No More TV Today! Fun Activities For Kids

There's so many good books out there for kids. Even at a young age, kids enjoy just listening to you read books to them. A baby can even hold a book and just look at it. You might be thinking, "why on earth is she even mentioning that?" My point is, doing activities with kids does not have to be super time consuming or stressful. Simple things like sitting down together and just looking at a book is a great way to get kids attention and get them talking. Life is so busy and so fast paced. Don't feel bad if you don't read to your child every night! Just try to when you can.

My kids always liked any books by Sandra Boynton. Her books rhyme, include animals and are just silly. Now my oldest son reads her books to himself, but he loved them as a baby. I can't recommend her books enough.

Some of the best times I've shared with my kids involved doing an art project. The best part is you don't have to break the bank to get a few supplies! All you really need is paper, scissors, glue and crayons and you're set. The sky is the limit really, but here's just a few super simple projects you can do today.
1.You can cut out shapes and let them glue it on paper.
2. Let them draw a picture about summer (or any season.) My kids love drawing a pic of the beach.
3. Write their name on paper in big bubble letters and they can color it.

If they don't want to draw, look around your house for stuff you already have thrown in a drawer somewhere. You'd be surprised at what kids find fun! Look for buttons, extra ribbon, paper clips, cotton balls, pipe cleaners and do a project with those!
1. Make "clouds" out of cotton and glue on paper
2. Hook paper clips together and make a bracelet
3. Sort buttons by shape, size or color

This is just the tip of the ice burg. I can go on and on and ON! Get creative! Half of the time my kids just look at the stuff and come up with a project on their own too.

You might think this is a no-brainer, but never under estimate the importance of just going outside to play with the kids. You don't have to have the most expensive or biggest swing set ever made. I'm talking about kicking a ball around, jump rope or just go for a walk. Again, all of this encourages communication and interaction with your kids. Something that tv or video games doesn't offer.