The school holidays are here again and, wouldn’t you know it, the kids all slept in this morning until 8.45am. First sleep-in they’ve managed in about two years. And I wasn’t there (!!!!!).
Clever wife played games with the kids today instead of the tried and true (Daddy) babysitting method involving sticking on a DVD and retreating to the kitchen for a cuppa. Tracey pulled the activities form a book entitled TV-free Activities for Kids by Di Hodges, which clever wife picked up at Vinnies for $1. It has 365 activities which are all relatively easy to do and most have you thinking, “What’s so special about that. Everyone knows that game”.
Thing is you know them but probably wouldn’t think of them because the washing up is in the sink and there’s mopping to do.
Tracey is slowly ticking off the activities in the book with the kids. She’s determined to get through the lot. Eventually.
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| Kids are suitably shagged in this photo. Bedtime. |
Today’s activities were:
- Hopscotch – mark out the traditional pattern on concrete or dirt or floorboards, grab a stone or two and start hopping. For fun make a different shape, like a snake or a lizard. Or a Daddy so you can stomp on his jewels.
- Jump Scotch – like Hopscotch but jumping with legs together. Easier for younger kids. You don’t even need the stones, which may save on bandages and trips to the emergency.
- Rope Fun – all you need is a rope (or skipping rope). Kids put it on the ground and then work out different ways to move along it, like jumping, sliding, hoping, crawling or all those backwards.
- Simon Says – classic game for kids and always great for a laugh when the kids catch Mum or Dad out.
- Sock Animals – using (Dad’s) old socks and a nikko, the kids made sock puppets. They’ve each gone to bed with them tonight. I hope they weren’t from the laundry basket.
- Freeze – one kid (IT) stands at the end of garden with their back to the rest. Everyone moves towards IT. When IT turns around, if they spot anyone moving that person has to go back to the far end of the garden and start again. You win when you get all the way to IT and touch them.
- Hangman – traditional game involving a pencil and some paper. Like Wheel of Fortune but you can’t buy a vowel and this game involves killing a potentially innocent stickman who wasn’t given a fair trial.
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| Miss4 also managed some gardening. And she dressed herself. Can you tell? |
I have the same book and did the same thing with my kids during the school holidays 🙂 Your wife is a very clever lady!