Magic and Mayhem

Baby

• Play with water together– in the sink, in a baby pool or in the bath.  I’m especially partial to the bath one because any way you can make someone happy by lounging in a bathtub is a good thing in my book.
• Go for a walk with baby in a stroller or a sling.  Talk about everything you see.
• Put random things on your head and say hat.  I don’t know why, but this slays my little ones.  Humor with babies is so easy.
• Read books together, especially ones with few words and pictures of other babies or brightly colored things he’s partial to.
• Play peek-a-boo.

Toddler

• Hide the cordless phone and then press the page button so he can search for it.
• Likewise, hide a ticking timer.  Have her try to beat the clock.
• Set him up with a big piece of junk styrofoam, golf tees and a plastic hammer.  Show him how to pound the golf tees into the styrofoam (for really little ones, you can push them halfway in).  You would not believe how much time the average toddler will spend hammering golf tees into styrofoam.  Be prepared for bits of styrofoam everywhere but it’s a small price to pay in my book.
•  Make a fort out of couch cushions and blankets or a secret hideaway under a card table and blanket.  Let her eat snacks, play with toys and read books under there if she likes.
• Give him some bread dough to roll into balls and shapes, or just to squeeze and smash.  Save some to bake and eat!

Preschooler

• Write a secret message or draw a simple picture on a white paper with a white crayon.  Have her paint over it to reveal the magic surprise.
•  Give him some unbaked pie crust and cookie cutters, plastic knives and such.  Let him make shapes and cut whatever he likes.  Put it on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake till barely golden.
• Give her toothpicks and grapes, cherry tomatoes and other healthy little shapes.  Let her build sculptures, animals, flowers, anything and then eat them up.
• Water down a little white glue in a bowl and cut some colored tissue paper into shapes.  Give him a paintbrush and some paper, and let him paint the paper and press the shapes on to make a picture.  The tissue paper is transparent enough to do some neat color mixing, too.
• Alter a ruined or unloved picture book to make an alphabet book together.  Make sure there are at least 26 pages or divide some pages to do double duty, then decorate the cover with stickers or whatever she likes.  Let her go through magazines to find things that start with each letter or she can draw pictures herself right in the book with markers or paint.  Be sure to let each page dry thoroughly before closing.  We use sheets of waxed paper between pages to be sure they don’t end up all stuck together.

Tween

• Let him bake cookies, brownies or other easy treats.
• Give her a bag of unloved clothes and some basic sewing supplies, fusible webbing, fabric glue or even a stapler for temporary pieces.  Add a pair of scissors and let her create the next great fashion line.
• Cut an empty cereal or detergent box into a magazine storage box and let him use your extra scrapbooking supplies to personalize it.
• Gather up some smooth stones and let her use paint pens to make little creatures, people, quote rocks and other nifties for the garden.
• Let him use the camcorder to make a documentary of whatever he likes.

Teen

• Introduce her to a beloved teen flick from your day.  Breakfast Club anyone?  Or did I just date myself? 
• Get him a nice sketchbook and some drawing pencils.  Every teenager needs access to quality art materials.
• Help her start up her own business enterprise, from an etsy store to a dog-walking service.
• Search for volunteer opportunities in the community that match his interests.  Museums, animal shelters and other organizations can often use the help.  It looks great on a college application too!
• Ask her to put together a CD of new music she thinks you’ll enjoy.  Alternately, send her on a quest to find 12 songs that would be the soundtrack to her life story.