HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS -- WHAT DO YOU GET....

A fun problem solving activity.

ADDED September 09, 2008

Most things here at TIF are absurd and amusing.  What can I say -- we like to have fun. We revel in the ridiculous and savor the silly.  Today’s idea is no different.  I like to play this game in the car when everybody is buckled in, a little bored, and ready to get to our destination. It is called, "What do you need to get…?" 

I will ask my kids simple questions like, ”What do you need to get an egg?”
The answer is not as easy as it might seem, and there are many right answers: you might need a chicken or a store or even a hand to pick up the egg. The fun comes from the imagination used thinking up silly answers. Or the questions can be of a more educational nature, ”What do you need to get 5?”  The answer again is many things: 2+3=5 or 9-4=5 . . . and even 5 birthday parties is a correct answer. Or the question can be even more silly like, ”What do you need to to get to Hawaii?” An airplane, wings, a boat, or even money would all be answers!

This is a great activity because the kids have to figure out the answer, and the adults have to be a little creative as they try and stump them with more and more outlandish questions.

What do your need to get…
Toast.
A carrot.
A car tire.
A book.
Sand.
Seatbelt.
A dog.

Try it today and leave us a comment letting us know “What do you need to get…?”.

ages 4-12, good for home, good for mealtimes, good for the car, may rile them up, quick activity, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS -- THE INVISIBLE BALL

Mom always said, don�t throw in the house (but she didn�t say anything about an invisible ball)

ADDED August 20, 2008

 

You and your child pretend to throw and catch a ball. That's it. This activity might sound a little dull, but kids seem to like it.

The fun here is in the variations on the throwing and the catching. You can throw the ball hard and throw it gently, you can toss it up high or pitch it down low. Have your kid do a diving catch or a one-hand grab. And you can vary the ball, too-see how differently you and your child throw a ball that is really hot, or sticky, or very fragile.

Have fun with this, but also remind your young ones that this is just an activity, and that society looks down on people who opt for lives as professional mimes.

ages 2-7, good for home, no 'props' needed,

How to entertain kids -- Music Lessons

No musical ability, or musical instruments, required

ADDED August 19, 2008

Kids are endlessly fun and entertaining for their parents.  So why shouldn't parents request specific entertainment?  And who wouldn't like to be serenaded with some music?

Well, before your kids can perform music for you, you'll have to teach them how to play some musical instruments.

And it doesn't matter if you own no instruments or if you have no musical ability yourself.  You can still talk about different kinds of musical instruments, and how they sound.

First, you'll need some "instruments." Use some of your kid's stuff for these:  different books and toys.  Anything that they can hold and isn't too tiny.

Once you've got the "instruments," start holding each one up and demonstrating how it sounds.  (As best as you can, imitate the sounds of various instruments.)  Say things like:  "You play a guitar by strumming, like this.  You can put your other hand here, to change the notes."

Demonstrate the strumming of a guitar, the plinking of a piano, the honking of a trumpet.  See if you guys can move on to the piccolo, flute, harpsichord, even bagpipes!

This will be a fun introduction to instruments for you little ones.  And one day soon, your kid just might have a real instrument, so now you can practice listening to their musical efforts while trying not to wince too visibly.

ages 2-7, good for a group, good for home, no 'props' needed,

HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS -- CLEANING MACHINES

Fun way to get kids to clean up

ADDED August 14, 2008

Picking up toys isn’t nearly as fun as getting them out in the first place. But a twist on that chore will help get it done.

When my kids aren’t participating in the clean up, I say, “Uh oh, this cleaning isn’t happening very quickly. What we need are some cleaning machines.”

I tell my kids that now they have to crawl around the floor, because they are the machines!

And they respond immediately to this suggestion. Suddenly they are down on the floor, making odd and vaguely mechanical noises. One of my boys, in doing this activity, recently announced he was a “Toy Plow, not a snow plow,” and that his shovel was really good at cleaning the toys. And so it was.

This twist has come in handy for me, but I don’t think you should try it if time is a factor. If your machines resemble the ones in my house, the job gets done, but with lots of time spent making particular noises, breaking down, being repaired, etc.

ages 2-7, good for a group, good for home, no 'props' needed, quick activity, see our disclaimer,

Family Survey

Take a fun survey of your family's preferences

ADDED June 11, 2008

An easy-to-do, fun conversation starter with the kids.

Make a chart on a blank piece of paper. On the far left, create a column called "Question." Next you'll want to have a column for each person in the family, Mom, Dad, kids, and so forth.

Write a simple either-or question in the first column, and then ask it to your kids. "Which do you like better, purple or yellow?" Write each person's response in their column.

Here are some categories we used, that will undoubtedly spark ideas for you. Which do you like better:

 

Chocolate or raisins
Ketchup or mustard
Blue or green
Purple or yellow
Dogs or cats
Manta rays or sea horses
Cows or horses
Drums or guitars
Flutes or trombones
Crayons or markers
Batman or Superman
Climbing up or sliding down

Baths or showers

Shouting or whispering

Quarter or penny

 

For my family, a big part of the fun is learning about charts, and studying the one we make. Another part of the fun is reviewing each family member's response, and finding similarities and differences. "Oh, Mommy and I both like ketchup more than mustard--but Daddy really likes mustard!"

ages 3-12, educational, good for a group, good for home,

Plate it up!

