I want to know what TV shows (if any) are allowed in your household. Do screen them before allowing your child to watch?
Any favorite books? Any other activities that keep your child entertained?
I try to limit my daughter’s TV time. She’s only allowed to watch certain shows. Spongebob is banned in my home, I hate it!
She loves books, but prefers someone reading to her. She’s not interested in looking through them on her own. I want her to be a little more independent, is there anything I can do to encourage her?
Other than that she enjoys painting and crafting along side me.
Any other tips? I wanna know what you do to keep your child entertained throughout the day
iPads and iPhones - except for the manhoos leap pad that he got for his birthday - which I’m forever trying to hide from him unsuccessfully- are banned at home. He gets them sometimes when we’re out like at the OBs office if he’s bored but that’s it.
He gets an hour on our computer each day after which it automatically kicks him off. During that hour, he’ll play racing games that we have downloaded (ad free and fairly straightforward), or he’ll watch something on Netflix or play games at Pbs Kids. We’ve set up strict parental controls so he can’t go anywhere other than what we’ve bookmarked. He used to be allowed to watch YouTube - he loves toopy and binoo- but he also loves monster trucks and most of those videos aren’t appropriate for his age so we took it off.
Books he also loves. I’m not sure that we did anything special other than have lots of books for him and put them all in his room so they’re accessible. We also read to him every day but I’ve found him flipping through and “reading” aloud to himself lately which brings me such joy mA haha.
Where do you keep her books? Have you taken her book shopping? We do go to bookstores a lot and just browse. It’s also one place where he is always allowed to buy a book to take home. He’ll usually go through and find something of interest and then I’ll buy books that I want him to have as well. Next step is getting him a library card. Does she have one? Do you guys ever go to reading program drop ins at the library? Have you asked her to read out loud to her brother?
oh and in terms of TV, it’s usually cartoons on Netflix or the local educational station. I do vet his cartoons-Lego ninjago isn’t allowed because he starts karate all over the house :eyeroll: and neither is the hot wheels cartoon which is awful and spazzy. He loves justin time, he loves watching movies like cars and wall-e, toy story is another classic. He loves Fireman Sam and Yo Gabba Gabba. Generally Netflix is pretty good though.
SGC would you mind editing the kids names out please?
We have their books in shelves on the wall in their room, they’re at her height so she can easily take them out and put them back. But she’ll just bring them to me or my husband and don’t want to look through them on her own. Ipad’s and phones are banned here too. Youtube is a no no. I was ok with her watching a bit of kids shows or songs on there but it’s so easy to navigate to other videos and sites from there and most of the stuff is not child friendly at all.
She’s not allowed on the computer and knows that it’s only mama and baba’s.
We take monthly trips to the library and if she really loves a certain book I’ll buy her a copy from BN or amazon.
Do you guys have any other activities you enjoy doing? Any crafts etc?
Yes, I make sure I know what the kids watch. It’s mostly Sprout/PBS, NickJR, and DisneyJR shows. One week one is popular, then the next week a different one. There are certain shows, particularly those that are targeted toward little girls, that I do not like. There’s something about the tone and style that I’m not a fan of, so we don’t watch the following: My Little Pony (new), Strawberry Shortcake (new), Carebears (new), Littlest Petshop, and of course no Bratz, etc.
That being said, unless there’s something very obviously objectionable in a kids’ show, I will allow it once, just so that she isn’t too curious about it.
As for other activities: lots of artwork. Our breakfast area is basically a permanent art studio: That’s where paints, paper, and various writing/coloring supplies are kept. That is also where tea parties/cooking/baking happens with the play kitchen and various tea sets. We have quiet time when she doesn’t feel like napping, and instead plays with dolls in her room or reads her books (just looks through them or makes up stories from her imagination or memory). Oh and dance parties, anytime, anywhere.
Now mine is not in the same age group as your’s but I will just answer anyway
Age: 6 years.
On normal week days he is allowed 30 mins of TV/Ipad/PS3 game. He usually likes to watch boyish cartoons like Spiderman, Transformers and something else which I’m forgetting but there’s something with fire My husband usually watch them with him but I know these cartoons and I think they’re age appropriate. He plays educational games on his Ipad, which are also used in his class for math and spelling, some quiz games and some car racing stuff.
He has a very busy week normally so he doesn’t get to use his 30 mins every day but that’s okay, he’s allowed all the screen time his heart desires on weekends (which are usually also packed).
