Encouraging Today's Kids to Enjoy Some of Yesterday's Pastimes
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Charming Photo, Delightful Little Boy (but this particular classic toy not recommended for today's child)
Consider Those Classic Activities - Then Offer Them to the Child
One of the only reasons children today don't play many of the same things as children of previous generations did may simply be that it never occurs to parents to offer those activities. Parents tend to give children what they want, and children want what they know (which is what all the other kids have and what shows up on tv commercials).
We all want to give our children the things they want in order to make them happy. The trouble is children are not always the best guides when it comes to what activities will be most valuable to them. Sometimes it doesn't always occur to children to ask for some activities because, influenced by commercials and peers, they simply don't know other types of activities exist.
I'm convinced that parents of yester-year were more in tune with what children needed, rather than what they wanted. My advice to parents of today's children would be to consider the types of classic play in which earlier generations engaged as children - and offer similar activities to their own children.
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Because I was a child long before PlayStation was even a concept, I find it unfortunate that today's children often don't appreciate, or else outgrow early, the kinds of toys that gave me so many hours (and years) of genuine enjoyment.
When I was three years old "Santa Claus" brought me a blue pedal car, which I "drove" until I was about six or seven. (I was a really small child, so I didn't outgrow the toy very quickly.) It became my vehicle when I was playing house. I would pick leaves off a bush and say I'd gotten a ticket. I also had a whole cowgirl suit, complete with guns (even though I never did any shooting of even imaginary people or things). For some reason, my father also made sure that I had a bop-bag at all times. When I was a toddler I got a clown bop bag, and when "he" could no longer be patched "Santa" brought me a Joe Palooka bop bag (which I bopped sometimes and sometimes dragged around, a third deflated, as my husband, when I "played house").More conventional toys I had (and loved the most) were my dolls and all the toy kitchen appliances and doll beds. When I was really young playing house was one of my biggest, and most loved, activities. I would drag all the toy furniture from the upstairs bedroom all the way downstairs and out to the backyard with great enthusiasm. Bringing them back inside was another matter. Once I was too tired to bring them in, and I guess I thought my mother would do it. She didn't, so once I was in bed that night I began worrying about all my toys out in the dark and got really upset over them. From then on I brought them in faithfully.I loved my dolls, and when I outgrew baby dolls I became obsessed with "that new fashion doll', Barbie. From the time I turned ten until I was about twelve Barbie's world was my world.Other toys and activities I had were bikes, roller skates, ice skates, scooters, and sleds. I was an avid and almost obsessive reader. My sister and I would spend Saturday morning making up stories for the drawings we made on Magic Slates. Then, too, my toy collection contained a jump rope, Chinese jump rope, and some miscellaneous items like the Wheely-Wheelo, Jingle Jumper, Jacks, and a few other similar items.Another toy that gave me years of enjoyment was my doll house. Paper dolls, board-games, swimming, and badminton provided hours (and years) of fun.My fondest memory, I guess, is of my three-foot-tall "Debbie" doll, which I lugged around with a lot of struggle (because her head was stuffed with some kind of fill that was really heavy). Debbie became disabled on her first Christmas morning with me because I made the mistake of picking up the heavy doll by her upper arms and broke one . In response to my wailing tears my father put electrician's tape around Debbie's upper arm, but that meant Debbie always had to wear a tight-sleeved sweater or an arm sling. After a while I was so used to Debbie's "disability" I didn't notice it.I grew up, had three real-life dolls of my own, and they, too, have grown up. All these decades later, though, I treasure the thought of those toys that made my childhood what it was.Ideas for Creating Your Child's Play Room
A play room can be as simple or elaborate as a budget and space allow, but there are some basics that can help transform even the smallest room into a great play room.
