In my little girl’s world, empty paper towel rolls become horns for the band, glass beads in an old orange juice bottle become a princess’s shiny jewels, and a cardboard box becomes a sailboat to carry her out to sea. In tough economic times, parents should be thankful for the imagination of a child. This article will give you some ideas on how to reuse things in your own home and suggest places to go in the community to inspire your kids to have fun without spending a dime.
Art Projects with the “Trash Masher”
Have everyday objects around the house that you don’t need any more such as aluminum cans, dried up markers, junk mail envelopes, and old telephone books? Go online to the Trash Masher at the Imagination Factory at http://www.kid-at-art.com/. Click on the name of the piece of rubbish and you will get step-by-step directions for fun art activities based on what you were going to just throw away.
Dress Up and Puppet Shows
Collect hats, gloves, and old Halloween costumes in a box for imaginative play. Children can make masks from scratch or they can use printable masks found online from sites such as Activity Village at http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/free_printables.htm. Puppets can be created by decorating paper bags, socks, or even a character foot slipper folded in half. Kids can act out stories they make up or read in books.
Story Hours
Most libraries and local bookstores have free story hours weekly. Some even incorporate sign language and/or a snack. For an hour, your child can be immersed in a few good books while being around other kids their age.
Cooking Up a Storm
Since you are already going to be cooking, have your child get in on the act. Pull out the pots, pans, and measuring cups and let them pretend. Let your toddler stir and pour a mixture. Kids enjoy making simple recipes such as pita pizzas, ants on a log (celery with peanut butter or cream cheese and raisins), and cutting out shapes for Jello Jigglers and baking cookies. Some great cooking with kids ideas can be found on the Family Fun site at http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/kids/.
Turn Up the Lesson
Expand on a lesson learned during an educational television show. My daughter and I were watching Sesame Street. Elmo was pretending to be a pirate and Snuffleupagus was his ship. Since her father was home before a meeting, I quickly sketched out a pirate’s map and hid a treasure for them to find. The whole family wore pirate eye patches as we followed the map to the black construction paper X taped up in Allie’s room. She then discovered her booty of cookies and stickers. After this experience, she loves saying the letter “X” and she can recognize it in multiple forms.
Just Have Fun!
Turn up some music and dance together, giggling while watching your child wiggle to the beat. Jump in the bathtub with your bathing suits and some pool toys during a snowy day and have a “pool party.” What you can do with your kids is limitless when you throw in a dash of creativity. Don’t worry about buying the latest pricey toys. Make sure that your children are living and learning in meaningful fun ways. Enjoy these precious moments of parenthood!
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