Indoor Snowball Fight

If the weather is not cooperating, but your kids would love to play in the snow, you can have a snowball fight indoors. Take some recycled paper, and crumple it up into "snowballs". The kids will have a blast throwing the snowballs at each other, and no one gets cold or wet. Be sure to play this in a safe area of the house where nothing will get broken. Safe the snowballs for future use, or recycle the paper.

Lunchtime Bath

Weather not cooperating? Want to fill in some indoor time? Try running a bubble bath and serving lunch in the tub. After lunch, provide some wooden spoons and spatulas and let them splash away.

Keep Toys Simple

The more a toy does, the less there is for a child to do. A plain toy phone will lead to more imaginative conversations than one with prerecorded messages.

Playroom Fun

A fun and inexpensive way to decorate a playroom or child´s bedroom is to use chalkboard paint on the walls. You can paint and entire wall, or several walls at your child´s level. It is as simple as painting the wall, and the kids get hours of fun, and can finally really write on the walls!

Less-Stress Play Dates

If your child is having trouble sharing his toys during play dates, allow him to choose some special toys to put aside before the date arrives. Asking him to share everything he owns is unreasonable, and this way he still feels in control. After all, do you share all your favorite things with your company?

Toddler Tunnel

For hours of fun and imaginative play, tear the flaps off four large cardboard boxes and duct tape the boxes together to form a tunnel. Let the children decorate the outside with paints and/or markers, and let them use their imagination playing games in their tunnel.

Strangers on the Internet

Teach your children that strangers on the Internet are no different from strangers on the street, on the phone, or at the mall. Emphasize to your children never to release private information, such as credit card numbers, home address, computer passwords, or other private family information ot strangers.

Fun on File

To prevent boredom in small children, decorate a special box to hold index cards. On each card, name a different activity that is quick and doesn´t require a lot of setup. Eg) play ring-around-rosy, read a book, put on a puppet show, etc. When boredom strikes, let your little ones take turns picking a card and leading the activity. It´s fun for the kids, and prevents playtime from becoming a chore for you.

Mini Car Wash

Here's a fun activity for those hot days when the kids want to play outside in the water—host a car wash. If the kids are too little to wash your car, let them have a mini car wash and wash their own cars. Give them a bucket or plastic dishpan of soapy water and let them wash their riding toys, or other toys they may have that are washable (balls, plastic squeeze toys, play cars and trucks, etc.). They will have fun doing it and it will save you the job of cleaning them yourself. Make sure they wear some clothes you don't mind them getting wet in. Who said cleaning can't be fun?

Keeping in Touch Over the Summer

Before school ends for the year, get your kids to make a list of their friends and their phone numbers. Over the summer, your kids can phone their friends for an impromptu game of baseball or a trip to the park. This will help everyone keep in touch, and make the transistion back to school in the fall much easier.

Internet Filters

Some Internet filters deny access to sites using certain keywords, but some products allow parents to review and change keywords to create their own customized list. The drawback to keyword blocking is that the technology can´t discriminate between genuinely unsuitable sites and innocent ones. Software programmed to avoid the keyword "smoking" for example, could also filter out educational anti-smoking sites, and even sites devoted to geology ("smoking volcanoes") or magic ("smoke and mirrors").

Matching-Memory Game

Wash and save lids from frozen juice concentrate. Using photos or magazine pictures of your choice, find matching sets. You may use photo doubles, or photocopy pictures. Cut each photo to size, cover with clear Con-Tact paper, and glue it to a lid. If you use photos of far-away family or friends, it is an ideal activity to keep memories fresh. Kids will love sorting through the photos to find matches.

Sandy Solutions

After a day at the beach, sprinkling baby powder all over kids (and adults) causes the sand to brush off like magic. No more messy, uncomfortable rides home.

An Inexpensive Puppet Theatre

For a great way to encourage your little ones into hours of imaginative play, here is an easy way to make a homemade puppet theatre. Just place a spring rod with a simple curtain in a doorway and you´ve got a stage. The height is adjustable for kids of varying height, and it is easily removable and packs up great for storage.

