Keeping an Only Child Busy when You have a Million Things to Do

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I don't know about you, but I am drowning in Thanksgiving preparations this week.  I bet I am not alone.  It can be a little tricky to get things done with a little one to keep busy all day. 

"Go play" only gets you so far with an only child.  Playing with out any sort of direction can get boring without someone else to bounce ideas off of.  I imagine "go play" only works for so long when you have multiple children as well, but I don't have much experience with that!

There are definitely days where I am so concerned with getting what I need to do completed on time that I don't give C much help in finding something to do.  However, our day goes much better when I help her out after she has hit a wall with free play. 

Here are some of my go to activities:

1. Vacuuming the Furniture:

C loves this job!  I always put her hair up in a pony to play it safe.

2. Dusting:

I can't get C to clean her room, but she loves to dust. I just hand her a duster or even just a tissue and let her go to town!

3. Sensory Bin:

Beans, rice, beads, water the possibilities are nearly endless!  I usually keep them very simple - add in some cups, funnels and measuring spoons and you are good to go. 

 

4. Watercolors, Coloring and Play-doh:

I keep  a bin of art supplies on a low shelf where C can get what she needs for herself.  On days like today where I am busy all day, I will print out some special coloring pages to help keep her interest a little longer.  Today we used the Thanksgiving - Just Color! set from 1+1+1.

5. Learning Websites:

I feel bad to let C waste her day with mindless media just so I can check items off my to do list.  Allowing her to use websites with quality content helps to alleviate the guilt.  A few of our favorite websites are: 

• Starfall
• Brain Pop
• PBS Kids
• K5 Learning - There will be a review post up for this soon, you can get a free 2 week trial today!

6. Book Rotation:

C has a ton of books.  To try and keep some semblance of order we don't have them all out in her room at once.  She has a bin in her room to store her current choices and I keep the rest of the books in a closet.  We switch them out from time to time, usually once every week or two.  I usually let her choose a few and then I choose a few that I would like her to notice.  On a day like today, I will let her choose all of the books.  I don't have a set number just however many she can fit easily in her book bin.  Having new books to read will usually keep her busy for awhile!

~Angela

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