids out of the house at least once if not twice a day. We get the mail, go do the shopping, walk, ride, go to the park, feed the ducks, ride the train, have a play at macca's, go to the library or go to playgroup. At home we have a great area for them with cubby, sand pit, swings & DS1 loves his vegetable garden and bird house DH built. He goes fishing with DH, loves that too. ATM I save everything I can that can be used for crafts, we just recently made a train out of boxes, egg carton, popsticks & some paint......DS has been pushing it around the house all week!