Model Anyone?

Looking for something different to do? Have the kids put on some nice picture-taking clothes and hit the local sites. Pretend like you are tourists from out of town checking out the local attractions. Take pictures of the kids in all sorts of interesting poses, such as those seen in magazines. They will have fun being models and you will have some priceless moments captured on film. You don't have to take a trip to some exotic place to take pictures. Look around in your own backyard for some good background shots. Grab your camera and go! Years later you will be glad you did.

Fun in the Sun

In warm weather, take the fingerpaints outside. Kids can use both their hands and feet to make pictures on paper or cement. Simply use a garden hose for clean-up and wash the paint away.

Swimming under Water

To help reluctant kids learn to swim underwater, try providing a disposable underwater camera which the child can use for underwater exploration. Your child may forget about her fears long enough to dive under the water and snap a few souvenirs of her new courage.

Personalized Paper Dolls

To make magnetic paper dolls, take several photos of your child in the same pose, one wearing a bathing suit, and the rest in favorite outfits. Trim away excess from the bathing suit photo, this is your doll. Cut the clothing out from the other photos, for dressing your doll. Add photo magnets to the back of each picture, and place them on your fridge.

Leaf Maze

When raking your lawn in the fall, pile leaves into a maze on the lawn, and the kids will have hours of fun running through it. When they lose interest, simply rake the leaves into piles and remove them.

Cold Weather Warm Up

To make dressing up for the cold and going out to play in the snow a more enjoyable experience, try tossing the kids snowsuits and mitts, etc. into the dryer for a few minutes before having them put them on. The clothing will feel snuggly and warm, and the kids will enjoy putting them on. They may even stay outside a little longer without getting cold.

Developing Balance

To improve your child´s balance and motor skills, play a simple game called "resist me". Have your child sit cross-legged on the floor. Gently press on your child and say "I´m going to push you over, resist me". Try pressing in various directions. Also try doing this with your child on all fours, on his/her back, on tummy, on one knee, standing and squatting.

Computer Together Time

When working with your young child on the computer, sit your child on your lap and do the work together. Put your hand on hers to demonstrate the use of the mouse, and never leave your child unattended. Test any software ahead of time so that you know how it works, and there won´t be any frustrating down time when you are working together.

Make Surfing a Family Affair

Be aware whenever your children are online and surfing the internet. Put your computer in a room where the family frequently gathers. If your children are young, remain in the room while they are exploring the Internet and check frequently to see what they are doing.

Fuss Free Time Limits

A handy way to limit kids TV or video game time is to use the sleep timer on the TV. Set it for the length of time you allow your kids to watch, eg) 60 minutes. The TV will warn them when their time is almost up, and the TV will shut off automatically. This should help cut out fussing and "5 more minutes!!".

Your Child´s TV diet

Try to think of your child´s TV viewing as a mental diet. Educational programming can be considered healthy fare, and uneducational shows as junk food and candy - occasional treats. Remember to ensure that your child does not "overeat", or spend too many hours in front of the TV.

Lessen TV Time

To help limit your child´s weekly TV intake, first decide how much time your child is allowed to watch. Depending on your child´s age, this is a good thing to decide together. Then, give your child one poker chip for each 1/2 hour they can watch that week. Whenever they want to watch, they must cash in some chips. When the chips run out, there is no more TV that week. For added incentive, you may offer a quarter for every chip that isn´t used at the end of the week. If your child wants to save money for something special, they simply need to cut down on TV time.

Spoon Fishing

For a fun outdoor activity, attach magnets to the ends of some homemade fishing poles. Scatter some old metal spoons (or other metal items) on the lawn and let the kids "fish" for them. Prizes could be given for the most "fish" caught.

Rainy Day Games

Take the time on a rainy day to discover a whole new world in a puddle. You may: dip a stick in to see how deep it is, place a leaf in and watch it float and soak up water, jump over it, or figure out why the puddle formed where it is.

