| Fun Summer Activities To Do Together or With Their | | | | Another great idea, which I usually use at my children's |
| Friends for the Self Confident Parent - Part 1 | | | | birthdays, is to buy store bought cookie dough, in the |
| "I'm bored!" "I have nothing to do!" "What should I do | | | | refrigerated section. I usually take a chocolate chip |
| now?" | | | | cookie dough and a sugar cookie dough, and press |
| Are these some of the things you are hearing or have | | | | them down on to two pizza baking sheet. I spread the |
| heard from your child or children this summer? Are | | | | cookie dough to the edges of the baking sheet until it |
| you running out of things to do? Here are some fun | | | | looks like a pizza. Then bake it. After it is cooled, I have |
| activities that you can do with your kids. You can even | | | | my child spread the frosting of their choice and then |
| have your kids invite friends and do these activities | | | | decorate it with different colored sprinkles and colored |
| together. | | | | icing (from the store and in the ready make tubes). He |
| But first, here is something to think about. A girlfriend of | | | | has a blast. We then add candles to it. Another great |
| mine had a very good suggestion that will prevent your | | | | idea, is to buy fancy molds. I have, for in-stance, the |
| child from complaining about being bored. She sends | | | | football stadium Nordicware mold. After the cake it |
| them to the refrigerator and taped to the door is a list | | | | baked, they like to sprinkle different colored sprinkles in |
| of chores that she has written down for them to do, | | | | the inside of the stadium to look like fans in the |
| when they complain that they are bored. Needless to | | | | stadium. |
| say, her children never complain about being bored. | | | | 3) Create memory books. You can buy inexpensive or |
| As a self confident parent, if you are looking for some | | | | expensive photo albums. You can give each child their |
| things that are actually fun to do, here are a couple of | | | | own or share a book and make a family album. Next |
| great activities or ideas: | | | | have your child cut out their favorite pictures from |
| 1) Do a craft project together. This is one of my | | | | magazines or give them copies of their favorite |
| favorites when my kids were younger. You can buy a | | | | photos. Use acid-free glue, double stick tape, or special |
| craft kit or make up your own project, if you are | | | | double sided photo stickers to stick the pictures on to |
| crafty. One of the projects my kids liked to do was to | | | | their books. Then decorate the pages with acid-free |
| cut out paper snowflakes. Another one was to figure | | | | stickers, markers, stamped images, or cut outs. |
| out different ways to fold airplanes and find out which | | | | Another great idea is to make dream journals or |
| way flew the best. We would also paint wooden cut | | | | wishing boards. You cut out things that they want, |
| outs (that I had purchased from a craft store), for | | | | from weekly ads or magazines, and paste them onto |
| instance, gingerbread men during the holidays. There | | | | a poster board. You can have them cut out pictures |
| are all sorts of kits that you can buy from a craft | | | | of people that they want to be, for instance, a singer, a |
| store, like Michael's Arts and Crafts or JoAnn's Fabric | | | | dancer, a football or basketball player, a golfer, a |
| store. Another very simple idea, that I used to do when | | | | doctor, etc. or cut out pictures of their dream house, |
| we had a play group and it was my turn to host, was | | | | etc. They can cut out places that they would like to |
| to take a walk. We would pick up leaves, flowers, etc. | | | | visit. The possibilities are endless. Or you can make a |
| We then bring them back and paste them on a page | | | | book with a spiral bound notebook and decorate the |
| to make a picture. We have also bought the kit to | | | | cover or buy a notebook binder and decorate the |
| make permanent plates, cups, and bowls. After you | | | | cover. Then have your child write down their favorite |
| order the kit, have your child draw a picture (or if they | | | | jokes poems, or memories. You can even copy the |
| are very young, you can write their name, date, and | | | | jokes or poems and then cut and paste them into their |
| trace their hand) with their markers on a special piece | | | | books. You can make autograph books. You take a |
| of paper. You then send it back to the company who | | | | book and dec-orate it. You then have their friends or |
| will mail it back with their artwork on a plate or bowl. | | | | relatives write little notes to them or you can start |
| (For pictures on a cup, the picture is inserted after it is | | | | writing little notes to them on a weekly or daily basis. |
| drawn and is not sent in.) In fact, to this day, we still | | | | You can write down your wishes, dreams, or special |
| use those plates for our meals. | | | | memories of them down. |
| 2) Bake cookies or a cake. My kids loved to help me | | | | Anyway, these are just a couple of fun activities that |
| stir the dough and then when the cookies were done | | | | you and your child or children can do with you or their |
| baking, they got to frost and decorate them with | | | | friends that will help foster their self confidence and |
| sprinkles. A fun thing to do is to make up a story about | | | | yours as a self con-fident parent. Have fun!! Have a |
| your decorated cookie before you could eat it. | | | | great summer! |