I am constantly amazed at how little children need to be happy. It seems that the happiest kids I know are the ones who spend a lot of time with their families and have only a moderate amount of toys. Surprisingly, it's not the child with the 1,000 square foot playroom or with the largest home. Or maybe that's not a surprise. Maybe we just have things a little mixed up...or maybe the temptation to compare is too strong. I often think of pioneer children who could play for an extended amount of time with just a rag doll...and be happy all the while! Creativity was the name of the game it seems. I love that.
What are your thoughts on this subject? What are some of your ideas regarding keeping things more simple and raising happy children? I'd love to glean some good tips from you all :)
Just sending my kids outside to run around or just play together keeps them happy for hours and they tend to make up their own games. Plus, it also wears them out for an earlier bedtime.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, my mom was very creative in finding cheap ways to keep us kids occupied. She made us homemade play dough which kept us busy for hours! I remember this one time she got a big piece of ply wood and helped us paint it with streets and parks etc and then we built a town with our building blocks. We also had a really cool back yard growing up, we would make treasure maps and play house...all sorts of fun, very inexpensive ways of keeping us busy!
ReplyDeleteMy kids feed off enthusiasm. If you get excited or engaged in something my kids love it!!
ReplyDeletebtw- i made your cilantro pork chops and they were delicious!
I find that the most spoiled rotten children I know are the most rotten children I know.
ReplyDeleteThis whole principle could totally be applied to adults. The most important things in life aren't things at all.
To keep my son happy, I make sure we have alot of unstructured time. No where to be, just pillow fights and "royal rumbles".
All excellent advice!
ReplyDeleteI used to tell my mom that I thought it made me more creative to make my own toys and amuse myself with drawings! We always went to the library too. I'm reading The Creative Family by Amanda Soule Blake and this book is all about finding activities that are meaningful and simple. I love it. I also have something for you and the kids to do together... come see my blog and be a part of my project for June! My kids had a great time tonight making theirs!
ReplyDeleteI am amazed by how many "toys" even little babies have these days! I'm new to motherhood but we are trying to keep it simple and I find that just sharing daily activities with my daughter is just as exciting for her as playing with any toy. . .she really thinks it is great when I fold socks and she can grab and chew and play with them!
ReplyDeleteWhen I bought toys for you girls, I always tried to get things that you could be creative with. I love to remember the hours you would spend creating your own "town" complete with businesses and money, credit cards, etc. You never had videogames or all the latest, greatest toys. I love the idea Lisa shared about painting the board like a town. How fun!
ReplyDeleteXOXO Mom
BTW I love those two little "fishies" in the photo! Can't wait till they come spend time in my pool! XO Mom
ReplyDeleteAwesome picture!
ReplyDeleteI think you're right. I always try to discourage toys, especially when other kids are over. Toys seem to cause more fights than happy playtime. It seems that they're always happier running around outside.