Book Review: Positive Plan for Creating More Fun, Less Whining

SMALL FAN nowadays watch a lot of TV, worried that he is going to be a couch potato. So, decided to look thru some books from the library for activities that I can use to entertain him. Borrowed this book A Positive Plan for Creating More Fun, Less Whining from Karol Ladd, thought it quite interesting and have quite a few good ideas to keep kids entertain. I won't really buy this book as I felt that it's a little Christian-based, so I'm penning some of the ideas that I like on this blog so that I can refer to it when required.

Boredom Busters for Waiting Rooms
Picture-Perfect Stories: Look around the room in which you are waiting. Typically, there will be at least one picture on the wall. If there is more then one picture, allow your kids to pick one picture for this activity. Tell your kids to give careful observation to the picture and the objects or people in the picture. Now they must create a story about what they see. They can either write it down or tell it to you. Depending on how long your wait may be, have them draw a picture showing what happens next in the story.

Terrific Travel Tips
Prepare a travel goody bag for each child. This can be a simple bag of goodies that you hand the kids right before you begin the journey. Customise the bags to your child's interests and age. You will want to include a snack and a small drink, a simple game or book, coloured pencils or markers, a journal or colouring book or puzzle book, and perhaps a small toy. For older kids, you may want to give them favourite CD for their player with earphones.

Plan to stop along the way. Do a little research to find out a good restaurant or park or place of interest along the route. When it comes to kids, your trip will be much more enjoyable if you offer them a few bathroom breaks as well as a chance to stretch their legs.

Add some entertainment. Many families now take their portable DVD player or laptop in the car to watch movies the entire way. I do think movies help the trip go much faster and make the traveling much more enjoyable. You maay also want to include a book on tape or CD. But I also want to encourage you to leave some room for interaction or to talk about the trip itself. For younger kids, you can have a story hour or even bring along a puppet for entertainment.

Play a few travel games. Stimulate the brain and add some family interaction with good old travel games. Here are a few to consider:

• ABC Adventure. One family member begins by saying something lik, "I'm Anne. I'm driving in an automobile and I'm going to Alabama." The next person syas a name that starts with B, traveling in something that starts witha B and going to a destination that starts with a B. And so on throughout the alphabet.
• I Spy. Before the trip, tear out pictures from magazines of objects you could possibly see out of the window as you travel. Find thre or four per family member. Place the pictures facedown and allow each person to take several. When the driver says go, everyone looks at his or her piectures. The first person to spy objects that match each of the pictures wins. YOu can then scramble the pictures and play again.
• 20 Questions. YOu star of saying, "I'm thinking of a place." A family member responds, "Is it in America?" Each questions demands only a yes or no response. If you make it through twenty questions and no one has guessed what you are thinking of, then you win. If someone guesses wrong, they are out. If someone guesses correctly before twenty questions are asked, they become the winner and start a new round.
• Car Trip Sing-Along. You may want to bring a sing-along tape or if you are musically talented, then you can do it yourself. Start with some kids' favourites.

Keeping your Sanity while Shopping

Preventive Measures
Consider the following checklist before setting out for shopping adventure. It may take a few extra momenets before you leave, but the end result will be a good experience with fewer complaints.

• Are the kids well rested? Tired often equals temper tantrums.
• Have the kids been fed?
• Visit the bathroom before you begin.
• In a positive tone, tell you kids where you are taking them and what you expect of their behaviour. Caryl Waller Krueger, in her book 1001 Things to Do with Your Kids, suggests the big three grocery shopping rules: walk, talk and gawk. Walk, but no running or pushing permitted. Talk, but no crying or shouting allowed. Gawk (or look), but don't pester for things! (boringtazz: tried this with SMALL FAN before my shopping trip, he seems to understand but tends to forget once he reach the shopping mall and I have to keep reminding him)
  
• Make your list of what you need before you go. You can speed up the shopping if you wrtie what you will need in each section of the store. YOu may find it helpful to create a master list of your most commonly bought items. Print copies so you can simpley circle the ones you need for the present week.
• Instruct the kids on what they can purchase or choose within the budget.
• Pack what you need. A toddler may need a toy in hand to keep his attention while you shop. A bottle or extra diapers can prevent a shopping trip from turning into a disaster.
• Consider shopping online for certain products and clothing.
• Choose kid-friendly stores and malls.
  

