We all know electronics are one way to keep kids occupied, but we also know that all that screen time isn’t good for them either.

Our kids get car sick, so reading and electronics are out anyway, so we’ve had to come up with some old fashioned ways to keep them entertained. These are also good for any time you have to wait anywhere, whether it’s a restaurant, the doctor’s office, waiting in line at an amusement park or any place else.

1. The Category Alphabet Game

When traveling with kids, this one goes a long way because there are so many variations. And it’s pretty simple, so little ones can play too. It can last for as long as you want. Choose a category such as vegetables, animals, cities, people names etc.

Taking turns you go through the alphabet naming something from that category that begins with each letter. Person 1 has letter A. Person 2 has letter B and so on. When each person has had a turn, start back with person 1 and the next letter in the alphabet.

2. The Yes/No Game

I heard this one being played by a family as we were waiting in our doctor’s office and my kids wanted to add it to our game list. Its possibilities are really endless and can go on as long as you want to play.

Person 1 asks a question and everyone else has to say yes or no. That’s all. No explanations or qualifiers or anything else, just yes or no. For example, “Do you like the color blue?” Yes or no from everyone. Then you can go to the next person to ask a question, or you can have person 1 ask another question. You would decide before starting how many questions each person asks before it is the next person’s turn.

It’s a really fun way to find out what people do and don’t like–especially the people you think you know best!

3. Would You Rather?

This one is kind of similar to the Yes/No game, since you’re going to be learning about what everyone playing feels or would choose in each situation.

The first person asks everyone which of two things they would rather have or do or be, and everyone else has to say which one they would rather. The answer can’t be neither or both.

For example, would you rather eat pizza or hamburgers every day? or would you rather be a dog or a cat? Or would you rather have a tiny left hand or a giant left hand?

4. Word Association Game

This one is a lot of fun, and requires no skill whatsoever. Person 1 starts and play goes around to each person, then starts back at person 1. Determine before you start how many turns each person gets so you know when to stop.

The first person says a word and the next person has to say the first word that comes to their mind, followed by the next person and the next etc. After each person has had the number of turns as you decided on in the beginning, compare the first word and the last word said. How different are they? How similar?

5. I Spy

There’s a reason that I Spy has endured the generations–it’s just classic and simple and anyone can do it. For little ones it can help with colors. For older kids it can help foster creativity because they’re trying to think of harder things to spy.

The first person looks around and finds an something they want as their “thing to spy” and then says, “I spy with my little eye, something that is ______ (whatever color the thing is)” and everyone takes turns trying to guess what the thing that was spied.

Keeping kids entertained while waiting–whether traveling and waiting in an airport, restaurant or in line for Disneyland, is hard. Buuuut, by playing some of the games above you’re practically guaranteed to have fun for at least a few minutes.

Good luck and happy travels!

The post 5 Games to Make Traveling with Kids Easier appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

I’m sure it’s happened before…you’re trying to get dinner on the table for your hungry family and your child wants to help…

Your blood pressure rises as you envision how much longer it’s going to take. Not to mention the much bigger mess it will make. You say in your most disappointed, sorry voice that it’s just not very fun and that they won’t like it, then hurry them out to go do something–anything–until dinner is ready.

But….then you feel bad because you actually do want your kids to learn how to cook and enjoy helping in the kitchen. You know that once they really know what to do that’s less cooking for you!

I know. I get it. I’ve totally been there, and heck, sometimes I still would rather just do it myself because it’s faster and easier. But, I’ve also learned that having my kids in the kitchen is a pretty fun way to spend time with them.

Here are three ways to teach kids to cook by letting them help in the kitchen while you all stay calm and have fun.

Pick the right time to start

Is there a right time and a wrong time to teach kids to cook? YES!

The wrong time is when you’re in a hurry or constrained on time in any way. If everyone is hungry, taking extra time to show techniques or fix mistakes is not what you want to be doing.

Pick a time when you have nothing else pressing going on and everyone is pretty well fed. After a meal or snack is great. Saturdays or Sundays tend to work best for this if you have school aged children, but really any time you have some time is great.

This lets you all relax and take things slowly, which is increases patience and you child will be more likely to listen.

Start small

When you’re teaching a child kitchen skills, small and simple is the best place to start. This is not the time to make anything that takes a long time or is elaborate or requires a lot of steps.

Think about the things you want them to know what to make. What will be helpful for you and for them? These are the foods to start with, because if you don’t get very far they’ll at least have the basics.

At the beginning they’re also less likely to have a long attention span. Keeping the recipe it short and simple will give them a sense of accomplishment when they’re done.

Teach skills they can master

When starting out, kids like to know that they’ve accomplished something. They want to feel capable and proud of themselves. But, it’s hard to do when they’re trying to get good at too many things at once.

When you’re cooking together, pick a couple of skills that your child wants to learn or that you want them to know. You can also pick recipes you want them to learn to make and focus on those.

It can be any skill. Like stirring or mixing or spreading with a knife. Little ones can wash fruits and vegetables or grate cheese. If you have an older child they could learn to chop vegetables too.

We love using our Raddish Kids box to help with specific skills. For a lot more info on that, check out this post all about it.

The key is repetition. So, take the time to show them how to do it right, then have them practice. This could become their new “job” in the kitchen whenever you need it.

For example, my kids love quesadillas. I got tired of grating cheese all the time so I taught my daughters how to use the cheese grater and grate the cheese. It took some practice, but now they do it perfectly fine on their own.

