One of the things I've noticed as a mom of small children is that when they're bored, they get BAD. I'm not talking the little things like pulling wipes out of the package. I'm talking full-blown badness. I seriously cannot use the bathroom for 5 minutes without all hell breaking loose! My 4 year old actually came running into the bathroom one day and told me “Kameron has the knives!” So of course I wipe my a** and get to the kitchen as fast as I can. Sure enough, my 2 year old has pushed the end table over to the counter and is pulling out the STEAK KNIVES from the knife block.
So how to do we mitigate these circumstances? Well, you keep them from being bored!
“Unsupervised” Activities (little to no damage done when left unattended for 5 minutes).
Sorting activity: Materials different colored bowls, pom poms, and tongs. Place pom poms into a large bowl. Using the tongs, children pick up one pom pom at a time and sort into same colored bowl. *For smaller children, focus on the fine motor skills of just picking up the pom poms.
“Color Wonder” activities: No, I am not paid to represent Crayola, but ya'll, Color Wonder is a life saver! My 2 year old will still draw on anything he's not supposed to. With Color Wonder, it doesn't work! Sure, you might have globs of clear goo from the finger paint, but it's not nearly as bad as it would be to have bright RED globs of finger paint all over your walls! The markers are harmless! It can get pretty pricey, but I think it's worth it.
Masking tape hop scotch: All you need is masking tape or painters tape! I prefer the blue painters tape because it's easier to see on different colored surfaces. Simply tape the hop scotch pattern and let them at it!
Minimally Supervised Activities (May involve some clean up).
Play Dough: You can either make your own ahead of time (another fun activity that requires LOTS of adult supervision), or you can cheat and by it at the store (*Raises hand* that's me!) Sit them at the dining room table and let them play. You can get dinner cooked and there is minimal clean up. Just wipe off the table before eating dinner. The rest of the play dough can be cleaned up after dinner (because we all know there WILL be a mess to clean up from dinner!).
Slime: Same as play dough, but more “in” for today's generation. Again, this is a Make Ahead activity, but will give them lots of fun for days (or at least until the slime gets gross and you refuse to make more!)
Coloring: For the older kids, coloring with crayons, markers, or colored pencils may be a safe activity. Definitely get washable markers and check clothing pockets before washing laundry (somehow a crayon will end up in there and ruin the whole load of laundry!) You don't even need to use paper! If you have old cardboard boxes, let 'em at 'em.
Legos/Megablocks/Duplo: Depending on the age of your child, choose the appropriate product. The reason why clean up may be involved: the kids probably will not pick up their own sh*t. Either way, this is a pretty easy activity to keep the kids occupied (just watch your step during clean up, little legos suck to step on!)
Parent-Child Activities (Lots of clean up!)
Making slime: Take it from Elmer's directly! http://elmers.com/slime?gclid=COn6tfGkodwCFYHSDQodIyYCIw&gclsrc=ds Make ahead and use over and over!
Making play dough: https://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/play-dough-L926.html
Make and play with moon sand: There are different ways to make moon sand. This website gives directions for a few of them https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Moon-Sand
Bake something: do you have a favorite recipe? Measure out some of the ingredients and let the kids pour them into the bowl. Let them cut out shapes for cookies, or put icing on cupcakes. Yes, it'll be a messy disaster, but they'll love being included.
Board Games: Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, even Pie-Face are all great for small kids.
Float or Sink: Fill a large bowl (or the bathtub) with water. One at a time, add different (waterproof) objects into the container and ask your child if they think it'll float or sink.
Wash dishes: Yes, you got that right. Teach your kids to wash dishes! Use a step stool at the sink, or fill a large bucket at the table. The best time to teach kids to get involved at home is now.
I hope these activities help to wrangle your kids for even just a few minutes!
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