Jack has never been the type of child who will play by himself for very long. He has always preferred someone play with him, be near him or watch him play. As he has gotten older, I have seen this starting to change.
He is learning to be more imaginative with his toys. Hearing him act out a pirate battle with his ships and a castle made of blocks, is music to my ears. However, this does not happen too often without some sort of direction. And with his naps almost disappearing forever, I have needed to find things that Jack will enjoy doing by himself for longer periods of time so I can have some me time for a few minutes or take care of that one constant in my life...laundry.
He seems to really enjoy activities and projects that are simple, creative and challenging.
Digging for dinosaur bones.
This was a birthday present from his cousins. He thought it was neat searching for the dino bones and then putting them together to discover what specific dinosaur it was. This one he needed lots of help in the digging process, but it was still fun doing it together.
Oldie, but goodie...Rice.
He played with this rice and his cars & trucks f.o.r.e.v.e.r. He loved it so much that I did not mind one bit as I watched half of the rice fall on my rug.
Painting
Painting has always been a favorite for Jack. He has been doing this since he was 2 years-old. Crazy, I know. We tried this with Owen and he was eating the paint brush and whipping paint everywhere. Jack never did that, ever! I remember he would stand at this same counter and paint pictures while I held, rocked and/or nursed Owen as a newborn. It was a sanity saver...and still is.
Moon Sand
Jack also received Moon Sand for his birthday from his cousin Ty. Now, I had heard about Moon Sand and had seen it a million times at Target, but I have to admit I was always scared to buy it. I was scared because of the mess it would make all over my kitchen I didn't actually know what it did. Well, Jack loves this stuff and can play with it f.o.r.e.v.e.r. as well!
And yes, my kitchen does look like the following picture. But, I manage!
Blocks...the old fashioned ones
I know I have talked about other types of blocks on here, but these truly are the best! These were a hand-me-down from his cousins and they are fabulous! Both boys play with them a lot! The list of things they make with these blocks is endless...roads, castles, garages, zoos, houses, etc. These blocks are a perfect example of "it's the simple things". Remember this?
How long until we have warm weather?
2 comments:
Funny! I hear you on finding ANYTHING that will occupy them, despite the mess. Chase has been playing with a bag of pipe-cleaners the last couple days. Who knew???
How about going to the beach in the middle of the winter, you will need:
1 bathtub
XL bath towels to act as the beach
Picnic items (sandwiches, drinks, paper plates & napkins)
A set a blocks to act as sand castle designs
Get Set for some fun at the beach on the bathroom floor.
PS Don't forget the sunscreen and sun gogs!
Have fun boys!
KKHH GiGi
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