What Kids Can Do

Last updated on: November 15, 2010 at 9:29 am by Katrina

What Kids Can Do 2010-11-15T09:29:51-06:00 Katrina

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I hope that everyone had a great weekend, and that Monday morning is off to a good start!

For the past couple of days, I’ve been reflecting on the Thoughts for Thursday question, “What can my children do other than watch TV?” Really, I’ve been thinking about this because I feel that my kids have been watching an inordinate amount of videos since the beginning of the summer. It’s a bad habit that we got into during the long, hot summer months here in Houston, I think in large part because we had a small baby at home and couldn’t always make it to the pool (the ONLY comfortable outdoor activity from May until September!). The problem is that we haven’t quite gotten over this bad habit yet, and I think that I’m a big part of the problem! I find that I’m trying to squeeze all of my chores into the time when my baby is napping, and I’ll usually try to coordinate my toddler’s video time with the baby’s naptime. Somehow, though, it just seems to turn into too much screen time…

So, I’m always interested in hearing people’s responses to the question, “What can my children do other than watch TV?” I’ve realized that I assume that we’re really talking about activities that the children can do unsupervised, because if mom has some free time to spend with the kids then of course there are lots of thing that the children can do besides watch TV! The question, then, becomes a harder one to answer, depending on the ages of your children. For instance, my 6 year-old son can play on his own for an extended period of time with Legos or other building toys, and I can actually feel safe doing something like vacuuming while he plays. However, it’s a completely different story with my 3 year-old and 8 month-old daughters! While the 3 year-old can happily color for a few minutes on her own, she certainly wants me to be close by the entire time, and most chores end up half-finished if I try to do them while she’s not watching Caillou or Curious George. I have “cleaned the bathroom” with her and we sometimes bake or prepare meals together, but I must honestly say that I don’t always have the patience or the energy to attempt such teaching moments!

In any case, I thought that I would tap into one of the best resources around – this great group of readers on Building Cathedrals! What do your kids do other than watch TV while you’re trying to get things done? I’m anticipating that once my 8 month-old is a bit older and can actually play with my 3 year-old, that the girls will be able to spend lots of time imagining and having fun together – we’re just not quite there yet 🙂 Please pass on your ideas, and if you can, let us know how old your child is and how long he/she will spend doing a particular activity unsupervised. And if you have some great activities that do require adult supervision, but are just too fun to pass up, please do share 🙂 All of us here at Building Cathedrals would love to hear from you!

God bless you all this Monday morning! Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for and inspire us.

Children

Motherhood and Parenting

Previous Post

November 12, 2010

There is no right way to wear a mullet.

Next Post

November 17, 2010 Speaking of Haircuts...

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Builders' Favorite Posts Children Education & Homeschool Food and Nutrition Health Home Organization Inside Our Inbox Keeping It Real Liturgical Seasons Marriage Miscellaneous Motherhood and Parenting Nature and the Environment NFP and Fertility Politics and Current Events Pregnancy Recipes Spiritual Life The Catholic Church Thoughts for Thursday Uncategorized

Select a Month April 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

According to James, where does wisdom that is pure, peace-loving, and considerate come from?

Select your answer to see how you score.

From heaven From experience From Prayer From study