Yes, yes. Technically this is playing with your food. But it's fun and educational, too.

ADDED June 09, 2008

 

Plating is what they call it in restaurants, when they put food onto a plate with an eye towards the presentation.

This is simple, fun, and possibly educational thing you can do in your own home. Do some plating that stimulates your kids' brains.

When I serve peanut butter on toast, I quickly cut the bread into many small triangles and spread them around the plate. My kids are immediately intrigued and are sure to comment on what they see. In the process, of course, we learn about shapes and spatial distances.

I do other sly things with the kids' food, to get them to take notice. I'll put three different kinds of fruit on three different little plates. I'll serve banana slices as a stacked tower or circling the edges of the dish. Anything to mix it up and get them talking.

A little creativity can provide an instant topic of conversation, and help kids have fun and learn something, too.

So have fun, and plate it up!

ages 3-12, educational, good for home, good for mealtimes, quick activity,

The perfect toy

Who needs toys when you have a box

ADDED May 05, 2008

We all know that kids love boxes but here are some other uses that you may not have thought of. So I now present a list of possible uses for a box. This list is not exhaustive and let us know how a box can entertain your little ones.

 

Make it into a…
Rocket ship
Transportation for a Queen
Race car

Decorate it for…
Birthdays
Thanksgiving
Hanukkah
Christmas

Put your…
Toys in it
Pet in it
Brother in it

Wear it as a…
Suit of Armor
Big shoe
Hat

Ride it…
On a blanket (wood floors required)
On a skateboard (helmet and pads required)
To a Drive-in Movie in your living room

Make it into a…
Stage for a Puppet show
Hospital for sick stuffed animals
Garage for cars

Use it as a…
Stove for cooking
Table for eating
Throne for a King

ages 2-7, good any time, good for home, longer activity, may rile them up, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

Thinking of you

Fun way to help your kids learn your phone number

ADDED April 24, 2008

On the rare occasion that my beautiful wife is able to leave the house alone I like to encourage this activity. I will say, ”Who knows Moms phone number?” And whoever can recite it can call her and tell her they are thinking of her.

Next I will ask, ”Who knows my phone number?” Whoever can recite it can call me on my cell phone,of course I go to another room.

”Who knows Grandfathers phone number?” and whoever can recite it can call him and ask if he wants to meet us at the park.

Then I will give them my cell phone a say, ”Who knows our home phone number?” Whoever can recite it can call the house and leave a funny message.

After all the phone madness we review how to use 911 and who we can call using that number and when to call that number. We also go over good phone manners and how to answer the phone.

It’s fun, the kids like using the phone and if your kids don’t know your phone number help them learn it, soon you could be on the receiving end of a thinking of you call.

Good for bathtime, good for home, verbal activity,

Costco Fort

Hours of entertainment for kids thanks to your local gigantic warehouse store

ADDED April 23, 2008

Kids like to build—that’s why blocks (and Tinker Toys, and Lincoln Logs, and Legos) were invented.

Well, when your kids are at loose ends—and argue that they’ve already built every possible structure with their toys, direct them to your garage or storage cabinet. There you will find the bounty of Costco (or other, similar warehouse store).

My kids love building as much as anyone, but they get a special delight in stacking up rolls of paper towels, toilet paper, kleenex boxes, diaper packets, and the like. Because my wife buys these items in quantities of at least one hundred and fifty (or so it seems), we always have a lot of raw material for these structures—which quickly get bigger than the kids. If anyone causes a collapse (an inevitability—and kind of fun in of itself) no one gets hurt because, well, there are no bricks, just paper towel rolls. And then we build again.

Good for bathtime, good for a group, good for home, may rile them up, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

Big Letters

Typing can be big fun for kids

ADDED April 21, 2008

A big part of being a kid is emulating your parents. It’s fun to act like Mom or Dad, and there are some learning aspects to this mimicry, too.

Kids these day see their parents on their computers quite a bit. Of course, much of this is checking todayisfun.com, we understand.

One way for very young kids to start learning about computers is to do something very simple. In Microsoft Word, you can open a new document and change the font size to something really large. Then your child can practice typing different letters on the keyboard.

We did this when my older son was first learning his letters, and he had a great time. He said, “Now I’m going to do a lot of B’s, now I’m going to do a lot of L’s.” Then he would say, “See? Just like Daddy.”

Good for bathtime, good for home, reading activity, verbal activity,

Animal Hospital

Exciting Emergency Room style entertainment for kids.

ADDED April 20, 2008

My kids love their stuffed animals and every now and then one (or all) of them get hurt and need some special care. Setting up your own little ER is fun and can provide hours of entertainment.

 

First set up the hospital area. Make sure it is stocked with, a few band-aids to use for cuts, a roll of toilet paper to use for bandaging. You can even use an empty TP roll as a cast and popsicle sticks are great for splints. And don’t forget a baggie with a cube of ice for bumps and bruises.

