SAHMs - activities?

redshoegirl · September 2011

If you SAHM (full or part time) what activities do you do with your LOs, especially at home? This is a small town and there aren't any attractions like the zoo nearby, so we're a bit limited in what we can do. We go to Rhyme Time at the library once a week, but that's our only set activity. At home it's pretty much play inside, play outside and color with crayons (I'd like to get an easel for outdoor painting as well), but I could use more inspiration. I guess my question really has two parts:

What activities do you do outside the home?

Do you have any special activities that you do at home (like, say, painting - basically stuff other than just a general "play with toys")?

lola808 · September 2011

Our routine is wake up (around 6), do books and puzzles and some independent play time while I prep breakfast, then we eat and then go outside to throw out bread and watch the ensuing bird show. After that, we get ready and usually head out for the day and stay out until late afternoon.

Outside activities: We try to pack a lunch each day and hit up a park or beach to eat and run around. We'll also usually make one other stop -- the library/bookstore, grocery shopping, driving to the airport to watch the planes, the kid-friendly mall, visiting somewhere "new and exciting" (e.g., the conveyor belt sushi joint or the waterfront to watch the ships). We go to the interactive play museum weekly and we start a free parent-child interaction program at the local park this week. We probably only go to the zoo or aquarium once a month, and we do playdates maybe twice a month. When DH's schedule allows, we like to grab takeout and picnic at the beach park for an early dinner -- a great way to eat and then burn off the last of the day's energy. And we go to sporting events with DH on the weekends.

At home: A is an outdoorsy kid, so we can only do inside things for an hour or so before he's running to the door begging me to take him out. Inside, he likes to do what we do, so I try to give him kid-friendly activities that mimic ours. Currently, he LOVES to clean, so we do wiping, sweeping and vacuuming games. He's also really into cooking, so we cook and serve meals at his play kitchen (I clean out old spice shakers and milk containers and he goes to town with those) or with the real pots and pans in ours. And when doing chores, I try to give him a job, so that I can get things done and still give him fun learning opportunities.

We do a lot of water play outside (or in the tub if the weather is bad) -- he loves the kiddie pool or watering plants with the hose or the watering can. He can keep occupied for quite a while with rocks or sand and a shovel and bucket, or with pods that he finds and peels apart. Most of the time, I don't think I'm "getting creative" with our activities, but rather just following his interests and figuring out how to create opportunities to extend that play (in time and complexity).

Hope you're having fun being a SAHM. It's exhausting, but also pretty awesome, I think. Stick out tongue

mrspresley · September 2011

outside the home - take walks, play with sidewalk chalk, pick up rocks (we pick out interesting looking ones, take them home and wash them and she has a nice little collection to play w/at home), we go to a storytime and music class at the library once/wk, the little gym once/wk (I know you probably don't have this), water the plants (i want to start a garden soon), and just explore

at home - she loves puzzles right now so we have a lot of wooden puzzles and a few foam puzzles and these get a LOT of play time right now; we do a lot of "art work" with the crayons; practice learning stuff like colors, numbers, ABCs, etc. pretend play with the stuffed animals, play kitchen, etc. we also made a tent using her activity mat (it has the bars over the top) and I put a bed sheet over the top of it and she LOVES to go hide/play under there we also do some hide and seek where she basically runs behind doors and large pieces of furniture and waits for me to find her she also loves to help me empty the dishwasher and sort the laundry (putting them into the washer, moving them from washer to dryer, and sorting them after they are dry) so that helps me get some chores done during the day. not sure we have any "special activities" per se but those all keep her pretty entertained!

MauiBride2008 · September 2011

I'm a full time SAHM, but R is only 5 months so our day consists of him sleeping, tummy time or spent playing in his exersaucer So I am no help here

I want to save this post though as he gets older because I feel like I will struggle with giving him some variety in his day. We live in AZ now and the days are HOT here so going outside while the sun is out will be quite difficult for us.

lelekay · September 2011

This past summer (when I was SAH) we went to the park or splash park/pool almost every day. We live only 6 blocks from the pool, and 2 blocks from a park with a playground, so that was easy for us. On rainy days a couple of times we went to the mall and played on the "treehouse" playground they have there. He's a very active boy, so the few times we tried the library it kind of flopped. He won't sit that long for a story unless he's on my lap and get to turn the pages himself.

We just recently tried crayons a few times. Not very successful yet (mostly just eating them!), but we'll keep trying. Oh, and his sand and water table is a big hit in our backyard.

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