Shopping Can be Fun
Make the shopping exericne a fun time for both you and the kids. Here are a few ideas for a variety of ages.

Babies

• Teething toys. Bring along at least one or two to use if your baby becomes fussy. You may want to use a ribbon to tie it to the basket so it won't drop on the floor (boringtazz: personally find teething biscuits more useful, my baby FAN can chew on the biscuits for a whole half-an-hour while sitting on her stroller)
  
• Sleeping Babies. For young baby who sleeps soundly, tiem your shoppping so he can sleep through the ride in the cart.
  
• Front Carrier or Sling. If your baby does best by being held, then consider bringing along a sling or front carrier so your hands can be free while your baby feels your closeness and warmth. (boringtazz: this works best for baby FAN, she loves to be carried in the front carrier and I can go shopping for 2 hours with her and she never complaints. The only problem is that after that, I had a really backache, so make sure you can a good sling.)

Preschoolers

• Busy Hands. Busy hands are happy hands. Bring a small toy or book to keep your child's interest. You can also give your child an assignment to help you, such as holding your coupons, looking for an item on the shelf or holding certain safe items.
• Learn and Shop. Engage little ones in the shopping experience and create a learning opportunity as well, For instance, help your kids learn colours by saing, "Mommy is lookign for the green jar. Can you point to the green jar? Yes! That's it!" Encourage the kids to help you count the apples or the cans of soft drinks.
• Positive Motivation. You can call it bribery if you want, but I am not above offering my children a simple motivator if they maintain a good attitude or don't fight during grocery-shopping time. The reward should be simple: their favourit movie after naptime, snuggle time with Mommy during reading time, calling Daddy to tell him what a good job they did, special playtime when they get home, etc. Make the reward clear before you set out to shop. YOu don't want your children to get the impression that if they are bad enough, they can motivate you to offer a reward.
• Containment. If possible, bring the stroller or double stroller into the store to help the kids have their place instead of wide open space for running.

Older Kids

• Divide and Conquer. Give each child a list of several things you need. Tell them to meet you in the frong of the store in a certain amount of time. Besure it is a safe environment before sending kdis off by themselves. Send them in groups if possible.
• Coupon Accountant. Perhaps one of your kids has an accountant type aptitude. Assign him or her to be in charge of clipping coupons each week, organising them and helping you use them accordingly.
• Meal Planing. Allow each of your odler children to paln one meal that they would like during the week. Tell them to write down the ingredients they will need (encourage them to look up the recipe). When theya re at the grocery store with you, they can find the things on their list for their favourite meals.
• Push, Bag and Unload. Older kdis can feel useful by pushing the cart for you and helping the checker bag the groceries. They can also help hand items to you if you are doing self-checkout. Loading the groceries into the car and unloading the groceries at home can also hlep the kids feel a sense of responsibility.

Five Ingredients for enjoying a delightful meal - Fun Flair
With a little thought, you can add some flair to your normal mealtime routine. Here are seom easy tips for putting a little pizzazz into your family dinners.
Manners Night. Once a month, declare a manners night. Ask all family members to dress nicely. You could hand out invitations if you want to go the extra mile. Serve dinner on the fine china and nice tablecloth. tech one or two rules of etiquette at the dinner table and talk about the importance of respecting one another.
Dinner Theme. Every once in a while, build a theme around your dinner. On Mexican night, decorate the table with bright colours and a sombrero for tacos and tamales. On Italian night, use a red-checked tablecloth as you serve spaghetti. Of course, Valentine's dinner can be red foods with paper hearts....
Seasonal Celebration. At the beginning of each seaon, celebrate with a related dinner.... (boringtazz: For Singapore where we don't have any seasons, maybe we can celebrate festivals like, Lantern Festival, Hungry Ghost Festival etc)
Kids Cooking Night. Allow older kids to search the recipe books and plan their favourite menu. They will need to amke a list for you ahead of time so you can get the ingredients at the store. Then allow them to cook the meal, with only a little guidance from you if they need it. It is also their job to set the table. This activity tends to give them a greater appreciation for what you do.
Place Mat Art. Allow kdis to make different place mats each year. Using a large piece of coloured construction paper, they can draw or colour, make a collage, paint at scene, or use photos. Take the completed mats to an office or teacher supply store to get them laminated or use clear contact paper to do it yourself. Keep the collection mats over the years and bring them out now and then. It's fun to see the progression of your choldren's talents and abilities.