Patriot Moms

How to turn an extended break into a blessed family vacation.

You’ve had family, food, fun, gifts, and now kids are bored with the new gifts, and they are starting to fight with each other. Perhaps this is not the scenario in your house, but unfortunately, it is commonplace among kids with too much idle time.

A few extra chores in the morning will help that afternoon play time seem like a blessing. In our house, we have worked on the unpleasant task of wiping the dust off of the horizontal blinds. Even my 7 year old can take a rag and start wiping; many hands make light work. It’s amazing how eager they are to get alone and play after having an hour or two of housework. It takes the boredom blues right away, and it helps the family at the same time.

Some other thoughts to chase away the boredom: Family read aloud. We have been reading through Little Women (even Josiah likes to listen because Laurie is cool). With all the school reading, we hardly have time to read aloud. It has been fun to pop some corn, and all cuddle up around a good book.

Another great activity that has been lost in the world of Wii and DSI is family game time. We have enjoyed Bible Pictionary together as a family. It is hilarious to see the kids trying to draw Joseph’s coat of many colors. My seven year old’s drawings are so cute, I want to keep them for laughs later! Games like Scrabble, Boggle, and Yahtzee, can be educational and fun. It means so much to kids when Mom and Dad sit down and play with them.

If you don’t have the Global Puzzle, it is a must for every family. Puzzles can pass away the hours, and are a great way to get the whole family involved. Dad might not have time for a game of Pictionary, but put a puzzle on the table, and he will often stop by to put in a piece or two. The Global Puzzle ($12.00 on Amazon) is a puzzle of the world, but here’s the beauty of it: each piece of the puzzle is the actual shape of the country. So kids learn what each country in Africa looks like, and where it goes on the map. This one is a good tool for adults too!

For the girls, we have spa night. (Okay, so a certain boy might have participated too, but he wouldn’t want you to know it.) I get out the Satin Hands kit from Mary Kay, and we do the pre-moisturizing cream, the apricot scrub, the hot water soak, and the after lotion, on our hands and feet. What a treat! We have a good time splashing together.

We have enjoyed Sculpie, oven bake clay. We build things out of this clay, and then bake it to harden. My girls have made miniature furniture for their little toy creatures. Josiah has made swords and characters from the Redwall series.

I know you can think of many other things to pass the time away. I would encourage you to limit electronics. Television, Wii, DSI, video games, and computer games are great for every now and then, but 30 minutes a day is plenty. If a kid spends 5 hours a day staring at a screen with lights flashing and nonstop activity, he will have a difficult time focusing when he returns to the reality of classroom learning. Let’s not hinder our kids by using these electronic devices as babysitters. Kids need to use their hands, brains and imagination. Let them have to work to imagine the story taking place as you read it. For kids that can’t sit still, give them a lap desk and some coloring supplies to color a picture related to the story you are reading. Let’s use these extra days to bond together with our children. How often do we get unscheduled family days together? Cultivate joy in your home. Work together, clean together and then have a blast together!

Blessings in Christ,
Cindy Palen