Kids.

You love them, but they’ll drive you crazy if you let them. LOL It’s not easy to deal with your children each and every day when you’re used to them being at school for 40 hours each week. Having them at home and keeping them busy is a significant challenge.

You hate to see them sit in front of the TV all day long, but you hate to hear them whine about being bored even more.

No one is completely happy about the current circumstances, but as a parent, you have the responsibility to navigate this challenge with your children.

Use these ideas to keep your kids busy at home while maintaining your sanity:

Write

Most kids love to write stories, make lists, and record ideas. If your child is one of those that likes to write, give them a writing task.

• Tell them to write a scary story about two friends lost in the woods.

• Maybe your child is older and would like to keep a journal.

• Write a story together. Take turns writing a couple of sentences. The next person has to pick up where the last person left off.

Art

Regardless of age, there are many people that like to draw, paint, sculpt, color, or cut and paste. Have an art hour each day.

• Watch a video on how to draw a face and practice together.

• Give your child some chalk and tell them to play in the driveway.

Garden

Gardening can be a lot of fun. It’s exciting to plant seeds and watch them grow. Flowers, vegetables, berries, and herbs are all options. Try planting some foods that your child loves to eat.

Hike

Get out of the house and hike in the woods. Many parks have walking or hiking trails. It’s great exercise and an easy way to change the scenery for an hour or two.

Bake

Kids love to bake. Depending on their age, some children need more help than others. Bake a cake. Make some cookies. Allow your child to fix or help with dinner. Try some new recipes.

Remodel

Let your child remodel their room. It might be time for a new color or a new desk. Perhaps the artwork on the walls is getting a little old. A new lamp? Give your child some freedom to make their own choices.

Watch old movies

Has your child ever seen Goonies, The Karate Kid, or the original Star Wars? Honey, I Shrunk the Kids? Relive some of your favorite childhood movies with your children.

• They might laugh at the special effects found in a movie from the 70’s or 80’s, but that’s part of the fun.

• Talk about some of the differences between these old movies and the ones they normally see today.

Old toys

Pogo stick? Hula hoop? Hopscotch? Old board games? Or maybe pull out some of their old toys from the attic, basement, or garage.

Build

Build a birdhouse, treehouse, doghouse, or fort. Build something out of popsicle sticks. Construct a raised flower bed. Build some shelves.

Zoom

While there are many platforms for holding virtual meetings, Zoom has become especially popular these days. Set up a meeting for your kids and their friends. They can spend time together and catch up with each other’s lives.

If you’re at the end of your rope with your kids, you’re not alone. It’s not easy to keep your kids occupied in a healthy way. However, there are plenty of things your kids would enjoy doing that they’ve never even considered.

Put on your creative hat and give your kids a few things to do that will benefit them more than watching TV or playing video games. You’ll all be glad you did!

What Will You Do When Your Child Tattles?

One day your children are interacting peacefully, and the next thing you know, one of them turns into an informant. They’re dying to let you know that their brother ate a cookie before dinner or their sister was on the phone after bedtime. They might even start reporting on the neighbors if they’re letting their grass grow too high.

Tattling is annoying, but it’s a natural part of growing up. It’s a sign that your child is starting to outgrow hitting and screaming, but they’re still unsure about how to resolve conflicts more maturely.

The issue becomes even more complicated when you’re trying to teach your child when to deal with situations on their own and when it’s important to tell an adult.

Try these tips for helping your child to tell the difference between tattling about small stuff and telling an adult about serious matters.

Discouraging Your Child from Tattling about Minor Issues:

1. Identify their reasons. You can determine if your child is tattling or telling you about something urgent by examining their motives. Let them know that you disapprove of trying to get someone into trouble, but you’re proud of them when they want to be helpful.
2. Step back. While there are many things you can do to guide your children in a positive direction, you want to give them enough room to work situations out on their own. As long as everyone is safe, consider ignoring tattling rather than rewarding it by intervening.
3. Provide validation. While you may disapprove of tattling, you can reassure your child that their views matter. Empathize when they describe being mistreated or seeing someone break the rules.
4. Demonstrate tolerance. Living in a community sometimes requires concentrating on your own responsibilities and overlooking the choices of others. Talk with your child about how to handle injustices.
5. Promote friendships. Your child may want to stop tattling if they know it will cost them, friends. Explain why other children may avoid them if they tattle too much.
6. Teach compassion. You can also help your child to understand how tattling affects others. Ask them how they feel when someone tells on them. Roleplay so they can act out being embarrassed or hurt by gossip.
7. Build confidence. Some children tattle to get status and power. Explain how they can boost their self-esteem in more desirable ways like excelling at school or playing team sports.
8. Remove temptation. You may be able to prevent tattling before it starts. Children who sleep and eat well are less likely to lash out.
9. Explore alternatives. Talk with your child about what they can do instead of tattling. They might practice sharing instead of fighting over toys. They might focus on their own grades even if a classmate skips their assignments.

Encouraging Your Child to Tell You about Serious Matters:

1. Examine feelings. Small children may have trouble putting ideas into words, but they still have strong emotions. Ask your child to come to you if they experience anything that frightens or confuses them.
2. Discuss distinctions. Talk about the difference between being unsafe and being annoying. Compare throwing rocks at someone to chewing with your mouth open.
3. Spend time together. Your child is more likely to reach out when they’re in trouble if you work at staying close. As a bonus, they’ll also be less prone to tattling just to get your attention.

Raise your children to avoid tattling about minor issues, but ensure they know that it’s okay to reach out to an adult when they’re trying to help themselves or another child.