We do also spend a lot of time reading, that includes his reading book from school but also islamic books. I’ve bought some of the books suggested by Gemini The Great on here and I think they’re fantastic. He likes to tell stories as well and mostly he wants to tell a story while drawing or building something in lego (very time consuming but very much fun as well.)
Mine love nerdy nummies on YouTube along with mister maker. They love crafting and they can craft for hours and they prefer that over toys. As for tv, they do cailou, peppa pig, and Charlie and Lola. Like s02 I will let allow a new show once but that is about it. And I don’t like revamping of strawberry shortcake and my little pony. I will put on the old carebear anyday. I honestly don’t have a time limit on the opal but usually a fight breaks out over it in 15 minutes and I end up taking it back. It’s been working out so far for us without me being the bad guy.
we are still watching baby tv, I have watched all their programs and are pefect, dora and barney, and rest I have downloaded nursery rhymes in ipad. tht I give her when I am not sitting wth her. wth tv either me or huby sits wth her. by the way she loves watching football and cricket also thnkx to her mum and dad :D.
We don’t have any cable or satellite tv, only Netflix and Hulu. My kids have their own profile on kids section of Netflix, so from their devices or on tv, they only go there and watch their shows. For most of the part, I trust Netflix kids section. Yes Sponge Bob is there, and my kids got into it, but got out of it on their own.
does she like puzzles? mine can sit for good 2 hours wth puzzles, I got plenty of them, other than tht drawing , coloring. wht about doll house , tea set. it keeps mine busy she prepares tea and serve to each n every doll bear in house. get a black board put it in one corner it also keeps mine busy.
if you have space get a swing. mine sit on swing wth her book n spend an hour there almost
i second puzzles- mine loves puzzles and puzzle games on the computer or the ipad when he’s allowed on.
we do a lot of painting, drawing and colouring which he enjoys, but he’s also got a wide selection of various cars and trucks so there’s a lot of pretend play too. and of course we go out every day for at least 2 hours so he can burn some energy. it all adds up to a pretty busy day usually.
How do you guys make sure the puzzle pieces don’t get lost?
She loves painting. That’s all she’ll do on her own. She’s not really into toys. Loves getting them but hardly plays with anything more than once. She’s not really into playing alone lol. She has two tea sets and a doll house but hardly ever plays with them unless she has a friend over.
I don’t know how I feel about indoor swings, especially with another child walking around the house hehe. But we do go out as long as its not raining, so she goes to the park almost daily, which she loves!
Sprout, nickjr, disneyjr, hub for their regular shows.
Sometimes they would watch how its made or how do they do it with me (I usually watch it first to make sure) and sometimes a show here and there from food network (again I watch it first and then watch with them)
the one I got our wooden one, and she needs to sort it on big wooden tray kind , I have packed puzzles in zip lock, she tales one at a time finish it and then put them back in zip lock, like 123 in one zip lock, animals in other zip lock, abc everything separately and all of the them in big basket. yes I have lost few of them but whenever there is special offer I get new one.
What kinda crafts do your kids like?Something a 4 year old can do independently?
I was just thinking an hour ago that since my 4 year old’s preschool ends in a few weeks,what can we do allllllll day long during the summers…some TV,crafts,library trips,gymnastics and swim lessons and a trip to a park (weather permitted)…still it seems some part of the day will be needing some more activities…
So for the summer my soon to be 4 year old is signed up for swimming lessons. Monday to Thursday for 3 weeks. After that we’ll probably just regular trips to the park. She loved strawberry picking last summer so I’m looking forward to taking her to our local farm this summer as well. We also got season passes to six flags, so maybe we’ll do a couple of Saturdays or Sundays there. The beach is another option.
During the week she likes going outdoors and bringing leaves and flowers home I was thinking about starting pressing them for her to keep.
Chips6-
She can do beading, you can get her glitter glue, pompoms, feathers, googly eyes, pipe cleaners and buttons wagera.. and glue sticks with different printed cardstocks, washi tape (found at dolalr tree) old parenting magazines, kid friendly scissors and glitter glue. Put it all in a box and let her go crazy making projects. They can find doff letters in the magazine and cut them out and decorate them or you can tape a piece of string and her make jewelry. I get all mine from the local dollar tree and even fake flowers and Mason jars that kids can decorate. You can buy plates from there and have them decorate it with perm. Markers and and glitter glue.
My husband usually watch them with him but I know these cartoons and I think they’re age appropriate. He plays educational games on his Ipad, which are also used in his class for math and spelling, some quiz games and some car racing stuff.
Join them 
I was thinking about starting pressing them for her to keep.