Winter Family Play Activities

Happy New Year 2025! Winter is here and our kids spend hours playing on their electronic devices and binge-watching television and movies. Parents are busy getting ready for a new year of juggling family schedules, working, maintaining household chores, and just enjoying life as time allows. Here are ten strategies that families can use to get moving and enjoy various winter activities:

Convene a family meeting and organize one special family activity for each month of the year. For example, in January the family can travel to a snow location or somewhere nearby with a change in weather for a nature adventure. The family can pack a tailgate picnic if it is too cold or wet to eat outside. Some of our favorite activities include hiking in the snow or snowshoeing. We enjoy making our annual snow person and completing the day with a snowball fight.
We love rain walks. The kids love to jump in puddles, make dams in gutters, walk through small steams, and try to create temporary dams in gutters and small streams. Umbrellas are another great toy to use when exploring during rain storms.
We hike in nearby parks to observe nature in the rain or a storm. We love to find insects and spider webs glistening in the rain. Did you know that some spiders make stronger webs during various seasons to sustain wind and storm damage?
We travel to the coast to watch the waves on a stormy day. Sealife and ocean observations are enhanced during rain storms. Tide pools are fun to observe right before and after a storm to compare changes in the environment.
We learned about spiders and their webs by reading nonfiction books about arachnids at the library. We love to visit the library on a rainy day and curl up in a chair to read any book we want to read. Then we check out our favorite books to read at bedtime for the next two weeks.
Window shopping is another fun activity while taking a rain walk or cold weather hike. There are some many interesting items to look at in shop windows and in various stores. Our grandkids lead their younger cousins through stores by clasping their hands behind their backs. It is a fun game. Another parent takes photos with her camera of items a child might like for a gift in the future.
Kids love visiting museums to learn about the past, their heritage, and about the history of a community. Children can take pictures and then create a little book about their visit. Older children can research online topics of interest and write reflective stories about their adventures.
A monthly family art project can reinforce a specific holiday or celebration for each month of the year. In January we make snowflakes with templates to show interesting ways to cut paper. We read about snow crystals and draw various snow crystal formations. In February, the children can create valentines and write love notes that they can mail to relatives in celebration of the holiday.
A monthly family service project might include dropping off cans of food to the local food bank, making valentines to distribute to seniors or service members, and making flower containers with flower seeds for seniors to celebrate spring.
Finally, each evening at dinner we review our family activities for the day and express gratitude for something we’ve enjoyed as a family. Then we each share some activity we are looking forward to doing in the next day. Finally, we each discuss a challenge that was hard for us that day. Our grandkids call this daily reflection a rose for gratitude, a bud for an anticipated gratitude, and a thorn for dealing with a challenge.

May your 2025 family calendar highlight many opportunities to embrace daily attitudes for expressing gratitudes!

Summertime Social-Emotional Learning Routines

As the summer sun calls and school doors close, parents, you have the perfect opportunity to focus on nurturing your child’s social skills in the comfort of home. Social skills are essential for navigating the complexities of human interaction, fostering meaningful relationships, and thriving in various social settings. In this blog post, I’ll explore practical and engaging ways you can cultivate social skills in your child during the summer break.

Encourage Playdates and Social Interaction:

Arrange playdates with friends, neighbors, or classmates to provide opportunities for social interaction.
Create a conducive environment for play by offering toys, games, and activities that encourage cooperation and communication.
Supervise play sessions and intervene when necessary to teach conflict resolution and problem-solving skills.

Model Positive Social Behaviors:

Be a role model for your child by demonstrating kindness, empathy, and respect in your interactions with others.
Use everyday situations as teaching moments to illustrate social norms, such as taking turns, sharing, and listening attentively.
Provide verbal praise and reinforcement when your child exhibits positive social behaviors.

Practice Active Listening:

Teach your child the importance of active listening by maintaining eye contact, nodding, and responding appropriately during conversations.
Engage in active listening exercises where you and your child take turns sharing stories or experiences, demonstrating empathy and understanding.

Promote Emotional Awareness:

Help your child identify and label their emotions using simple language (e.g., happy, sad, angry).
Encourage open communication about feelings and emotions, validating your child’s experiences and providing support when needed.
Use books, videos, or visual aids to explore different emotions and discuss how to cope with them in healthy ways.

