Understanding Bad Shopping Habits

Posted on: 28 March 2016

Do you have a young daughter who is spending too much time in front of the television or electronic device? When the weather isn't nice enough to go outside, it can be hard to keep a young child entertained inside. Of course, it might be easy to put on their favorite television show or let them watch videos on a cell phone tablet. Too much screen time, though, may not be great for their attitude, behavior, or mental development. The good news is there are plenty of other activities you can do with your daughter to help her stay mentally active and engaged on days where she has to stay indoors. Below are three such activities you can enjoy with your daughter:

Arts and crafts. Give your daughter an opportunity to let her inner artist out. Get crayons, markers, colored pencils, and even paint sets, and let her create whatever comes to mind. Or sit down with her and make your own creation. You could color your favorite princesses or characters from her favorite shows. You also may want to get some paint-by-number kits to give her some structure and an end goal. Art time will let her be creative and should keep her entertained for a long period of time.

Build a box fort. Have some empty boxes sitting around? You can use those to build almost anything that comes to mind. You could build a box fort and fight off bad guys, or use boxes to even build a castle. Encourage her to use her imagination and then help her turn her ideas into reality. You and her can then keep the castle or other creation up for most of the day and revisit it as you wish.

Play kitchen. Many little girls love games that let them "play adult." One great way to do that is by playing kitchen. Give her some empty pots and pans and let her pretend that she's creating her own culinary masterpiece. If you want to step it up a notch, you could even purchase a wooden play kitchen set that comes with its own pretend stove, oven, and utensils. Set it up in your living room or her primary play area so she can use it as often as she wants. With wooden play kitchens, she'll have everything she needs to safely pretend that she's cooking meals for the whole family.

For more ideas, visit a toy store in your area that sells wooden play kitchen sets and other items that encourage creativity and imagination.