The Preschooler’s Busy Book (2 page)

“To be a good housewife and mother, you have to be more self-generated.
You have to create your own playground of the imagination, and the mind.
To be a really good, creative mother you have to be an extraordinary woman.
You have to keep yourself involved with your child during great periods of the day when it’s just the two of you and you feel that at any moment you may literally go out of your mind.”

—Meryl Streep

Preschoolers!
They don’t emerge overnight, or on their third birthday.
It may happen so slowly, you hardly notice it at all, but one day you realize that your clumsy, confusing little toddler is gone.
In his place is an energetic, intensely curious, sometimes determined (some might call it stubborn), very adventurous little child.
Chances are he is out of diapers, off the bottle, and somewhat able to take a little responsibility for himself.
He probably knows the rules of the house, and doesn’t need constant monitoring.
After a few years of babies and toddlers, parents often find the preschool stage quite refreshing.

But while life with a preschooler can be a celebration, you will always have days when it seems more like a chore.
We all have bad days, and children are no exception.
Your child may be a wonderful little person most of the time, but his boundless energy and relatively short attention span may result in some irritating, demanding, and temperamental behavior.
While providing your child with lots of fun and interesting things to do won’t solve all his behavior problems, it may help prevent some of the signs and symptoms of boredom that result from a lack of appropriate stimulation.

There are many ways to stimulate your child.
At around age three, children often enter a preschool or playgroup for two or more days a week.
A group such as this will usually provide your child with new friends and a new outlet for his creativity and energy.
If your child spends all his time at home with you or another caregiver, he relies on you for new experiences, outings, and creative activities.
His day needs some structure—a loose schedule with recognizable breaks.
He needs to meet people of different ages—adults and children alike.
He relies on you to introduce him to books and music, arts and crafts projects, rambunctious games, and quiet learning activities.
A short walk or some outdoor play should be part of every day.

While a variety of experiences and activities are essential to your child’s development, resist the urge to push him too hard.
All children need lots of time for creative and spontaneous play.
Rather than assuming the role of teacher,
instructing and directing your child, try to act as his helper in the learning process.
Children need to learn on their own and to run their own show, while knowing that you are there to help them when and if they need it.
Children who have learned to direct their own play, who have been given lots of time to be creative and to use their imaginations, are less likely to experience boredom than those whose time has been rigidly planned for them.

All children, no matter how creative, imaginative and self-sufficient, will at one time or another experience a case of boredom or restlessness.
Here are some suggestions to help you alleviate boredom in your preschooler.

Keep a Baker’s Box in the kitchen
.

Whether you’re in the kitchen a little or a lot, your child will naturally want to be with you when you are.
Kitchen cupboards and drawers are full of interesting things that may prove irresistible to your child.
Why not provide your child with his very own Baker’s Box?
Put together a collection of unbreakable kitchen tools in a plastic crate or small storage box.
Store it in a spare cupboard that is low enough for your child to reach on his own.
He can use his tools for play or for doing some “real” cooking or baking with you.
Some suggestions for a Baker’s Box are

cake pan • cake rack • cookie cutters • cookie sheet • large metal or plastic bowl • measuring spoons • muffin tin • pie plate • plastic measuring cups • rubber spatula • wooden spoon

Have a Busy Box handy
.

A spare kitchen cupboard low enough for your child to reach is an ideal spot for his very own Busy Box.
Fill a small storage box or plastic crate with things that he can do on his own, any time he wants.
Good things to keep in a Busy Box are

child-safe scissors • coloring books • construction paper • cookie cutters • crayons • glue • ink pad with ink stamps • paper • playdough • stickers • tape

Make a Job Jar for your child
.

Whether you are a working Mom, an at-home Dad, a loving grandparent, or an occasional babysitter, sometimes you will have household chores to do while your preschooler is around.
Providing a job jar for your child gives him something to do while you work, and can also help instill in him a sense of responsibility toward household chores.

You can make a job jar for your child out of an empty jar, coffee can, or small box.
Cut strips of paper and on each one print a small job that needs to be done; for example, straighten the bookshelves, wash the bathroom sink, put away the towels, wash the vegetables, pick up the toys, and so on.
You will know the jobs your child is capable of doing with minimum supervision and assistance.
If your child is normally an unwilling helper, allowing him to chose his own job may also help reduce some of his reluctance.

Take along a Busy Bag
.

Be prepared for those times when you just have to wait—at the doctor’s office, at the hairdresser’s, or in a restaurant.
Turn a drawstring bag or backpack into a take-along Busy Bag that can be filled with special things to keep your child amused.
Some suggestions for a Busy Bag are

coloring books and paper • crayons and markers • dolls and associated clothing, blankets, bottles, and other accessories • ingredients for an Edible Necklace (see
page 109
); shoestring licorice and cereal or crackers with holes in the middle • magnets and a small metal cake pan (see Magnet Fun,
page 108
) • matchbox cars • puzzles • special snacks • stickers and a sticker book

Use your imagination when filling the Busy Bag.
Do it yourself, so the contents will be a surprise for your child, or have your child help you fill the bag before you go.