Role-Play Social Scenarios:

Role-play common social situations with your child, such as introducing themselves to new friends, asking for help, or resolving conflicts.
Take on different roles and encourage your child to practice appropriate responses and problem-solving strategies.
Provide feedback and positive reinforcement to reinforce desired behaviors.

Engage in Cooperative Activities:

Participate in cooperative activities that require teamwork and collaboration, such as cooking, gardening, or building a fort.
Emphasize the importance of working together, sharing responsibilities, and respecting each other’s ideas and contributions.
Reflect on the experience afterward, discussing what went well and how each person contributed to the task.

Explore Social Stories and Role Models:

Read social stories or watch videos featuring characters who demonstrate positive social skills and behaviors.
Discuss the lessons learned from these stories and how they apply to real-life situations.
Encourage your child to emulate positive role models and incorporate their behaviors into their own interactions

Celebrate Social Successes:

Celebrate your child’s social successes, no matter how small, to reinforce their confidence and motivation.
Keep a journal or visual chart to track progress and acknowledge achievements along the way.
Encourage a growth mindset by emphasizing effort, perseverance, and continuous improvement in social skills.

Summer is the perfect time for you to focus on nurturing your child’s social skills in a supportive and enriching home environment. By incorporating these practical strategies into everyday activities, you can help preschool and elementary-aged children develop the social competence they need to thrive in school, relationships, and life. Remember, building social skills is a journey that requires patience, consistency, and encouragement, but the rewards are immeasurable.

Grandparenting an Athelete

Grandparenting an Athlete

It has been an exciting school year. The younger granddaughters are learning gymnastics as they advance in their ballet classes and performances. Our middle school grandson has completed a full season of cross country. Our passionate middle school granddaughter juggles a full schedule of select soccer and volleyball. And our older grandchild loves to sail and snow ski. Our greatest challenge is to be fully present for each grandchild as we watch them compete and follow their passions. Each has their individualized preferences for how we are present for their various activities. All request various levels of encouragement. Some love us to cheer loudly while others want us to observe quietly. The older grandkids accommodate our support while the younger grandkids want our full-time participation at all events. Thankfully, we are the grandparents. Our only job is to support each grandchild with their preferred level of support and drive them to an event when requested.

Organizing the Sports/Activity Calendar

At the beginning of the school year, I contact each grandchild and ask them how much they want us involved in the sport and activity schedule. The younger they are, the more they want our attention. Once they express their wishes, I organize our activity attendance schedule. The twins love to show me their recent new dance and gymnastics steps at home. We are only required to drive them to class sometimes and are committed to attending formal performances twice a year. The middle school grandson’s schedule conflicted with the twins’ dance schedule. We volunteered to manage driving for the grandson’s Tuesday schedule while the parents and a babysitter shared driving for the twins’ schedule. I loved watching all cross country meets with our middle school grandson because he was passionate and excited about this new sport. We were encouraged to take photos at all events and share with our extended family. What a wonderful achievement! The older grandkids loved to have us attend many activities until middle school. Once in middle school we distanced ourselves as friends are very important and carpools are wonderful.

Cheering for a Grandchild Athlete

Next, we learned how to cheer for each child at their specific event. The ballet recitals were very disciplined so we quietly enjoyed the performances and awarded each twin with flowers after their performance when we all posed for family photos. The middle school cross country grandson loved having us cheer for him and his team. The coach encouraged outstanding teambuilding cheering for all athletes participating in the race. We took photos at each event and circulated them to family members. The older grandkids thanked us for coming and focused on their sport with their teammates. We were encouraged to cheer holistically for the team and remain calm and quiet.

What I Have Learned from the Coaches

The following are guidelines I have learned from coaches after years of team participation as an athlete, parent, and now a grandparent:

Be present for the entire team.
Listen to the coach and follow the rules.
Reinforce the coach’s rules with your athlete.
Cheer for the entire group of participants.
Don’t coach your athlete or the team from the observation areas.
Be positive at all times.
Don’t distract with unnecessary chatter.
Bring snacks that nourish your athlete and the team.
Offer support or help when requested from the coach.
Model positive sportsmanship for all attendees at a sporting event.

