Imagination Walk

One of my favorite activities is going on an imagination walk.  You and your kids can go where ever you want although I try to go places where I can really get them moving.  Some examples of imagination walk activities are flying through the clouds, big jumps over a stream, swimming in the ocean, climbing a mountain, or quickly ducking when a dragon flies over head.  We’ve pretended to go for a ride in a magic bubble and had a magician turn us into frogs and we had to hop from lily pad to lily pad until we reached the other side of the pond then were turned back into humans.  We take turns deciding where to go and what we see on our walks.  The best thing about it is you can do it for as little or as long as you want, there’s no set up or clean up, and it’s always different and always new.

Although you are having fun with your child you are also teaching important skills.  Make sure you challenge both their imaginations and their bodies.  This article decscribes how imagination plays an important role in a child’s cognitive growth.  One great quote was "fantasy play is correlated with other positive attributes. In preschool children, for example, those who have imaginary friends are more creative, have greater social understanding and are better at taking the perspective of others."  They are also developing gross motor skills through all the physical activity in your adventures.  This is just one example of the importance of play in a child’s education.

Where  will your imagination take you and your child?

How To Get Your Kids Inspired To Play Sports

In this day and age there are many kids who would rather sit inside and watch television rather than play outside or do physical activities.  Many parents I know force their kids to play at least one sport just to make sure the child is active.  I don’t completely disagree with telling a child they must pick one activity but I also think that a child should be encouraged and inspired to play.  My son loves playing and these are a few things I’ve done to inspire him to love sports:

1.       Practice together-Kids love spending time with their parents plus if you take time out of your schedule to practice then it shows your child this activity is worthwhile.  I recommend starting with a very minimal amount of time at first based on your child’s age, ability, and interest.  Even setting a timer for 5 or 10 minutes at first will show them they don’t have to spend endless time practicing.  Make it as fun as possible.  I usually have my son practice a skill for a few minutes then play a game that reinforces that skill.  It helps for them to see you laughing and having a great time.  Make sure you keep your patience no matter how annoying your child is being.  It’s so important to teach them that this is fun!

2.       Add a little friendly competition-Schedule a low key game once a week with a few friends.  My son’s friends meet up to play different sports a few times a week.  This enables your child to associate the game with friends and it’s more relaxing to play without a formal practice or game.  You don’t have to make it into a huge play date.  The other parents and I just send a quick text to each other that says something like, “At the basketball courts until about 4 if you guys want to stop over.”  Usually at least one friend will stop over.

3.       Watch professional games-If you can afford it go to a major league game or just watch some on television.  I make special snacks and watch the games with my son.  It’s not just about the game it’s about hanging out, eating awesome food, and developing a love and understanding of baseball.  Our little league sells tickets to go to local minor league games and we all go together.  These games are much cheaper than major’s games.  Even going to high school games can be so much fun.  We meet up with a couple of other families and have a blast supporting our high school soccer, basketball, and baseball teams.  Plus your kids know that someday they’ll be playing for these teams too.

4.       Make it a family thing-Schedule a family competition once a week.  We have “Soccer Sundays” throughout the whole summer.  We barbeque, set up a couple of soccer goals, make up teams, and challenge each other to a pretty competitive game of soccer.  Usually the adults only play once but the kids can usually go at it for hours.  The added bonus is they are EXHAUSTED and ready for bed much earlier than usual.  I always feel like a good mom when I see kids outside, being active, and having fun with their family.  It’s such a great combination.

5.       Consider lessons-I know lessons can be very expensive.  My son likes pretty much every sport but I try to really focus on improving just one per year.  This year he took batting lessons with a professional coach.  The difference in his hitting was unbelievable and he has so much more confidence.  He wasn’t that into baseball because he had a rough year last year and struck out pretty much every single time.  Now he loves playing because he is doing so well.  As with anything in life,  it is so much more fun to do the things you’re good at.  It’s much more fun as a parent to watch your kid hit the ball than strike out too!

What do you do to get your kids excited to play sports?  Let me know if any of these ideas work for your family!

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Four Active Indoor Activities

 "I know it is wet and the sun is not sunny, but we can have lots of good fun that is funny."

~Dr. Seuss

One of the most trying times as a parent is when you’re stuck home with your kids all day,  the weather is too bad to go outside for any length of time and they have no outlet for their boisterous energy.  Usually a parent’s stress level directly correlates to a child’s energy level (this is a mathematical fact, I didn't just make that up).  Instead of constantly hushing them, or worse, losing your temper like we all do from time to time, try some of these activities.  The following activities allow children to use large muscles and be loud but in a regulated manner (think controlled chaos).   They involve minimal props, little clean up, and you can invest as little or as much time as you want to them.  If I really don’t feel like doing them I’ll set the timer for a time that will allow me to stay sane as well as assuage my guilt for not wanting to spend every waking second entertaining my child.  After doing one or two of these with your child they will have satisfied some of their need for exercise and will maybe sit and color for longer than a five second clip.  If you're really lucky they'll find something to do to entertain themselves.

       1.       Skater’s Waltz

      Use two paper plates as skates and skate around the house listening to the skater’s        
              waltz.   

      You  can just look the song up on youtube.com or even just Google it.  Here are a few links
             to

      make it a little easier:

Skaters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV4BxDcWus8

Ballerinas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ04B1tiXx4&feature=related

Just the music with a Christmas picture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXpK42v18oo&feature=related

        2.       Animal Noises

This one is great because it teaches your child a little self control.  First say to them in a loud, excited voice, “What noise does a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig dog make?”  Then bark with them in a loud voice.  Then whisper to them, “What sound does the liiiiiiiiiittle dog (puppy) make?”  Now bark in a very quiet voice.  Go through as many animals as you can think of.  This has kept my wild son as well as my entire classroom busy for as long as I’m willing to play.

       3.       Balloons

This one is so easy.  Just blow up a balloon and play keep it in the air.  Many times if you play for a couple of minutes then your child will continue to play on their own.  You may have a break for a few minutes (well one at least).  If you want to take it farther take out a box or basket and try to shoot it in.  Depending on your child’s age you can either toss it it or throw it up and hit the balloon in.

       4.       Puddle Jumping

Don’t worry, this doesn’t really involve muddy water.  What you do is pretend you’re out walking in the rain.  At first you whisper “Tip toe, tip toe, tip toe” and you pretend to tip toe through the puddles.  Then you jump as high as you can a yell, "SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH!" while pretending to jump in puddles.  Go back and forth between the two so your kids don't get completely out of control.  You can make this game more challenging by using a paper plate or a book as a rain hat and try to balance it on your head as you play.

Let me know how these work for you and your family!