When children are free to choose their own activities, they have a lot of fun DOING things.
Timestamps:
00:00 WSJ reporters asked kids what they enjoyed doing at home during quarantine.
10:30 What kids would do if they could do anything.
Transcript:
From Wall Street Journal, May 2, 2020
During the COVID quarantine, reporters from WSJ read hundreds of articles from educations experts and others about how to enrich activities for kids during the quarantine time when kids were confined to their homes. They tried some of them, and asked kids about them. Some of them were good recommendations, most dismissed out of hand by the kids asked.
Kids Being Creative and Having Fun
So then the reporters asked dozens of kids, ages 5 to 16, what they’ve been doing during their time at home that they’ve most enjoyed—and then how they’d spend their days if anything were possible.
What kids had DONE that they loved:
Digging a hole. Boy 5: “One day my sister and I dug a big huge hole in our backyard and we trapped mommy in it. That was the best day ever.” (Creative. HIS creation, invited Mom, power)
**How would you get a child started doing something like that? On their own, they might do WAY better than you, but often they say, “What can I do?” or “I have nothing to do” or “I’m bored.” So, how to you get the creativity started:
- Think of something you’ve always wanted to do here.
- Think of something we’ve done, or you’ve done, that you want to do again.
- Go to Pinterest and type in Fun or creative activities for 7-8-9-X year old.
- Look in the house, in the yard, think of the tools and shovels and scissors and cloth and everything we have. What could you make? What could you do?
Playing teacher. 6-year-old girl “Line up the dolls and stuffed animals and teach them important stuff.” (HERS, in charge, power, desire to influence)
6 year-old girl. “I’ve been making a pouch out of cloth, sewing it and making lots of stitches and my mom and I cut the shapes out—stars and moons and tree and house—and I like that it looks like the sky at nighttime. When it is done we’ll put a handle on it so I can put it on my shoulder.” (Expression of HER, unlike anybody else’s purse or bag. HERS, Creative. Not usually done in pain)
6 year-old “I baked bread with my dad. It was French bread that comes from France. They were like the long skinny ones.” Exotic, special, WITH dad, fun.
7 year-old. “I biked to my friends’ house so I could give them these chocolate treats I made that were called “spilled milk” that you make with melted white chocolate and cereal. I left them at the end of the driveway for them.” (Giving, work, caring, creative)
7 year-old boy “We planted tomatoes and basil and sunflower seeds.” (Family, together, building, creating, delayed gratification)
8 year-old girl: “Do our own Easter egg hunt with my brother and sister and parents and we can hide things inside them like little treasure.” (Delight, mystery, family, fun, work)
9 year-old. “We pretended our house was a hotel and we all switched around and slept in different rooms and even made a check-in desk where you had to pick up your key. It was pretty cool.” (Power, good)
9 year-old: “We’ve also done a bunch of baking and we’ve tried some sourdough waffles and they were really good. Feeding the sourdough starter is like the closest to a pet we have right now.”
10 year-old: “My little brother and I have been making a lot of forts and that’s been cool. One day we built a fort mansion by combining two forts and it was huge. We ate lunch in it.”
11 year-old boy: “I really enjoy Greek and Roman myths so I made a podcast about them.” Named some apps for doing that. (What a great way to use technology to express yourself)
12 year-old girl: Finding a hobby. “I’ve been learning to play the ukulele and it’s been really fun.”
IF I COULD DO ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, I WOULD...
7 year-old: “Have my stuffies come to life. And then I could play board games with them or play catch with them with my baseball.” (Kid just named what he would like his parents to do with him)
7 year-old girl: “Turn my whole house into a giant obstacle course where I could swing from chandeliers and jump on furniture and the floor is hot molten lava!” (Make it happen, ropes, mud, PVC in apartment) (Obstacle course kids, Pinterest)
8 year-old girl: “Either catch a dragon or catch a Pokémon. And I would train them to fight.” (Do it)
9 year-old: “Swim in a chocolate river.” (Melt and swim with fingers)
Me and my 9 year-old granddaughter: What do you want to do right now? Jump in the lake.
10 year-old: “Turn my bedroom into a garden and library. I would have real plants in there. And a ladder with wheels.” (Make it) Plans on Pinterest.
9 year-old: “Turn my backyard into a giant minigolf course.” (Start with one hole)
10 year-old girl: “Redo our basement into an office area so I could be uninterrupted while I work. I’d put a chair and table and paint it a fun color.” (How hard could it be? SIGN: If you need to talk to me, ring this bell. Kid wants uninterrupted time. Or rig a string with two pulleys, and send notes.)
11 year-old: “Build a whole course with wood scraps and a balance beam and lots of dirt jumps in my backyard and then practice my mountain bike skills anytime I wanted.” (Find friend, make liability contract)
14 year-old: “Become fluent in sign language or Japanese.” (Learn simple phrases, use them in public as a code)
Listen to them
Ask them questions, but then LISTEN. If they propose something, come up with something that’s POSSIBLE and that they would like, instead of just saying how it can’t be done.