When I consider the value of team sports, I am thankful that all our grandkids value their experiences in their selected sports and team activities. This participation overcomes isolation and encourages lifetime friendships. It helps our grandchildren learn how to effectively work with teams at home, school, and eventually in their jobs and careers.

Share your experiences as a parent or grandparent supporting your athletes in the comments section below this blog.

Nurturing Your Children’s Passions

It’s a new year! Your children may become anxious about how to fill long dark winter days. What can you do as parents to nurture their passions? When your children tend to shut down on cold winter days, you may feel overwhelmed and frustrated on how your family will get through the winter months without going crazy.

Questions to Ask Your Kids to Identify Passions

Here are some questions you can ask your children to get them thinking about what they would like to do or explore during their free time:

What do you love most about school?
What would you like to do to keep your body moving on cold winter days?
What is your favorite playtime activity?
What do you like to do outside?
Who would you like to do a project with? What would you do for a project?
What would you like to learn about? How do you want to learn about this topic?
Where would you like to go to learn more about a specific topic?
Is there a museum or activity program that explores or provides training about a topic of interest?
What can I do to support your interests?
What should we research online to identify classes or learn more about your topic of interest?

Some of the Best Projects Come from Our Children

Children are capable of planning incredible projects when you encourage them with your actions. For example, Maria loves art and shares art projects with her friends. She creates temporary tattoos by drawing creations with marking pens on an absorbent sheet of paper. Then she places the marking pen art against her skin and dampens the sheet of paper with a paper towel. She is very impressed with transferred tattoos. Her sister, Anna, loves to create finger weaving leashes for her collection of stuffed animals. Rosie, her cousin, designs and sews doll clothes for her doll. She has also has created an Etsy account to sell customized Cricut stickers.

Science experiments generate lots of questions that must be answered. Brandon experimented with various hand sanitizers and surface cleaners to determine which products killed the most germs. Dave learned how to code and created various digital games. Marla won an ecology award for learning how to continuously water trees while conserving water with various irrigation systems.

Passions Lead to Internships and Careers

Although these art projects and science experiments sound like educational and exciting rainy-day activities, several led to future internships and career choices. Maria now works in a store creating graphic art designs for tee shirts and other products. She plans to major in graphic art design when she starts college. Anna loves project-based learning and wants to inspire kids by becoming a project-based elementary teacher. Brandon has expanded his scientific interests and is currently becoming certified as a train engineer at a local park. Dave is getting ready to apply to colleges. He wants to eventually construct mass transit systems. I loved playing school when I was a kid and am still teaching students after 40 years in education.

Share in the comments section below this blog what passions you may have developed as a child that led to a satisfying career. Much success as you continue to support your children’s passions.

Acts of Kindness Monthly Calendar

Happy new year 2024! Each year many of us make new year’s resolutions and will fail fulfilling them within the first few weeks. This year I made the commitment to help our younger family members give back to their community. Planning should not overwhelm our family when considering their demanding schedules. To overcome this challenge, we convened family meetings with Brandon, Anna, and Maria.

Kindness Acts Calendar

We decided to focus on one act of kindness each month. Listed below is our proposed schedule of activities that might work for your family:

January: It is cold outside and homeless shelters are filled with families. Donate a few hours at a soup kitchen or give a sack of groceries to our local food bank.
February: Create 10 handmade valentines for a local senior center or senior nutritional lunch program. Give people who work hard in our community some chocolate candy.
March: Distribute flowers to the neighbors to celebrate the start of spring.
April: Make pretty Easter eggs with greetings and deliver to neighbors.
May: Think of all the mothers we know and wish them a happy Mother’s Day.
June: Make a lemonade stand and give away tee-shirts to cool off during the hot season.
July: Clean up the streets from 4^th of July celebrations.
August: On the first day of school, say good morning to everyone. Tell them that we hope they are happy with their teacher and friends in their class.
September: Be kind to our parents and do things that our parents love to do with us on Labor Day.
October: Try not to scare people with our costumes.
November: Collect donations for the food bank to buy turkeys.
December: Give new or nearly new toys to the Toys for Tots program.

Activity Reflection

After completing all of these acts of kindness, our family should feel fulfilled, tired, and happy! Much success by sharing your acts of kindness with others.