Creative Children And Technology Can Coexist

If you've been in the toy department lately, you'll notice that those brilliantly raucous new toys seem to be taking over all other games. These bright and loud toys all seem to squeal and screech, drawing your youngsters near, hypnotizing them until their little eyes glaze over.

Will all this technology interfere with your choice to raise your children with a little curiosity and imagination? Not if you surround your family with old fashioned games and toys! It's up to you to feed your children a balanced diet of technology and creativity. Here we go with just a few examples of old fashioned fun.

Reading Material - A home full of books is a home full of interesting people. Your home should have bookshelves filled with both fiction and non-fiction reading materials. Kids should have a wide variety of choices so they don't tire of the same types of stories or information. In homes where there are pre-school age children, we often find a lack of non-fiction books, opting for more storybook-style reading. But, even pre-school age children want to
discover the world they live in. In addition, your children will learn about using non-fiction books as resources when they are in the higher grades in school. Having a nice assortment of fiction books on the shelves provides the child who is not eager to read, an opportunity to become interested in the escape or fantasy of the story long enough to get hooked because they find out reading is fun.

Building Blocks and Snap Together Toys - Building structures and knocking them down is a great way to spend precious time with your child. As your child grows, the building blocks and Legos become more sophisticated, but never lose their appeal and fascination for children. Faced with a pile of blocks, your child's imagination swings into gear, anxious to create something unbelievable. You'll see towers, cities, critters, houses, bridges, and all kinds of crazy things appear before your very eyes. Be sure to ask your child what the structure is, what it does, and even what name it has. If your child builds a city, spend some time asking your child to find the city on a map. Once located, ask your child about the people and places in the new city. Your interest and your child's natural curiosity will create a learning experience that's priceless.

Arts and Crafts - All a child needs to become totally engrossed in an art project is some materials to draw with, draw on, and cut up. A big bucket of crayons, some paint, safe scissors, old magazines, and paper bags can be the inspiration for all sorts of valuable artwork. There are many wonderful art kits and tools, but you don't have to spend a lot of money to provide your child with the inspiration to create. For the younger child, start with the simplest and biggest
crayons you can find. Then, give that child a big area to color by taping sheets of freezer paper or paper bags on the kitchen floor. For an older child, easily accessible supplies and a table just for artwork make creating a masterpiece something to be enjoyed every day. Just the simple act of cutting and pasting can spark creativity in a child. Creativity that keeps those little hands busy for hours! Be sure to SUPERVISE your young child when using art supplies, especially scissors and glue. You don't want to end up with the cat getting a
haircut or glued to the chair!

Felt Boards for Storytelling - An inventive and imaginitive story is another great way for kids to reach beyond the world they see every day. Your felt story board can be handmade by hanging a large piece of felt on a sturdy, upright surface, or attaching the sheet of felt to an easel. You can also purchase a pre-made felt board at hobby stores. Then, you'll need to purchase sheets of colorful felt to be cut into various shapes and sizes. For the youngest child, an
assortment of basic shapes will spark their imagination and you'll be surprised at just how many objects they can create; objects like monsters, houses, boats, cars, and maybe even their sibling! Your older children will enjoy cutting out and designing the felt into characters and props for their stories. Encourage your children to write their own stories, and then ask them to put on a production using the felt board. You can also create the characters and settings
for a famous play or story. No matter what your child envisions, the time spent imagining the story is time well spent!

Musical Instruments - Whether your musical instruments are home-made with a comb and wax paper or store bought, making music is a wonderful way to spend the day together. Teach your child that music can be made from anything, from an old oatmeal container, to scratching two pieces of sandpaper together. You may want to listen to music together and try to pick out the instruments that are making the sounds. Get some sheet music or song books and teach your child about what the notes represent, and if you don't know, learn together. Simple bells can be strung together to create a one-of-a-kind instrument. There's even music in nature. Go on a walk and just listen to the sounds of the world -- music is everywhere in our lives.

Dress-up Clothes - Finally, a use for those old prom dresses and big hats. If Dad's got some rather funny old shirts and ties laying around, even better! Even old Halloween costumes are great. Buy extras after Halloween for year-round fun. Bring out a box of costumes and watch your children become stars of their own productions. Be sure to keep a camera handy to capture the fun. Remind your children that pets aren't always as fund of dressing up as they are. Cats don't always appreciate wearing a sombrero. Trust me, I have the scars to prove it.

Doll House - You don't have to buy a large, expensive doll house for your child to enjoy the pleasures of play acting with dolls and creating an environment for them to live in. With a few boxes and craft items you have around, you can help your child build a house and decorate it to suit her taste and imagination. Scraps of wallpaper, fabric, small pictures, or just about anything can be used to furnish the doll's new home. Then, listen as your child moves the dolls around through the house, living out their doll lives, and see if you don't pick up on some funny dialogue your child is using with the dolls. Your child's doll world will be a place to explore all sorts of curious ideas that aren't possible in the world outside of the doll house. Sit with your child and enjoy the stories.

Puppet Shows - Turn your mismatched socks into hand puppets. You'll need some markers and some scraps of fabric for hair, hats, or whatever you want to add. You could also use paper bags, cloth, felt or even make little puppets out of popsicle sticks. One fun trick is to take an old glove, cut all the fingers off the glove, and turn each finger into a little puppet. Then, you put the completed finger puppet on your fingers and you have a whole family of puppets right there together. Help your child create a theater for their puppet show and relax and watch the crazy fun begin!

Kitchen Play - If you look around your kitchen right now, you'll probably see quite a few plastic utensils that could be pretty fun in the bathtub. Or, you may want to take a stroll through a thrift shop and pick up a supply of plastic bowls, cups, and utensils at a reasonable price. Fill a tub with water, add some plastic containers, and your child will play "cooking" until they get pruny. Add some
bubbles, and they can imagine they're whipping up batter for a cake. Yummy!

Creative children come from creative parents. Without your imagination for developing the opportunities for your children to drop the technology and pick up a book, game, or craft, there would be no chance of raising creative children. You're making the first step right here by surrounding your child with good, old fashioned fun.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Nicole is the mostly-sane mom behind ShowMomTheMoney.com - a trusted and respected resource for work at home moms since 2004. Nicole also owns ShowKidsTheFun.com - a fun site to inspire parents to keep the lines of communication open with their children.

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