Help Me Think of ANYTHING to Do with My Daughter!

Hi,S..
I am a play therapist and a mom to a 21 year old and 12 year old (so both of them are sort of only children and I entertained them A LOT!!). Believe me, I hear you when you say you are at your wit's end.
I hope I can give you some good ideas....Play Dough is lots of fun and so are paper and paints, My kids and I used to draw a lot. One game we liked was the squiggle game. They drew a squiggle on a piece of paper and I turned it into a picture. Then I made a squiggle and they drew more on it to make a picture. Books, books, books are always great...the libraries here in Austin are great so you don't have to spend money...or Half Price Books.
Books on tape where your daughter can follow along are good (and give you a break). Beading and making jewelry is fun. We would dance in the sprinkler when it was hot, make
things to eat, play dress up, do puppet shows, play lots of board games like Hi Ho Cherrio, etc. We'd play Old Maid (simple card game), and cut up paper and glue it on other paper to make collages. Hopefully your daughter enjoys art projects. You can google preschool art activities and there are tons of suggestions, sometimes using items around the house (toilet paper tubes, etc.).
Now I want to add that I got tired of playing after a while and I told my kids to entertain themselves for a bit. Show her on the clock when she can have your attention again.

It sounds like she is ready for school in the fall. During the summer can she have a friend over or go to their house for a play date? They play so much better with other kids. It can make it easier for you when a friend is over. Maybe a summer morning program or camp at your pre school.

Lots of luck! Have fun. I know how you feel. You sound like a great mom!
Also congratulations on your new career!
D.

You might want to join your local Moms Club. They often have playdates which means your child plays while YOU actually speak to an adult. Good luck!

Have you let her start baking with you? It's an excellent opportunity for interaction while introducing math (fractions) and the finished product is a reward at the end.
A garden would also be good. She can plant her own garden, watch the plants grow and harvest the bounty in the end. My granddaughters (also 5) love the cherry tomatoes that they plant and they love making their own flower arrangements from their garden.

Go to www.meetup.com. You will be able to find a play group that you all can join with other kiddos her age. It has been a life saver for me.

Have you considered a sandbox or water table in your backyard or porch? It might not bee to hot during the morning hours. I think I read somewhere that its important to let children expand their imagination on their own, so activities that encourage her to formulate pretend play (like "cooking" with the sand, bringing cars or dolls into the sand, etc.) are beneficial. It might be hard at first, but she should be able to self-entertain in a sandbox or water table for 30-40 minutes.

Help her write her own stories, then over the next few days she can illustrate the pictures, etc.

Also, you might want to check various bead stores to see if they offer any children's beading classes.

A few ideas for you:
1) Drop-in time at Pump It Up or one of the other inflatable jumping places. It's great way to burn energy indoors.
2) The new park at the Long Center with the water pools and fountain. My kids (3-1/2 and 5) love to splash and cool off for free.
3) The library and Half-Price Books.
4) The Dino Pit at the Austin Nature & Science Center - go in the morning when it's cooler.
5) The Texas Memorial Museum on the UT Campus with dinosaur bones exhibit; free. http://www.utexas.edu/tmm/
6) Shaved ice at your neighborhood stand - my kids just discovered this treat and it's a great way to take a break in the heat of the day.
Good luck getting through the summer!

Hi,
My advice...finds some kids she's friendly with and invite one of them over for a playdate. You could schedule a few a week...they are busy playing and you can get some mental rest for yourself! There is power in numbers!! My kids have friends over...you don't hear from them until they want food!
It's always worked for me and it doesn't have to be for the entire day. Just a few hours to break up the day can make a big difference. If you have friends/neighbors with kids around her age, that's a good place to start. It doesn't even need to be another girl, at that age my kids played w/both girls and boys. In a few years, she'll be setting up her own playdates with friends from school. Hang in there!

How 'bout the library? They have neat summer programs, like story time. A lot of churches are having vacation bible studies and summer camps. Try some of the church web sites. Try ANC (Austin New Church) if you live in South Austin. It's a great new church that holds services at Akins High School at 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.