Kids TV Replacement
Kids TV Replacement
watching TV all summer long, here is a great list of 5 TV replacements for kids to keep them entertained this summer!
TV replacements for Kids this Summer:
1. Audio Books & Read Along Books: These are awesome! Most kids 3 years and older can fully operate the CD changer in a standard radio solo. You can head to your local library and rent several at a time. My kids prefer to use them during meal times. Another great option is the story book readers. There are a few to choose from. There are some that you insert the book and disk into and read the book, then there are stuffed animals that read books, or there are smart books that come with pointers and it reads the word as you slide the pointer on top. All are wonderful options that provide TV-free entertainment for your child!
2. Boom Box/Radio & CD’s: This is somewhat like the first option, however there are no books that go along with it. This is great to find music CD’s for kids that have them act out things in the songs. For example, Laura Berkner band is great because they have several “follow along” and “acting out” songs. In addition to the fun music for kids, they will love the independence having the CD’s to change themselves with their own radio.
3. Interesting Art: There are great options to allow children to still be creative and use their imagination, but that does not involve paint or markers. Light Bright is a classic toy I grew up with and still holds much value today. It is wonderful for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, not to mention a great TV-replacement. A few other awesome art choices to keep their interest peaked are light tracers, color by numbers, mazes, stencils, and rubbers.
4. Couch Jumping: This is easy and self-explanatory and oh-so-much-fun! Remove cousins from couch, arrange them in different piles and let the kids go nuts! You can arrange the cousins as lily pads and they must jump from one distance to the other, or simply pile them up and have them jump without losing their balance. Make sure to pad-up any sharp corners and remove any hard toys or surfaces from the vicinity to keep it safe.
5. Box Fun: Save any type of box! Large boxes make awesome hide outs, play houses, caves etc. smaller boxes make excellent cars, boats, rocket ships etc. In addition to open-ended and dramatic play that a simple box allows, they make great art corrals. Dump out a box of markers or crayons, or even a place to cut and glue. Boxes are a world of possibilities!
You will be surprised how much awesome learning and playing time will be taken up by the simple activities listed above. A tip that I have found with keeping kids interested in play rather than TV is to have specific times of the day that TV is used. Try not to have it on in the morning at all. When kids start their day off by being creative and playing, they are more apt to continue throughout the day. It is used strategically in my house and at limited times. Most days. But of course, we all have days where mama just needs a break and that’s OK, too!
What fun TV-replacements have you found to be successful in your house?
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