by Susan Lower

Created on: April 11, 2008

Mothers of preschoolers around the world will agree - small children are in constent demand of being entertained. As parents it is sometimes hard to be creative when we've been up since three a.m. with our yougest one. For most of us, with more than one child, this is usually the case.

Here are few tips for keeping your children out from under your feet and pulling you down by the shirt tails every moment of your day.

Direct your first play. Your a mom right? You take on many roles, and today you are about to see a new star born. Pull your kids together, raid closets and dress up clothes, and act out your child's favorite story book. If you have an old sheet put it on the floor. Take washable markers (for your child's benefit more so than the sheet) and let them uncap their creativity on creating the scenery. When they are done, hang the sheet up on a clothes line or over the backs of chairs for your backdrop.

Kids love to learn when parents take the time to spend with them. Pull out age appropriate board or card games and teach them to play. If you have more than one child you'll find them playing without you in no time. You may join in for the sake of not being left out of all the fun.

Send them on a back yard expedition. Write of list of ten things to find in the backyard. It could be simple as finding a white flower blossom to a four leaf clover. They will be delighted to show you all their great finds. Hugs make a really wonderful reward for their tedious efforts.

A few household chores never hurt anybody. If you start your children on routine chores when they are young, they will be more agreeable to them as they get older. Every Saturday morning we set aside for chores for our house. My five year old matches socks from clean laundry, while my three year old runs around the house with the duster, and the baby takes her nap. When all the chores are done, we sit down and play together.

Older children are harder to entertain and become bored quicker. Their days of finger paints and dress up are over by age twelve. But there are other things you can do with them or encourage them to do own their own with no money involved.

If you have a local library - use it. Teaching your child to read and encouraging them to let their minds paint the picture of a good is priceless. Kids who read do better in school, and have a wider span of knowledge than children who don't.

Puzzles. My three year old loves to sit do puzzles. Not to mention my oldest sister who likes to frame them. Today puzzles come in 3-D. Is that pretty cool or what? Older children think so, and it gives them a great sense of accomplishment when they're finished.

Most of these suggestions are things you most likely already have around your home. There are tons of ways to entertain your children without having to spend a dime. Think outside your everyday activities and I am sure you will be able to come up with other ideas, besides the ones listed, to keep your kids from getting bored when they are home.

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