Turn Off the Video Games and Turn On Your Kid's Creativity

As an introvert I have an approach to summer fun, and family activities in general, that could be described as relaxed or, if you're less charitable, lazy. I'm committed to being charitable in all things, even personal, so let's stick with "relaxed." Too many parents mistake childhood for an extended cruise and cast themselves as the activities' directors. This is a mistake.

Raising humans is arduous enough, but adding the needless responsibility of providing your child's entertainment is much too much. I want to raise the banner high, but this ideabook is about lovingly doing less, so I'm going to lead by example. If you would like to join me in spirit, here are a few things to remember.

What do you see? Two little girls and a pug perched on a wall of boulders? Wrong. That's an ice cream stand in it's third season of business.

1. Creativity comes from constraints. Overloading our homes and yards with toys can have a crippling effect on our children's imaginations. I love playhouses, but when I see elaborate ones filled with so much stuff — even electronics — I wonder if it's more for the adults than the child.

Give your child the raw materials of play — in your yard or at a park — and watch imagination take over. When I was 6 or 7, on a visit to the beach, I made a tiny house from driftwood, sand, beach glass and dune grass. I played by myself for a blissful hour and, clearly, still remember it today.

The roots of trees are another wonderful foundation for the young home builder.


Our hill was only dirt when we moved in, but it didn't keep my daughter Eden and her cousin Ren from immediately setting up shop.

2. Let them make a mess. The best play usually involves dirt, sand, water and rocks.

When I was a kid my dad built my siblings and me a big sandbox that was also deep.The four of us all could play, usually one to a corner. We would dig down at least a foot and a half and create large cities with tunnels. We had shovels and trucks, but our own hands were the main tools, and twigs and leaves our only accessories. Do you know the lovely feeling of digging a tunnel, delicately excavating and packing and finally being able to slide your arm in the cool depths?

I can only imagine the gritty mess the four of us tracked in day after day — my poor mother!


The ice cream shop. So that's why Eden wanted to know where the package of food dyes was! They also picked and crushed serviceberries to create a "topping."


3. Welcome collections. To gather objects is a natural compulsion. Collections kept outdoors are no big deal, but some are more delicate and need to come inside. Dedicate a shelf or tray for treasured indoor collections to keep things neat and contained.


No time is too early to go out and play. In the summer we don't always get dressed first!

4. Dress them for success. Allow your children to wear clothes they can get dirty without worry. When my firstborn was a toddler, I dressed him like a politician on the campaign trail: button downs and khaki shorts. Our neighbor boys, who were a few years older, commented, "You gotta get Christopher some playclothes." In my defense, I didn't care if Christopher made a mess, but still. Who wants to play with Little Lord Fauntleroy or the junior junior senator from wherever?


5. Give them space. Children need to be supervised, of course, but even when you need to keep a constant eye on them, you can afford them mental room. Allow your child time to think quietly and play alone, especially if this is a challenge for him or her. The child who is constantly begging you, "Play with me!" (and I don't mean an ignored child, but one who can't handle a second without outside stimulation) needs to develop some attentive muscles, just as a less athletic child may need to exert himself or herself physically.

The ability to occupy oneself is a life skill that is becoming less and less common and infinitely more precious.

So kick back and relax — you may need practice if you're all twitchy and exhausted from hyperinvolvement, but stick with it and watch your children and their creativity grow.

A Fine Mess: How to Have a Clean Enough Home Over Summer Break

URL: Turn Off the Video Games and Turn On Your Kid's Creativity http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-18326.html