Tuesday, September 4, 2012
6 Creative Ways to Keep Kids Busy Using Colored Poms
One of the best things I ever bought was a bag of colored Poms. I had no idea what colored Poms were before I had kids, but now I just love them. If we are ever in a bind for something to do, I know we can always get out the colored Poms and invent a game. So, if you're looking for something to do with your kids and you want to use stuff you already have around the house, here are some ideas:
Sensory bowl: Seriously. Just put them in a bowl and see what your kids do with them. They will probably start making soup or throwing them up the air. You'd be surprised what kids can come up with. Child expert Susan Case says giving kids opportunity to use their imagination and create their own fun is one of the most important things we can do for our kids. I remember one rainy afternoon my kids spent 48 minutes playing happily with Poms, 2 kitchen pans, and 2 spoons. I know because I timed it. Just out of curiosity. I'm weird.
Sorting: Give your kids several bowls and show them where to put the yellows, the greens, the blues, etc. Did you know that when kids sort objects, they are actually practicing early math skills? I didn't know that either, but according to child expert Susan Case,
"When children sort and pattern, they actually learn mathematical skills. Children begin sorting things at an early age. In fact, according to some researchers, young children spend over 40 percent of their time sorting objects into sets, counting objects, or exploring patterns and forms."
Play "Hide the Blueberries": Kids need exercise. What better way to do that than a modified Easter Egg Hunt? Put your kid in one room and tell them to count to 10 or 20 or whatever they are capable or doing. Then you go in the other room and throw the Poms all around, under chairs, in the corner, etc., but make sure to make it easy for them to find or they will get frustrated. Then they can take their bucket around and search for all the "blueberries"! They get the exercise and they also have to practice delayed gratification while they have to wait for you to be finished hiding everything.
The Counting Jar: Use any old jar and put all the Poms inside. Glass jars are preferable because the colors look vibrant and appealing from outside. Then simply ask your child to pull out the Poms and help them count as they go. Your child will likely automatically sort them into her own piles, and again, this reinforces the skills she will need to learn math later in life.
Make a Rainbow: Draw a simple rainbow pattern and show your child which colors go where. Then she can fill in the rest!
Use Tongs to Sort: For some reason, kids love this game. If you are doing this with your Preschooler, make sure to put the Poms on the left side so they have to go from left to right. It is good for them to get in this habit since all reading and writing goes from left to right. Just give them a cookie pan or something to empty the Poms into. This is great for fine motor and muscle strength and even toddlers can enjoy this game!
If you liked this post, you will LOVE my new book (which is currently ranked#4 on Amazon in the category of Motherhood!). If you have ever asked yourself questions like, these, then this is the book for you!
- Why do my kids drive me so crazy sometimes?
- Why do they just want to watch TV all day long?
- How am I ever supposed to get anything done when my kids won't stop pestering me?
In this book, I teamed up with former Kindergarten teacher, Susan Case, and we worked together to give a Mom's point of view and a teacher's point of view, so that we could give you activities that not only keep the kids busy, but also keep them motivated to learn and develop their natural curiosity. Here is what one of the reviews says on Amazon:
"This book seriously saved my sanity. I've read a bunch of parenting books but this is literally the only one that actually gave me real and specific advice and ideas for things to do with my daughter. I'm a stay-at-home mom to a 2-year old and I was at my wits end trying to come up with ideas of fun, easy, creative things to do with her that will keep her busy and occupied and help her learn. I wasn't very good at following through on ideas that I heard about from friends or read in other books or online because they seemed too complicated (aka: messy!) but this book broke it down and made it so simple. I highly recommend it!"
I also want to say THANK YOU!!! I have been so amazed at the amount of support I have seen! I truly love interacting with all of you and I can't tell you how much I appreciate you buying our book and also reading my blog. I feel so honored!!
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I love the colored poms...keeps my little one busy for hours. My husband hates them he finds them everywhere!
ReplyDeleteHaha that's funny. For us it's "hair bands". My husband finds them everywhere and gets so distraught about it! Husbands sure are funny.
DeleteWe love colored pom poms - I've done a sensory bowl with the baby and created this really fun Pom Pom Learning Game that my toddler LOVES!! http://jennifischer.blogspot.com/2012/08/learning-with-pom-poms-color-matching.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Jennifer! That's a really cool game!!
DeleteGreat idea!!! My Two Year old would love this....I had some of these around a few years ago, but my Daughter came home with her 100 day of School project and needless to say she turned in a poster board with 100 Pom Poms in the shape of Hearts. It was really cute and still hanging on the wall in my Laundry room.
ReplyDeleteAwww, I love those projects that stick around forever. Thanks for visiting!!
DeleteThanks for the reminder of how much we love these! We've done sorting with these before, but I love the idea of making a rainbow for them! I shared this idea on my FB page today :) (www.mamaslikeme.com)
ReplyDeleteThanks again for sharing, Tina! I just loved those hand and thumb trees that you had on your site. Glad to find you!!
DeletePlaying off the rainbow thing... I wonder if you could draw letters and have them place the pom poms over them... Great ideas Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea! Thank you!
DeleteMy kids love it when they find the pom poms in the craft stuff... I put a few in their quiet time boxes and they do keep them occupied. I think we will see what we can do with them this week!
ReplyDeleteI really love all these ideas! Time to go out and get lots of coloured pom poms for my little girl hehe. Thankyou!! :)
ReplyDeleteI really love all these ideas! Time to go out and get lots of coloured pom poms for my little girl hehe. Thankyou!! :)
ReplyDeleteActivity Trackers are a great way for unfit people to get into exercise as they provide objective information that the user can use to set their own goals.
ReplyDeleteBest Activity Trackers