“To find yourself, think for yourself.”
― Socrates
One of the best things you can teach your children is self-reliance. Confident and independent children often grow up into happy adults. A generation or two ago, with limited avenues of entertainment, children often engaged in creative plays. They amused themselves with books and simple games like hide and seek. But now, even with the hundreds of television channels, multiple electronic entertainment devices, and multitude of hobby classes etc., children still complain of boredom. So, what can the parents to do to encourage children to entertain themselves?
Refrain from giving yourself a guilt trip when your children are bored and lean on you. Encourage them to read more, write a story, paint or watch a movie at home by themselves. Provide them tools for creative engagement; construction games like Lego toys are an excellent example. Give them cardboard boxes and encourage them to build something out of it. Jigsaw puzzles can be lot of fun for children of all ages. Sudoku, logic puzzles and crosswords can also be a great source of entertainment for older children.
According to guiltfreehomeschooling.org, ‘Just as some tiny tots need to be spoon-fed the first bite or two of a new food before taking over to feed themselves, some children may need guidance in learning to play by themselves.’
Help your children select and enjoy by-myself activities. Help them sort things out if necessary. And once they know how to do so, teach them to rely on themselves.
For more, you can read the articles in this ClipBook.
You always hear it in the parenting world. Kids today don’t know how to entertain themselves. They want us to fill their days with activities and stimulation, and we’re bending over backwards to do so, loading up their time with lessons, personal ...
It's easy to feel as though you ought to fill your baby's day with stimulation and opportunities to learn. Babies learn in many ways: by playing with you, by interacting with other children, and by exploring on their own. So while playgroups and t...
Most adults would gladly welcome the opportunity to be bored. With our crazy-busy lives, many of us don't have the luxury of enough downtime to experience true boredom. But how do you react when you hear your child say he's bored?
Kids spend several hours a day plugged into media devices. Are modern parenting trends keeping them inside? I was one of those idealistic “TV-free” moms, full of big ideas about my daughter growing up with pine needles in her hair and moss between...
“I’m bored.” “Mommy, come play with me.” Have you heard these laments lately? By teaching your children to enjoy a variety of “by-myself” activities, you can have some time for yourself and also teach your kids the art of playing by themselves.
Teaching children to entertain themselves has become a lost art. Nowadays, kids are constantly over-scheduled and carted from one organised activity to the next. Time spent at home with nothing planned has become a rarity. When it does occur I oft...
