Copyright 2002 Deborah Shelton - Used with permission - www.fiveminuteparent.com
How is it possible to make more time together when the days are shorter during the winter? Use these ideas to come up with more creative ways to spend the time you already have:
Bath Time
* Read a story to your little one while they soak in the tub.
* Place different objects into the bathtub and try to guess which ones will float and which ones will sink to the bottom.
* Make a bubble bath and decorate your child with the bubbles: bubble head; bubble beard; bubble mustache, etc.
* Once their hair is lathered with shampoo, style it into crazy shapes and let them look into a mirror to see their new hairdo.
Traffic Jams
* Play Life Guessing. Take a look at people in cars next to you. What do you think they do for a living? Where are they going? Are they famous? What kind of story would someone else make up about you?
How is it possible to make more time together when the days are shorter during the winter? Use these ideas to come up with more creative ways to spend the time you already have:
Bath Time
* Read a story to your little one while they soak in the tub.
* Place different objects into the bathtub and try to guess which ones will float and which ones will sink to the bottom.
* Make a bubble bath and decorate your child with the bubbles: bubble head; bubble beard; bubble mustache, etc.
* Once their hair is lathered with shampoo, style it into crazy shapes and let them look into a mirror to see their new hairdo.
Traffic Jams
* Play Life Guessing. Take a look at people in cars next to you. What do you think they do for a living? Where are they going? Are they famous? What kind of story would someone else make up about you?
* Practice perfect speech with tenacious tongue twisters: Terrible traffic turns tantrum time into together time.
* Interview each other! When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? Why? When you are a grown up, what kinds of things will you do that you can't do now?
Dinner Time
* Cook together. Always try to plan one dish that children can make, such as a tossed salad or fruit salad. Anything that you can chop and dice, they can mix into a bowl.
* Hand over pots and pans (or plastic bowls for less noise). Fill each with a little bit of rice or uncooked beans, along with a large spoon, and let your little ones pretend to cook.
* Let your children help with the following week's grocery shopping. Give them a grocery sale paper and a pair of scissors (small children who aren't ready for scissors can tear the paper with their hands). Discuss the meals that you want to make and the ingredients for each. They can cut out the ingredients from the paper and put them into an envelope until it's time to go shopping.
Deborah Shelton is a mother, a freelance writer, and author of the brand new book, 'The Five Minute Parent: Fun & Fast Activities for You and Your Little Ones.' Visit Deborah's website for more fun ideas, a free email newsletter and book ordering information: http://www.fiveminuteparent.com
* Interview each other! When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? Why? When you are a grown up, what kinds of things will you do that you can't do now?
Dinner Time
* Cook together. Always try to plan one dish that children can make, such as a tossed salad or fruit salad. Anything that you can chop and dice, they can mix into a bowl.
* Hand over pots and pans (or plastic bowls for less noise). Fill each with a little bit of rice or uncooked beans, along with a large spoon, and let your little ones pretend to cook.
* Let your children help with the following week's grocery shopping. Give them a grocery sale paper and a pair of scissors (small children who aren't ready for scissors can tear the paper with their hands). Discuss the meals that you want to make and the ingredients for each. They can cut out the ingredients from the paper and put them into an envelope until it's time to go shopping.
Deborah Shelton is a mother, a freelance writer, and author of the brand new book, 'The Five Minute Parent: Fun & Fast Activities for You and Your Little Ones.' Visit Deborah's website for more fun ideas, a free email newsletter and book ordering information: http://www.fiveminuteparent.com
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