JOIN USAll work and no play makes parent a dull toy! Most parents I speak to dread holidays. “Children are always bored,”' they complain. Unlike parents, children get many days off during the year.
In the absence of fun-filled activities, the kids always resort to the idiot-box and so, it is no wonder that parents and children battle it out all the time! After years of slogging and being responsible, parents have probably forgotten to have fun. If you’re a parent too and this seems familar, then take a cue from your child’s boredom and bring back the lighter side of you.
What with all the work pressure and never-ending errands to run, you have probably gotten immune to the call of liesure and light-mindedness. Needless to say, this doesn’t go too well with your kids and both of you land up in a tug of war over watching television. Take a few seconds off your hectic life and think how many wonderful memories your kids will have of spending some great time with you. Think about how close your kid might grow to you if only you let yourself loose. It is time you used a bit of your time and imagination to engage yourself and your child in some fun-filled activities. There are several ways to keep your kids happy during vacation. Try out some of these:
* Take your child to a museum and explore it at leisure. Museums are always a great place with many hands-on exhibits. Children can explore and have fun and can see for themselves that science or history can be a fun subject. Do not hurry or rush your kids. Just let them be and explore things slowly.
* Have a picnic. There are still some parks around that can be a good get away. Pack some lunch and be outdoors. Enjoy nature and play some light outdoor games.
* Give the day a theme – wizard, pirates, mermaid... Dress up and have fun. Sounds impractical? It isn’t, really. All you need to do is ponder a little over the materials available and make the ordinary day eventful. It can turn out to be a lot of fun for you too.
* Invite your child's friends over. Organize games and have a party. It is one of the sure shot ways to unwind from the hectic lives our children live these days.
* Plan an outdoor activity – go biking, jogging or go on a nature walk. Bike or walk along some of the roads that are less busy and collect leaves, flowers, or simply watch many of nature's best gifts like insects.
* Make some yummy food together. Let your child explore by cutting vegetables and cooking with you. Children love to wear the chef's coat and feel very responsible when they enter the forbidden room called kitchen. Let loose. Make fun shaped rotis, puris and the likes. Stuff your rotis with veggies and grated cheese. Make pizzas, ice cream, noodles or even pastas.
* Pick a movie and watch it with your kid and his/her friends. Do make sure you have some home-made popcorn handy. It is simple, easy and a great way to unwind.
* Pick some family pictures and make a collage with your little ones. It is amazing, how creative they can get. Allow them to write some captions for the pictures. Don't fuss about neatness – that takes away the fun.
* Make an entire make-believe city with cars, houses, dolls, rail roads, and malls. Create a board game activity day – choose from monopoly, pictionary, taboo. Scout for new board games; there are quite a few new ones on the block.
* Visit a library and browse through the world of books. It is one of the best activities by far, especially if your kid loves staying indoors and having his/her nose on pages!
* Ask your kid to create a fictional character of his/her own and ask him/her to spend the entire day as that character. Let the kid live that entire day as he/she fancies the character would!
Playing with your kids will not only give you and your kids some fond memories to hold onto, but also unleash the kid within you and trigger back some long lost memories of your own...