Now they get the tortillas, grate their cheese, put them on a plate and microwave it until the cheese melts. They love being self sufficient and doing it themselves.

Even little ones can wash fruits and veggies if they have a stool, and it does feel like a big help to them.

If you want your kids to help in the kitchen without you losing your patience and it taking way longer than necessary, pick the right time to start, start small, and teach them skills they can master.

One of my favorite recipes to get started with is Healthy Gluten Free Granola because it’s very simple and they can practice measuring and stirring skills.

The post Teach Kids To Cook by Helping in the Kitchen appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

When all of this clears up, and we “get back to normal” and in the years to come, how will your children remember it? Will they (and you) think back on this season as the best of times or the worst?

I am personally committed to making this time one that they remember as a positive one. That we came together as a family and built up relationships with each other and extended relatives and friends while we also learned to be better versions of ourselves too.

But how do we do that? Here are 5 things we’re doing that are helping make this the “best of times” when everything else is so different than normal.

1. Appreciate this time of LESS.

Many of the daily battles we have with our kids over what they wear, doing their hair, what they eat, how much screen time they get and getting them to finish their homework before we run them to their various activities is mostly gone.

There is so much more TIME to do things, because we have less of a schedule. Less (or none really) driving them to activities, less (or none really) homework. There is so much LESS competing for our attention that we’re able to focus on the things that really matter.

There will likely never be another time in your children’s lives that you have the opportunity to do so much less and spend so much time with them. Embrace it. Roll with it. Enjoy it for the precious gift it is. Then get your kids on board with this mindset. Show them; tell them how great it is, and they’ll believe you!

2. Keep a schedule

Kids are used to having a schedule. It’s been proven by lots of studies and pediatricians are happy to tell you, kids thrive on schedule. But, their schedule has been torn away and it can be very disorienting for them.

That’s why keeping some routine is critical for everyone’s mental health right now. It doesn’t have to be a strict schedule, down to the minute or strictly enforced–actually, it shouldn’t be–but create at least and outline for each day so they know when they’re expected to do things.

For example:
8-9: breakfast and get dressed/brush teeth
9-11: school work
11-12: recess/phys ed (have them play active games, go outside, etc)
12-1: lunch (if possible, have them help make it)
1-3: screen time
3-4: play games, play with toys, creative play
4-5:30: crafts, learn a new skill practice music or lessons they’re missing
5:30-Bedtime: dinner, family time, stories etc.

Obviously, you’ll need to find a schedule that works for your family, but you can use this as a jumping off point if needed.
By doing this in our house, it’s reduced the wandering around aimlessly zombie looks, whining, choruses of “I’m bored” and preserved my sanity.

By keeping a basic schedule, you’ll create order out of chaos, which is calming and less emotional. By reminding your kids of all the things they CAN do now because they have more time, they’ll also think of it as a positive.

3. Let them feel their emotions

This is a REALLY emotional time for kids. Like I said before, their whole routine has been upended, they don’t get to see their friends, go to their activities, and have to stay inside most of the time. If you’re struggling–chances are it’s worse for your kids.

But, kids don’t express their emotions the same way adults do. Depending on their age they act out, throw tantrums, talk back, give attitude, glare at everyone all day for everything (one of mine might have done that), or any number of undesirable behaviors. Many kids may be extra clingy and need extra hugs, or just need to touch you a lot.

The way YOU react determines a large part of the outcome. Don’t let them bring you down. I KNOW patience is hard; you’re stressed too! But just take a deep breath if you need to. Give them space, give them a hug, give them grace. Be as gentle and understanding as you can because having a temper tantrum of your own isn’t the way to go. When the fire of hot emotions is flamed, everyone will get burned.

If you need a time out yourself, take it if possible. Do deep breaths if you can’t leave the area.

4. Create fun family memories

This is your chance to spend more time with your kids. If you’re also working from home, it may be in the evenings, but without a commute, there’s extra time you didn’t have before! If you do just 1 thing a day, that’s enough!

There is nothing more important that you can give kids than your time. They crave it, especially right now. Set aside time every day–or a minimum of once a week–to just be together and have fun.
Play a game the kids choose
Invent a new one
Bake something
Learn a new skill together
Have a dance party
Create a homemade instrument band
Learn about your ancestors
Create a scavenger hunt around your house and yard
The possibilities are endless. It doesn’t matter what you do, just do something to create a memory every day.

5. Connect with others

While everyone is basically at home, with not a whole lot to do, it’s the perfect opportunity to connect with people that you probably don’t very often. We’ve been using Facebook’s Messenger Kids app that has allowed our kids to chat with only people that we approve, like their aunts and uncles, cousins and friends from school. Other ways to communicate include FaceTime, Zoom, or even good, old fashioned phone calls.

It’s been amazing to see them catching up with friends they miss, talking to cousins and family they rarely get to see and strengthening bonds that probably wouldn’t be otherwise.

Their moods have been better, they’re learning to type on a screen (actually a skill that I was hoping to avoid for a few more years, but desperate times….) and they’re not so isolated, so when this is over, they’ll have built and retained relationships that will make the transition back easier.

What we do today will shape the way we and our kids remember the spring of 2020 in the future. And by doing these five things, you’ll foster an environment where your kids will look back and remember this as one of the best times in their lives.

The post 5 Ways to make the Covid19 lockdown positive for kids appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.