Once you understand why your child is telling you about someone’s behavior, you can help them practice strategies that will support healthy social and emotional growth.

Getting your kids to clean their rooms can be easy with the right approach. Make cleaning time fun by getting organized and talking to your kids in a way that engages them.

Develop realistic expectations

Children often view their room as space they can control. This is especially true for pre-teens and teens, who are often seeking privacy. You do need to guard against any health hazards, especially if your kids have dust allergies. On the other hand, it’s okay to value a happy family life over keeping every surface pristine.

Don’t worry – most kids who throw their clothes on the floor still grow up to be responsible adults!

Set a good example

Kids always pay more attention to what you do than to what you say. If you put away your clothes, they’re more likely to follow your lead eventually. By taking care of your belongings and creating an orderly environment, you send a message that these are good habits.

Ban food in the bedroom

Except for water, keeping food out of the bedroom will prevent many messes from ever happening. Eating in the kitchen and dining room also encourages more family time and less excessive snacking.

Clear away clutter

It may be difficult to clean if you’ve got too many possessions. Make a family tradition of regularly getting rid of unused or worn-out items. Let kids help pick the charity where they want to donate their old toys. Alternately, have a garage sale and share the profits with your kids.

Invest in storage solutions

Make it easy for kids to keep everything in its proper place and you can all spend a lot less time straightening up. Put frequently used items on lower shelves and hooks where small children can reach them. Get big bins for large items and small bins to keep items with multiple parts organized.

Teach your kids how to clean

Kids will be less resistant to cleaning if they feel confident about basic tasks. Praise them for helping you dust or make the beds so they’ll learn by observing and imitating.

Break cleaning sessions down into manageable chunks

Children have limited attention spans. Cleaning for 10 or 15 minutes at a time will often get better results than marathon sessions.

Do some regular maintenance

It’s easier to keep a neat room tidy. Make morning or evening pick-up times a daily ritual. Do a little dusting before your Saturday outings.

Communicating with your kids is a huge key to this being successful! Here are some things you can do:

Invite your child’s input

Help your child to value their surroundings by giving them a voice in decorating their room. They can help shop for storage systems or choose wall art they like.

Work together

Household tasks can be a time for you and your child to enjoy each other’s company and conversation. Small children need plenty of guidance when cleaning. As they get older, you can back off a little on supervising and just do some spot-checking.

Develop educational games

Cleaning games are a great way to entertain and educate small children. Drill them on vocabulary by naming household items, or play counting games as you roll up socks.

Offer choices and rewards

Everyone likes to be given choices. Ask your child if they want to clean their room before or after soccer practice. Use positive praise and rewards to reinforce good behavior.

Most children have messy rooms from time to time. Set reasonable standards and communicate effectively to make cleaning fun and efficient. You’ll be rewarded with a better relationship with your kids and a neater home.

Momma’s Guide To Reducing Toy Clutter

Are you tired of stepping on wooden blocks and plastic action figures lying around your living room floor? Reducing toy clutter is really about more than keeping your home neat. Too many playthings can affect your child’s development and their ability to enjoy life.

A recent study found that children with too many toys get distracted easily and miss out on quality playtime, according to the University of Toledo in Ohio.

The research confirms what many parents and experts have long noticed. When children have fewer choices, they tend to play with each object longer and express more creativity. They even take better care of their toys instead of assuming that a replacement is on hand.

Learn how to conquer those mountains of dolls and dinosaurs. You’ll make playtime more rewarding and teach your children values that will help them to grow up happier and more successful.

Getting Rid of Old Toy Clutter:

1. Focus on quality. Be selective about the toys you choose to keep. Discard anything your children have outgrown or broken. Hold on to the ones that stimulate your child’s imagination and social skills rather than providing mostly passive entertainment.
2. Wait until bedtime. It’s great if your child is ready to participate in the selection process, but until then you might have to act on your own. Your child will probably not even notice they’re missing a stuffed animal they haven’t touched in years.
3. Rotate your collection. One effective strategy is to keep out only a portion of your child’s toys at any time and store the rest. Everything will seem new each time you switch them out.
4. Display your treasures. Arrange toys in a logical order in small stations with individual themes. Your child will spend more time playing and less time dumping bins out onto the floor to check what’s on the bottom.
5. Share the profits. How can you motivate your child to winnow down their toys on their own? Ask for their help selling the rejects online or at a garage sale. Give them a portion of the proceeds or put the money towards an outing or some new sports equipment that they want.
6. Swap with friends. Consider setting up an exchange with other parents in your neighborhood or at your child’s school. Box up toys you’re discarding or storing and give them away permanently or temporarily.
7. Donate to charities. Decluttering can also teach your child about giving. Create a list of worthy causes that accept used toys and let your child pick which one to support.

Preventing New Toy Clutter:

1. Plan for special occasions. Birthdays and holidays could undo all your hard work. Find out what your child wants most. Make a short list and stick to it.
2. Advise the grandparents. Do you have well-meaning family and friends who add to the mess? Let them know that you’re trying to reduce your consumption.
3. Test it out. It’s easier to say goodbye to a video game or science kit when your child knows it’s just visiting. You can subscribe to monthly toy rental services online or check to see what your local library has to offer.
4. Favor experiences. Consider arranging activities instead of giving material goods. Take your children to concerts and horse farms to celebrate birthdays or outstanding report cards.
5. Encourage reading. Giving your child a love for reading may be the most enriching gift of all. A library card takes up very little space.

Cutting down on incoming toys and thinning out your child’s current stock will help your child to engage in more constructive and creative play. Your whole family will also enjoy a tidier home and less stress.