Make Monday: Box of Goodies!

If you are like me, now that the weather is getting colder and with the time change you are stuck inside more and more, you wonder what you can possibly do to pass the time and avoid those afternoon "bewitching" hours. This is when I like to pull out a box of goodies, especially when I am tired and desperate. What you ask?

One day, I had an extra diaper wipe plastic container laying around. Instead of throwing it away, I decided to fill it with a variety of colorful items with different textures. What kid does not like to pull things out of a box. Since Judah has been into drawers recently, opening and closing, I moved the items to a drawer for him to pull out. Whether the box or the drawer, he pulls out a soft, purple boa, a red feather, a scratchy brush, a green, silky ribbon, a shiny piece of leather, a rough piece of sand paper, and much more. Sometimes I change it up a bit with fun items around the house with different shapes or different feely things I find on sale at the craft store.

The fun for you is being creative and the joy for your child is the discovery of new shapes, smells, and things to touch. For older kids, you can use a cereal box, decorate it, and then put things inside for them to find. For other kids, you can fill a bucket of rice or beans and put items mixed inside for them to search for like finding "Waldo" in a indoor sand box. You could make a variation for on what you are thankful for or the "Twelve days" of Christmas coming up. Kids certainly love opening things up too and exploring what the practical use of each item. It even stimulates conversation using adjectives.

This certainly passes enough time for you to get your barrings and for your kid to forget what he was whining about. It is nice to have something put away too that you can bring out for those times of desperation. You both are saved from a lot of grumpiness and instead have so much fun.