As any parent can attest to, entertaining a child or children can be a challenge. When our children are babies and are still exploring it is fairly easy to entertain them in between naps. A few toys on their mat or some blocks and they are good to go for a long time.
It is when our children get older that it becomes more and more challenging. Our youngest is still okay with staying home for the day. He would prefer to be out and about but that is not always an option. Our oldest, on the other hand, needs a change of pace otherwise cabin fever turns into the Tasmanian devil and the wheels come off in no time. When we can take them out of the house the activities are fairly standard - museum, park, splash pad, friend's house or an indoor playground. When we are stuck in the house because of weather or illness, the creativity must kick in. We are not creative enough to compete with this guy "Doting Dad Uses A Projector To Dazzle His Daughter ,7, With Dinosaurs Outside Her Window." Kudos to him for going that far and making the rest of us look bad while he does. But we try. And try hard. Our sons love a fort or rocket ship built out of couch cushions and pillows and blankets. They love a homemade obstacle course. They will swim for hours in the pool (not creative but great for burning energy). We color with them. We read with them. We are always looking for new (and affordable) ways to keep them entertained. We are still very much of the belief that screen time should be limited to non existent. Occasionally we let our boys watch Daniel Tiger or Bob The Builder but we try to make that a last resort. Our oldest has an iPad but he only uses it for educational games. And he hardly even asks for it (so little that it may actually not even be charged). When the day is over all we want is to see our children smile and be happy. So if it means getting on the floor and building legos or pretending to be captured or playing mini basketball on hands and knees then so be it. While the saying is "Happy Wife, Happy Life," it can be applied just as easily to our children. And it should be.
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