Hope you're having a great week!

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Learning how to lose....

A father at ECFE shared this advice recently about kids who have a hard time losing at games.  Play lots of shorter games with younger kids to get them used to winning and losing where there isn't so much at stake.  It may be hard for even an adult to lose a 3 hour game of Monopoly.  Play card games like "War" that have a winner with every turn of the cards or shorter board games where you'll be able to play multiple times.

While it's tempting to throw games or just play games that have no winner, kids won't get necessary experience at losing.  And cheating (whether it's to boost a child's ego or not) isn't a good lesson to pass on.  To balance things out, you can play with handicaps for the adults though.  Maybe you can even come up with some silly ones as a family to lighten the mood a little.  After all, the biggest lesson is that games are to have fun!

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Here's a zillion songs, crafts and activities arranged by theme-- from luaus to shoes to alligators to Black History month to carnivals:
http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/index.htm

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"What did I do today?

Today I left some dishes dirty
The bed got made around 3:30

The diapers soaked a little longer,
The odor grew a little stronger.

The crumbs I spilled the day before
Are staring at me from the floor.

The fingerprints there on the wall
Will likely be there still next fall.

The dirty streaks on those windowpanes
Will still be there next time it rains.

Shame on you, you sit and say,
Just what did you do today?

I held a baby till he slept,
I held a toddler while he wept.

I played a game of hide and seek,
I squeezed a toy so it would squeak.

I pulled a wagon, sang a song,
Taught a child right from wrong.

What did I do this whole day through?
Not much that shows, I guess that's true.

Unless you think that what I've done
Might be important to someone

With dark brown eyes and soft brown hair.
If that is true... I've done my share."

Author Unknown

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Magical Mama Jacqueline shared this fun idea....

"By accident we created a new game in our home. We played for nearly an hour today. We have a page button on our cordless phone (like most do) and one of us would hide the phone somewhere in the house and then the other would find it by pushing the page button and listening for the signal. We hid it in closets, under couches, in cupboards, in the piano.. anywhere!! It was such a fun game to play!"

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10 Ways to connect with teens and preteens...

~ Take a fun community ed or crafting class together

~ Spend a weekend camping

~ Make their interests & activities a priority-- go to the games, help practice, listen

~ Ask open ended, fun questions to start good conversations

~ Join a health club or Y together, or just start your own exercise routine

~ Volunteer together

~ Take a mini vacation out of town

~ Look through your old journals or letters from your youth and share some of it with your child (you may both be surprised by how different you were at their age!)

~ Let go of some priorities and free up time to just be home as a family

~ Give them hugs and tell them you love them-- they're never too old to need that!

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Magical Mama Kim sent in this wonderful craft idea.  This is one to use with extreme caution and careful supervision, but it sounds like such a neat project.  This would be great for older kids too...

Magic "Paint"

(We did this in Day Camp with 3-4 year old for many years... always a hit!  MUCH ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED)

1.  Plug in a warming tray on low (sometimes called a hot plate).  Be sure to cover it well in tinfoil.

2.  Once the plate is warm enough let your child color on the tinfoil.

3.  When he or she is finished, cover the drawing with a sheet of paper (any kind will do) and rub your hand over the paper.  Lift the paper and see the work of art!

4.  You may want to wipe the tinfoil down with a paper towel in between projects.

IMPORTANT Most trays will be hot enough to melt the crayon, but not hot enough to burn your child. TEST yours first!!!!

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A change in perspective....

Sometimes I play tricks on myself to snap myself out of a bad mood or redirect myself.  I purposely see things through different eyes.  It actually works pretty well and keeps me feeling much more appreciative of what's going on in my life.  It's a little hokey and a little weird but I thought I'd share it in case it helps someone else.

The biggest 3 that I do are:

• When I'm feeling in a rut & run down as a SAHM, I look back to the days when I worked full time and remember how I felt having a rare day off.  Even if I had laundry and housework to catch up on, it was so exhilarating to have a whole free day and not have to go anywhere.  I think of the day as a day free from work or school and go from there.  I can usually catch some of that old enthusiasm from when it was a big deal to play hooky.  <G>
• This may sound awfully morbid, but I believe it's important.  I periodically think of the parents who have lost their children or whose kids are terminally ill.  I know that if I were in their shoes I would be thinking, "If I could only have things back to normal I would never want anything else."  It's true, if you think of it.  When really awful things happen you realize what's really important. So I don't wait for awful things and I thank goodness for our health and that my babies are okay.  I also donate to children's charities and keep those families in my prayers. It puts it all in perspective.
• When I'm overwhelmed with having a toddler and a preschooler and the general explosive mayhem that accompanies that, I look ahead about 25 years.  When my kids are grown and gone I know I'll be thinking, "I'd give anything to be able to go back and have one more day with them when they were little."  And I have that day.  :)  It helps me really make it count.

Really, we are so lucky.  We don't have to wait till we lose things to realize that.

Hug your sweeties, say a little thanks and do something wonderful for yourself!

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And with that, I'm off to go stomp around in the wind with my chickadees.  Have a great week!

Peace,

Alicia

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A Magical Childhood
http://www.magicalchildhood.com
Copyright 2002, Alicia Bayer

A Magical Childhood Newsletter is just something I throw together because I love children and those who love them.  To subscribe, send a message to abayer@rrcnet.org.  We do not use ads.  It's not about money.  :)

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