How do you entertain an extremely active 5 year old for 5 days?

Question

I posted this before, and got some good answers, but not nearly enough to make the week. I majorly need help.

Important points:
1. There is NO money to be spent. I have just had to have my PC repaired.
2. Going anywhere is out- we aren't in a place that has anywhere to walk to, and my vehicle won't hold the lot of us (I have a 4yo, 3yo, and 8 month old of my own).
3. Please do not suggest coloring or drawing- he considers that 'work' now that he does it at school.
4. Ditto movies/tv. He couldn't sit still through a commercial.
5. Outdoor games are good, but they have to be minimal adult participation since I can't leave the baby in alone or take her out in the cold any length of time.
6. Baking cookies or cooking in any way is also out since he doesn't eat.

I want to mention also, he is going to be acting out because he gets upset at being away from his mother for the 48 hours we usually have him, and this time she will be out of state, forgetting to call him, and unreachable for 5 days.

Answer 1

Do a treasure hunt in your house. Give him clues and let him search.

Have a cotton ball snowfight with him. Put cotton balls (alot if you have them) on either side of a line. Set a time limit and you have to throw them to the other side as fast as you can. You're on one side, he's on the other. The one with the least amount wins.

Get various sizes of plastic containers and have him estimate how many of a small one it would take to fill a big one. Let him test his theory.

Drive matchbox cars through a tub of pinto beans and rice. (uncooked) kids dig the texture.

Let him do windows. Seriously, my kids love to do the windows with windex and paper towels. Then he's being helpful and you're getting some work done too.

Make as many different kinds of paper airplanes as you can and have a race.

Balloons...all sizes and kinds...make for tons of fun.

Hope that helps!!!

Answer 2

Will you allow him to play games on the internet. That would get him out of your hair when you need him too. Also, one thing I do with my kids is, I make a treaure hunt. I give them a clue like: Your next clue can be found where you keep your chompers clean (toothbrush) Then at the toothbrush I put another clue and so on. You can make it as tricky as you want. If they have to think a while to figure it out then they will stay out of your hair. Also this is good because you can write out clues ahead of time and have them ready for when the kids are really driving you batty. He can do this with your 4 year old. and even your 3 year old. I usually insist that they take turns looking for the clues because invariably one child will be always running ahead of the other. Because they are younger you could also try drawing a picture of where the next clue will be found and then you don't need to read each clue to them. The last clue leads to a treasure (a small treat -a few cookies, or chips)Good luck, I know how hard it is, I have an extremely active 6 yr old boy, who everybody thinks has ADHD.

Answer 3

Wow. Here are some ideas:
-Try a treasure hunt. It doesn't have to be elaborate, and the "treasure" can just be an old toy or a neat-looking tool that you have lying around. Use picture clues for a non-reader. The more clues you make, the longer it may keep him going! Then, see if he'd want to make a treasure hunt for you or one of the younger children.
-Water play. Fill the sink with warm water and get out plastic cups of various shapes, the turkey baster if you have one, measuring spoons, and so forth. Let him stand on a chair to play.
-Pillow forts and chair tents. Use a sheet to make a tent with kitchen chairs. Let him pretend to cook, have a campout, etc.
-Paint with water, if it's not too cold. (I've kept 10 3-year-olds occupied with this!) Give him a paintbrush and a bowl of water, and let him "paint" the porch, the side of the house, the sidewalk, etc. The water will make it look like he's actually painting.
-If you can get some old boxes, make a rocket ship/car/house/pirate ship or whatever he's interested in.

I hope this helps. Try to take quiet moments for yourself this week whenever you can. Being on your own all day can be rough!