Music

Kids love music! If you start in your pregnancy and spend at least an hour a day after they are born listening to music your child will love it. They may even start beating out tunes on their toys and will calm down when they hear any type of music.

Turn Work Into Play

Let your kids dress up to set the table. Give them aprons and a dish towel to drape over their arm. This will turn the job of setting the table into a fun game of dress up. Or race your child to see who can make their bed the fastest.

Shell Surprise

Looking for a use for all of the shells collected from the last trip to the beach? Try hiding the shells in the sandbox, and allow the kids to rediscover their hidden treasures at home.

Kids on Computers

If your young kids are starting to use your computer, there are some precautions you should take. Be sure to back up everything in your computer system before letting your child near the keyboard. Always have kids wash their hands prior to computer use, and don´t allow any eating or drinking near it. Also, an investment in a plastic keyboard protector may be a wise one.

Toddlers on Computers

If your child is starting to show interest in the computer, and you would like to start the ball rolling, you should be cautious not to overdo it early on. Limit the computer time to 10 to 15 minutes at a time. As soon as your child loses interest, you should stop.

Computer Skills

To start your child at the optimal time to introduce them to computers, begin when they are between 2.5 and 5 years old. During this period, a child´s vocabulary and attention span are increasing, and she has developed the necessary motor skills and eye-hand coordination to manipulate a mouse and keyboard.

Bounce Your Troubles Away

A really fun and useful indoor toy for children of all ages can be an exercise trampoline. They are small, portable and can be used in any room of the house, playroom or child´s room. I have one in the playroom, and my kids often watch an entire TV show while bouncing, particularly if there is music on the show. Parents can also benefit, and use it for exercising. No more couch potatoes!!

Water Painting

For hours of outdoor fun, give your kids a bucket of water and a paintbrush, and let them "paint" - the house, fence deck, etc. It may free up some time for you to do the yard work!

Recycle Your Kiddie Pool

Once your child has outgrown his kiddie pool, you may want to recycle it by turning it into a child-sized garden. Your child can choose what to plant in it, and be responsible for watering and weeding. Gardening is a great family activity, and kids love to eat what they grew, even vegetables!

Rainy-Day Hopscotch

For a great indoor activity, make your kids an indoor hopscotch mat. Use a piece of linoleum, (your own left-over, or pieces can be purchased at building supply stores) if possible, use a piece that contains squares. Using a permanent marker and a yardstick, draw out the hopscotch squares. Bound the edges with duct tape to prevent rips or tears. The mat can be easily rolled up when not in use, and can provide a little indoor exercise on a rainy day.

Preschool Summer Activities

Keeping busy over the summer is especially important for younger kids who are getting ready to start a full day of school in the fall. Keep them involved in social activities and build a regular routine. It is not necessary to do school-like activities, such as worksheets, but is important to keep them busy between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Monitoring Activity

You can monitor your child´s activity on the Web with a snooping software that will scan your hard disks for evidence that someone in your household has been accessing objectionable material. If any is found, it will prepare a report and let you easily view the information it finds. Visit www.solidoak.com/parentinfo.htm

Ready For a Sleepover?

If your child has been invited to a sleepover and you are unsure if he/she is ready, here are a few pointers to consider.
- Is your child independent enough to tie shoes, cut own food, make bed, etc.?
- Is your child vocal enough to ask for something she needs or express her feelings?
- Is he comfortable with the friend´s parents?
If you answer yes to all the above, your child should be ready to try a sleepover, but be sure to be at home, and assure him you will come get him if he phones you anytime during the night.

Bring the Beach Home

If you live in a space-conscious home, and are unable to have a traditional sand box, a plastic container with a cover (usually used for under the bed storage) serves the purpose well. It is big enough for fun, yet small enough for easy storage. (This can also work for a water table).

Bubbles

A great outdoor toy that you can make with a little dish soap and some water. Try different objects to make different bubbles! My son loves this!