Hello from beautiful Montana:
Have you heard the expression of "Time flies when you are having fun" Well, sometimes time drags when you have antsy kids and impatient toddlers. I collected some quickie games that only take one minute to do. Try some of these ideas and you can distract the negative behavior and turn it into a fun activity that is shared.
How Long is a Minute?
60 seconds can go by quickly. What could you do in such a short time? You will be amazed at how much you can do in 60 seconds.
If you have a second hand on your watch use that, if not invest in an egg timer or game timer at the dollar store. It takes one minute for the sand to run out. Have the adult time the child and then let the child be the timer for one minute.
In One Minute, Can You?
- count from one to one hundred
- count backward from one hundred to one
- snap your fingers 10 times, 20 times, 40 times
- flip a coin. How many heads can you get in one minute?
- stand on one leg with your arms at your side
- stand on toe tops with arms extended
- count everything that is red in your view
- count everything that is green in your view
- stare at an object without blinking
- plug your nose and only breathe through your mouth
- balance a quarter on your finger tip
- think of a food for every letter of the alphabet
- Walk around with only one eye open
- hum a favorite tune and have the other person guess what it is
- Play "I Spy With My Little Eye" something in plain site and make the other person guess
- Write invisible words on the palm of someone's hand, guess what it says
Turn Minutes into Hours of Fun
Sometimes it just takes a minute to connect with your child. Would you rather spend ten minutes scolding and threatening or one minute playing games? Take a minute right now and see what fun ideas you can come up with together to make the time fly when you are having fun.
In gratitude for the important work you are doing,
Judy H. Wright aka Auntie Artichoke, family relationship coach and author
http://www.ArtichokePress.com
PS: If you are having problems with a disruptive and defiant child, you will want to look for a total transformation for the whole family. there are a number of steps to take to change behavior and it may take longer than a minute or two and you will need help. Check out http://www.DisciplineYesPunishNo.com for suggestions on restoring positive relationships in your family.