 

Now that you are all stocked and ready for customers ask your kids to gather five or six of their stuffed animals and get to work.

 

Don't forget to ask your kids how the animals got hurt and what you can do to fix it. Or let them be the doctors and stand back as they diagnose and repair their injured friends.

 

For me the best part of this activity is hearing how the stuffed animals got hurt. I had no idea their stuffed animals are involved in so many dangerous activities. Have fun and send us some photos of bandaged stuffed animals.

Good for bathtime, good for a group, good for home, not good for a restaurant or public place, verbal activity,

Big Words

Really, when was the last time you had fun with the dictionary?

ADDED April 18, 2008

A kid's early years are so exciting for everybody involved. Kids like new words and concepts--and their parents like watching all the learning.

One activity we do is to learn a 'big word' every day. Every day, my four year old and I flip through the dictionary, and he puts his finger on one of the words. Some days he wants a word with a specific letter, other days he just chooses randomly.

I tell him the word, and what it means (sometimes I change some of the words so they make better sense to him.)

We've learned the words perplexing, butter churn, landmark, scrub, and gratifying, among others.

(If the word is ever inappropriate or something I've never heard of, I just chose a word nearby, of course.)

Some words he remembers and uses, others are forgotten immediately (I think.) But it doesn't matter. I don't care. He and I aren't prepping for the SAT or for law school. We're just talking, and having fun.

good for a group, good for home,

Questions for the kids

Entertain the troops with a little kid interrogation

ADDED April 17, 2008

Try it here are a few starters. Questions can be simple, “what color is your favorite shirt?” informational, “how much do you like bunnies?” or outlandish, “what do you think is heavier 1 elephant or 7500 popsicles?” You can ask anything. So ask away.

I did and was surprised to find out that someone in my family would rather be tickled than eat green beans, another prefers their straw inside a cup, while a third person would rather go bowling than play croquet. Who knew! Let me know what you find out about your loved ones.

good any time, good for a group, good for a restaurant or public place, good for home, good for mealtimes, good for the car, verbal activity,

Uh Oh, Here Comes A Pillow

You know that this way of entertaining kids was thought up by a Dad

ADDED April 15, 2008

A little odd, maybe, but definitely fun.

Have your kid lie down, facing up. Take a sofa pillow--or one off a bed--and announce, "Uh oh, here comes a pillow." Gently throw the pillow onto your child. And repeat.

My kids like this quite a bit. The seem excited and curious to see whether I'll throw the pillow onto their faces or their stomachs. (I promise, I throw very gently. No one requires a helmet for this game--and no one gets hurt.)

When a kid is covered with a few pillows, I say, "Okay, now I have to sit down," and I apply light pressure to the pile of pillows. Sometimes my kids pretend to be an article of furniture, and other times they indignantly proclaim that they are children, and that I should find a more suitable seating arrangement.

good for home, may rile them up, not good for a restaurant or public place, see our disclaimer,

I have completely forgotten about this book

ADDED April 01, 2008

Sometimes a kid will find a favorite book and want to read it over and over and OVER again. (And then over again.)

 

Really, there's nothing wrong with this. In fact, we as parents we should definitely feel happy and lucky that our child has found a book that excites them!

 

But then again, reading a child's favorite book thirty or forty times can be, well, repetitive.

 

One way to breathe fresh life into an oft-read book is to forget about it completely.

 

"Oh, I've never seen this book before!" I tell my children as the favorite book comes out.

 

At first, they look at me like I'm nuts (not an uncommon occurrence in our house.) Then, they're on board with the game and "introducing" me to the book.

 

"And Daddy, look at how this elephant is squirting all over the place! Have you ever seen that before?"

 

I also try this completely forgetting trick when my Lovely Wife asks me to take out the garbage, but the results aren't quite as impressive.

good any time, good for home, reading activity,

Stretch Out Your Hands As Wide As They Go

ADDED March 19, 2008

Sometimes you sense your kid is at loose ends and has a lot of (potentially dangerous) 'undirected energy.' This type of situation, if left unchecked, leads to an episode of crayon drawing on the wall, throwing food, or otherwise being a pill.

This simple "repeat after me" game, with accompanying gestures, is good for diverting the kids for a few minutes.

Tell your child these words, and add some rhythm to your voice. (If you've ever done a group 'cheer' at a high school pep rally, that type of rhythm will probably work well for you here.)

Stretch out your hands as wide as they go
And clap, clap, clap, clap.
Stretch out your hands as wide as they go
And wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. [wiggle your fingers]

As you say the words, show your children the gestures. And have them move their arms as they repeat after you.

The next bit is:

Stretch out your hands as wide as they go
And swim, swim, swim.
[pretend to swim by doing strokes in the air]
Stretch out your hands as wide as they go
And drive the car, drive the car, drive the car.
[energetically jerk an invisible steering wheel]
Honk, honk, honk!
[pretend to shove the horn on the steering wheel]

Young kids seem to really enjoy this activity. Let's just hope it doesn't put them on the path to a future hobby of Jazzercise.

good for home, good for the car, not good for a restaurant or public place,