The following basics include a mix of activities, depending on the child's age, for children of preschool-age, through the primary school years:SPACE - SIT-DOWN SPACE AND MOVE-AROUND SPACETwo very important things every play room needs are as much floor space as possible, along with a table and chairs suited to the child's age. A sturdy rug on the floor makes a cozy room, but toy trucks and small riding toys don't move well along most carpet. Another disadvantage to carpet is that paint, clay, PlayDoh, and paper glue don't go well with carpeting.STORAGE FOR TOYSBins make putting toys away easier. Colored laundry bags can be used for toy storage as well. Closets (which can have locked doors if necessary) can house shelves or stackable storage units).A PLACE FOR "QUIET PLAY"Some simple, low, shelves for books; or a few rectangular bins in a corner, offer a place for storing books. Puzzles, coloring books, crayons, activity books, paper make this "quiet corner" complete. Paint with water books, watercolor paints, brushes, and a container for water are good to have on hand. (Tip: Before giving children boxed puzzles reinforce the corners of the boxes with strong tape. Puzzles pieces are more likely to be returned to unbroken boxes.) Plastic containers from a dollar store are an inexpensive and stackable way to store small items, like crayons and paint brushes.BUILDING BLOCKS ARE A MUSTA good set of wood blocks and an age-appropriate set of Duplo or Lego blocks are great for keeping children busy.OTHER THINGS FOR PLAYYoung children enjoy having a play kitchen with dishes and play food. Dolls and a doll cradle are a must for girls. Barbie dolls, clothing, accessories, and a house are usually something older girls will play with for hours. Older boys, of course, like action figures and sets associated with them.A doll house with people and furniture can be modified as a child grows. The same is true for train sets. Playing paper dolls is still a nice activity for girls. Sticker books are something kids usually like. Don't forget some age-appropriate toy cars and trucks (Tonka makes chunky little trucks for younger children. HotWheels, of course, are great for bigger boys.)Having some classic board or card games offers something to do when there's more than one child. Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, and Cooties are classic. So are Monopoly, Life, and Clue. Children's playing cards come packaged for one, specific, game. Having the classics (Old Maid, Go Fish, and Animal Rummy) is a good idea. A set of standard playing cards may come in handy. Playing cards aren't just for playing cards. Most kids will spend hours building with them. Checkers, Tiddledy Winks, and Bingo (especially Bingo) are worth keeping on hand.JUST FOR TODDLERSToddlers, of course, have different requirements. Toddlers, like preschoolers, often enjoy an age-appropriate kitchen (or at least toy dishes). A large ball is a must for toddlers. (Older children and large balls tend to be better together outdoors.) Lots of floor space is particularly important for toddlers. Toddlers like some type of cart to pull or push. They like to put toys or dolls in carts and then move them from place to place. A stacking toy is a must. A shape-sorting toy is also a must.A simple, toddler, riding toy or two helps a toddler develop large muscles. An age appropriate doll or stuffed animal is, of course, essential. Toddlers often like to look at cards with pictures on them. Children this age are often kept busiest with a play set aimed at toddlers (a parking garage with cars, the Fisher Price school bus, a farm with animals and people).Toddler puzzles and books are, of course, nice to have as well.Because toddlers get tired in the middle of play, having a soft mat, pillow, or comfy seat for plopping down on is a good idea.MUSIC - ANOTHER MUSTDon't forget music. An age-appropriate keyboard usually attracts potential music-makers. A child's CD or tape player will allow a child to play his choice of children's music. A small FM radio or CD player high on a shelf allows for a pleasant atmosphere when set, at low volume, on classical music. (Drums and horns tend to be loved by children, but they don't keep them entertained as long as keyboards do. Guitars and violins are best used under supervision. Strings have a way of getting broken in a playroom setting.)SAFETYCover all unused electrical outlets. Box-like covers that screw on are best where babies and toddlers are playing. Place something heavy in front of outlets that must remain exposed.This keeps them out of view and reach of young children. Make sure shelves and furnitureare low. Children have been known to pull over high shelves and chests. (There's always the temptation to pull out a bottom drawer to