Answer 4

get creative with him. I myself have 4 children and i know how easily bored they can get, just be creative, i even turn chore time into fun for my kids, they love doing housework because we make games out of it and we do it together. Play cards with him, other board games, make an arts and craft time, try making fun things for that like footprints and handprints, different things like that. You can use supplies around the house to make things with, also, find a box, put 3-4 things in it that he especially enjoys and call it a busy box. reward him with 15 min of it if he behaves and does something you want him to do. I take it he is not yours and I wonder if maybe you should be asking his parents some things that would keep him entertained. They should be the ones to know. You can get a child to like almost anything if you make it fun for them and a small reward at the end. Good luck hope this helps

Answer 5

- put on music and dance
- use a laundry basket as a basketball goal with a small ball
- "snowball fight" with cottonballs or with rolled up pairs of socks
- read to him
- check out some stuff from the library for him to read - if your car can't hold everyone, go before he comes or in the evening when someone else can watch some of the kids
- let him play online at sights like Nick Jr. or Lego.com or Starfall
- make homemade playdough - plenty of recipes for it online, just do a web search
- wear baby in a sling or front carrier UNDER your coat for added warmth when playing outside (if you don't have a sling, try using a big piece of fabric to tie her on)
- gather all the pillows in the house to build forts
- lay all the pillows in the house end to end to make a train track and the kids are the trains
- if he doesn't live with you, your kids toys will be new and interesting to him so that will occupy him some
- build a fort with table/chairs/blankets/old sheets
- get a big box that he can turn into a fort/rocketship/dog house/car
- water play in the kitchen sink - give him plastic cups, bowls, etc. - put a towel down under him (or fill a plastic tub with water and put it on the floor with a tablecloth under it
- same idea.....plastic tub filled with dry rice, beans or Cheerios and plastic cups, spoons, etc to scoop and pour

Answer 6

First ...how can a mom FORGET to call her child?! Especially at that age...my son, Adam ( I have 4 children 1 girl- 3 boys) is the same age, and he's upset with me if I don't take him to the bus stop in the morning (our neighbor walks him since she goes to the same school) FORGET TO CALL?! I'd NEVER hear the end of this...Find him another active 5 yr old in your neighbor hood...and let them play together...wear each other out..and you too as well! Just let him play outside...let him run, jump skip and other things...My parents did that with my daughter when she was about that age...and she would run and say.."I'm running" and then they'd tell her to skip...etc...You can let him go outside when the baby is napping...if you have a moniter...take the hand held one outside with you. IF you hear the baby make any noise..You can go inside with him to check~ My son had more fun knowing that his little brother "was stuck napping while I'm playing" and he had more fun and then told his little brother all about it..and said..TOO bad you're a baby...

Answer 7

can you get acess to child friendly board games?
you can stay in with youngest participate with them and keep em occupied all at the same time!

there are kids dvds that encourage dancing, singing and some exercise like simple streches such as "touch your toes"

play 'simon says'

do all the usual kiddies party games like statues etc

other games to play could be hide and seek. you could get them all to play and you 8mth old would enjoy it too.

get ur kids to do 'show and tell' at home! or get them to make up a dance to there favorite song or a simple play! this one could take the whole day up if you sit and make hats or masks with them for their characters. and do the play just before they go home or they have dinner.

i get my young cousins to help do gardening. i give them a watering can to water all my plants and they help out by picking up leaves and putting food out for birds.

you say you have no where to walk to. you dont have to walk to a place. you could do a short walk with them (round the block, round where you live) and get then to observe things, point out interesing stuff to them and tell them little stories about things they see ( you need a really good imagination for this one.)

make up salt dough for them and get them to make things out of it bake them and let them paint them.

http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/birthday/party.html

trasure hunt is good one. just use small wrapped candy or pennies

http://www.eventwise.co.uk/asp/GameList_087.asp

some more ideas that dont cost anything


hope this lot helps

Answer 8

Make him build a fort out of bedsheets and chairs. Kids love forts.

Answer 9

tough one but i have the answer what you need to do is try dancing and listening to music and try computer games and also kids shows on TV that always works if that does notwork then you try indoor games or ask him what he wants to do

Answer 10

If you have a pet or something, take them outside to play with it. A big dog would be good.