5 Simple Ways to Keep Your Kids Occupied...Without TV

I'll admit that t.v. is a cheap and effective babysitter. Place a child directly in front of the right program and viola! no noise, no commotion, no interruptions, no requests, no needs...no LIFE. As a parent, especially a single-working parent or a parent of more than one child, life seems to pass without a moment to breath. So much to do, so little time to do it. Right?

Wrong. The first step is to simplify your life. I remember reading an amazing poem which circulated online. It literally brought tears to my eyes, and this was before I had become a parent. It's simple, but straight to the point. The poem speaks from a child's perspective and simply asks the parent: Just this once, hold me instead of doing the laundry. Just this one day, read to me and put your work away. Just for today don't turn on the computer or the t.v. Of course those aren't direct quotes from the poem and the poem itself is much more effective and moving, but, you get the point right?

Think about your day. Think about all of the tasks that you have to do. Think about all of the time that you spend listing those tasks over and over again in your mind, writing your To-Do list, and then making arrangements and/or plans to get those tasks done. How much time, on a daily basis, are you spending just worrying/stressing/mulling over your mental (or physical) To-Do lists? What's on your list? What does it consist of? Does each and every item on that list truly require immediate completion? Is there REAL urgency? Worst case scenario: You don't accomplish all of these items today, what happens now? Be honest with yourself. If you put some of these urgencies off until tomorrow, or the next day, or even a week from this very moment...would your world truly fall apart? Is this moment, right now, one wasted? Should you instead be laughing with your child? Listening to them ramble on about their day? Should you be teaching your daughter how to tie her shoe, like a "big girl"?

Time is valuable, time is precious, your time is valuable and precious, right? But what about the life of your child? What about their most impressionable years, their youngest years? What about the memories you're not making? Isn't that time even more precious?

If today you sit on your couch and read a grand tale of wizardy to your son, instead of getting your car washed, would that time truly be wasted? Could your car not wait until tomorrow? What about your son? Will he still be here tomorrow, will you? What are your life priorities?

Grab your kid(s) and interact with them. Avoid the electronic babysitter. Entertain your child, nurture their needs. Be enthusiastic about their imagination. Encourage their advancement and growth. Be a part of their memories. Be the center of their world for as long as they'll let you.

Put down the laundry, turn off the television set, leave the toys on the floor (just watch your step!), don't open your mail, let the phone ring - that's what answering machines are there for! And do something with your child instead.

Now, let's be reasonable, you can't spend every single moment of your child's awake time focusing only on them. There are other things that we need to take care of, we, as adults and parents have a plethora of responsibility. That's life, simply put. When you've successfully prioritized your needs/wants/responsibilities you're ready to start including time with your child in your day and time for yourself along with time for your tasks. A healthy balance is important. Make sure you always take time for yourself as well. If you can only spare 15 minutes for just you, that's sufficient. Always make sure that, just like your child, you take precedence over your to-dos.

Try to spend focused, quality time with your child several times a week. Begin a routine, something special once a week. Maybe a walk to the town park every Friday afternoon or pancakes for breakfast every Sunday morning. Bedtime is a wonderful opportunity to put routine into play. Routine means security and stability to a child and a child that feels secure and stable is confident and happy. Every night, no matter what's going on, when my daughter's bedtime rolls around I bring her downstairs, we brush our teeth together, I change her, sit in my rocking chair (in her room) and rock her to sleep while I pray. I pray the same two prayers every night, and then I pray my personalized prayers. This isn't to say that everyone needs to pray with their child at bedtime, it's simply an example of routine and focused time I spend with my daughter.

These five activities don't all require that you be fully involved, although some do. The point of these activities is to keep your child(ren) away from the television set and tuned into their world, their surroundings, and their imagination instead of the screen.

1. Fingerpainting! Crayola makes fingerpaints that wash out of clothes with ease. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of fingerpainting knows how messy it can be! So Crayola is a miracle maker! Lay out on your kitchen floor (it's easier to wipe paints off of the kitchen floor rather than a carpet) with your child and a large pad of paper and go at it! Have fun, laugh, be playful! 15-30 minutes is plenty of painting time. You're encouraging your child to be imaginitive while bonding and having fun. When it's time to clean up take your new piece of art and put it on your fridge or put it in an old picture frame and hang it on your wall. Show your child how proud you are and boast about their beautiful masterpiece! Set-up only takes five minutes and clean-up takes only ten. All in all you'll be spending 30-45 minutes from set-up to clean-up and you'll have made your child's day. An easier, less messy, and equally creative activity: Coloring!

2. Build a fort! Grab some sheets/blankets or even a few large beach towels and just have fun! No matter how broken down your fort may be it'll be the best fort in the world to your child because the two of you made it together and, WOW, it's inside the house! If you take the time to make a fort you can then pull different toys inside and let your child sit alone to play in their new world. Fort building is a great way to encourage imaginative play. In his/her head that fort can be anything: a castle, a ship, or even a cabin on a deserted island! And, if you build a fort in the right place you can leave it up for a few days which gives you the opportunity to climb inside, when you have more time, and have a picnic with your child!

3. Story time! Books are a detrimental part of a child's learning process. Reading truly is fundamental and the more you show interest in books the more interest your child will take in books and in reading. I've been building a library for my daughter from the time I was pregnant. I've bought many books that are meant to be read when she's older and can take better care of them, but, a few months ago I visited a garage sale and purchased several books for next to nothing. These are the books I let her "read". She's only 16 months so she can't truly read yet, but, she has an immense interest in books and loves to sit and pretend to read and tell me stories. So I took a kid's sized chair, put it in the corner of our living room, got a hold of an old magazine rack and loaded it with these worn books. I placed the rack next to her chair. Throughout the day she'll go sit in her chair, pull out a book, and "read". At times she'll only read for 10-15 minutes, other days I've seen her sit there, or even walk around with her books, for an hour and a half. It just depends on her mood. During these times I have the opportunity to freely take care of some of the chores around the house. Now for involved story time: Try to read one story each day with your son/daughter. Change your voice to fit the characters and make faces of excitement, fear, happiness, and sadness! Make it exciting and get your child involved!

4. Bubbles! Grab a bottle of bubbles, a blanket or a lounge chair and head outside! You can enjoy a warm day outside without going far or spending money! Take a seat on your backporch or lay down on a blanket in your front yard and start blowing bubbles! Let your child run around and try to catch them, or laugh with him/her when they pop them with their nose, finger, or foot! If you have a really young child/infant, show them how to blow into the bubble wand and watch their excitement when they make bubbles themselves! I even let my daughter blow bubbles inside the house. I dip the wand, she walks around blowing bubbles and comes back to me when she's ready for more bubble-making soap. Look for non-toxic versions which should be available at any of your local toy stores.

5. Bathtime! It seems so simple and so obvious, doesn't it? Bathtime happens to be one of the main enjoyments of children. Nearly all children love their time spent in the bathtub. Get the bath ready, grab a book, and take a seat on the edge of the tub or sit on the toilet's lid while your child takes his/her bath. Of course, make sure that you're within arms reach of your child at all times. Load the tub with bubbles and bath toys and your kid is all set! You can read a book and relax while being present and part of! Please remember...It is extremely important to pay close watch to your child during bathtime.

Above all, have fun. Let go of the self-induced pressures and enjoy quality time spent with that little person who will appreciate it more than anyone else, and who'll pay you in love.