The other day I came across an article entitled “33 Things Kids Should Do Before They're 10”. Reading the list brought back many, many, MANY memories from childhood. I found myself smiling as I checked off the things I had done… and remembering how fun and cool it felt to squish mud between my toes!
This list was originally created by a British detergent company to encourage kids to experience play without the worry of getting covered in dirt. According to their study, one third of children avoid certain types of play because they are worried about getting dirty – AND what their parents will say when they do! It seems a bit silly to be getting parenting tips from a detergent company, but what they say does make a lot of sense. We need to LET KIDS BE KIDS!
It seems that we’re in such a hurry for our children to have full lives that we forget that they need to discover life on their own. We shuffle them from museums, to zoos, to play dates, to soccer practice and back home again. We forget the simple, pure fun of digging for earthworms in the garden…or making a mud pie…or building a fort with a couple of bed sheets and the couch cushions. My good friend Jim lowered the clothing rack in his closet just so that his grandkids would have a secret hiding place. Those are the experiences that kids will remember and cherish all their lives.
I have included the link to the article for you to print out and hang on your fridge. Or better yet – make you own list! Think about your favorite childhood memories and give your kids the chance to experience them as well. Another suggestion - create a memory album filled with photographs of your kids playing in the dirt, etc.
http://lifestyle.uk.msn.com/schoolholidays/article.aspx?cp-documentid=598368
One thing that I also realized was that there are items on the list I still haven’t done! So, the next time I travel home to visit my parents, I’m going to follow the advice of #32 and make them a long overdue breakfast in bed…
Please share with us your favorite “Kids Must Lists” by clicking the comments button below.
2 comments:
Hold a mirror under your child's nose, shiny side up. Let them "walk on the ceiling"! We did this for hours on rainy days!!
And don't forget to have a Kool-Aid stand in front of your house.
Play in the rain in your raincoat and float something down the gutter to the storm sewer.
Look under rocks for rolypoly bugs.
Most of all, teach your children to entertain themselves. They can't be kids with a bunch of grown-ups hanging around all the time!!
Oh, so true, let them be unscheduled, unmoderated, un-agenda-ed by adults! Let them be just kids, not baby adults.
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