use it as a step.) Keep window safety in mind. There are different ways to keep different types of windows from being a potential danger to children. Learn about any window-safety steps you should take, based on the type of windows that are in the room.DECORATINGHanging pictures or framed posters that can make a child smile warms up the room. Lots of sunshine and natural light create the best atmosphere.MAKE IT MORE PERSONALFinally, the toys a child loves most can be given a special shelf or box. Colored boxes or tins from a dollar store, or child-decorated versions, make nice containers for things like baseball cards, special stickers, doll accessories, or rocks. Hand-held games and other breakables require a space on a shelf, separate from the tossing of sturdier toys.Items with a child's name or initial make it that much more personal.Inexpensive Ways to Keep Kids Entertained
Some of the least expensive ways to keep children occupied are often the most tried-and-true:
Bubble Stuff, jump ropes, balls of any size, Scribble pads, crayons, play money, PlayDoh, clay, jacks, activity books, pails and shovels, and stickers can keep children busy. Travel-sized or full-sized games like checkers or card games can keep some children busy. Activity books, paint-with-water books, coloring books, paper dolls, and sticker-books usually keep children busy for a while. Older children who play games like Life, Monopoly, or Clue once may end up going on a "kick" of playing one of these games long after a rainy afternoon has ended.Buying movies children will like when the price is right (as when the local video store puts items from their inventory on sale) and keeping them until the kids need entertainment isn't a bad idea. Public libraries are not just a place to get free reading and browse the children's section, but they offer movies and CD's as well. Older kids may like to find something like books on dolls or guitar playing or a sport to bring home and browse.Local parks offer play opportunities for children and cost nothing. Packing a picnic lunch and some inexpensive drinks for the kids can turn a trip to the park or a local lake into a picnic. A bottle of Bubble Stuff, an inexpensive outdoor toy from a place like Walmart or CVS, and a ball can give kids plenty of things to do if a park is one that doesn't have swings and slides and instead has only grass and benches.An inexpensive wading pool will keep young kids busy for a long time.Letting kids throw a blanket over a couple of chairs and making a "tent" will usually keep them busy.Looking for particularly appealing rocks in the backyard can be appealing for children of a certain age. Littler kids are often happy to help pick up sticks from the yard or pull weeds. Children who are old enough are often entertained for long periods by things marble collections (kids are less likely to play marbles and more likely to admire their colors), bottle-cap collections, or even just enough trading cards to make a starter collection of those.A chalk Hopscotch usually keeps girls busy for quite a while. Boys usually like a hockey stick and a ball.The toy department at a local discount, dollar, or drug store usually has inexpensive toys that will keep young children busy playing with them for quite a while. Dolls or little animals that come with a few accessories usually keep young kids busy.A bag of assorted pompoms, some Elmer's glue, pipe-cleaners, and a bag of eyes from the craft department can keep kids busy making animals for a long time; and when they're done they will still have the material for another day.Cutting quart-sized milk carton bottoms off, painting them, adding some dirt and planting a few seeds takes a little time; and when more than one child works on a project like this they usually find it more fun than doing the same thing alone. Making paper-bag masks can keep kids busy for a while. The craft deparment of stores usually has all colors of felt squares, which are inexpensive and which children can use to make things with the help of Elmer's glue. Construction paper, kid scissors, and markers usually keeps kids occupied. A pan of water, a boat, and little doll of some kind will usually keep a child busy for a while.Kids will usually spend some time with a Bingo game, Cooties game, or Hungry Hippos even if they're not old enough or in the mood for a game like Monopoly. Playing Hang Man doesn't cost much at all. Kids also often like activity books that offer word scramble or other word games.For about $6.00 you can download a new kids' game to your cell phone if only one child needs to be entertained for a while. (I keep "Hello Kitty's Adventure, Muppets, Nemo, and Sponge Bob just in case they're needed sometime.)PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
