Back to School and Winter Time Blues

As kids go back to school from their holiday break, there will be an excitement for most kids to be with their friends and having fun at school again. The transition may trigger stress for some kids who are having to readjust to early morning wake ups and getting out the door in time for school. At the end of the day, it may be the after school babysitter who witnesses the meltdown from tiredness and stress. Being a babysitter during the school time transition can be a great bonding experience. The fun activities from the school day can continue after school with the sitter. Planning activities during these times means factoring flexibility and alternate projects depending on how the day at school went and the winter weather outside. Some children may be full of energy when they get home and ready for an active game and other kids may need an hour to just sit and relax with a quiet activity. Also, after interacting all day with other kids at school, siblings may need some independent time from each other. When there's a bigger potential for meltdowns due to a transition and routine change, here are some great activities for any winter day.

Model Making: Products like Model Magic or other air-dry clays can be a cool take on the typical Play-Doh. Kids can build and shape whatever they want (people, animals, trees, an entire city). Then paint or color their creations.

Indoor Baseball: Indoor versions of outdoor games can be a great way to get creative with kids who want to get up and have fun. They can implement their mom's indoor rules while still playing a sport they love. Indoor Baseball can use "rolling" instead of "throwing" and golf techniques to "bat." Designated seats in the living room can be "bases." Games like this can give the kids a chance to show their responsibility for following the rules while still being creative and having fun.

"Mini-Dinner:" When siblings can't agree on what to eat for dinner, a fun compromise could be letting everyone choose their own dish and having a group activity cooking session. Of course, the sitter should get final approval on what's going into their belly's but the kid's may love the chance to pick out their own foods. Build-your-own Mini Pizzas on crackers and Tiny Tacos on tortilla chips may be a great way to make everyone happy without spending a ton of prep time or wasting uneaten food. Foods like this where the kids add on their own ingredients can be a fun experience.