Hi Mommies,
I just left my jobs a couple of weeks ago and have a lot more time with my 4 year old. Any suggestions on activities we can do together or him by himself that are inexpensive and interesting? I am all out of ideas on how to keep him entertained and I do not like just sticking him in front of the tv. I would like to have his time at home similar to school.
Well it's not similar to school, but Covina parks and rec has a cheap recreational swim session Mon-Thurs 1:15-2:30 at Covina Park. It's $1 per person and would be great for some excess energy and physical activity.
Hi
There are 2 great books I recommend
Fun and educational things to do with kids (Try Costco or Amazon.com
500 TV free activies for kids
Also try to pick up a copy of OC parenting magazine and OC family magazine. They are free and are usually available at the grocery store, drug store, schools etc
Go for walks. When my kids were toddler age and preschool age they had their "Grandma" days. Grandma who is my grandma and their great would walk them around her yard and back and forth on her quiet street. While walking she would point out all kinds of things. Different birds and plants, bugs, dogs and cats. They would count things. It was amazing the things they learned with grandma. I am still greatful for her early educational science class. My kids are now 10 and 7. When we visit Grandma they still always ask to take a walk.
Local zoos are also pretty cheap. Atleast the Santa Ana one is.
Another idea if you are looking for preschool based learning is the computer. Starfall.com is great for preschoolers for early reading. Or even Nickjr.com which is more play based. It is amazing the tech skills these little people learn so early. I really feel it benefits them.
Have fun and relax. Learning comes naturally. He is just a little guy and has plenty of time for structure.
If you plan to continue being a stay-at-home mom then you might try www.momsclub.org to see if there is a chapter in your area. It is a non-profit organization with chapters throughout the US and it is a support group for stay-at-home moms with kid-friendly activities. It may not be like school for your 4-year-old but it will give you some options on activities to do and let you both stay connected to adults and kids. Good luck!
Our FAVORITE book is Fun and Educational Places To Go with Kids and Adults in Southern California. The author is Susan Peterson. I just saw it being sold at our local AAA. Great book with many indexes, so all the listing are sorted by city, alphabetically, costs, topics of interest, etc.
You could take him to the library if you don't already. Our library has a good children's section that you don't have to worry about the kids breaking anything. They also have educational computer games the kids love to play. I do this with my son (2) and nephew (4). My nephew loves it.
www.MeetUp.com - look for moms groups in your area and join them
The library
The park - go on a "treasure hunt" and find things. Just google a scavenger hunt.
clip out pics from food flyers and walmart etc then "go shopping" for them.
When grocery shopping, give him his own list to find.
take water and a paint brushoutside in the sun and "paint"
Finger paint in pudding - then eat your creation
go to the library, find pics of trees that grow in your area, then go for a walk or a bike ride and find them (do this with birds, flowers, cars whatever interests him)
The museums always have a free or low cost day for local residents - call around
lie on the ground and watch the clouds go by - describe the shapes - be creative
head over to your local seniors residents and play go fish or read a favourite book or sing your fav songs
puzzles
mazes
colouring
building blocks
Turn a box into a fort
Nubia, there are a million simple things to do that cost NOTHING. Remember, an imagination is the greatest gift you can give your child. Build on his and you will be forever grateful. The reading, the writing and other "school stuff" will wait. Trust me.
I went looking for my favorite yahoo group for you and found an awesome looking book called "Kitchen Playdates" by Lauren Dean. That led me to join a group called mompowergroup, that you might find interesting --http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mompowergroup/. It looks like it might be a group sponsored by Quaker, but it led me to that great Kitchen Playdates book, so you might find it worth a look.
The group I was originally looking for that I know you'll enjoy is called Peachhead. That group has almost 10000 members of westside moms sharing tips, tricks and activities. You can find their page at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/peachhead2/.
Enjoy your time! I was home full time for a year at five and I miss that time tremendously.
One of the best things I did with my girls is the "Mommy & Me" program run by the Adult School...they are also called "parenting classes" because the adult is the "student", but it's essentially a pre-school that you go to with your child. They use the school format, circle time, crafts, singing, etc...but you are there. You will meet other moms, your boy with learn to socialize with the kids & it's super cheap...$20 for the semester. At 4, he should would be in "school" 3 mornings a week...it's a great way for you both to get used to the school schedules, learn about the local school & meet the other moms in your area. From there you will learn all sorts of other free or inexpensive things to do in your area. Good Luck!
Hello, Have you checked into the local Library? I always take my grandchildren there. They have activities on certain days of the week and story time on some days. It is free and the kids love it.
Here are some fun suggestions for outside:
Running through the sprinklers, sidewalk chalk on the outside patio, water painting (a paint brush and bucket full of water), bubbles, a plastic kiddie pool, play jr. basketball or baseball with him, go to a local park, and collect bugs.
Inside, you can get a kids cookbook and let him pick something out that you can make together, let him play with duplo blocks or legos and build something together, introduce him to easy board games such as Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders, have him help you with cleaning the home (dusting furniture, putting things away, etc), have him practice writing his letters, numbers and his name, Purchase a preschool activity books that has dot-to-dot and color by letter (or number), and have him do a kids yoga video with you. Also, see if there is a playgroup in your area so both of you can have some age appropriate interaction.
Note: Many of the activities suggested may need to be done with you for the first few times, but after he gets into the activity he should be able to be more independent.
Hope this helps!
The LA Zoo has family passes that are fairly inexpensive and will pay for themselves if you go a few times. The same goes for the Long Beach Aquarium. You could also check out hiking trails in Griffith Park or the Santa Monica mountains. There is the beach as well. Or check out the Children's museum or the La Brea Tar Pits. There is also Travel Town and the Observatory in Griffith Park. You could go to the Santa Monica Pier and ride the Ferris Wheel. Or check out a local park.
Feeding the ducks at local parks, lakes... home-made play doh with cookie cutters, water balloons, sprinklers, tearing up little pieces of different colored/textured paper and making mosaics with glue, dance-party,...
I see a lot of people told you places to go and do, but I also noticed you mentioned "his time at home".
Costco has a bunch of new Pre-K fun workbooks. We bought the Brain Quest one, it matches those fun cards we already have. It was only 7.99 at Costco, I think it would be quite a bit more at Lakeshore. Art is another great one.
Miss Nubia~
Have you been on the www.familyfun.com web site they have a ton of ideas for kids of all ages. You can choose activities by materials or by cost. They always have awsome activities. I would also suggest your local YMCA for summer activities, or even a mommy and me group.I found a great group of ladies that are fun, active, and real on www.meetup.com. Good luck with everyting.
logon to www.culturevolture.com every now and then.. My daughters (8 & 15) do a log of FREE stuff advertised on that site.. you can also get cheap tickets to events, shows, etc. on www.goldstar.com
We loved going to the Japanese garden at CSULB when my kids were that age. Bring quarters to park and feed the koi fish. Admission is free. Several movie theaters have free family movies during the summer months in the mornings. We've been to the cerritos mall theater, and Buena park mall Krikorian theater. Thhere are lots of good children's museums. La Habra has one that we enjoyed and was pretty inexpensive. Cabrillo marine museum and the museum of Natural history in LA have good programs too. And there's nothing like a beach day for cheap entertainment!