At Home Entertainment

Growing up, my siblings and I spent many days stuck inside. We learned how to look for hidden treasures around the house. Many exist within our own households waiting to be found! Here are a few activities you can do with your child with things you have laying around the house.

Exhausted and out of ideas? Pull some paper out of your recycling bin or junk mail and tear it in half. Your child will love the noise and will find herself lost in a pile of shredded paper by the end. It will create a little mess but seeing your baby excited for this activity will be worth it. 

Remember your high school days or college years? Turn up some of your favorite tunes, pick up your baby and start dancing! Your child will love being close to you and enjoy the music and dancing. Make it wild and fun! Don’t worry about looking silly because before you know it, y’all will be lost in the moment.   

Is it getting later in the afternoon? Turn off the lights, close the blinds, and turn on a flashlight! Lie next to your child and put on a light show! You can flash it around the ceiling, write your name out, or start with shadow puppets. But watch out because your child might try to take the flashlight from you! (Let her take the light and see what is created with her imagination!)

It is time to start playing an interactive game! Tie a small soft toy such as a ball to the end of a string and bounce it in front of your child. Make different noises as the toy descends. Listen to see what noises your child comes up with and repeat or remix those sounds. Before you know it, you will be listening to a wonderful techno concert in your home! 

Put different household items such as big spoons, water bottles, and other baby safe items,  in a box. Pull them out with excitement and your child will love it! Play with each item a little and pass it on. See what your child’s imagination will turn it into. You can tweak this in many ways. Your child may want to pull all of the items out, hand them to you, and organize them back in the box – that can always be fun. 

 

Once your child has all of the items out of the box, you can sneak attack and put her in the box and quickly turn it into an airplane, bus, boat, or car!  You can split the items into different boxes and place them around the house and turn it into a treasure hunt as you both go around the house trying to find the next box of fun! 

This is a short list of little treasures lying around your house. Keep your eyes peeled for others! Creativity can turn an okay day into a great one! Don’t forget to take pictures!