This very thing happened one weekend and by the afternoon I was SO tired of hearing the complaints. It was a BEAUTIFUL day outside and I was not going to just let them plop down in front of the TV, so what is the solution? I created what I like to call a "Beat the Boredom" scavenger hunt.
I basically thought up a bunch of random activities or "Eye Spy" types of things that they either had to do or find inside and outside the house. They then had to check off the box before they could move on to the next task. At first, I thought that my 8 year old would baulk at it thinking that it was "lame", but alas, he was all for it! The best part? He was so sweet to help out his little sister if she needed help completing her tasks :o)
Below is an example of the list that I came up with. As you can see, some are completely random and others are sports related...I wanted to make sure that they got some exercise and were worn out a bit when it was over (get their 'wiggles out').
You can make this list as long or short as you want, but this seemed just about right for my kids...and it kept them occupied for quite awhile! Here is a pic of them "kicking the soccer ball through the cones."
The best part is, you can sneak a chore in there (like picking up sticks in the yard) and they still think that it's part of the game ;o) LOL
Haha, I love the idea of including some sport activities in the scavenger hunt. It can help turn the activity into a healthier, more physically engaging exercise. And I agree: having the chores in the scavenger hunt was a good idea. It helped them realize that chores can be done in a fun way.
ReplyDelete@@ Rosalinda Hone
Thanks Rosalinda! We are a really active / sports oriented family, so any time I can incorporate those types of things into our activities, I try! Oh, and making chores appear to be "fun" or a "game" has become my specialty ;o)
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