Sally Day Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 My eldest boy has always been a huge reader and so occupies himself easily through our Scottish winters. Youngest, on the other hand, isn't into books at all and is always interrupting his brothers reading and well, getting under my feet! He is about to be 6 and so I'm hoping to buy him stuff to do on his own. He has Lego, of course, and Snap circuits. Hoping you have ideas to make my next winter an easier one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Indoor trampoline Indoor obstacle course using hilltops, riverstones, and balance beam pieces Playmobil sets Castle or architectural block sets with figures Marble run sets Domino rally sets Indoor tent making set Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Can he listen to audio books while playing with his legos? That keeps his mind AND his body occupied. Also, maybe enroll him in something physical like martial arts (some places have options for no contact, no competition, etc. if you have concerns), or swimming or a team sport? Getting out and physical, while interacting with other kids, might make it easier for him to function at home. Also, it might help if you schedule a certain specific time each day you will spend quality, focused time on him and do something very active with him, something HE wants to do. He might be more patient and less demanding of your attention if he knows he will have that time guaranteed at some point during the day. Just don't forget or continually push it off or he will come to distrust your promised one on one time which may lead to behavior issues. The other thing I would suggest is a house maintenance apprenticeship. Train both boys on house work but do it in a fun way. 1. Even if they already know something sort of, start from scratch. 2. Pick one thing for each of them to focus on. 3. Call it an apprenticeship and don't expect them to know how to do ANY of it, even if it seems intuitive to you. 4. Start by demonstrating and walking them through what it is, why its done, and whether any specifics need to be done for a reason and which are just your personal preference. 5. Play music in the background if you are so inclined. 6. Spend the time working on the skill but also talking and visiting and laughing. 7. Give very specific, positive feedback. (Do NOT nit pick and criticize). 8. After they have seen you demonstrate, you have them do it with you. 9. Slowly have them take over doing it, but only release them to do it alone when they truly remember the sequence and feel confident. 8. Depending on the house maintenance activity (a.k.a. chore), you might spend a week or even two or three on the one thing. 9. Once they have it down really well, have a mini-celebration with maybe even a certificate. 10. Now they have a chore that they really feel confident doing. Put it on a rotation so they don't forget. Start the next chore apprenticeship. Yes, this takes some work. Yes this can be time consuming. BUT, your kids will be far more likely to be able to and willing to and remember to help you around the house, you can use it to increase family bonding instead of making it an area of contention when they are older, they will be learning valuable life skills and feeling like they are an important part of the process of taking care of their home, and your little active one will eventually have a whole repertoire of things he can do to be active that help you out, too. If you keep it positive he will feel like his contributions are valued and he may even seek out more things to do to help. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Erector sets, Gears Gears Gears, and magnaformers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 A maze balance board is on my list, along with magnetic blocks. Winter is so hard because the need to be energetic doesn't get met nearly as often as it should. What my kid has now and plays with: Usborne drawing books Legos Blocks Imaginext Superhero stuff Reusable science kits A loom (started on a hula hoop with t-shirt scraps and moved onto a real one) Memory, puzzles Playdough (I make different colors/scents) Marbles Dice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Some art supplies are nice if he likes that. (DS likes to paint even though he doesn't draw or color much.) Marble run Magnets, crystals, or other little science kits Playmobil or other little figures, if you don't already have them with the Legos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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