Rotate your child’s toys
.

In their first few years of life, most children receive many wonderful toys as gifts for birthdays, Christmas, or other occasions.
I have always appreciated the good intentions of the givers, but at the same time have been saddened to see such wonderful toys used and played with so rarely.
Expensive store-bought toys certainly are nice, but your child will lose interest in even the most creative toys when they are always around.
By rotating toys every four to six weeks, they will seem new to him and will be interesting and exciting all over again.

To begin toy rotation, separate your child’s toys into piles (if your child has a favorite toy, keep it out all the time).
Keep one pile in your child’s play area, and pack the others away in boxes, marking on them the dates they are to be brought out.
This system will also work well for your child’s books.

Make a Crazy Can
.

You’ve probably all been there—5
P.M
., dinner nowhere near prepared, a nursing baby in one arm, a cranky toddler hanging onto one leg, and a whiny, demanding preschooler looking for something to do.
Now is not the time for fingerpaints or papier-mâché!
Now is not the time to brainstorm ideas for exciting and creative things to do with a four-year-old.
What you can do is be prepared ahead of time with a Crazy Can.

Make a list of on-the-spot activities that require no special materials, need no time-consuming preparation or cleanup,
and above all, demand no large amount of adult participation or supervision.
Write down these ideas on index cards or small pieces of paper and place them inside an empty coffee can.
(If you like, decorate the can with cheerful contact paper, or cover it with plain paper and have your child decorate it with paints, markers, or crayons.) When things start to get crazy (or when there’s just “nothing to do”), choose a card from the can for an instant remedy.
Appendix B
,
page 366
, offers a suggested list of activities appropriate for your Crazy Can.

Look for new activities and experiences
.

While children need free time for creative play, they also rely on you to introduce them to new projects, activities, and adventures.
This is hard to do on the spur of the moment, so some advance planning on your part is required.
Try to schedule one or two fun, challenging, and creative activities each day.
Decide on the activities ahead of time, and have all the necessary supplies assembled in advance.
Read on for some additional advice on planning activities for your child.

Failing to plan is planning to fail, and that can apply to the big stuff, like saving for your child’s education, as well as the little stuff, like starting a new art project or playing a game with your child.
Recognize the importance of planning new and creative activities.
You can have a shelf full of books on activities for
children, or just this one, but the ideas this book contains are only valuable to you and your child if you use them (and if you don’t do a little advance planning, chances are that you won’t use them).
Here are some helpful steps for planning your activities.

1.
Read this book from cover to cover, and fill a weekly planner with activities you would like to try for each day.
You can use a copy of the Weekly Activity Planner on
page 14
or use your own calendar.
Include a few alternate activities for when the weather won’t cooperate or when things are just not right for what you have planned.

2.
Use your weekly activity plan to make a list of supplies you will need, and assemble or purchase them beforehand.

3.
Make a list of what you need to prepare before your child becomes involved in the activity—mix paint, draw a treasure hunt map, and so on.

4.
Plan special activities when your child is with a babysitter, and have all the necessary materials handy.
This will let your sitter know that a day or night of TV watching is not an option.

5.
Make a list of ideas that would be fun to do anytime you can fit them into your schedule.
Have this list ready when you have some unexpected free time.

Whether you have a cupboard to spare, or just a box in the basement somewhere, here are some items you should have on hand for the various activities described in this book.

Things to save:

aluminum foil • aluminum pie plates (various sizes) • bottle caps • boxes • brown paper bags • buttons • candles • cardboard • catalogs • cereal boxes • chopsticks • clothespins • coffee cans with lids • coins • confetti • corks • cotton balls • cotton batting • cotton swabs • dried beans • dried pasta (different shapes and sizes) • egg cartons • egg shells • empty jars and lids • envelopes • fabric scraps • felt • greeting cards (used) • junk mail • lids from plastic gallon jugs • magazines • metal lids from frozen juice cans • newspapers • old clothes and costume jewelry for dress-up • old mittens, socks, and gloves for puppets • old telephone books • old toothbrushes • paint sample chips • paper clips • paper muffin cup liners • paper plates/cups/bowls • paper scraps • paper towel/toilet paper tubes • photographs of friends and family • pine cones • plastic bowls, lids, bottles • playing cards • popcorn • Popsicle sticks • ribbon • rice (uncooked) • rubber bands • ruler • sandpaper • shoelaces • sponges • spray bottle • stickers
of all kinds • string • Styrofoam trays • swizzle sticks • thread • thread spools • toothpicks • wood scraps • wrapping paper scraps • yarn scraps

Things to buy:

art smock (or use an old shirt) • beads • chalk • child-safe scissors • construction paper in various colors • craft magnets • crayons • crepe paper • glitter • glue or glue sticks • googly eyes • hole puncher • masking tape • newsprint pads or rolls • paper clips • paper fasteners • pencil crayons • pencil sharpener • pencils • pens • pipe cleaners • plain writing pads • ruler • self-adhesive paper • stapler • stickers • straws • tempera paints and brushes • tissue paper • transparent tape • washable markers