Sometimes the simplest things can be the best things

Posted by Karen | 0 comments

We recently made a very simple rope swing. My husband hung a rope from a sturdy branch in our yard, drilled a hole through the center of a piece of wood, pulled the rope through and, voila….hours and hours {I kid you not} of fun. Every free moment the kids are asking, “Can we go swing on the swing?” No fancy play equipment. No complicated games. A simple rope from a tree.

Other really simple and very inexpensive {or practically free} ideas I have found to keep everyone happy, having fun, or learning are:

A Bean Box: My preschooler loves this. {and I will admit even the 10 year has been caught playing with it} It is a large plastic container with the bottom filled with several bags of beans. In the container I placed measuring cups, shovels, play cars, etc. The kids love pouring, scooping, driving the cars around, digging. It is like an indoor sandbox with hardly any mess!

Salt dough. We absolutely love making this simple craft. The kids love making the dough into shapes with cookie cutters or just shaping by hand. Then you place their creations in a very low oven for a 1-2 hours to harden. Once the items are cooled, paint them. Great for homemade gifts. We recently made salt dough beads and strung them on string for necklaces. The possibilities are endless.

Dress up. We love dress up and have all kinds of creative items for the kids to use their imaginations. They sometimes dress up for fun and other times they make plays and create costumes for their characters. Dress up clothes do not need to be purchased. Just old pieces of any type: scarves, belts, dresses, button down shirts, costume jewelry, etc. Our favorite creation was an old pillow case with a circle cut out in the stitched end of the pillowcase. Pull it over your head, tie a sash, and you have a tunic.

Paint with water. My preschooler’s number one activity in summer is painting the deck and the house with water! Yes. With water. Fill a bucket with water, and supply him with all types of “grown up” brushes. He can paint the deck, the outdoor furniture, the house, etc. And when the sun dries it up, he can start again.

Taking old broken items apart. Boys love this. An old camera, an old phone, anything that can be taken apart to explore the inner parts. Then they may even try to put it back together again. Of course, you may need to supervise if your child is young. But this activity is sure to spark interest in how things work.

Nature. Use the gift that God has given us in His creation to explore, enjoy, and learn. Nature hunts, scavenger hunts, gardens, flowers, leaves, acorns,insects, etc. The possibilities are endless. We recently enjoyed being out in the woods and finding clay in the banks of a stream. The kids spent the entire afternoon making clay pots, and drying them in the sun. What a gift from our Lord that day! Nature is there for us to enjoy at any time in any season. Take advantage of this gift!

Sometimes the most fun we have are from the simple things. I am not a big fan of expensive or complicated toys. Kids need to be creative and do not need to be spoiled by a toy that does everything for them.

So keep it simple. Keep it basic. Find ways to repurpose old items. And let their imaginations and their creativity lead them.

Karen DeBeus is married to the love of her life, Steve, and a homeschooling mom of 4 children ages 10-2. She was called to homeschool when her oldest was kindergarten age after thinking, “I could never do THAT!” Now she is passionate about encouraging others on their homeschool journey. She is also working on simplifying all areas of her life,including homeschool, and putting God first in all she does. Read more about her journey to simplify at www.simplylivingforhim.com.